We have before us, a little work of the American Tract Society, written by one of its Secretaries, bearing the title, "Home Evangelization," in which the importance of the colportage work is presented to the public. In a Report of one of the Society's Colporteurs, we find the following:

"Of the 38,864 families visited in the mountains of Virginia, within the space of four years, 7,612, or more than one-sixth, were destitute of all religious books, and 4,348 were destitute of the Bible; of the latter, 3,731 have been supplied. More than 75,000 volumes have been sold, for $18,000; and 19,600 volumes distributed gratuitously— making a total circulation of 94,600 volumes, or more than 20,000 each year. Besides personal conversation with 25,467 families, 2,456 prayer-meetings, or public meetings, have been held." P. 94.

From this, we see that the American Tract Society, an institution rich in Christian benevolence, does not overlook the prayer-meeting in its operations, and through its agencies, the Society has done much in the cause of Revival, and, in this connection, necessarily has favored the prayer-meeting. One of its Agents, reporting on the subject of "Revivals of Religion," says:

"Last winter a revival occurred, and forty or fifty hopeful conversions ensued; but there had been no regular dispensation of the word. In one case, a tract, incidentally dropped, was loaned from hand to hand; the people assembled to hear it, and talk it over; a prayer-meeting was then established, a church formed of thirty-two members, and a house of worship built. No preacher has yet been found for them."

Some things are worthy of notice here. The revival, the conversions, and the prayer-meeting moved hand in hand, as one and inseparable. The church organization

began with the prayer-meeting. The new converts laid it down as the foundation, and on it they built up into a congregation. True converts would be friends of the prayer-meeting. And loving friends of the prayer-meeting must love one another. Those who love one another, love Christ. These are the stones with which to build a durable church. So the Tract Society evidently understands this matter.

Again, noticing some of the blessed fruits of the labors of the Colporteur, the Agent adds:

"Habits of reading have superseded the idle gossip of this neighborhood; and in that, the prayer-meeting and religious conference have supplanted the gaming-table and the noisy revel. The foul-mouthed infidel has become, through grace, a praying Christian.”

We think we are warranted to say, the Tract Society, through its colportage, is an effective agency, indirectly, perhaps, in the cause of the prayer-meeting. This we may learn from the approved course of its agents in the field, who are doing a good work in this department of practical and vital godliness. In an Appendix to the work before us, the Society gives an example of the operations of its colporteurs. It says:

"It would be easy to furnish a volume of illustrations of this topic, drawn from the various classes of laborers engaged in the service of the Tract Society. Again and again, when the field has been opened and the means provided, God has provided the man adapted to the special work, as subsequent results have shown.

"The only illustration we present here, is drawn from the interesting band of German laborers. Perhaps it may give interest and variety, to insert the narrative in the broken English of the colporteur himself, as the simple story was told in the hearing of the Faculty and students

of Lane Seminary, and reported verbatim et literatim by one of the number. To translate it into pure English would weaken its impressiveness."

Though the "impressiveness" may be weakened, we shall endeavor to give the substance only, in making a few extracts bearing upon the prayer-meeting. The converted German Catholic commenced his labors in the city of Cincinnati, where he resided. He began among his neighbors, the German Catholics, after much earnest prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. His first step was to gather together, in his own house, a little meeting, in which he read the Scriptures and had prayers with his friends. The Bible-reading increased and the prayermeeting enlarged. Soon opposition rose, and the prayermeeting was opposed by Catholic argument in the form of brickbats and stones entering the meeting through the windows. Still the prayer-meetings were held, and the work went on. Some time after, the colporteur removed from the city to a village in the vicinity, where a large German Catholic population resided. There, among the Catholics, he opened a prayer-meeting, and engaged in Bible-reading, as he had done before in the city, and with similar success. Many Catholics were converted, and became ardent Bible-students and praying Christians. In the course of time he returned to the city, and there devoted his whole time to the work. Every day he circulated tracts and copies of the Scriptures, and every night, as he stated, he held prayer-meeting. Thus, by tract and Bible distribution, with the nightly prayer-meetings, a great work was done, and many converts made. From the city he was again sent to the country, to labor in a locality which, with his labors and his success there, we will permit him to describe in his own way:

"Den me go out of de city vare de big steal (distillery,) stand right in de middle of de beoble; doo or dree hundred

beobles leafe (live) here. And me begin to dalk mid em, and dell em aboud Chris, and me give em Bible, and me dalk und dalk; and den me hold metin. After dis da call me schwamer (translated by Prof. Stowe, fanatic), but do come do de metin all de time, and de Sperit of Got come down mit power, and dey mos all stop drink em visky. And ven me go dare fus, dey all drink visky. De vomen shus like de men, all drink em. Me stay here five mont. ven me go vay from dis blace, de beoble mos all not sware, nor drink visky, and hundred and sixty convert." P. 162.

And

CHAPTER XV.

REVIVAL PRAYER-MEETINGS AND UNION CONVENTIONS.

The Church Memorial"-Resolutions of Union Conventions, 1838Circular calling the Xenia Convention-Ten important topics for discussion in the Convention-The Xenia Convention-Communication from Philadelphia-Similar from New York-Remarks made in Convention on Social Prayer-R. A. Brown, D. D., James Rodgers, D. D., J. Clokey, D. D.-Report of Special Committee-Recommends the establishing of Prayer-meetings-The Allegheny Convention-Recent expressions of opinion in regard to the Prayer-meeting-Christian Instructor and Social Prayer-Reflections on important points-United Presbyterian and Noon-day Prayer-meetings-Installation charge by Rev. Joseph Thompson, deceased-Letter from a ministerial brother in regard to Revival and the Prayer-meeting-Its practical importance.

THE year eighteen hundred and fifty-eight, with many of its precious incidents and associations, justly claims a place in the soul-stirring recollections of many who were actors in its thrilling events; and the record of its times will long command the interest of all true United Presbyterians who drink into the same spirit that moved the fathers in the churches, so happily brought together in one, at that eventful time. That was the year of prayer-meetings not soon to pass away from memory. On those precious seasons, affections still linger. Because we now have in view, principally, events connected with the United Presbyterian Church, and belonging to the period of the Union, we shall, therefore, draw largely from The Church Memorial, a work to which the prayer-meet