Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 17.djvu/440



432 REVEREND EZRA FISHER

(Continued from page 339, September Quarterly)

Oregon City, Oregon Ter., Apr. 7th, 1851. To Rev. Benjamin M. Hill,

Cor. Sec. Am. Bap. Home Mis. Soc. :

Herein I send you my report of labor under the appoint- ment of the Home Mission Society for the fourth quarter of the year ending April 1, 1851. I have labored (13) thir- teen weeks in the quarter; preached eighteen (18) sermons; delivered six (6) lectures on moral and benevolent sub- jects; attended ten (10) prayer and other religious meet- ings; visited religiously twelve (12) families and individuals; baptized none ; obtained no signatures to the temperance pledge ; have not assisted in the organization of any church or the ordination of any minister; have traveled (50) fifty miles to and from my appointments ; received none by letter, none by experience; we know of none hopefully converted, no young men preparing for the ministry, monthly concert not observed.

The people to whom I preach have paid nothing during the quarter for any of the missionary societies or Bible so- ciety ; nothing toward my salary ; the church has done noth- ing by way of building meeting house. Sabbath school is in operation in this place with 4 teachers and about 16 scholars and about 150 volumes in the library. The Bible class is connected with the school and numbers but four.

My school occupies most of my time through the week. We read the Scriptures twice each day and I frequently ac- company this exercise with a few remarks and, as often as I judge it is useful, address the school on the great subject of their relations and obligations to God, to man and to them- selves. I open and close the school each day by prayer. I preach at two other points besides this place, one on the op- posite side of the river 238 and the other at Milwaukie, six

238 This was Linn City.