Early Efforts for Others

In order to provide for the spiritual wants of the miners' children, a Sunday-school was opened in the colliery offices, and Evan became the secretary of what was called "the ragged school,'' owing to the children who attended it being for the most part ill-clad and poor. This office he held for some time, and some of those who attended that school are living in Loughor to-day, and look back with pride and pleasure upon those bygone days. Even then the young man shed an influence which has not ceased to this day.

Evan was also a tower of strength in the chapel. Out of his scant earnings he gave liberally. He and a few others purchased a railing that was deemed necessary around the chapel, and together they fixed it in position. He had prayed the night before that they might have sunshine to do the work, and the prayer was answered.

And thus it went on, nothing much happening to disturb the usual monotony of the young man's life.' He was gradually growing weary, and still more weary, of the hard work in the mine, and his longings to enter the ministry became more accentuated as the days rolled on. "I used to forget the seam upon which I worked," he says, "I thought so much of religion."

One day he was discovered a mile or more from his "district." and upon being asked the cause of his wandering, he said: "How strange! I had quite forgotten where I was going." One of his old fellow-colliers says that he well remembers how young Roberts would hew the coal to the accompaniment of same Welsh hymn which he used to hum.

It was no unusual sight to see the young man on his knees in the dust and dirt of the coal-mine, offering up prayer, and when not thus engaged he would, when he could snatch a moment, be reading the Bible, of which I have already spoken.

After leaving his work he used either to study or play with the boats on the tide. He was fond of the chapel, but sometimes would miss an occasional service. "Remember Thomas," said an old deacon to him one day. "Think what he lost. And should the Spirit descend while you were absent, think what you would lose!" These words produced an imperishable impression upon the young man's mind, and for years after that he used to attend a religious service in his chapel nightly.

"I will have the Spirit, be said to himself." "And through all weathers, and in spite of all difficulties, I went to the meetings. Many times as I went I saw other boys with the boats on the tide, and was tempted to desert the meeting and join them. But, no. Then I said to myself, 'Remember your resolve to be faithful,' and on I went."

And this was the youth's weekly programme; Prayer-meeting, Monday evening at Moriah Chapel; prayer-meeting, Tuesday evening at Pisgah Chapel; society meeting, Wednesday evening; Band of Hope, Thursday evening; class, Friday evening; and chapel all day on Sunday. Throughout the weary years he spent hours in communion with God, praying for a revival of religion in Wales. Sometimes he and a friend would sit up for hours and hours at night talking about a revival, and when not talking he would be reading about revivals. "I could sit up all night," he said, "to read or talk about revivals. It was the Spirit that moved me thus." Nor was this desire of a short-lived nature. He had prayed and read and talked for ten or eleven years about revivals.