CiDtrt,sll,mintrt.
OPEN AIR PREACHERS.
NO. IV.
ROWLAND KILL.
BY EDWARD PAYSON UAMMOND
"PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREA
TURE," was the last command of our risen
Lord. In seeking to obey this commis
sion, the preacher of the Gospel finds
two distinct 'departments of work 'open
before him. He has first to win souls
to Jesus, and thus make disciples of
them, and then instruct thein in the
ways of holiness.
As an embassador for Christ, he has
first to induce men ignorant of the
Gospel, or careless about it, to`listen, and
then to learn. He may find assemblies
gathered in churches and ready to hearken
to the words of eternal life, but in that
case, a preliminary work has been done
for them, which has not been accom
plished for the great majority in our
land. We read-that when our Saviour
" saw the multitudes, he was moved
with compassion on them because they
fainted, and were scattered abroad as
sheep hating no shepherd." Then said
He unto His disciples, " The harvest
truly is plenteous, but the laborers are
few."
He who truly reflects the image of his
Saviour, can but feel something of that
divine " compassion" in his soul as he
looks upon the multitudes without a
shepherd, scattered all over our broad
land. The true pastor will not only
take care of those gathered from the
dart mountains of sin, but will also at
titnes, feel constrained to leave the
" ninety and nine in the wilderness, and
go after that
_which was lost." Of
necessity, some must enter on other
-men's labors, and reap where others
have sown, but is it not equally urgent
that i others break up fallow ground ?
Ha*e not too many SO2cialed' prospe
rous congregations seemingly forgotten
that the lost must be sought after, and
followed, and " compelled"le:come in ?1
Farmers make but little progress when
they have no care to break up the fallow
ground. Isaiah's prophecy declared that
..!'the wilderness and the solitary plade
shall be glad ; 'and the desert - shall
rejoice
.and blossom as the rose. It
shall blossom abundantly; and rejoice
even with joy and singing." But how
are we to sees this prophecy fulfilled
unless there are those who are willing to
go forth into " the wilderness" scattering
" the good seed," believing that though
some "tares" may appear, there will
also be found there "the children of the
kingdom" to "rejoice even with joy and
singing?" • ,
ML
iIwAND •Hrtm Wits ono of
those who saw before him the two dis
tinct spheres of -labor to which reference
has just been made. He loved to pros&
to the people of his charge in Surrey
Chapel. That place which he had
erected, was dear to him, and there be
continued except at intervals, .to hold up
the standard of the cross till 1833, when
he died in his eighty-ninth year. Bilt
though he for so many years sustained
his relation to his beloved people, he was
often moved with compassion' for those
scattered as sheep having no shepherd.
He longed to see "the wilderness blossom
as the rose." He saw the blessed re
sults of open air preaching as conducted
by Whitefield, and his soul was fired to
follow in his footsteps.
Dr. Belcher uses very strong language
with regard to the blessing which attend
ed his labors. He says, "He was emi
nently dignified in person, possessed
extraordinary zeal, and was honored by
his groat Master with probably more
success in the direct work of saving
souls, than any other minister of his
day." Like Whitefield, he was educated
for the ministry in the Established
Church, but could not yield to the .re
straints there imposed upon him. He
would preach wherever he could find an
opportunity.
His father, a gentleman of title, was
greatly opposed to his speaking to the
rabble in fields and parks. - At a time
when Mr. Hill was depressed, on account
of the frowns of his honored parents,
who deemed him "righteous overmuch,"
Whitefield wrote to him, "If I am not
Mistaken, the great Shepherd .and Bishop
of souls will' let the world and his O,WII
children too know that he will riot' be
prescribed to in respect to men, or garbs,
or places. I wish you very much pros
perity—you will, have it.. This is the
way, walk ye in it. I pray for you
night and day. This present _opposition
cannot last long ; if it does, to obey God
rather than man, when forbidden to do
what is - undoubted duty, is the invariable
rule." Rowland Hill acted upon this
advice, and feared not to " go forth with
out the camp ;" and saw verified the
words of Isaiah, " Then shall the lame
man leap like a hart, and the tongue of
the dumb shall sing; for in the wilder
neas shall waters break out, and streams
in the desert."
After preaching in Bristol, he writes--
" A gracious gale through mercy,
attended all
,clay. Who would not be a
slave for, Jesus Christ ?" On the' morn
ing of the following day he preached at
Kingswood, and " in the evening," he
says, "he renewed field preaching in
Bristol to some thousands, upon Acts iii.
19. Repent ye, therefore, and be' con
verted, that your sins may be blotted out,
when the time of refreshing shall 'come
from the presence of the Lord.' The
word was with power, the people were
deeply attentive, and a great blessing
seemed visibly in the midst of us. jam
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1865.
fully satisfied as to field preaching. I
know the Lord puts honor upon it."
In the year 1793, Mr. Rowland Hill
(as his biographer states) paid his first
visit to Scotland. He was invited there
by a few zealous persons who had
engaged the circus in Edinburgh as a
chapel, on the plan of the Tabernacle in
London. They requested Mr. Hill to
come and, open it, and spend five or six
weeks with them. He was pleased with
the idea, and readily acceded to their re
quest. The circus had been secured for
one year only, by way - of experiment,
and it was agreed to fix the hours of
service at seven o'clock in the morning
and six in the evening, that there might
be no interference with the regular attend
ance of persons at their own place of
worship ; a plan of which Mr. Rowland
Hill entirely approved.
On the day after his arrival, Sunday,
July 29, he opened. the circus. His text
was the prayer of Moses, Exodus xxxiii.
14, 15. "If thy presence go not 'with
me, carry us not up hence." In the
morning the attendance consisted of only
a few hundreds, but in the evening the
place was full. His subject was, 1 Cor.
i., 22, 23, 24, and he " employed some
time in showing Paul's method of-treat
ing the proud Corinthian hearers." "glow
very different," he proceeds, "is the imme
diate •and direct • simplicity that is in
Christ How lovely in its effects, while
the minister preaches just as he feels,
wisely regulated by the word of God,
and warmly animated with a desire to
bring salvation to the sinner's heart 1"
The singularity of Mr. Rowland Hill's
manner, the fervor of his address, and the
brilliant powers of his active and ener
getic mind, soon drew vast multitudes
around him. The circus; large as it was,
could not contain half: the numbers, who
flocked to hear,him ; and they cried out
that the galleries were giving way under
the pressure of the i prowd. He accord
ingly went forth to the Calton Hill,
where he preached from a platform to a
max of people amounting'to at leatrteh
thonsiind in number: The spo r t was well
adapted to such a purpose ; the platform,
was placed in the centre of a sort of
natural basin, and the green slopes
which surrounded it were covered with
innumerable. immortal beings, silent as
the breathlesa, evening of ,aulamii, fixed
in deep attention to the words that
issued from the sonorous and conirtrand-'
ing voice of the speaker as he delivered,
in all the majesty and dignity of his
office, his message of mercy to the lost
and ruined sinner. The retiring of the
multitude under the most solemn impreS
sions, was indeed a touching sight; every
person seemed deep in thought, and
numbers were , for the first time absorbed
in the concerns - of their souls and of
eternity. The old women as they looked
out of their, doors, at the slowly passing
stream of human 'beings, observing a
party of soldiers among them, exclaimed,
" Eh, sirs, what will become of us now I
what will this turn to ! the very sodgers
are ganging to hear preaching." It was
always a principle with Mr. Rowland
Hill, to expect great things from his
labors : ', While we are straightened,"
he says, "in our expectations, the bless
ing is withheld ; but when onr hearts
are enlarged, the more we ask the more
we have."
Rowland Hill's second visit to Edin
burgh was marked by au increase even
of the immense crowds who had previ
ously flocked to hear him. On the
Calton Hill he now calculates the num
bers at fifteen thousand, in addressing
whom,.his principal aim in his sermons
was to alarm the 'sinner.
The last time he preached on Calton
Hill, it is supposed the congregation
amounted to nearly twenty thousand,
though the rain threatened.'
He thus expressed the feelings of his
mind on the occasion : "to be clear from
,the blood of such a multitude, and to de
clare to them the whole counsel of God,
what wisdoin and grace does it require!"
In the autumn of 1860, it was my
privilege to stand on that same Calton
Hill, so full of interesting associations.
There met my eye the tomb of David
Hume, on which was the simple inscrip
tion—
" DAVID HUME,
Born 1711.
Died 1776."
Above, upon a beautiful vase, was the
name of• his wife, with the words, " Be
hold I come quickly. Thanks he to God
who giveth us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ."
As I stood gazing upon these words,
and thinking of the contrast between this
believing wife and her infidel husband, I
was much impressed with this fact, then
stated to me by a resident of Edinburgh.
Just before dying, Mr. Hume called to a
nephew who' was a believer in Jesus,
and said to him, in a jesting manner,
" Place my tomb on the highest part of
Calton Hill, that I may be the first to
liear when the last trumpet sounds."
His Christian nephew answered, " You
forget, uncle, The dead in Christ shall
rise first.' "
Ah, yes, when "the hour cofneth in
the which all that are in the graves shall
hear His, voice, - and shall come forth ;
they that have done good unto the resur
rection of life, and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation,"
when the thousands who on Calton Hill
listened to the burning words of Rowland
Hill, and received with faith the Lord
Jesus, whom he preached, " shall be
raised incorruptible," " when the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God," then shall
David Hume learn the inspired truth—
" Th e dead in Christ shall rise first."
What a contrast between the death of
the infidel historian and that of Rowland
Hill, who was ever ready to obey the
command of the Master: "Go out unto
the high Ways and compel them to come
in, that my house may be filled !"
During the last few years of Hill's
life, he used frequently to repeat those
words which Whitefield loved so much—
" And when I'm to die,
Receive me, I'll cry,
For Jesus has loved me, I cannot tell why.
But this Ido find, . . .
We two are sojoint, . •
That He'll notbe in lory and leave me behind."
He was enabled to preach the blessed
Gospel with "scarcely diminished power
until within a few weeks of his death."
But when at last in his eighty-ninth
year, he came to the borders of the
" grave in full age, like as a shock of corn
his season." As he lay apparently
unconscious, gasping for breath, a friend
put his mouth close to 'his ear, and
repeated slowly his favorite lines—
" And when I'm to die," etc.
For a moment the fading light beamed
again in his eye ; a smile played upon
his pale face, and while attempting him
self to articulate the words, his ransomed
soul took its flight
" Through the wonder-teeming space,
To the everlasting portals—to the spirit's
resting place."
LETTER FROM CHAPLAIN ARM
STRONG.
Sensations and RejMotions on becoming
a Soldier—Powir of the Oath, and the
"U. S." on Domestic and - Patriotic
Feeling—A .Mmve Pennsylvania Cav
alry Regiment tingle Combat and
Death of a RebeF—Kind and Chris
tian Treatnient of the Fallen Alabam
ian,— The SOldierlph,o'received Lizzie's
Famous Letter Leading to his Con
version—Appeal for Reading Matter.
_
HEADQUARTERS 4TN. inIORIGAN.
CAVALRY, NEAR LOUISVILLE,
KY., Dee. 21st, 1864.
Dear Brother Mears—You may be
not a little surprised to be hailed by the
writer from "away down South in Dixie."
-Perhaps not more than I at' the fact:
Church-building apd soldiering are not
the same, ba-..yog and I know that in
these days our government makes sol
dier out of atLer.aftivf me'n, as our' Lord
made`his first disciples soldiers of the
cross.
It came about thus. It was hard to
bedoing the sober, commonplace business
of life, when I last took your hand, and
looked upon - your beautiful City of
Brotherly Love. This wfta just when
Grant was marching down by the "Wil
derness," towards Richmond, just as the
summer heats were coming, and the sum
mer green was growing dee%
.'. 11 rich,.
and I knew that thousands our sol
dier-brothers were bleeding Ad dying,
and my pulse would not be still. :Well,
I worked on, and said to my restless
heart, "wait." But every dispatch from
'Grant would almost make it Wild again,.
and the news from Sherman (" Crazy
Bill") as he pursued his war-path south
ward, in his unparalleled campaign, would
raise a fever heat. I applied the ordinary
pacifies and worked on, till at length, just
as autum.d's golden haze was coming, on
the Ist of September, ,to my own sur
prise, I awoke and found: nyself a soldier.
Can you, my brother,'. appreciate ',the
significance of a metamorphosis from a
citizen to a soldier? • Let' me tell you
that the world becomes another world,
and the war another thing from tile
standpoint of a soldier. Soldiering is a
stern reality. It makes the war quite a
different enterprise from what you saw
from the distance of your peaceful home.
It takes away the romance. It gives it
a deeper and more positive coloring than
it had as seen in the daily papers, or on
a cursory visit to the army, or even in
the character of a six months' delegate of
the Christian — Commission. Put on tie
hat and coat of a soldier, after the oath
to serve three years, and•you are another
man. Many a mother could scarcely re
cognize her son in his cap and suit of
blue; and stranger still, many a man
with difficulty has identified himself, as
a soldier. Young America - has been ac
customed to escape too early from his
nurses. Is it_ not one of the many glori
ous results of the present bloody strug
gle, that the whole nation has been pUt
into an army, there to learn to submit,
learn to obey, to defer to rightful autho
rity? Will not a few.years' discipline in
the army prepare us to appreciate Dr.
Cox's exposition of the 13th of Romans,
to know the rightful supremacy of law?
Will it not dignify the law and make the
nation strong? Will it not thus become
a warrant for permanent peace in the
future?
Aye, dear brother, soldiering in re
ality is earnest work. From the mo
ment that the "11 S." is placed upon the
man, he is conscious of the metamorpho
sis. He learns better who, 'and how
great, and how strong, and how digni
fied, this venerable old Uncle Samuel is;
and, if I mistake not, he will, even from
that moment, the more deeply venerate
and the more truly love and glory in the
relationship he • bears to that hoary old
Uncle. From that moment, too, home,
with all its love, its treasures and refining
power, has a higher and holier signifi
cance. My home, my country, the sol
dier's watchwords. Heaven preserve
them. Kind angels hover near and scat
ter smiles and all the richest gifts. AIL!
there will be patriots after the war, and
lovers of home, and the refinements of so
ciety, and the pursuits of peace. Yes,
even though you and I have found many
in these days who could betray their
country with a kiss, or sell it for a mess
of pottage—though there were-many who
did not know the value and power of the
home-born sympathies, and of the sweet
restraints of society, and though some
may be weaned away from these, yet
thousands of .our soldier brothers and
boys will return from campaigning to the
delights of'domestic and civil life, with a
thousand fold higher appreciation than
of old.
But, my brother, I did not begin this
letter for a homily, or for the purpose of
moralizing upon the war, but to open
another -medium of communication be
tween Pennsylvania and a body of her
- finest soldiers, namely, her Seventh cav
alry. This noble regiment has been
brigaded with one of Michigan's regi
ments, Fourth cavalry, under Col. R. H.
G. Minty, 'arid together with the Fourth
regular cavalry they have done a great
amount of hard marching and fighting,
and have won laurels with their noble
commander from more than a hundred
hard fought fields of battle. In the
month of September last I joined the
brigade as chaplain of the Fourth Michi
gan cavalry: I found then, and during
the long and arduous campaign follow
ing, no , other chaplain in the entire bri
gade, and I became acquainted with only
one other in the whole division. I
learned subsequently, that not only
this yenth Pennsylvania regiment, but
several others in the division, have chap
lains, who, however, by reason of sick
ness and for other causes, are absent
from their charges. Of course my own
direct labors have been with my own
regiment; but I have been able occa
sionally to issue a ration of reading mat=
ter through the entire brigade, and I
have at my - own services, and elsewhere,
made the acquaintance of valuable men
of -he Seventh Pennsylvania, both of
ficers and privates. I am glad to find
some positive Christiant, men who carry
Christian principles with them in the
army.
The following incident may illustrate
this truth. In a spirited fight at Rome,.
Ga., in which the First Brigade covered'
itself with, glory, among the examples of
personal, bravery was the following. Two
brigades of rebel cavalry made an attack
upon our division. The First Brigade
(which was then, our designation) was
ordered to a sabre charge. (These regi
ments are armed with the Spencer car
bine,, a seven-shooting gun, as well as the
sabre.). They. went forward with that
fearful yell and rush that ever attends
the charges of these regiments. The
enemy was broken and fled in confusion,
their artillery fell at once into our hands,
and though probably not less than twice
or thrict our number, our boys pursued
them, flying in all directions, through
fields and over hills. In the pursuit all
manner of encounters occurred, and among
others the . following. Corporal T. F.
D—. Co. Seventh Pennsylvania,
came upon a rebel officer, a captain, dis
mounted, carrying a sabre in one hand
-and-a revolver in the other,_and- making
desperate efforts to escape. The corporal
ordered him to halt, surrender, and throw
down his arms, which he dmmediately
obeyed. But turning and observing only
one man, he sprang again to his arms,
saying, "No, I will fight you." He ran
to a tree about twenty paces from his
enerny, and fired two shots from his re
volver, neither of them taking effect. The
corporal dismounted, and taking shelter
behind his horse, evaded two other shots
from the revolver, one of which wounded
the horse, unfitting him for further service.
The captain then came out from the tree
and took to a corner of a fence, two paces
nearer his antagonist. The corporal
then raising his carbine) called out " sur
render," which the captain not heeding,
the former 'fired just as the latter was
about bringing his revolver to bear again.
The shot was fatal, passing through his
bowels ; the captain fell, saying, " I am
a dead man 1" The corporal threw down
his gun, ran to him, and gave him his
hand. The captain. said, "You have
killed, a good man." "Yes, but yours is
the responsibility." "True, you did
your duty." "Are you prepared tp die?"
" No," said the captain, in evident an
guish, and he began to pray. The cor
poral knelt over the dying man and
prayed, after which he seemed calm and
peaceful. The corporal gave him water
and every possible comfort, till the stretch
er-bearers came and took him tq an am
bulance. During the conversation with
the corporal, the captain gave him 'his
diary, containing some letters, and money.
with the address of his wife, requesting
him to use his best efforts to get his diary
into her hands. The diary is now in
my hands, and the corporal is a live sol
dier and a living Christian, known and
honored in the army. The captain died
after four hours. His name is William
H. Lawrence, of Mobile, Ala.
I have another point of contact with
your city. It is Corporal S. L. N., Co.
Fourth Michigan Cavalry. This is
the soldier into whose hands the letter
and -testament of ‘, Lizzie S., of North
- Ninth street, Philadelphia," was placed,
and who, after he had been led into the
truth as it is in Jesus, wrote a reply,
both which, you know, were published
by the American Tract Society, Nassau
street, N. Y. This man is also a living
and witnessing Christian, and under the
Spirit of God, the active agency in pro
ducing the change seems to have been
the letter of little Lizzie. God bless her,
and make her opening life a growth into
Christian knowledge and usefulness. You
will find the letters enclosed.
Let this suggest a thought, with which
I will close for the present my already
too lengthy- communication. It is this :
the great need in the army of suitable
reading in anything like an adequate
supply. No influence is more effectual
with soldiers than any comfauthcatiOn
from home, or anything that brings them
into contact with home. Papers or ma
gazines from some home friend will do
great good. There is a great dearth
(especially in the cavalry arm of the ser
vice) of reading matter. Suppose some
of the Many friends whose hearts are
burning with love to the soldier, and a
desire to do something, should subscribe
for some paper like the AMERICAN . PRES
BYTERIAN, or for some magazine like the
Eclectic, Harper, or the Atlantic, for one
year, and then write a letter like that of
little Lizzie, and let it be placed in the
hands of some soldier by. the chaplain,
(or colonel, if there be no chaplain,), thus
making a new friend, if - the soldier was
not personally known. Many a father,
mother, sister, friend, has some dear one
in the army, whose wants they would
delight to anticipate, but they have never
thought of his wants in this direction.
Good reading would save, in thousands
of . instances, from the evils of gaming,
intemperance, &c., through the whole
catalogue of camp vices.
Will not some of the many friends . of
the Seventh take up this matter, and
make an addition to our reading,matter
through the mail? or cannot you, Brother
Editor, make some suggestion or move
ment that will reach the same result.
While L am writing, glorious news is
reaching us from every side. What is
God doing in our day ? What - a trio of
men has He given for the crisis under
" Father Abraham." Grant, " Pap "
Thomas, (as the soldiers say,) and Sher
man, (" Crazy Bill.") The day of jubi
lee is coming. Let all the nations be
ready to see the coming glory, and the
bells of, freedom in all the earth prepare
to ring out their loudest and happiest
peals, The beginning of the end is here.
C. S. A.
REV. A. M. STEWART'S LETTER.
WASHINGTON
The capital city of any people usually
becomes the miniature of said nation.
London is England condensed. Paris is
France and the -French Empire in a ca
mera. Rome is Italy in its grandeur
and littleness, in its riches and poverty.
And does Washington also truthfully
represent the United States and American
people? More truly so than has been
generally supposed, and certainly much
more so than when the present revolu
tion was inaugurated.
Up till 1860 this remained still the
city of - magnificent- distances—public
buildings far separated—an occasional
second or third-class hotel—motley groups
of pinched boarding-hnises, crowded in
winter and empty in ' summer—sparse
dwellings, whose fame arose from -their
occupants rather than from costliness or
beauty of structure—here and there a
scurvy merchant or penny grocer; not a
few tenements. also,whose real character
tlia — faitidlous wish not to see in print.
Such was our capital a quartette of years
since.
Very. different is the Washington of
to-day. 'Few greater marvels or more
thorough changes effected by the present
enormous struggle, than by comparison
are to be witnessed here.' Inhabitants,
business, bustle, importance, have all
more than doubled; even tripled and
quadrupled within., this short period.
More than sixty, strong forts now sur
round the nation's capital, whose loca
tions at the opening of the war were old
worn-out 'fields or stunted brushwood ;
all these built and manned by Northern
soldiers, and defended by thousands of
heavy guns, moulded in Northern -work
shops. The wharves' of. Washington,
Georgetown, and Alexandria are no longer
solitary, with now and then a stray shal
lop or dingee oyster boat, but often crowd , -
ed with immense fleets, comprising ves
sels of all shapes, sizes, and tonnage;
numerous granaries, of hasty construction
yet enormous magnitude; depots for
horses, cattle, mules,- wagons, ambulan
ces, artillery, and all manner of military.
stores, arranged and organized, for which
there are scarcely any parallels in the
world's history of warfare. Ten thou
sand additional clerks have been imported
to perform the extra writing demanded
by the war. Twenty thousand employees,
not soldiers, have been brought to do the
lifting, loading, shipping, unshipping, and
guarding.. Forty thousand freedmen, of
all ages, sexes, and • complexions, - have
huddled themselves into the District.
Office-seekers, merchants, shopkeepers,
sutlers, jobbers, speculators, adventurers,
swindlers, pimps, blacklegs, and strum
pets have flocked here in almost incredi
ble numbers, in order to ply their various
avocations. Various horse railroads have
sprung into existence, and are rivaling
any city in the world for the crowded
and uncomfortable condition of - their cars
Many of the streets-are as crowded and
bustling as -those of New York. No
longer can Washington be justly termed
an inland town or country village, but it
is fast assuming the appearance.of capital
to a great and free people.
The strangest anomaly among all the
many -contradictions of the present vast
overturning, is that the city is con
nected with the great North, and through
it with the outer world, bj but a single
track railroad. Few but will suspect
that said single track between Washing
ton and Baltimore is SL' monopoly, and
the virtue of our Congressmen quite easy;
else would we ere this have had, half a
dozen railroads connecting the capital
with the only section of the nation from
whence is derived all its men, horses,
mules, cattle, provisions, and implements
of war. The mere, breaking of an axle,
at present, on this single-track road
blocks the wheels of Government until
the piece of iron be mended. This fact
may afford a strong suspicion that a deep
current of feeling exists in the great West
and Northwest that ere long the capital
may be removedr not only to a more
central, but also a far more convenient
locality. Should these sections, in the
readjustment of things at the closing tip
of this , rebellion, demand the erection Of
new public buildings far away from this
locality, the'thing must be done.
While, however, Washington continues
to be our capital, every true citizen must
have some interest to learn of its present
and prospective condition, both as it re
spects morals and temporalities. Matters,
therefore, in connection with local inte
rest, inhabitants, institutions, churches,
schools, moral and intellectual 'aspects of
Congress, together with the increasing
number of Freedmen, and the efforts
making for their improvement, will afford
themes for future sketches.
A. VILLAGE IN WESTERN NEW YORK.
Position—Oil Creek and the Ancient
Indian Oil Wells—Politics—Why
Evangelical Ministers are Republi
cans— Spritual Condition—Extradr-
dinary Longevity of Father and Son.
Cuba, New York, is a busy little vil
lage, situated on the northern slope of
the Allegheny Mountains. It is nestled
in a narrow valley, into which the slui
dows of the surrounding hills, six hundred
feet high, fall. Oil Creek, whose surface
is at times quite oleaginous from the .pe
troleum ozoing into it from its oily banks,
flows at the side of the village. From
the great elevation of the place aliove
the sea, the climate resembles that of
Nova Scotia, vide Haliburtr's "Nine
Months of Winter and Three Months of
Cold Weather, making up the Year."
Being situated on both the Erie Railway
and the Genesee Valley Canal, it ,can
conveniently exchange products with
other places.
About a mile and a half from thwil
lage there is an oil spring,. from which
the, Indians have obtained their cele
brated " Seneca Oil" from time immemo
rial. Around this spring a number of
wells are now being sunk, and the Cu
bans are hoping that some one will strike
the whale.
Cuba, politically, is strongly Union.
In every good work it lends its aid.
When there was a call last summer for
"blackberry brandy" for the sick soldiers,
it soon prepared and forwarded one hun
dred gallons. It contains the man (De
mocrat of course) who has discovered
why it is that Evangelical ministers,
almost to a man, are Republicans. He
"thinks it a pity ministers don't read and
inform themselves."
In regard to the spiritual condition of
the place, a favorable account can also
be given. - God graciously revived His
work during the latter part of last winter
in all the churches. As fruit, in part, of
the work, thirty-six have been added
during the year to the Presbyterian
Church, and a still larger number to the
Baptist, with a goodly number also to
the Methodists. A daily union prayer
meeting was sustained for about eleven
months of the year.
There is connected with the Presby
terian Church a man named Abner Hunt
ley, who was born August 4th, 1767,
and is hence 97 years old. He has voted
at every Presidential ElectiOn, and has
never, in a single instance, failed to vote
at State and town elections since he was
twenty-one. He is very vigorous, and
can, without difficulty, walk twelve or
fourteen miles in a day. He reads coarse
print, and only shows his extreme lon
gevity by his defective hearing and weak
ened memory. He has apparently mental
and physical energy enough to carry him
through ten more winters. His father
attained the age of 103, and such was
his strength when 80 years old, that he
could (says his son) take hold of the rim
of a potash barrel with his teeth, and, by
striking the barrel with his foot, throw it
over his head. The son declares that
both the longevity of his father and him
self is due to their strictly temperate
habits. I remain yours, truly,
THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY.
(BOSTON.)
This pioneer institutionin systematic efforts
to supply our soldiers with suitable reading
matter, we are pleased to learn, not only con
tinues but strengthens and enlarges its benefi
cent work. Speciineng - of the Society's pub
lications for our- soldiers and fieedmen have
a beauty of execution and adaptation unsur
passed.
The Christian Banner has, as we are
assured, no rival among our soldiers.. The
Freedman—a monthly paper—is a novelty in
its way, a genuine Yankee notion ; a news
paper .designed for a class of persons who are
unable to read—having in it all, from A B C
to the writing lesson, which the colored
soldier needs for his instruction in camp.
" The Freedmen's Primer," first of a series
of school books, seems equally, suited to the
millions for whom it is designed. The larger
volumes of the society's publications are as
beotiful specimens of book-making as we
have ever seen.
The Society and United States Christian
Commission have lately effected an arrange
ment whereby the .work of both is facilitated,
enlarged, and strengthened. The Commis
sion purehases largely each month of the So
ciety's publications, it donating to the Com
mission as much more; all which is distributed
in our camps and hospitals by the active and
devoted4delegates of the Commission.
Chap,liin A. M. Stewart, who has been in
the froneservice sinc'e'the opening of the war,
has at present charge of the society's opera
tions in Washington, and is now in Philadel
phia presenting its works, objects, and claims.
Any communications or donations will reach
him at the rooms of the Christian Commis
sion. Chaplain Stewart will also visit, during
the coming season various, other localities in
Pennsylvania and adjacent States. 'We be
speak for him such a reception as the great
ness.a,nd importance of the object demand.
A. M. STEWAB.T
Jomsr E. BAKBit