The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-09

In the hope or nlS SalNatlOn, duu Al may be proper to say that through the blessing of God upon our labors the last year more than five hundred such cases have occurred. But perhaps the most valuable fact is that, in several instances, members of churches are known to have been enlisted in personal work and in the maintenance of neigh borhood prayer meetings instituted by the visitors, which have become perma- nent centers of moral power, leading to additional conversions after the visitors had gone to other fields. A complete record of the year would show many individuals and households, commonly regarded as beyond the reach of hope transformed, regenerated, and now, the peaceful and joyful followers ond wor- shippers of Christ. To specify one or two cases: In one instance a family was discovered where the man, his wife and three daughters were never in church or Sunday school, while the parents were both bitterly opposed to churches and the Bible Such family could not be passed without an earnest effort. But the most tender appeals seemed utterly wasted, and nothing was gained, apparently, in the first in- 1 terview except the reluctant promise of I the father to read the fifty-third chap | ter of Isaiah. On a later day the vis- l itors found the man mailing boards to a building near his house. They asked l if he had read the chapter; he replied | that he had not had time. They pro- posed to read it to him. Yes" he said, you can read it, I can drive these | nails and hear too. Read away" One of them began to do so, but had read 1 only a few verses before the man drop l ped his hammer and found a place to sit down and listened attentively. That 1 prophecy of the Man of Sorrows" bruised for our iniquities" was a reve- ! lation to him. He knew nothing of the 1 Scriptures he had so maligned. After reading the chapter through one of the visitors went into the house and to her great joy, found the wife had been thinking of what was said in the former I interview. and had made up her mind that she wanted to be a Christian. The nature of a Christian life was explained and she knelt and consecrated herself to the service of Christ Soon her hus- band came in and she told him what she had done. He decided to follow her example, and they had another prayer meeting, the parents, daughters and visitors all uniting. Now, eight months after these occurrences, these people are found attendants upon church and 1 Sunday school and ,worshlpping God in their home.
 Another of our workers found a man of incorporate habits and leading a most brutal life, but who earned con- siderable money; whose children, not withstanding, had no clothing but what neighbors gave them; who would lock the food from his household while he was absent; whose wife, utterly dis heartened often showed marks of bruises he had inflicted; two of whose children the Humane society had com. passionately removed from him; was
 brought, by the blessing of God upor the labor of the visitor, under the DOW. CT of divine truth. He abandoned his
 cups, confessed to his family and il
 public his great sinfulness, consecrat
 ed himself to a Christian life and insti
 tuted family worship. His wife, moved
 by the same spirit and encouraged by
 his transformation, put their long des
 olate and filthy home in neat array
 The children also caught the inspira
 tion, and, being properly clad by pater
 nal hands, bore witness to the joyfu
 transformation. The united testimon,
 of husband and wife is expressed il
 the words of the latter-"We have no
 been so happy since we were married
 eighteen years ago."
 One illustration of what we are some
 times permitted to accomplish anon,
 the feeble rural churches will suffice
 In one community a once flourishin,
 church had become reduced in mum
 bers and strength, and the inconsisten
 cies of some prominent members ha
 become conspicuous and a reproacf Pastors after brief effort had becom
 discouraged and left But the presen pastor, with a few earnest souls, wei
 comed the Bible visitor. He began t labor from house to house and to hol meetings in the evenings. The meet
 ings grew in numbers and in interest
 The members of the church grew pray erful and tender But band of youn . people who had shown their contemp
 for religious services by disturbing tn meetings continued their practice C interruption. A week had passed i
 this way, when the visitor, as he wa