Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 17.djvu/443

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CORRESPONDENCE 435

young men in the church preparing for the ministry. Monthly concert of prayer is not observed. My people have paid during the quarter for the Home Mission Society nothing and noth- ing for any other benevolent society. Church has done noth- ing by way of building meeting houses. I have received from individuals for my support as a minister $10.00. Connected with the congregations to which I preach are two Sabbath schools, one with the church in this place, having three teach- ers, 18 scholars and about 150 volumes; the other at Mil- waukie, a promiscuous school, with one Baptist teacher and seven scholars of Baptist family. There is also a Bible class with five pupils connected with the Sabbath school in Oregon City which I teach one-fourth of the time. Our school is about as numerous as at any preceding period. My confine- ment in school and the necessary labor and care prevent my laboring so much in the ministry direct as I should otherwise do, yet I trust we are laying the foundation for more efficient work hereafter. Our school building is now being enclosed and we hope to have two rooms finished by the time of the arrival of Brs. Chandler and Read. I have most of the labor of raising subscriptions for the work. More than one-third of the old subscriptions cannot be made available at present, mostly by means of a change in the moneyed matters of the subscribers. We have now most of the lumber engaged and paid for to carry the work on as far as above specified and as yet have no debts hanging over us; but I fear my confine- ment in the school and Br. Johnson's necessary callings will leave the building one or two thousand dollars in debt, when fit for use, which must be met by an appeal to the public, as soon as Br. Chandler arrives, which our brethren tell me I will have to do.

You see, dear brother, that I have upon me the labor of two men now and when it will be less is known only by Him whom we serve. I have just returned from our Association held in Tualatin Plains. Our business was transacted with great unanimity. Resolutions were passed in favor of the