I left home for the field of labor assigned me on the first day of
November, 1844.
On my way on horseback I came alongside of a young gentleman of very
fine appearance. We immediately entered into conversation about the
beautiful farms and fine improvements we passed.
When we had rode some distance, I observed _a mile-stone_, which
reminded me of a promise made some years before, that I would never
travel a mile or spend an hour alone with any person without talking on
the subject of religion. I immediately set about to find something to
make an introduction out of. The first thing that caught my eye was a
very tall hickory pole, raised by one of the political parties of the
time, and said I feared the political excitement was very seriously
affecting the interests of the church.
The evasive reply of the elegant young man led me to suppose he was a
gay, thoughtless young lawyer or physician, as I had discovered that
he was an educated man.
I then observed to him that as we were providentially thrown together,
and I had made a promise not to travel a mile or spend an hour with
any one without speaking on the subject of religion, I hoped he had no
objections to such conversation.
He said, “It is no doubt an important subject,” but said it in such a
way that I still thought he was an irreligious man.
I then observed that I felt a deep interest in young men, especially as
the destinies of the church and nation would soon be in their hands.
That the only safeguard of either was real piety. I then repeated the
text, “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
And after preaching him a sermon from it near a mile long, he observed,
“Well, sir, that is very good theology.”
The manner in which it was said led me to reply, “Perhaps I have run
against a preacher.”
“Yes, sir,” said he, “I am a new beginner at it, and you have given me
one of the best lessons that I have ever learned. I thank you for it;
it needs no apology, and I hope God will give me grace always to do
likewise.”
Our journey as we continued it to Pittsburg was pleasant and profitable.
In the evening I reached the hospitable home of the Rev. Mr. J----
in the village of T----, near to the city. It had been arranged for
his house to be my headquarters, and I shall never forget the nights
I spent with him and his devoted companion. I thought him as nigh
Christian perfection as man is ever raised in this world. Had it not
been for their wise Christian counsel and earnest prayers, my faith and
courage would have yielded when I came to look on my field of labor.
My new work, to which everybody was a stranger, and to be done among
strangers in the bustle of business and worldly excitements, seemed to
be too formidable an undertaking. All nations seemed to be represented;
scores intoxicated, and blaspheming God’s holy name. And what added to
the difficulty was, that my books did not come to hand for three days,
leaving me that time to magnify molehills into mountains of difficulty.
But this delay was the most important part of my training. Those were
days of most earnest searchings of heart, while such passages of
Scripture as, “He that is ashamed of me and my words, of him will I be
ashamed before my Father and his holy angels,” were constantly ringing
in my ears.
On the evening of the third day the box of books came. I had engaged
a class-leader in the Methodist church to go with me the first day;
but the sight of the box made me tremble, and so great was the dread
of beginning the work that evening, that I resolved that if God did
not give me strength by the next morning, I would start home and give
it up. The night was spent without sleep. I can truly say I was in an
agony till four o’clock in the morning. Then in a moment of time all
my fears were gone, and I longed for the morning to come that I might
begin my work.
By eight o’clock in the morning I called on Mr. S---- who was to
accompany me, with my basket filled with good books and tracts.
In a few minutes we entered the first house. They were Germans; very
irreligious. We talked and prayed with them, and sold some books. They
seemed pleased with the visit, and thanked us for it.
The next house we entered bore the brand of intemperance. The husband
was sitting by the fire with a sore hand and red eyes. We preached
to him “righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come,” till he
trembled and wept like a child. He promised to drink no more, joined a
temperance society that night, became a church-going man, provided for
his family, and as far as I know has turned out well.
During that day we visited twenty-seven families, talked and prayed
with all of them, and distributed near twenty dollars’ worth of books.
Many shed tears while we talked with them of Christ and salvation, and
promised to attend to the “one thing needful.”
Mr. S----, my fellow-laborer, was so stirred in soul with the day’s
work, that he said he must let his business stand and go the next day.
The next morning we started, full of zeal and hope. We met with many
of the most wicked and degraded people that I had ever seen. Some
listened to us with attention, while others treated us with contempt.
Late in the evening, while we were visiting a row of board shanties,
occupied by coal diggers, I was told not to venture into one of the
shanties; that the man was almost a giant in size and strength, and a
very dangerous man; that he was a terror to the neighborhood, and had
beaten his wife very badly the day before. I replied there was the more
need to see him, and I would go in. My friend would not even come to
the door of the shanty, for fear of him.
The shanty was sixteen feet square, no floor but the earth; neither
chair, table, nor bed except a bundle of straw in one corner. He was
seated on a large block of coal at one side of the fire, and his wife
on another block at the other side, while the children were lying on
the ground playing between them. The woman’s face bore testimony of the
beating she had gotten the day before.
He was one of the most fiendish-looking men I ever saw. He was of
enormous size, was clothed with rags, and did not appear as if he had
been washed for months. He was as black as coal-dust could make him. I
must confess it required all the courage I could summon to speak to him.
I approached him, and extended my hand, and said to him, “I have come
to supply you with some good books to comfort you and point you to
heaven. Have you a Bible?” “No,” said he. “Can you read?” “Yes, a
little.” “Do you love Jesus Christ?” “I fear not, sir.” I then urged
him by every thing sacred to attend to his soul’s salvation without
delay; that death, judgment, and eternity were hastening on, and
pictured to him as well as I could the awful consequences of dying in
his sins. The tears ran down his blackened cheeks till the coal-dust
was washed away below his eyes. I gave him a book, and prayed with him.
He begged me to call again, and said, “You are the first man that ever
spoke to me about my soul.”
During this day we visited twenty-two families, and had religious
conversation and prayer with each of them. Mr. S---- had become so
deeply interested, that he said he must go another day.
The next day we concluded to visit a coal digger’s boarding-house, said
to be the wickedest den that was to be found in the whole district.
I will not attempt to describe its character. We entered late in the
evening, as this was the only time we could find the men in. The house
was kept by an old woman and her sons, who worked in the mines and were
notorious for their daring profanity.
When we entered the house several men were playing cards, others were
lying on benches about the room in various stages of intoxication. My
colaborer was a small, timid man, and seemed somewhat alarmed.
I introduced our errand by proposing to sell them some good books,
which they declined even to look at. I then commenced a general
exhortation, which had no effect more than pouring water on a rock. I
then called on my friend to pray, as it was his turn, and we had agreed
to lead in turns. This he did with great fervor, and was responded to
by the men with vulgar songs, and such other behavior as I have never
seen before or since.
At the close of his prayer I turned to the old woman and told her I was
astonished at the mercy of God that permitted such a family to live,
and portrayed the awful consequences of her meeting her household in
hell. I drew every alarming picture I could summon from the Bible or
the resources of my own mind. After some time the old woman began to
weep, and she promised to attend the mission chapel the next Sabbath.
After supplying them with a copy of Baxter’s Call, and a number of
suitable tracts, we left them.
The next Sabbath the old woman was at the chapel. A series of religious
meetings began that day, and before its close, as my friend informed
me, who was a worshipper there, the old woman and one of her sons
professed religion.
One day we entered a room where a man was lying sick. We introduced the
subject of religion to him. He ground his teeth with rage, and swore he
did not want to hear any thing on that subject. I then began to inquire
about his complaints, and to prescribe some simple remedies, and he
soon became calm. After some time I remarked that afflictions did not
come by chance, neither did trouble spring out of the ground, but they
were all sent of God for some wise purpose. “Do you think so?” said
he. “Yes,” said I, “and for our good.” He then listened attentively,
and soon shed tears. Though he was very poor, he bought some books.
I prayed with him, and left him, but not without many thanks and
entreaties to come and see him as often as I could.
This closed the work of three days, in which time we had visited
eighty-five families.
These three days were the most interesting days that I had ever spent.
By the next morning I found my voice almost gone, and all my limbs
trembling. The excitement of the work and intensity of feeling had
prostrated me before I was aware of it.
After a day or two of rest I resumed my labors for three weeks, when I
went home a few days.
I then returned to the same place, and spent a month in visiting new
families and revisiting old ones; and I shall never forget the cordial
shake of the hand that I got almost every day, when I would meet some
one in the house or on the street whom I had before conversed with
and supplied with a book or tract. Special services had been held
in several churches, and quite a number had professed religion. One
minister told me he had taken into his church forty, many of whom dated
their first religious impressions to reading the books and tracts I had
sold or given them, others referred to the visits as the means of their
awakening.
There was one thing in the work which struck me with great force--the
effect on Christian people. I tried as far as possible to get some good
man to go with me in my visits. It was a great help to me and added to
my success, and at the same time it stirred up many to work for Christ
that had never done any thing before.
One instance I will name of a Miss L----, though she had been a worker.
She was a lady of large wealth, and had a number of poor tenants living
on her property. She heard of my work, and came to see me. At her
request I went to visit her “parish,” as she called it. I went at the
set time, and she was ready to go with me, basket in hand. During the
day we visited thirty families, and talked and prayed in every house.
When my strength failed she took it up, and such entreaties to sinners
I have seldom heard, and such prayers are seldom offered. During that
day I found eleven persons that attributed their conversion to her
efforts with books and tracts. She said she was a colporteur before,
but did not know it till that day. Reader, go and do likewise.