objections to a just apportionment of his charities, according to the relative importance of the objects to which he contributes. * Our country! We love her with pure and holy affection. We are not ambitious to see her banner waving over nations conquered by violence and blood. God forbid that the thunder of her cannon should ever be heard, or the bayonets of her citizens should ever be smeared with human gore, in the accursed work of butchering the inhabitants of other nations, and subjecting them to the yoke of her military power! But we are ambitious that our country, having first saved herself, by the grace of God, from the ruin with which sin and error are threatening her, should then be honored of God as the means of saving the rest of the world. The only armies that we desire to see issuing from her shores, are armies of missionaries, "clothed in fine linen white and clean:" having "the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people;" "casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ;" causing "the wilderness and solitary place to be glad" for their visitation, and the desert to "rejoice and blossom as the rose." This will be a victory indeed-a victory whose peans shall not be the groans of the dying and the wailings of widows and orphans on earth, and the shouts of demons in hell; but the rapturous hosanna of the new born soul here, and the everlasting "song of Moses and the Lamb" hereafter. Correspondence of the A. H. M. S. IOWA, Plenty of Employment. I find that fields of usefulness around me are so numerous, and some of them so large, that I am not destined for extra hours of rest, while a missionary of your Society. I began my labors here the first of November last. Since then I have been trying to preach Christ and him crucified to this people, and in continuing to do so, I find both difficulties and encouragements: some of these difficulties can be appreciated only by those who are on the ground. Time, however, and the Spirit of God, will scatter them. I find less of them than 1 anticipated when I left New-England. On the whole, I am happily disappointed thus far, in regard to Iowa, as a field of ministerial labor; and in regard to the field of my own personal labors. Hindrances and helps. The sources of discouragement, with which I meet, may be included in the following particulars: 1st. Few professors of religion to co-operate with me in the work of doing good. 2d. The people have not been accustomed, since their residence in this new country, to attend regular worship. As a consequence, the habit of going to church on the Sabbath being broken up, many other habits are formed, and a new set of feelings cherished, very unfavorable to the religious observance of the Sab bath. 3d. Prejudices against Eastern missionaries. It is said we "come West to civilize the heathen." I think these, however, do not exist to that extent in this place that they do in some other portions of the Territory. The number of Eastern men here, and the intelligence of the people in general, forbid the existence of such foolish notions. 4th. Disregard of the Sabbath. This is a common evil in the West. Men will violate God's holy day by labor and travelling. The following are some of my encouragements: 1st. An intelligent audience. There are in this settlement most the life-blood of your missionaries Fox's Agency. The new settlement. This field lies entirely in that tract of country which was possessed by the Indians till the first of May, 1843. Their frail dwellings, slight fences, beaten trails and newly made graves are still seen; and they are often passing and repassing, carrying away corn which has been raised on their fields, and sometimes lingering about their old hunting grounds, as if unwilling to leave a land which has been so long their home. Rapidity of settlement. some ten or twelve lawyers-five or From Rev. B. A. Spaulding, Sac's and six physicians-besides intelligent merchants, county officers, &c. More or less of these are my hearers during each of the Sabbaths that I spend here. A good sermon, if a minister has one to preach, is understood and appreciated. 2d. Union of feeling existing among the few members of our church. It is pleasing to see this in our weekly prayer-meeting, in our monthly concert, and to hear of it in the female prayer-meeting. 3d. The flourishing state of our Sabbath-school. There are in this between seventy and eighty scholars, varying in age from five to sixteen years. We want more books in our library, for these children, and are hoping soon to be supplied from the East. 4th. The state of feeling here in regard to temperance. Washingtonian Temperance Society has recently been formed, and now numbers nearly one hundred and fifty members. The lawyers and physicians here have most cordially united in this cause, and most of them are doing all in their power to promote it. The same is true of nearly all the leading men in the place, merchants, mechanics, &c. Our meetings are weekly, held on every Monday evening, when an address is given by some one gentleman in the town. Thus far, four of our lawyers have successively addressed us, one on each night for the four Monday evenings past. Two more are engaged for the same purpose. Prospects of support. A Meanwhile, the busy hand of civilization is hewing down their forest trees, erecting mills upon their rivers and dividing their country into farms, and has already made such progress, that one, travelling by night, from the numerous lights which he sees, would hardly suspect that he was not passing through some of the farming country of the eastern or middle states. The beauty and fertility of the country, the abundance of timber, and, above all, the facilities offered to the manufacturer by the Des Moines, its branches and neighboring streams, are drawing together a population which will soon surpass that of most other portions of the western country. This population is a mixed multitude gathered from all parts of the United States, possessing every degree of inThe Home Missionary Society is al- telligence from the liberally educated to the most ignorant, and belonging to almost every religious sect in Christen MISSOURI. dom, besides, including many who From Rev. E. A. Carson, Savannah, boast that they are infidels. My labors have, therefore, been very much scattered, and spent rather in sowing seed than gathering fruit, though not without some very cheering indications that they were not spent in vain. Fixed and earnest attention, tearful eyes, and, in a few instances, a trembling hope expressed that a new life had commenced, have all acted as powerful stimulants to continued exertion. "I never knew its value." There is often a general interest felt by those who, having lived in the midst of religious privileges, find themselves entirely beyond their influence. Some of the warmest welcomes have come from those who make no pretensions to experimental piety or special religious feeling. Several, where I have preached, have declared that they were happy to hear once more the sound of the Gospel, for they had not heard a sermon before for six months. There are also professors of religion, who, hurrying away in the strife for worldly gain, have left all behind but their Bibles, and have almost forgotten to read them. Such, dare not do otherwise than listen respectfully to a missionary, and many do it with more sincere delight than is sometimes supposed. Said one to me, as we were returning from service on the Sabbath, "When in the East, I used to drop my pittance into the Home Mission box, as a matter of course, but until now I never knew its value." The greatest obstacle in my way has been a want of suitable places for meeting. There are as yet no public buildings of any kind in my whole field of labor, with the exception of a single small school-house; and private dwellings are often inconvenient and cold. The opening of spring will offer new facilities for holding meetings, and we hope will bring with it richer blessings from above. Mo. "Work-work-work.” Two self-denying brethren could spend their whole time in this field. I have to preach at so many and so widely distant points, that I often have to leave my appointments two months ahead. Birds of the air, mean time, may catch up the seed that has been sown. Already I have seven places of stated preaching, and several where I minister occasionally. The congrega. tions are large and serious. Last week I was on White Cloud, thirty miles north of this, where I had not before been able to preach. There I found three members of our church One very desirous to hear the Gospel. lady, not a professor of religion, with a full heart and flowing tears, solicited me to preach at her house. I left an appointment. I trust God gave her a new heart on the Sabbath. The operations of your Society are highly appreciated; may God bless its enterprises! Who will feed the lambs? without the co-operation of any who were A missionary who has been laboring hard, like-minded, thus speaks of the prospects of the children: formed here at any moment, but hitherA large Sabbath-school might be to all efforts have been unavailing, from the fact that I have not been able to influence any one to teach them. Num bers of the children have come to me of their own accord and besought me to establish a Sabbath-school; but, mournful could not comply with their request, as has been the office of declining, I because it was not in my power to attend to it myself, and others could not be obtained. Indeed, it is probable State south of Potosi, there cannot be that in the whole of that part of the I found half a dozen Sabbath-schools now in active operation. I do not know of one. WISCONSIN. Purifying tendency of preaching. The congregation at is larger than usual, and a good interest is manifest. They have built a good large school-house, and have established prayer-meetings two evenings in the week. It was and is still, a place abounding in drunkenness and ganbling, in the heart of a very extensive and rich mineral district. Since I commenced preaching there, the moral aspect of the place has improved. On the Sabbath, instead of the clamorous crowd at the grocery and gaming-table, these sinks of vice are now closed, and the most of the villagers and miners around come to meeting. Notice has been given to hold a meeting to form a Temperance Society in a few days. The demon of drink. Intemperance has kept more from the with it the panic. Our congregations began again to increase. Our prayer meetings were more generally attended by the church members than at any previous period; and were becoming called in the aid of brothers Holbrook very interesting. At this time we and Stevens; we had preaching in our chapel every evening for about a fortnight, with numerous other meetings, and visiting from house to house. The result, we trust, has been good. Impressions have been made, that will not revived; old professors have adopted a soon be effaced. The church has been higher standard of every day religion. And we trust that a goodly number of such as have hitherto been far from God, have been brought near to him, and have submitted to him. We dou t not that it has been a sealing time with us, and that many will rejoice eternally in review of the transactions of those few days. sions-thanks for four years' aid. great reverses occur, that this will be It is now more than probable, unless the last report you will have from this church and people by the hands of “a missionary.' place of preaching, and been a greater To the churches who aid Home Misbarrier to the work of grace in the heart, than any other and all order causes put together, so far as I can see; and it is the great and principal means made use of here by the adversary of God and man, to ruin souls. The groceries, or " doggeries," are public gaming-houses; and before our society commenced, all was done so publicly, that little boys twelve or fifteen years old, would stand round and witness the proceedings, until, influenced by the exciting game, they would take a hand and play for liquor, and get drunk. Oh, pray that God would roll on the tide of temperance, and remove this horrid evil, that is destroying both body and soul of young and old, in this mining region! Affliction sanctified. us, that we hope henceforth to sustain God in his mercy has so far prospered the preached Gospel without aid from abroad. If this should be the case, we hope and trust you will not forget this dear people, with their pastor; and although not in the relation of benefactor and recipient as during past years, still watered and nourished, often share your may not the vine you have so long prayers, and may not their minister whose heart you have cheered and whose hands you have strengthened, for the last two years, yet look to you as to tried friends for sympathy and advice. On our part, we hope to remind you often of our existence, prosperity and The extraordinary prevalence of the small-gratitude for past benefits, by contributpox at Platteville, Wis., was noticed in the ing to the funds of the H. M. S., until April No. of the Home Missionary. A later letter states we have refunded all we have received with much more in addition, which may go to cheer other hearts as disconsolate as ours were two years since. Those who have assisted us in sustaining the preached Gospel, will doubtless rejoice to learn that so great a change, in the providence of God, has taken place in so short a period. Our temporal and spiritual prospects have undergone a great revolution. Our hearts swell with gratitude and praise to God. averaged a sermon per day for the last two months. Grecian temple on the Prairie. Five miles off, on the prairie, where there are some half dozen farmers, I have commenced preaching on the week day. The people there have drawn the logs and Build when yon are able, and as you will shortly put up a log meeting-house are able. Our neat little chapel erected about one year since, (the only house of worship in the place) has already become too strait for us, and we are making an addition of 22 feet to its length. This will be completed in a few weeks and furnish accommodation to our congregation, perhaps several When this building shall beyears. come crowded, the society will feel able to erect a spacious edifice of brick as a permanent house of worship. for their accommodation. They attend our meeting on the Sabbath. I have encouraged them to hope for one of those five libraries promised by a "Friend of Home Missions," in the March No. of the Home Missionary. There is a good spirit manifested, and in a few weeks, I hope to be able to communicate information that they have a Grecian Doric temple, in which they worship the triune God. Ill. Demands for concentrated labor and more men. The plan of building plain neat From Rev. D. Whitney, Spring Creek, chapels for our feeble western churches, with the anticipation of erecting large churches in future when more able, instead of involving themselves in heavy pecuniary embarrassment by erecting a large building while poor, must appear to all as decidedly the best plan. Our own experience this. Any thing but a heavy debt hanging over the heads of a church! corroborates ILLINOIS. Demand for labor. I returned two days since from holding a meeting in an outpost, and found a messenger from another place after me, to go and hold a meeting of some days' length in his neighborhood. And yesterday another called me to go with him; and he was so importunate that I promised him to preach in his vicinity and remain some days. If I were to answer one half of the calls made on me to preach and hold meetings, I might bid my wife and little ones adieu for ever. I have almost This church, fearing lest they might not have my services another year, have passed a resolution that they will do their utmost to obtain the whole of my services for the year to come; and to make an application to your Board for aid. They feel, and rightly too, that now is the time for this church. And I have no doubt, if I could be sustained, so that I could confine my labors to the extended boundary of this church alone, so as to go into a systematic course of laboring, that another harvest of souls would soon be reaped. Both of my congregations are satisfied that my labors are too much diffused (at a distance of 23 miles) to be successful. Each field is sufficient to occupy the whole of a So I feel and beminister's time. lieve. But both are precious people and important places. I love them both, and both are unwilling to give me up. But I doubt the prosperity of my continuing to divide my time between them. Oh, my dear brother, how we need more laborers! It is painful to |