The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1916-03-11
REVIVAL MEETING.
Tive Weeks Series of Religious Ser.
vices TO Begin Here. Tom borrow.

! 10 the People OF Donaldsonyille ane
Surrounding Country:
e 1t is my pleasure to announce t.
e the local public that Evangelist ]. H
$ Bell of Columbus, Miss, viii tonor
: row morning begin revival meeting
in Donaldsonville that promises t.
: mean much to the religious life Of
1 the community. Mr.. Bell has but re.
} Gently concluded similar meeting
= in Houma that is highly spoken of bs
7 those who were. privileged to attend
the series of se7vices. In fact, Rev
g: Y, Breithaups the Methodist pas;
tor at that =nle1>ss--sgho was associated
, With evangelist IN The revival, is
SO sure that similar meeting here
will prove spiritual uplift to oui
town and community that he has vol
unteered his services as co-Worker in
the meeting, and has arranged to
have his pulpit filed tomorrow in or
der that he might be here from the
beginning.
Were we asked Whats the matter
with Donaldsonville," we would not
say the need of more money, as much
as that would fill great lack at this
time; nor would We say that our need
was social, for our people are SPLEEN
/ didly social. But we would, like the
prophets of old, cry against the sins
of the people. Some of us seem to
4 have forgotten that God lives, and
that there is judgment day coming.
In the practice of these the holy
Sabbath is but little more than a
name-almost jest, it would seem.
The saloons seem to be crowded with
young men that are sowing 'sthe wild
oats" that will mean broken hearts
in the not far distant future, and our
girls are being swept through the
worldly and sensual ball room into
lives that promise but little good to
the kingdom of God, or to the homes
they will soon be called upon to make.
But the trouble lies even farther
back than the doings of these young
people, for their fathers and mothers
before them are net keeping the COM
mandments Of God, and until the old
er members of society first set the ex-
ample in piety, there is but little hope
of saving the generation that pattern
after them. For as it is, in too many
instances the very teaching the chill
dren get in Sunday School ia contra
dicted and eaunteracted by the par
ents IN their home and in their daily
lives.
With dance halls and theatres full,
church houses empty, and a section
of the city set aside for prostitutes
and immortality, it is time that our
people were realizing our religious
and moral restitution and beginning
to call on the Almighty God for
mercy What Is to become of our
boys when their fathers are openly I
impious, or negatively Indifferent to
the claims of God upon them, not |
even SO much as recognizing Him in
one hours worship on Sunday? Or
what can we hope for our girls if their
mothers are unmindful of the spiritu-
al needs of the unregenerated hearts
of their daughters, and in too many
instances apologize for and uphold I
them in their sinful and worldly
ways? Woe be to such parents upon |
whose hands the blood of their chill
dren will thus rest at the Judgment
As warning and call back to
God, we recommend the following |
words from Gen. Robert e. Lee, that |
prince of Confederate soldiers. Hell
closed his order for observing Aug.
p, 1863, as fast day, according to /
a call from President Davis Of the I
Confederate States of America, in |
these ringing words. Soldiers, we
have sinned against Almighty God.
We have forgotten his signal mercies,
and have cultivated a revengeful,
naughty, and boastful spirit. We
have not remembered that the de-
tenders of just cause should be pure
in his eyes-that our times are in his
hands sand we have relied too much
on our own arms for the achievement
of our independence. God is our on
ly refuge and strength. Let us hum
Bile ourselves before him. Let us con-
fess our many sins and beseech him
to give us higher courage, a purer
patriotism, more determined will;
that he will convert the heart of our
enemies that he will hasten the time
when war, with it's sorrows and suf-
ferings, shall cease; and that he will
give us name and place among the
nations of the earth.
The record is that when this order
was read to the various companies OF
Confederate soldiers a most profound
impression was made, and that great
numbers of them in humble confess
sion called upon God, and great re-
yival of religion resulted.
1t takes neither prophet nor the
son of a prophet to see that we need,
like the soldiers of Lee, ito confess
our SINS" and the heavenly Father
assures US that IF we confess our
sins he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
We go into this revival with the
hope that this meeting may be one OF
the agencies that will lead many who
live in Donaldsonville from the life of
sin to the life of righteousness, and
we invite every man, woman, Or
child. who may desire to find "the bet-I
ter way" whatever may be his creed,
to use the occasion for good. And we
lust as cordially invite all those VINO
are striving to hasten the coming OF
the kingdom" to join in these services
with such help as they may render.
All christians here will be realized as
brethren, and no thought or purpose
will be entertained to build up an
ecclesiastical organization at the ex-
pense of any other church. The ann
of the meeting will be to help every |
one who will consent to be helped to
be a faithful follower OF Jesus christ. |
I l. r.l L