Much suffering, sickness and death have resulted among the poor in their wretched cabins. Fortunately for some our kind friends North have this winter sent us an unusual amount of clothing, which has been distributed judiciously among those most needy, and has done much to alleviate distress. My wife has given away over 400 garments within the past three mouths, and many shivering bodies have been warmed. From our own good State of Wisconsin we have had no less than seventeen boxes or barrels, containing books, clothing, magazines and newspapers. From friends in other States there have come eleven packages of various sizes, with the same acceptable help for our poor people. And how helpful these timely gifts have been!
Although my wife has had no special commission as missionary, she has done considerable in that line. During three mouths past, she has made over two hundred and fifty visits, being confined to the house by illness for one month of that time, and being much hindered otherwise by the incessant stormy weather, which has also greatly interfered with our evening meetings and Sunday services. Besides the clothing above referred to, she has distributed hundreds of papers, tracts, cards and texts, reading and talking with the women and children. Her sewing-school, meeting weekly, has steadily increased, until it now numbers ninety-three girls, of whom sixty were present at the last meeting. Cutting and basting work for so many occupies a good deal of time.
At our annual church meeting, the reports showed that eighteen persons had been received on profession of faith during the year 1880, and $256 raised for church purposes. The Sunday-school reported 220 names on the roll, of whom 175 were present at one time, and the average attendance for the year was 115. Ten of the scholars united with the church, and the school has raised about $60 in weekly contributions. The pastor and wife gave away 8,500 religious and Sunday-school papers during the year. One of the papers has a story. It was given to a little girl in our infant class, who took it home and carefully preserved it. Her father, not a Christian man, was soon after arrested and confined in jail for several months for stealing. The little girl carried him her Sunday-school papers to read. One of these told the story of Joseph and the baker in the Egyptian prison, and suggested that every prisoner, and every sinner, had a divine intercessor at the throne, Jesus Christ, the Saviour, who would not forget his friends in trouble, as the baker did. So he began to pray, and when released from jail soon after, was a converted man.
We have received a great many papers from Northern Sunday-schools and other friends, and shall be glad to receive many more. Much good may be done by this means, as the above incident illustrates. From the incessant storms, floods and cold of this winter, the people need more help than ever by way of clothing for the destitute, and all other aids. All kinds of business have suffered, and the high prices of fuel and other necessaries have caused many to be perplexed as to the wherewithal of eating and putting on. Many of the country churches have hardly been able to keep up services at all, owing to storms and floods.
I have collected over 1,000 volumes for my “Lewis Public Library,” and it is doing good work. I expect soon to issue a little missionary paper. Our Lewis High School is increasing in numbers.
ALABAMA.
Accessions to the Church.
REV. G. W. ANDREWS, TALLADEGA.
Twenty-three connected themselves with our College Church yesterday March 6th; twenty-two of them by confession, and one by letter: fruits of a revival scarcely yet ended. All but two of them are children or young people; twenty-one are members of the Sabbath-school and of the College. Twelve are children of church members, now a long time with us. Two are wives for whom faithful and godly husbands had hoped and prayed, lo! these many years; there had been the secret hope but never before the open confession. Two were baptized by immersion, the rest followed the better way, choosing less of the outward and formal, and more of the inward and spiritual. Of the thirty girls boarding at Foster Hall, all are Christians, as are the forty boys, with two or three exceptions. Very few of those who come under our Christian influences so far as to be members of our family and Sabbath-school, fail to indulge a hope in Christ.