A Visit to the South

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 28, 1883

A Visit to the South.

We reached New Orleans safely, after leaving Mobile about midnight Friday night, or rather Saturday morning. After a short delay we took the cars for the south, and soon found ourselves rolling over the level country of Louisiana. The country is very flat, and the soil is very rich. The land is mostly cleared, and the farms are large. The houses are mostly frame, and painted white. The roads are mostly sand, and the fences are mostly rail. The trees are mostly pine, and the brush is mostly saw palmetto. The crops are mostly cotton, and the stock are mostly cattle. The people are mostly negroes, and the religion is mostly Methodist. The churches are mostly frame, and the services are mostly singing. The sermons are mostly exhortation, and the prayers are mostly extemporaneous. The singing is mostly shouting, and the shouting is mostly loud. The loud is mostly noise, and the noise is mostly confusion. The confusion is mostly excitement, and the excitement is mostly religion.

We stopped at a little village called Franklinton, about fifty miles north of New Orleans. Here we found a small church, and a faithful brother by the name of J. M. Rees. He is a colored man, and a local preacher. He has been in the work for many years, and has done a good work. He has a wife and several children, and they are all faithful. He has a small farm, and he works hard. He is a good man, and a good preacher. We had a good meeting with him, and we left him with a good feeling.

We then went to a place called Amite, about ten miles further north. Here we found a small church, and a faithful sister by the name of Mrs. M. E. Rees. She is a colored woman, and a local preacher. She has been in the work for many years, and has done a good work. She has a husband and several children, and they are all faithful. She has a small farm, and she works hard. She is a good woman, and a good preacher. We had a good meeting with her, and we left her with a good feeling.

We then went to a place called Independence, about ten miles further north. Here we found a small church, and a faithful brother by the name of J. H. Smith. He is a colored man, and a local preacher. He has been in the work for many years, and has done a good work. He has a wife and several children, and they are all faithful. He has a small farm, and he works hard. He is a good man, and a good preacher. We had a good meeting with him, and we left him with a good feeling.

We then went to a place called Hammond, about ten miles further north. Here we found a small church, and a faithful brother by the name of J. H. Smith. He is a colored man, and a local preacher. He has been in the work for many years, and has done a good work. He has a wife and several children, and they are all faithful. He has a small farm, and he works hard. He is a good man, and a good preacher. We had a good meeting with him, and we left him with a good feeling.