Newspaper Page Text
14 THI
Contributed
WHAT THE ASSEMBLY'S COMMITTEE
HAS DONE FOR TEXAS.
Rev. A. W. Wilson, D.D.
Twenty-eight years ago the writer
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received, the day of his arrival, in the
Presbytery of Paris. The Presbytery
had lately been erected by the Synod,
and embraced eighteen counties. Five
active ministers constituted the active
working force, and there were eleven
organized churches with about four hundred
members. Only four churches owned
their house of worship. The salary
paid to the ministers and the evangelist
in 1880 did not amount to quite $4,000,
and the contributions made to the benevolent
causes were about $4u0. One of
the big hearted ministers called the
Presbytery the "little Benjamin."
Since that time, five other counties
have been added, and three transferred
to other Presbyteries. Today there are
twenty-one ministers on the roll, most
of them active; fifty-three organized
churches, with over three thousand
members, all the churches except eight
having their own house of worship. A
study of the statistics of the Presbytery,
as reported to the last General Assembly
will show what the Presbytery of *
Paris is doing in all lines of church
work.
How has this wonderful advance been
accomplished? Eternity alone can reveal
the consecrated sacrifices of the
men and women who constitute the
membership of the different churches;
but without the aid of the Assembly's
Home Mission Committee the result
would have been quite different. A number
of churches, several now self-sustaining,
would not today be in existence
had not the salaries of ministers and
evangelists been supplemented by the
Committee. Many houses of worship
could not have been built had not the
Committee aided by appropriations and
loans upon easy terms. Over twenty
churches have been thus aided in building,
and about forty have received sup,
plements to ministers' salaries. Some
of these churches have shown remarkable
growth, and are now vigorous and
self-sustaining. Lest injustice might be
done to some deserving churches whose
surroundings have not been so favorable,
mention will not be made of those
which have made greater progress. The
thought wished to be emphasized is
this: The Assembly's Committee has
been an untold blessing to the Presbytery.
It is not using too strong language
to say that every dollar appropriated by
the Committee has borne rich fruit.
This is only the beginning of what
should be accomplished by the Presby*
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There are at least three hundred thousand
white people living within the
bounds of the Presbytery; and a large
majority of these, or their parents, came
from the Eastern Southern States. They
L . , . . > ... & _ ;
2 PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOU
are accessible by our church through
the efforts of our ministers and Sundayschool
workers. Many came to Texas
to get homes for themselves and their
children. Generally their life has been
one of toil, of struggle. Not one half of
this Vast population is reached as yet
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with regular church services and Sundayschools.
Many of our people are alive to the
grave conditions confronting us. Quite
a number of our laymen, as well as our
ministers, are thoroughly aroused. A
wide-awake laymen's organization is actively
at work. Most of the churches
have been visited by a minister and a
laymen, and stirring addresses have been
made, with thfe view of enlisting every
member in Heme Mission work. In
most of the churches active Ladies' Missionary
Societies are organized, and the
ladies have a successful Presbyterial
Union. The result is encouraging, and
yet we become appalled when we attempt
to grasp the immensity of the
work. Our prayer is that our beloved
Phil rnh will pqqUio thn nr\nrki>tunitv hint
now to enlarge the work, and by their
contributions fill the treasury of the
Home Mission Committee even beyond
what the General Assembly asks.
Dodd City, Texas.
CHRISTIAN WORKERS' CONFERENCE
AND DR. W. W. WHITE.
At the close of the Christian Workers'
Conference at Montreat, Saturday,
August 14, 1909, Dr. McCallie of Chattanooga,
rose and asked Dr. White for
permission to say a few words, and then
asked that Dr. Hill, of Maxton, N. C.,
take the chair.
Dr. Mcuaiiie said:
Some of us have been thinking of giving
a little expression of our sentiment
to Dr. White and his corps of teachers.
Now, of course, we do not want him to
feel "strutty," as he himself has just
expressed it, but I remember our theological
professor used to say, - "Young
gentlemen, you ought to know what your
congregation is thinking about your
preaching. Not that you should desire
compliments from them, but when they
come up and say 'that has done good'
mat is a compliment. mat any man may
well feel proud of."
It Is in this spirit that these resolutions
have been drawn, and I will now
read them.
Montreat, N. C., Aug. 14, 1909.
We, the ladies and gentlemen attending
the summer conferences at Montreat,
N. C., desire In this formal way to express
our thanks to the board of managers
for the wisdom they have shown
in bringing Dr. W. W. White of New
York, and his able corps of teachers as
instructors in the sessions that are just
now closing.
We desire to place on record apd to
express our nign appreciation or inese
services, characterized as they have
been by strong evangelical expositions
of divine truth.
We extend our hearty thanks to Dr.
/
TH. September i, 1909.
White and his entire faculty and also
through him to the able and consecrated
men that he has introduced to this As
semoiy, wnose lectures and sermons have
been so interesting and Instructive.
By rising vote, the congregation requested
that these resolutions be sent
to our leading religious journals for publication.
Moved that these resolutions be adopted
by a standing vote.
Dr. McCailie: It seems to me (air
and right that we should express our appreciation
of the wisdom that has characterized
their action and the interest
they have taken in this Assembly, and
of their earnest endeavor to give us
something that has been really profitable
and helpful. This Is also right since
Dr. White comes from, another section
of the country, to let him know that our
hearts go out toward him gratefully and
thankfully for the splendid evangelical
expositions of the divine Word, and also,
l may say, for that word he has uttered
in urging us and leading us to a higher
consecration and more earnest endeavors.
Mr. Chandler: I want to make one
statement in addition to what has been
made. I think I represent the sentiments
of many in this Assembly when I say
that we do appreciate not merely the intellectual
work, but the profoundly magnificent
Christian unselfishness that has
prompted him in all that he has done.
I can say I hear it constantly and I feel
myself to be under the influence and
leadership of a man who demonstrates
in close association, the profound, hearty
spirituality that he has shown,?this is a
blessing that we ought to express appreciation
for.
Dr. Hill: I heard a gentleman say today
that perhaps a majority of the persons
here present, had in them Scotch
or ocoicn-irisn Diooa. fms is probably
true?there is a large element of that
kind in this region of country, and many
of us know from personal experience
that wherever you have Scotch-Irish or
Scotch blood converted by the grace of
God, they know spiritual food when they
have it presented to them, and therefore
I think if we adopt ihese resolutions we
will give a very intelligent appreciation
of what we have all heard. All in favor
of this motion will please show it by rising.
Vote unanimous.
Dr. White:
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
This action on your part was wholly
unexpected on my part,?it is none the
leas, nowever, appreciated. i am sure
that I speak for all my associates when
1 say that we could not have had more
cordial appreciation of our efforts than
we have had from you. I have spoken
to a great many audiences on both sides
of the water,?on both sides of the
world,?I have spoken to no audiences
which have Men more attentive and "
more responsive than you have been.
You have not pronounced the "Amen"
so frequently as I have heard it in some
been and understand what quiet atten