The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1898-03-17
THE WALDENSlAN COLONY.
An Interesting Discourse by Rev
Bartholomew Soulier.

An Interesting Discourse by Rev.
Bartholomew Soulier.
Rev. Bartholomew Soulier, pastor
OF the Waldensian colony in Burke
county, delivered a most interesting
and Instructive discourse at the Pres
byterian church Sunday evening up q
the history Of the church in Italy
and the colonies in the New World.
The divine spoke splendid English,
though his articulation was some
what indistinct. On the whole, how
ever, he impressed bis audience as an
earnest and faithful Christian worker
and an accomplished and elouu n,
man.
He begun with sketch Of the
Alpine home Of his people, originally
consisting of only 300 square miles of
territory in the Northern part OF Italy
called Piedmo in what was once the
depe ndency of Savoy. The center of
,,ot charitable and educa-
tlOnal institutions is now city of
5000 Inhabitants. There the church
is we'll equipped for the care of it's
. I'll :cted and the education of it's
youth.
The Waldensian church is the
Oldest Presbyterian church." said the
| speaker. 1t existed as far back as the
| ninth century, if not at an earlier
date. 1t was doing missionary work
| ton. No one knows exactly its origin,
1t was not founded by Peter Waldo,
in the twelfth century. as claimed by
| the Roman church, but their tradf-
tions say they came from Southern
| Italy and settled in the Alps to avoid
| prosecutions. The name Waldenses
did not come from Waldo but means
I THE men Of the valleys" The EN-
blem Of the church is candlestick
surrounded by stars, and the motto
Light shineth in dark places"
The divine then told of the four
| hundred years of persecution his
church had suffered. Pope Innocent
IN the early part of the sixteenth cen.
fury, communicated them from the
redemption power of the blood OF
Christ and attempted to destroy them
The worse prosecutions were from
| l635 to 1859. In the first mentioned
year Duke Emanuel of Savoy, urged
by Louis XIV and the Pope sent an
army Of $4,000 into the Waldensiau
| valleys to compel them to Join the
Catholic church. They refused
Though far inferior in number they
were at first successful, but f1nally
| we're deceived on promises or peace,
! into allowing the Dukes troops to be
| luartered in their houses. In the
night the guest soldiers massacred the
believing Waldenses, Putting hundreds
to horrible death Oliver Cromwell
OF England, sent financial aid to the
| few who remained. Later on the
Duke Of Savoy made another attempt
instigated by Louis, and this time
| took IA, 900 prisoners and cast them
into dungeons, where 8 900 died. These
prosecutions ended in 1859 when
Henri Armand led band OF 900 back
to their native valleys. They were
soon surrounded by an army of 20 OO0
but so bravely ard long did they hold
cur that the siege was abandoned, the
| Duke Of Savoy having formed an
| alliance with William of Orange, a
friend Of theirs. and having brt ken his
allegiance to King Louis of France.
| From 1859 till 1913, the Waldenses
| could hold no offices, could not enter a
| profession, could not leave the valleys
where they lived, could not build a
| Charles Albert, of Savoy, gave them
their entire liberty in 1848 and since
then they have been at peace.
| The church did the first Protestant
missionary work in Italy, where
they now have some fiourIshing
| churches
| The divine then spoke of the North
| Carolina colony in Burke; it consists
| now of 275 souls; said their lands were
! poor and it would take several years
to make the colony self supporting
| They are trying to build a 81 SOC
| church; already have the walls up bu,
need several hundred to finish it.
The lecture was much enjoyed Rev
Mr.. Soulier will deliver an illustrated
lecture on Thursday night at the same
place, giving many beautiful views Of
| the Alpine valleys