, it was decided to suspend
the printing for a year; and the seminary was revived, which had
been suspended in 1842, to counteract the second. The remedy for the
last two, was a more perfect reliance on the Holy Spirit and the
divine energy of the Gospel. It was the general opinion, that
education in all its parts should bear a fixed proportion to the
frequency, spirituality, and power of the more formal preaching. Nor
was it less clear, that the press should be kept strictly
subservient to the pulpit.

The most remarkable call for preaching, at this time, was at
Hasbeiya, a village of four or five thousand inhabitants, situated
at the foot of Mount Hermon.1 Druzes and members of the Greek Church
made up the population, with some Greek Catholics, Moslems, and
Jews. The village lay about fifty miles southeast of Beirut,
bordering on the country of the Bedawin, with whom was its principal
trade. As the result of this, the people had much personal
independence, with a tendency to segregation; features which Mr.
Smith noticed as specially predominant among other native Christians
similarly situated, especially in the Hauran.

1 The _New York Observer_, from July 18th to August 29th, 1846, has
an instructive series of articles on Hasbeiya, from the pen of Dr.
Eli Smith.

Early in the year 1844, a considerable body of the Hasbeiyans
seceded from the Greek Church, declared themselves Protestants, and
made a formal application to the mission for religious instruction.
About fifty men came at one time to Beirut for that purpose, and
asked for ministers to teach them. Their dissatisfaction with their
Church was not of recent date, but had been increasing for years. It
had arisen from the selfishness and worldliness of their clergy, and
their consequent neglect of the flock. These men had some
acquaintance with the mission, Hasbeiya having been visited by more
than one of the native book agents. It was evident, however, that
concern for the salvation of the soul was not the cause of their
coming. What they sought had reference solely to the present life.
Appropriate instruction was given, and they were advised to go home,
pay their taxes (which they had not done), and do what they could to
live in peace with their townsmen, and then to write to the mission.
A letter was received after a few days, stating that they had done
as they were advised, and urging the visit of a missionary. In this
request they were earnestly seconded