davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
World's cresset. [volume] (JAH-ville [Colony], Fowler, Mo.) 1891-19??, 1908-11-26
HAS christianity BEEN A
FAILURE.

The present condition Of suffer.
ings, cannot b+ charged up to
real christianity. But correctly
it should he charged up to the
present so,called system Of min
isterial religion, or christianity,
we shall add. that the present
body of men, who say that we
belong to Christ, and feed them
selves off of the poor of the flock,
they are at the same time fulfill
irg this prophesy. Please read.
Ye ca, the fs,. and ye clo,he you with
tie wool. ys kill Item that are fed bu,
yc feed not the ffock.
Tho disesscd have ye 70, strengthened
neither have 70 healed ,ha, which vas
sick. neither have ye :Sound up that
which was broken. neither have -
Drought again ,ha, which Was driven
away, neithor'bavc ye sought that Which
was Lost; bu, wish force and with cru
ely have ye iu'.d them. Eek "a "a
Dear reader it becomes a duty
involved upon each and every one
to look around them, and to see
if tEey can discover a body or
class Ct men who fulfill the pro.
phesy above And then we will
see our present so called chris.
tianity just as it is. A system
Of fabulous teachings to the en-
richment OF the few and to the
detra ment OF the many; true
christianity looks down from the
smiling face Of God the father,
and Christ the Saviour, into The
paths of poverty woe and want
And lifts into her bosom tho poor
the needy, the widow, AID the
orphant, by the strong armes OF
those who have Christ in their
heart, which makes them per
feet christian: and prove to a
diving race that true christianity
never failed. True christianity
will feed mon, women and child
rem when they are hungry. And
this MS a command OF our Lord
and master, TO his disciples,
please read.
Bat he s,jA unto them Give ye them
&c "a, And they said. We hsv' ~
more hui five loaves ard Two fshes
eyer, We should go and buy meat in
70, al tls people. ST. Luke s-l'
This was positive command
give We them TO eat" this IL
true christianity. Again it Il
confirmed in this Language
please read again.
And The multitude Of them that he
licyed w.re u one heart and OF one so'
uei,har said any Of them that ansbt
III. things which hr poiscesed was u
.vyn; bn, thew lad Al! 'hi'"s c"n'r'on
Neither was there any among 'hc'
that lacked Tor as many as were pos
SCISSORS Of lands or bouscs sod he"
and brought the p,icHs Of the things III
wers sold.
And laid them down At the so"Si!'
fee. and di>tr button wa main INT
stery mar ACQUIRING a. he bad ner'
Acts 4 ga 81
There ara many people Wi
are professors Of christian't!
when they read this will sa!
villa. ] have il my own ! nav
made it, and I shall keep it,
will net give il away. This
said by the many in these time
when they hear S ,cialism spol
on of. And there is no doubt
our mind; but what there wei
many of those disciples: wi
belonged to that multitude TIL
could OF said that: But-you CO
plainly see, that such q saylr
would Of left them out side OF u
circle Of christianity. And
must say that we believe til
-.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

and never saw prayer book. Not a few of the people never saw d Presbyterian preacher.
 The following anecdote is here in point: A Presbyterian missionary, in the back woods, stopped at cabin. and asked the woman of the house: Are there any Presbyterians in this region?' Her reply was: "I don't reckon there is: cause the boys went out a-huntin' 'tother day, and cotch an kilt whole lot O varmints, an l never heerd 'em say thar was ary Presbyterian among em."
 The Methodists have some churches hereabouts, but they do not draw much of their strength from this immediate neighborhood. The population Is an ex- ceedingly. substantial one During my pastorate at Mill Swamp I never heard of poor fund" We had nothing of the kind. because nothing of the kind was needed. Scarcely anybody was rich, and yet everybody was making a living. and, so far as I could learn, there was no such thing as suffering for the necessa- ries of life.
 For many generations Isle of Wight county has been celebrated for its or chards, and as the apples are mostly of the summer and early fall varieties and will not keep long, the people got into
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

Swamp Baptist chuch, in Isle of Wight county This Is said to be the oldest Baptist church in Virginia. The house of worship is a large, substantial brick building, situated in grove of oaks and hiekories, about ten miles from James river and two miles from the Black water. The country around 1t is mostly level and sandy, and as the roads are uncommonly good, as Virginia roads go and as the country is very thickly settled, the crowds that attended the meeting were really phenomenal. This Is one of the oldest settlements in the oldest of the states The soil is light and par ticularly easy to cultivate. The one- horse blow Is commonly used, and the one-horse cart Is universal on the farms and on the road. A four-horse wagon is a rarity indeed.
 The habits of the people are those of the olden times. The present writer was pastor here for some years, and never did he know a more affectionate. warm hearted, unaffected people. In this im- mediate vicinity the Baptists have things much after their own way. Indeed, there are very few of any other denomination to be found. Large numbers of grown men and women, fathers and mothers, never heard the Episcopal service read
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

for two or three generations been a pop ular institution among the country churches in Virginia; and a very largo proportion of the present membership of nearly all our churches have been brought in under the influence of such meetings. Indeed. one of the most se- rious objections that has ever been urged against holding protracted meetings is that preachers and people get into the habit of looking for ingatherings to the churches only H these seasons, and this Is really a very serious drawback to their usefulness.
 At the Mill Swamp meeting no "anx- ious seats" were used. At the close of each sermon the preacher would simply invite converts to confess their faith in Christ To one who has spent most of his life In towns and cities, 1t is novel sight to see these people. living in re- tired country, remote from railroads as they gather in crowds to meeting of this kind The array of carriages, bug gies wagons. and divers other vehicles not emitting the inevitable one-horse cart is really phenomenal. The worship Is simple and hearty. The choir, when there is any, commonly strikes work, and the singing falls into the old-fashioned hymns and tunes which our grandfathers sung
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

and training of the young, were wisely and widely discussed.
 Albert Hall, the largest hall in London. was crowded day after day when the questions of sweated industries and such like social problems were unfiinchingiy dealt with. The absence of the Bishop of Birmingham, caused by severe illness, was a matter of universal regret, for none understands better than he the great ills to be remedied, and the devotion and self-sacrifice necessary to carry out the work
 Among the speeches most thoroughly appreciated were those of the American bishops. At one of the sessions the Bishop of Massachusetts presided, and the Bishop of Utah made breezy and original speech which captured his aud fence.
 At most of these meetings women spoke or joined in the discussion, and many were accredited delegates. Miss Constance Smith spoke in so moving a way that few eyes were dry when she had finished describing the agonies of sweated labor. There Is not a person in this hall" she said, whose home docs not contain some product of sweated la bor.
 ''The very embroideries of the altars at which you worship and the books you open for devotion the product Of sweated labor" she told that great ec- clesiasticaI audience.
 The marriage laws were freely dis cussed in the recent Pan-Anglican Con ference, and the consensus of opinion was strong against any loopholes which might give countenance to divorce or the disso- lution of the marriage tie. Probably on
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19
PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENTAL Savoyard

man. If that man were the wisest and the best man in the world 1t would be the best government in the world. If there could be combined in one indi- vldual the genius of Bonaparte. the grandeur of Washington, and the heart of Burke, that man ought to be abso- lute czar of the entire world; but 1t might be that an unfit man will attain to the American chief magistracy-ore with an itching palm, eaten up with the beast of all the passions, avarice. As this government is now adminis- tered such a man could become bil- lionaire in a single term of four years, if he were the partner of a coterie of Wall street.
 The civil list of the United States is approaching 800 ,000 names, and the man is now a voter who will see 1t attain 1000 O00 Think of that and turn back and read the speech that John Randolph of Roanoke made against the creation of new offices and the establishment Of big salaries. When the new isms come into play such as government owner ship, as they surely will unless the demagogues who propose them are ternly rebuked, the civil list will got into the millions, and as every Germa n farmer carries a soldier on his back
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

no subject was there more unanimity of feeling. pr. Carmichael, the Bishop of Montreal, made a fine speech on this question, and MT. George ". B. Russell emphasized the fact that the noble name of Socialism, which, so long as 1t was the Christian Socialism of Kingsley and Mau- rice was the inspiration of his boyhood and early manhood, had been disfigured and disgraced too often by the advocacy in quarters called socialstic of doctrines with respect to marriage which might truly might be described the doctrines of devils. MT. Russell, speaking as lay man. urged that 1t was the duty Of the Church to affirm resolutely It's adherence to the Fundamental doctrines on which matrimony was based.
 Among the missionary discussions, nothing was more inspiring than the news which came from Corea- The native Corean is anxious to study the Bible Bibles are not given away In that country but are sold and the native will give as much as the equivalent of shilling for his New Testament.
 Twenty thousand copies of the New Testament were ordered last year from the Bible committee. and the whole edi- tion was sold before a word had been printed.
 These men will endure great privations and travel for days to attend a Bible class. such classes varying according 10 the locality from 200 to 1900 enrolled mem- bers and continuing from 10 to IA days.
 Perhaps no more striking speech was made during the Congress than that made by MT. Masterman, a member of the rresent government slight, almost
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

boyish figure, as he stood on the plat form of the great hall, he Is an orator of no mean gifts.
 He declared that capital was not im- moral but immoral. and the audience cheered him long. He urged that the Church should draw some ethical boun- daries within which capital might carry on it's non-moral functions. We cannot do without capital any more than we can do without labor" he said. We must put capital on It's mettle, and 1t will be used in the right way
 And so as the meetings followed their course, wave after wave succeeded each other, subject after subject was discussed and always crowds, always enthusiasm, until the final day when the great service at St. Paul's Cathedral crowned the Con gross.
 Certainly no procession ever entered those great doors so important, so sig nificant as that which passed up the aisles on Wednesday last. Some hours before the service, and before the opening of the church doors. the entrance steps and the square in front of St. Paul's were crowded with people, and long after the building was filled, and every balcony between arch and spandrel up to the highest gallery which girdled the dome were wreathed with men and women. outside upon the great steps many more were seated, and through the open door way followed the stately service.
 The great altar with it's lighted candles and vases of lilies and central golden cross rose stately against the background of marble of the lofty reredos, and the gIint of sunlight which fell now and then
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19
HUMAN LIFE AND SOCIALISM-By Lady Henry Somerset

terests, as those assembled at that mo- ment From the sun-stricken plains of India, the deserts of Africa, the snows of the Arctic slopes. the wide stretches or d new continent. the cornfelds of Canada, the forests of Ceylon, the teeming cities of two continents. the sparsely populated countries of the New World the islands of the sea, from beyond the snow capped mountains they had come, come to dis cuss the affairs of the Kingdom of God on earth, come to join in that great act of worship and thanksgiving, and come to meet together to deliberate how best to carry forth the gospel of Christ, and as the notes of the first hymn broke out sung by 10000 voices many eyes were dim at the thoughts that crowded, solemn and significant, into every mind
 ''we want no sermon today" said the Archbishop, as he mounted the pulpit, and most echoed his sentiment. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God; 1t IS meet and right so to do." he proceeded, in simple and felictous phrase.
 And then he went on to speak of the silver and the gold belonging to God, "but that infinitely more important was the living church of Christ that the out come of that great mastering and many words must be- God helping us, that the society of Jesus Christ on earth, the so- ciety to which you and I belong, shall strive more valiantly, more persistently, more hopefully than ever to mend what is broken and crooked. what Is ignorant and amiss in the world around us, and to hasten on the coming of the Kingdom of God
 Then followed the recitation of the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

on the figure on the cross on the Virgin and Child, or on the crowning figure of the Risen Christ. the outward signs of the creed we were there to confess. si- lentIy brought home to the watching spectators the real significance of the scene.
 Presently the great organ pealed forth and the Hymn of Praise rang through the vast building, and five minutes be- fore the clock struck F the professional cross gleamed through the west door or the dome, heading the procession of the Cathedral choir and clergy choristers and singing men, as they proceeded to meet the bishops.
 Then came a procession of the civic side of London life, the Lord Mayor in his full robes with his attendants with their little old fashioned bouquets of flowers which have been carried from time iin- memorial before London's chief mag's- trate. After the glittering pomp of the representatives of civic state had passed into the chancel, the great Episcopal procession began to form. Truly. 1t was a wonderful line of Archbishops and Bishops, representing nations from all the corners of the globe.
 From our seat in the chancel faintly came to us the first notes of the Ltany. As the procession proceeded up the nave under the dome. and up the chancel steps the sound grew louder and louder, until at last every word was audible, as the Bishops filed into their stalls
 It seemed to me as I looked down upon them that never, perhaps, had one seen gathered together men who stood for so much, who represented such sacred in-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

the way of saving their fruit'-a eu- phomism for making apple brandy. This sad business was carried on promiseu- ously by all classes of people, saints and sinners. Not few of the most substan- tial church members in this whole region of country had not learned that it was wrong for a Christian to make, sell and drink apple brandy. Our fathers and grandfathers, who were good. honest men, did just so, and why should not we?" And yet little observation of the results would seem to be sufficient to convince any candid inquirer that the business is a baleful and blighting curse to the community. It Is believed that lit
 tie by little the people are coming to learn the inconsistency of the position of the Christian distiller. and that as bet ter views prevail he will find his position more and more uncomfortable. Even now some of the best men In the community will not allow themselves to sell their fruit to a distiller and such course must gradually work good results among their neighbors. One of my aequaint- ances in order to escape temptation, ac- tually cut down his apple trees.
 At Mill Swamp church there still ln- gered among the older people memories of the days when J. B. Jeter, then
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19
TRY DISTRICT OF VIRGIANIA IN YE OLDEN

youthful evangelist, preached for them; and when they used to hear the clarion voice of Reuben Jones. The Portsmouth association, to which Mill Swamp church belongs, has, within my own memory been blessed with the labors of not few preachers whose names are household words among Baptists all over the south. Tiberlus Jones, Thomas H. Pritchard, William E. Hatcher. Harvey Hatcher Thomas Hume, J. L. Burrows William Thomas and Reuben Jones have all, at one time or another, belonged to the as- soclation.
 Here is a brief sketch of protracted meeting
 The congregations during the meeting at Mill Swamp were often too large Even when the gallery Is brought into requisi- tion, the house will not hold the crowds that flock to the meeting from Isle of Wight Southampton. Surry, Sussex, Nansemond and Norfolk counties. Peo- pie here think nothing of driving 10, 12, or even 20 miles to meeting" There is a morning sermon, then an intermisson or an hour and half, during which the congregation partake of a plentiful din- ner spread upon the tables in the grove, and then another sermon in the after noon These protraeted meetings have
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19
LOVE IN THE VALLEY-By Mrs. L. H. Harris

peeped around and thar was Babe, lookin mighty lonesome with plenty of room be- side her for another person. Well. sir, jest lay back against the tree and cussed Bill for not bein' on the spot to take ad- vantage of the situation. But I hadn more than got out dern or two before ] see him sneak from behind a tree on the other side and set down in the swing with the gal She commenced scramblin' at once to git out and I heerd Bill say, as soft as a suckin dove:
 "'Don't go, Babep
 Mister, it warn't no time for foolish- ness. I knowed if he let her git away she'd never forgive him, and I was afeerd he wouldn't have the grit to hold her. So I stepped out behind the swing and gave em a push that sent 'em 30 feet in the air.
 "'Nowv sez I, you two kin do your courtn' In the treetops, jest so you do it, dang youl'
 Babe looked like June day rlsin' from the earth in woman flesh. Her hair come down they went up, and as they come back it fell all over Bill like a waller wave. Then up 1 sent 'em again, and her hair swept out behind like a comets tdll, ledNlIS blll lTtt u eApTeSS HlSSell He done all the ta1kin and when they swung back the third time Babe had quit strugglin' to git out. Next thing I knowed Bill was fixin' toilet go the rope on his side.
 Look out, Bill sez I; if you cant kiss a gal with one hand you had better do your courtln' on the ground! and l lit out, leavin' 'em in the swing "
 There was a fan of yellow light behind .tRt. Do. hra eyes upon it, leaped into a silence, then resumed in tone of voice which was al most reverent:
 Mister it ain't given to man but once in a lifetime to enjoy two seen scenes as I witnessed that day. After I left Bill and Babe, I come up the shore of the island to whar the river is so narrer that thar is a foot-log across to the mainland. Pete Stallin's was some ways in front of me goin in the same direction. Directly ho stopped and l seen what he saw Sally Pendergrass (actin' like little white bullet climbin a pole, tryin' to walk that foot-log. She'd step on, stretch out her arms as If they were wings, waver this way and that, then flutter back to the bank. She'd done it three times before she looked back and seen Pete lookin' at her with that little bobtail smile on his face.
 Then she got mad, gathered up her skirts and took runnin' start. Now Pete had sense if he didn't have book learnin'. and he knowed thar's some things you have to do for women 'thout astin' their leave because they cant afford to give it, So he jest stepped out to whar Sally was wavin' like d reed In the wind, gathered her into his arms. and toted her across. He walked as mincin' as If he'd been carryin' tha bridal bouquet at weddin. Nor they didn't say nothin'. Lord, sir' Some sit nations air so complete language spiles 'em But when he looked down at her she shet her eyes, same as she'd have closed the door of her doll house
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19
Bank Deposit Guarantee.

President Forgan of the First National
 Bank Chicago, in Leslie's Weekly.
 Careful consideration cannot fail to re- veal the injustice of taxing the sound and conservatively managed banks, which are in the great majority, for the benefit of the few that are unsound and would never have any call on the guarantee fund to which they would contribute, while the unsound and recklessly man. aged institutions would build up their business on both sides of their balance sheets--i. e. in both their deposits and their loans-by granting their customers accommodations contrary to all sound banking principles and methods. Any thing that can be legally and eQuitably done to protect the depositors, to raise the standard of banks and of the men cnga ged in the banking business, to pro- tect the honest banker against the dis honest one, to keep those engaged in tho business honest and to punish those who are dishonest should be enacted into law, and the laws for such purposes cannot be made too rigid But to attempt to make all banks equally safe by passing a law that would establish an artificial credit for the incompetent and the dishonest. enabling them to offer all sorts of spe- cious Inducements to the public for busi- ness. and thus creating ilegitimate and ruinous competition against sound and conservative bankers, would have in the lor- run contrary and disastrous rAs suits
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

President, by the President, and for the President.
 Think of iti AS I am writing this the day before the assembling of the dem- ocratic-p c-populist-socialist powwow at Den yer, William J. Bryan makes bid for the negro vote, sheds salt tears over the discharge of the Brownsville ruffians, and holds out promises of all sorts of things to this man and brother. If I were ap- pointed to write a political platform it would contain ringing declaration that this is a white mans country, and de- mand that the political partnership be- tween the Caucasians and the negro forced on the country by such lunatics as Thad Stevens, Charles Sumner and Ben Wade shall be dissolved and its af- fairs liquidated.
 Then there are the walking delegates. They have so many votes, or pretend to have them, that they offered to Congress last winter for so much legislation, and it is forever to the honor of old Joe Can non that he utterly refused to make the dicker Then they shipped their "de- mands'' to Chicago and offered to elect the republican ticket if the writ of injunc- tion were abolished. To the everlasting credit of the republican party that pro-