p. 47 | THE FREEDMEN by A. B. Rust

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 3, 1876

THE FREEDMEN.

By A. B. Rust

JUNE 11, in company with parson Medling, and by his urgent request, I went to Mansfield to visit a settlement of his people. On reaching our destination, we found about seven hundred had assembled. Their meeting-house was of logs, about eighteen feet square, with a large bower in front. The parson told me that many times he had the bower filled with white people, and the house filled with his own people. The colored people were well dressed and neat. I presented to them the subject of the coming of the Lord, and it seemed to make a deep impression on the minds of some. I obtained five subscribers for the INSTRUCTOR.

June 18, again, in company with parson Medling, I went eight miles to another colony of his people; here we found about fifty grown people assembled. I found some intelligent-looking people, and some that I believe love the Lord with all their hearts. They seemed to be very anxious to hear the truth. As I spoke of the soon return of our blessed Lord the tears filled their eyes. Many of the colony have farms of their own, and they are doing quite well. Here I obtained two subscribers for the INSTRUCTOR.

June 23, with the parson, I went some forty miles to a settlement of Freedmen in Johnson Co. Here I found some very fine people, most of whom own farms that they have earned since the war. Several of them can read and write. I staid over the Sabbath, and had a good opportunity to talk on the truth. Evening after the Sabbath and Sunday I spoke to them from the 2d and 7th chapters of Daniel, showing them that we are living in the very last days. There is a Baptist parson here (white) who lives near them, and he preaches to them and goes to their houses and talks with them. There are not many white preachers who will do this, but I believe it is as it ought to be; for they are as sheep without a shepherd. At this place I obtained three names for the INSTRUCTOR and one for the REVIEW. They seemed very much interested in the truth. I also gave away six hundred pages of tracts. They seemed very anxious that a mission should be started among them, and I believe they would do what they could to help it.

We want it understood that our mission here is not a political one, but our work is to lead people to the Lamb of God. We have a solemn message pertaining to this age of the world. My object in these meetings has been to find out the condition of the Freedmen, and to see if anything could be done to help them to be steady, consistent Christians, and I believe that there are some among them who would make such men and women.

A. B. RUST.

Dallas, Texas, July 6, 1876.