Ten persons made profession of their faith, in January. Two of these were teachers in the public schools. There were four conversions in one family. Since these meetings, many extra services have been held, with fruitful results. There are family altars where none before existed. The work in Washington under Mr. Moore is very hopeful. My next point was
SELMA, ALA.
which I entered full of hopes as to successful meetings, and was not disappointed. During my stay there, lasting three weeks, sixty professed to be converted. Most of these, through the efforts of Rev. C.B. Curtis and his wife, were formed into a "Children's Band," while others joined the churches. This is a most important feature in pastoral work, where the majority of the converts are children. They need to have something that will help them in their spiritual and new life and which may be instrumental in preserving them from temptations, snares and pitfalls, laid to entrap them by the enemy of their souls.
I never before realized how easily people are led away by false teachers, nor saw so manifestly brought out the fulfillment of the Scriptures, [2 Pet. ii, 1] "But there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."
A man calling himself a "prophet" and a "faith doctor" had been for some time experimenting upon people, both white and black, and professed to cure them of all their ailments. He had been holding meetings in a cottage weekly, and had gathered many followers, who were, alas, for the most part professing Christians. He announced that on the following Sunday he would hold the passover feast, burn the Bible, and, in plain words, would do wonders, the like of which had not been heard of for years. Accordingly, on Sunday morning, with a few of his followers, he came to the house of a Negro, and during the ceremony commanded a white woman to place her head on the table and offer herself as a sacrifice. She refused, upon which a Negro woman laid her head upon the table. He immediately raised an old cavalry sword and, with one blow, nearly severed her head from her body, and then commanded that they should "drag her out at once and put her with her feet towards the East and she will rise after three days."
Soon there was a cry of murder raised; the false prophet was arrested after a struggle, and he, with a number of his followers, was safely lodged in the penitentiary, where it is to be hoped he will at least be kept from cutting off any more women's heads. Oh, how great the need of faithful men to lift up their voices like a trumpet, and spare them not, and show to these needy people, so religiously inclined, the way of truth!
TALLADEGA COLLEGE
was the next place visited. Beginning the New Year, which is usually the "week of prayer," for two weeks the "old, old story" was told on every night among the resident students and scholars. At other times, services would be held in the Cassidy school in the morning, or in the afternoon, as school duties would permit. The Theological class, as well as the teachers and faculty, interested themselves greatly in seeking to win the unsaved to Jesus. Following out the teaching of the New Testament, the students went out two and two in the surrounding neighborhood, calling at the homes of the people, conversing and praying in the family. They often returned with great joy to tell of the success and kindness they had met wherever they went. I am thankful to our blessed Lord to be able to report that not only forty or more of the young people were converted but also that professing Christians were strengthened in faith, all promising to do what God had required of them and to go to their respective homes, some of them hundreds of miles away, to make known a Saviour's love and to carry light as far as possible in the surrounding darkness. While here the Macedonian cry was heard from
JENIFER.
I went there for a brief service. The first night the church was full, although the weather was stormy. The spirit of God brooded over the meeting and five came forward for prayer. The next night still was unpleasant, yet some of the congregation came several miles, and at the close eleven inquirers asked for prayers. A brother in the congregation rose, and, in pleading terms, his voice faltering, begged, "Oh, brodder, please do stop wid us; see de mourners; see de work de Lord is doing; please you brodder don't go away and leab us." After such heartfelt words I could but stay all the week, when sixteen professed to have accepted Christ, or, as they put it, to have "found religion."