Others have but needed the ministrations of the good Samaritan to relieve immediately the intensity of their sufferings, and to strengthen them for removal to the gathering place of the field, or the hospital. The appearance of humanity thus presented in its multiplied forms of suffering and death, is truly shocking, and it requires a degree of nerve not possessed, even by every strong man, to endure its horrors and to perform the labor required in its removal. Our delegates have proved themselves competent for the duty. They have not hesitated to approach the field from which the thinned ranks of the contestants have just departed; they have selected the living from among the mangled and far outstretched masses of the dead, the wounds of many yet pouring forth the blood that becomes chilled and clotted as it comes in contact with the atmosphere. The yet living bleeding form has been removed from its place beneath a pile of the dead to another, where the little life that was left the sufferer might have the opportunity of expansion, and the system, that of the recovery of its lost powers.Many are now living who were taken from the bloody resting places upon which they had fallen; dragged out perhaps from amid the dead and restored to consciousness before removal. Others have been almost dug out of the complicated mass that covered them, composed of implements of war, blood-matted clothing, human limbs and earth. They are now in the enjoyment of health, and tell over with heartiest interest, the tales of their deliverance and of their indebtedness for their lives to the Christian Commission.

Vivid Glance at the Field of Labor.

A friend of the Commission, of active and energetic habits, whose power of thought was rapid and vivid during the process of his absorbing and trying labors, has remembered the events that transpired around him with an interest that has never yet failed to produce an involuntary thrill through his system whenever the recollection of them has occurred. Like the ever-changing visions of a terrific dream the ranks of the fallen have appeared. The living who were badly wounded, were seen, struggling under bodies of the dead,

others crawling over them, apparently for the purpose of reaching places of relief and security, or spots upon which to die. Among the living and the dead were the men of both armies, the enemies that had fought in the sanguinary conflict. The scene was terrific in its ever-varying variety. There were mangled masses of animal matter composed of the bodies and parts of bodies of dead horses, human forms, limbs and heads, with features yet horrible in the contorted lineaments of the death agony; the web-work of iron, wood, leather, and matted clothing, all, the shattered implements of war and war-like equipments, and shred-worn habiliments of the soldier. The area of horror thus presented, was rendered yet more horrible by the activity everywhere in motion of hundreds of laborers with picks and spades, digging trenches, and dragging into them the bodies of the dead, and covering them with earth. Great was the relief. afforded the view in the appearance of the delegates of the Christian Commission with their towels and cloths and pails and basins of water. They were quenching the thirst of the suffering, bathing their foreheads and faces, and washing their wounds, and applying the necessary restoratives to the fainting and exhausted system. They were removing gently, and with the most anxious concern, the bodies of such as would bear it. They were whispering the words of comfort and heavenly consolation to the dying. They were receiving the last messages of love to friends and relatives at home. They were receiving pledges of affection for loved ones and giving assurances of remembrance, and that their dying testimonials and requests should be faithfully and promptly delivered. The same attention and services were rendered the fallen of the enemy that were given to the soldiers of the Union army. Upon the arm of the delegate the head of the dying rebel has reclined, and while assurances of remembrance to friends, were it possible, and words of consolation were spoken, the spirit has passed to its place among the departed.

Duty in the Varying Forms of Trial.

Such, in varying forms and results, is the issue of every battle, and it is with great thankfulness to God that the

opportunities afforded are used by the members of the Christian Commission in the performance of the labor they have taken upon themselves. It is in the Providence of God that these scenes of conflict and affliction have been permitted to come near to us, and it becomes us to employ every agency within our reach for the relief of sufferings we cannot prevent, and for the amelioration, as far as may be possible, of the horrors of one of the fiercest, bloodiest, and most disastrous contests that ever took place upon earth.

Members of our Committee and delegates have assisted in the erection of temporary hospitals near the battle-fields and in the relief immediately desired by the badly injured. From these hospitals they have assisted in bearing the dead for burial and the partially convalescent to places of more permanent attention. Closely and intimately, their labors have been associated with those of the officers and agents of the Government, and in nearly all cases the harmony of labor has been undisturbed, and the parties have wrought together as friends and brethren in the great cause of affording the desired and needed relief to suffering humanity.

The Delegates have Followed Armies after Invasions.

On the several occasions, when bodies of the enemy, in various numerical force, have invaded the territory held by our troops along the line of the Potomac, in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, we have visited in person or sent delegates for service amid the scenes of disaster and bloodshed. On occasions of anticipated invasion, our delegates have been in readiness with stores prepared for the purpose, and they have followed swiftly upon the movements of the armies and performed extended service to the needy they have left upon the fields behind them. In some instances they have barely escaped capture, sometimes with loss. In several ins'ances, their clothing and other property, have fallen in the hands of the enemy. One of our chaplains, the Rev. Mr. Pormer, on one occasion, escaped with his life,

but lost all the clothes and property he had with him; his loss was nearly two hundred dollars.

Religious Services Wherever Practicable.

Religious services have been established, through the agency of the Commission, in many places where they have been needed. At every possible point at which our delegates are laboring, meetings for preaching, experience and prayer have been held. The benefits of this service have. been repeatedly acknowledge by Government officials and others, who have witnessed their effects not only upon the sick and dying, but upon the soldier in health and in the active service of the camp. Testimonials of the dying of a most gratifying character are upon the record, and many who are living, bear continuous testimony of their effect in the witness of faithfully devoted religious lives.

Sunday Schools in Hospitals and Camps.

Sunday Schools have been established in camps and for the convalescing of the hospitals. The operations of some of these schools have been continued through rapidly successive changes of the camps. The "boys" have been taught, and are ready enough to believe that they can occupy themselves in the duties of the Sunday services and lessons, as well as do any thing else, or do nothing amid the changes and interruptions of camp life. The Sunday School is now a permanent arrangement in some of the hospitals. The enjoyments of the members of these schools are very considerable. The engagements allotted the members are much the same as those pursued ordinarily in such institutions. They consist of religious worship in reading, exhortation, and prayer; the study of the geography and history of the Holy Land; study and recital of hymns, and such other exercises as are considered proper, and may be rendered profitable to the adult pupils. The experience of those engaged in this department, is satisfactory and encouraging.

Chapels and Chapel Tents for Worship and Prayer. Chapels for religious worship are erected at the more permanent hospitals. Tents are used in camps as chapels for

the same purpose. In some of the camps the tent is appropriated for prayer, and is open at all times for the use of the devout soldier. In groups or singly those who are disposed, visit the tent and engage in the services of religion. Periods of varying length are thus spent in the devotional exercises. Copies of the Scriptures are placed in the tent with devotional books and tracts, in the use of which many of the hours of the camp life may be occupied with profit both to body and soul. Hours that might be otherwise wasted, or worse than wasted in the immoral pursuits of idle association may be redeemed and rendered highly serviceable by these engage

ments.

Witness of the Use of the Tent for Prayer.

We have stood by the tent of prayer and watched for a time in the hope of witnessing the ingress and egress of its worshippers. It was gratifying to learn, as we did, that even a few of the men were disposed, occasionally, to spend a few moments in religious meditation. Such was our experience. We could hear the laugh and the exulting ejaculation from many who were engaged in sport, but the appearance of but a small number, one at a time, tested the value of the tent of prayer. The result shows that there is a great work in the view of the Christian Commission. The current must be changed if labor and prayers and the expenditure of money can effect it. The fearful truth is apparent now as it was in apostolic days, that there are few that be saved. We cannot render the camp and the hospital the substitute for the home in every particular, but as far as the work can be performed, it ought to be done, and the effort should not be slighted nor neglected, to render the home what it ought to be in its education of its inmates for the pursuits of the religious life. Partially may this be accomplished by sending back to their homes reformed and prepared for the pursuit of amended life, those who have left it in ignorance of God and religion, and utterly regardless of all religious responsibility. This is a great work. But it is not too great a work for Christianity to accomplish. Christianity fails of its duty if it does not accomplish it. Its schemes, and divisions, and systems of