Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-25


Georgia covering the time be-
tween 1900 and 1860. This period
was a terra incognita" as far
as history was concerned until wrote
my STORY of Georgia. The effort
made TO compass in one volume the
story of the state to 1860 made it nee
essary to be brief in presenting any
one feature. l sorely grieved sundry
descendants of prominent public men
by paying their fathers such scant at
tention and giving so much notice to
the common ..fe of the common people.
If I had been intent on making a book
to sell l would certainly have taken
the usual course of clarifying those
whose patronage hoped for. but was
not Wiling to put myself under obliga-
ton. No person was asked for a dol
lar, or even for subscription to the
book, and some Of the descendants OF
the leading men, whose portraits as
well as histories, are found in the
book, have never even subscribed for
a single copy of the only book which
told of their fathers.
It was not my object to glorify GER
tain public men, but to tell of how
the Georgia people progressed, and so
I have given special attention to their
religious history. The man who fol-
lows the footsteps of such historians
as Greene and Leslie Stephens and
McCauley, or Bishop Stevens. however
far he may fall behind them in his
progress, must give to the religion Of
the people of whom he writes very
prominent place. 1t is not because
am a preacher. and a Methodist
preacher at that, that / have said in
my history, and why say so much
in these articles, about awakenings,
REVEALS and religion generally for no
other agency had so much TO do with
making Georgia what she is as the
evangelical churches. In an article
written nearly a year ago 1 gave an
account of the great awakening IN the
first ten years of the last century.
Georgia was never the same after
that remarkable movement, and the
next great revival that began in 1897
and continued for nearly ten years,
had it's origin in the work which had
been done % years before. There had
been no decline in the churches after
the first awakening and while there
was no rapid growth there was
steady progress for 20 years. Churches
had now been built, associations, pres
byteries, districts and conferences had
been organized and very remarkable
body of evangelists had been raised
UP. Campmeetings were held by
Methodists, Baptists and Presbyte-
rians. The bulk of the population was
in the country, and the people were
plain, Woodworking, and generally
uneducated.i They were as class in in
dependent circumstances; many OF
them quite wealthy; but few were
squalidly poor. French scepucism.
which swept the country in the first
days of the century, had only affect
ed a few Of the public men, and ii had
now almost entirely disappeared
Franklin college. as the university was
then called, was the only college I'm the
state and IL was under very decidedly
religious influences. am not able, to
say with certainty when the revival
began, nor who was the first chief
agent in It. l am inclined to think 1t
YES young Presbyterian afterwards
distinguished throughout the land as
Dr. Joseph G. Styles, who had the
most prominent part in the beginning
Of the work. He was a man of educa-
ton and OF large wealth. He lost his
wife and after weeks of great sorrow
became an earnest Christian, and
went out as an evangelist. He was
wonderfully eloquent and impressive
and was successful wherever he went
The Rev. DR.. Sherwood, then
plain Adick Sherwood, who was one of
the few highly educated Baptists, was
a mighty power, and James o. Andrew
afterward bishop, DR.. stephen Olive,
DR.. Lovick Pierce and John Howard
were a corps of evangelists of remark
able ability They were the strongest
corps of workers the Methodist church
had ever sent out together in Georgia
They held four days meetings in
Athens, Washington, Greensboro. Mil
ledgeville, Macon and were at the larg-
er camp meetings. There was perfect
harmony between the churches. The
leaders in this movement were all ed
ucated men and all men OF unusual