By J. O. Atkin so
. Established 18
istian Sun.
IN ESSENTIALS—UNITY. IN NON-ESSENTIALS—LIBERTY. IN ALL THINGS—CHARITY.
SI.50 The Year
ELON COLLEGE,N.C., WEDNESDAY, ACGEST 1 7, 1004.
Volume LVI. No. 33.
Ghe
*ADDRES
Christia
vi rv
*
ELON COLLEGE, N. C,
e Organ of the Southern Chris
tian Convention.
CARDINAL PRINCIPLES
1. The Lord Jesus Is the only Head of the
Church.
2. The name Christaln, to the exclusion of
all party and sectarian names.
:j. The Holy Bible, or the Scriptures of
the Old and New Testlments, sudclent rule of
faith and practice.
Christaln character, or vital piety, the
only test of fellowship or membership.
5. The right of privatte judgement, and the
liberty of conscience, the privilege and duty
of all. '
Current Comment.
The War.
The past week has been full
of interest in the far East Af
ter the Japanese drove the Rus
sians back toward Port Arthur
on land, both sides sustaining
heavy losses, the scene of action
was transferred from land to
sea On Wednesday 10 inst.
the Russian fleet emerged from
the Port heading for the open
sea. The Japanesefleet pursued
and gave battle, the comman
der of the Russian squadron be
ing slain and five Russian ships
considerably damaged,but none
captured. The fleet was scat
tered. sqtge .sailing away to
other ports, others returning to
Port Arthur for repairs. It was
supposed that the Russian fleet
at Port Arthur was endeavoring
to form a juncture with the
Russian Vladivostock squad
ron. This was prevented and
on Sunday a. m., 14 inst. a Jap
anese squadron under Vice-Ad
miral Kamimura attacked the
Vladivostock squadron in the
Strait of Korea and, after a bat
tie that lasted five hours, won
a complete victory, one Russian
cruiser being sunk and the
other ships put to flight after
sustaining serious damage. In
juries received by the Japanese
vessels are slight. All reports
show that Port Arthur is in
desperate straights and it is be
lieved that that strong hold will
bein possession of the Japanese
in a few weeks at longest. This
much is certain, there is real
war in the East, a deadly strug
gle is on and thousands of lives
are being lost.
Sunday Freights.
The way the railroads tire rm>
liing freight trains on the Sab
bath along now is a sin and a
shame. AH reserve and timidity
in the matter seem to have .dis
appeared altogether and these
Jong, heavy, rumbling freights
dash by at all times of the day.
Time was, not long ago, when
they endeavored to get all the
freights by before eight in the
morning and after six in the
afternoon. Not so now. They
come and go at all hours of the
Sabbath. Some one remarked
recently, and with cause, that if
you happened to lose sight of
the days of the week now, you
could very easily distinguish
Sunday by the increased number
of heavy freight trainsjpassing.
We have not kept actual count,
but it is our honest and candid j
opinion that more freights run
on Sunday than on any other
day of the week. Loaded with
livestock? There are no signs
of it. With perishable products?
We do not believe it, certainly as
to all, for they go in both direc
tions and perishable products
would hardly be going North and
Sopth at the same season. We
are not acquainted with the law
touching the movement of trains
on the Sabbath in this State, but
one of two things is evident:
There is no law in the matter, or
that law is being woefully vio
lated. If there is no law, then we
see no justice in having a law
touching any other kind of man
ual labor on the Sabbath. If
there is a law, it is being, as we
see it, openly and wiljfodlv vio
lated and the offenders ohght to
be prosecuted. A corporation
has no more right to escape the
clutches of the law than private
nmi * iu ucuo 11a » r.
Whose duty is it anyway to re
port violations of laws touching
the desecration of the Sabbath?
Whose business is it to see that
railroads comply with the law in
running their trains on the Sab
bath? It must be some one’s if
there is a law. Well, we are of
opinion that some one is sadly
derelict to duty, and himself
ougjit to be dealt with. We de
clare positively that it is a sin, a
shame and a desecration for this
matter to continue as it now is.
We have not worshipped in a
church near the railroad in many
a Sabbath day, neither at eleven
o'clock in the morning nor at
eight in the evening, without
having the quiet- of the worship
fearfully broken into by the noise
of passing freights. And we are
of opinion that many a freight
operative has not had a Sabbath
off for rest and worship in many
a long month. All of which is
an everlasting shame and an
eternal wrong.
American Ideals Degene
rating ?”
The student of politics lias
noticed that in recent years few
men are named for the highest
positions iu state and nation
who are not men of high moral
character. For any great con
vention to nominate for gover
nor or president a man of low
ideals and corrupt morals would
mean defeat. The presidential
campaign ■ of recent years, have
given us men of lofty characters.
It is gratifying to know that the
presidential conventions of this
year have given us men of cour
age, honor and unblemished
characters. This is admitt ed by
political opponents. They are
consistent, active church mem
bers. President Roosevelt is a
German Reformer, Judge Parker
a vestryman in the Episcopal
church. Ex-Senator Davis is a
Presbyterian and a liberal con
tributor to benevolent purposes.
He gave $20,000 to an orphan
age, built memorial church, etc.
Senator Fairbanks is a Metho
dist and a liberal contributor to
his church and its eterprises. I
This is only the expression of a
principle firmly rooted in Ameri
can life. Commenting on a late
number of the World’s Work,
editor l’oe of the Progressive
Farmer says :
“There are people who declare
that the country is going to ma
terialism and degradation. There
are even people who prove this
awful condition by isolated ex
amples of individual degeneracy.
But at lost we have the final
word on the other side. “The
World's Work” devotes itself in
July to showing the finer side of
American life, and {to proving, by
most interesting | articles and ;
interesting pictures, that tliecon- j
ditions are becomihg better every
day, that our schools are better;
that our appreciation of art is
better;, that we buy more pic
tures and books than any other
people in the world; that our
charities are conducted with more
skill andr. judgment than they
ever were before; that there is
less dishonesty, and that the
cultivation of the arts and of the
higher life is making rapid strides
—keeping pace, in fact, with the
great increase in the material ad
vance of the people.
A Sketch of the Life of Col.
John Perviance.
As the editor of the Christian
Sun has kindly asked me to give
some brief sketches of this good
and noted family and their early
home being in North Carolina we
will begin with a brief sketch of
the life of the fatkerof David Per
viance by stating his nativity
was Pennsylvania, and \\as mar
ried to Jane Wasson, August 2d.
1764. 'Shortly after his marri
age he settled on the South fork
of the Yadkin river, Iredell county
X. C. The country was new, but
by frugality and perseverance he
procured a comfortable living for
himself and family. He and his
wife were members of the Presby
terian church. He was also Jus
tice of the Peace’for a number of
years, which office he filled with
general approbation.
At the beginning of the Revo
lutionary war, he volunteered in
defence of his country’s rights,
and was appointed lieutenant in
the army. He was a valiant offi
cer during the war ; gradually
promoted to the office of colonel.
He fought bravely for the liberty
of his country and rejoiced to see
the colony free. He returned to
the bosom of his fam'ilv with a
thankful heart. In the faH. of
1791, he moved with his family
to Sumner county Tennessee. The
country there was a wilderness
filled with savage and barbarous:
Indians, who were continuously 1
afflicting the small settlements,!
by stealing and murdering the!
citizens. In the spring of 1792,'
his second son, John Perviance,
while in the Held at work was
shot and scalped and left welter
ing in his blood by the savages;
he was so near the house that his j
wife heard their savage yells and
would have gone to her husband
in the midst of them had she not
been prevented by her friends.
They had been married but a few
months. Their only child a daugh
ter, was born after liis death.
C'c b Perviance becoming-alarm,
ed at these sa\ age cruelties left
Tennessee and moved to Cane
ridge, Bourbon county, Ken
tucky, where his family would be i
less exposed to the barbarities of'
the Indians. He resided there.
until the fall of 1800, then going
back to Tennessee, where he set
tled in Wilson county. During
all this time he continued an
exemplary member of tl;e Pres
byterian church. About the be
ginning of tlie 19th century a
very remarkable religious excite
ment took place in the State of
Tennessee, under the labors of
James Mc-Gready and other
Presbyterian preachers. In this
revival many souls were conver
ted from the error of their ways
to serve the living [God. The
missionary spirit began to burn
in the hearts of many young men,
who felt that a dispensation of
the gospel was committed unto
them, and they were led to cry
out “Woe is me if 1 preach not
the G ospel.'* They were inti ueneed
by the Spirit of the living God to
preach salvation to the world,
and almost simultaneously pro
claimed free salvation to all man
kind. One Presbytery without
due regard to the rules and
regulations of the Presbyterian
church, licensed about thirty
preachers, who had not a liberal
education. This caused' a divis
ion in the church and gave rise
to a new sect, who called them
selves Cumberland Presbyterians.
Col. Perviance was in the spirit
of the reformation and united
with the Cumberlands, and con
tinued in full fellowship with them
as long as he lived. His wife also
was a pious and worthy member
of the same church. We would
say here, it was nothing strange
that their son David Perviance
drank deep of the reformation
spirit. Col. Perviance’s wife died
in 1810, being (58 years old. He
died in 1828, being something
over 83. His death was caused
by a small hurt. He was yet
vigorous for one of his age, his
mind but little impaired. When
•told by his physician his time to
change worlds was near he po
litely thanked him, spoke of his
firm hope in his Redeemer. He
gave his favorite preacher(Thos.
McDonnel) the text from which
to preach his funeral sermon.
Other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid which is Christ
Jesus, 1 Cor. 11 ver. Col. Per
viance anti wife reared and" edu
cated eleven children, three sons
and eight daughters ; all lived to
become heads offamilies. David
was the second son, the godly
precept of their parents was
honored1 and respected by their
children. They were trained in
the nurture and the admonition
of the Lord. Although some of
them renounced the usages of the
Presbyterian church. they
strictly adhered to the obser
vance,of the Lord’s day, which
is today so much desecrated by
many professors of religion. As
this may meet the eyes of some of
the descendants of Col. John Per
viance they can rest assured of
its truthfulness and thank God
for tlie riches of such parentage..
mJks. Josephine Lloyd.
Avon, Illinois.
Mission Funds Needed.
Dear Brethren and Sisters:
We come to you with a mat
ter of great importance, and be
seech you to hear us a moment.
Our foreign mission funds are
threatened with a deficit, such
as the .treasurers of a number of
other denominational boards are
experiencing.
WHAT IS THE MATTER ?
The causes must be general,
at least in part, because they af
fect other denominations, and
no one can explain it all. The
stringency that has seemed to
come with the Presidential cam
paign year is having its effect
on missionary contributions.
With us the change of dates for
taking our foreign mission offer
ings may also have had some
thing to do with it. Whatever
the causes, there has been a
falling olf in the offerings for
foreign missions so far this year.
Some churches have made a
very encouraging increase in
their offerings, all honor to
them; but not enough did so to
make good the shrinkage. A
slight increase in the work cf
our foreign fields has been at
tempted this year, involving an
increase of expense. A slight
increase of home expenses was
necessitated by the last quad
rennial convention, by which
the office force and mission
board were increased for the
sake of doing a larger work
and securing a wider represen
tation. But of course only a
part of this increase is borne by
the foreign mission funds.
WHAT WILL BE THE RESULT?
Some other boards will prob
ably carry a debt. We want to
avoid that, if possible. ‘•The
board shall strenuously avoid
contracting debt,-’ is our rule.
With a small exception, some
years ago, our board' never has
been in debt,—this planned the
work according to the funds
available as guided by the re
ceipts of the previous year. The
present condition was unfore
seen. The board expected some
increase in receipts; instead
there has been a falling ofl'.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
To turn off any of our native
workers, or call in any of our mis
sionaries, would be a calamity
that we are cure no loyal mem
ber of the Christian church
wants to think of for a moment.
It is admitted on all hands that
there has not before been such
an opportunity for Christianity
in Japan. Converts are coming
faster than ever. Our cause in
Porto Rico has. prospered re
markably, and will continue'to
do so if we grasp the situation
and meet our opportunity. No..!
No !! we must not call home but
make it possible for others to
“Go.”' But to avoid debt and
retrenchment, one or both, there
is just one thing to do,—raigntL
more money.
ALL TOGETHER—EMERGENCY
a This appeal is to you person
lly, for an offering'. And
through you we appeal to other
friends of our missionary cause
in your neighborhood, church,
conference. Do not mistake the
gravity of the situation. Our
treasury must have money,
and quickly, or the calamity of
debt or retrenchment is upon
us! By co-operation in effort
this can easily be avoided, our
work made safe and all hearts
encouraged. How? Each send
an emergency offering—and get
some other person or persons
to send one,—of $5. $10, $25. $50,
$100, more or less, “as God hath
prospered.” Send cash, or
pledge to be paid by October 1,
1904. The responsibility is upon
every member of the church
who knows the facts. What
will you do to relieve the situa
tion and make our foreign work
secure? And, whatever you
do, do quickly.
By authority of the Mission
Council."
J. G. Bishop,
Mission Secretary.