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Church News
TENNESSEE.
Chattanooga?First Church: One of
the most interesting and instructive talks
on the early history of Chattanooga ever
heard in that city was that by Rev. T. H.
McCallie at the morning service at the
First Presbyterian church, on December
26:
"The First Presbyterian church of
Chattanooga was organized June 21,
1S40. Chattanooga was then only a straggling
village. I remember quite well that
when my father moved here in March,
1841, we children of the family were informed
that we were going to Ross' Landing.
We had not even then heard the
name, Chattanooga. The population of
the village was probably about 500 or 600
people. We were not in any wise connected
with the great outside world. The
W. & A. railroad, the ilrst built, did not
reach us until about 1849 or 1850. Only
one little steamboat was on the river, and
its visits not very regular. It took our
merchants six weeks to make a trip to
oaminore ana our goous naa 10 ue iransported
over rough roads in heavy canvascovered
wagons drawn by four mules.
The little Presbyterian church started
out with twenty-eight members, thirteen
male and fifteen female members. Its
first action was the election of officers.
Out of the thirteen members it found
eight worthy to be chosen to the honorable
office of ruling elder, seven of whom
accepted. These were John Vail, W. W.
Anderson, James Berry, William Walker,
William Smith, Allen Kennedy and
A. E. Blount.
"Two of these, John Vail and A. E.
Blount, had been sent out by the mis
sionary board at Boston as missionaries
to the Indians. The Cherokee Indians
were located in this section, and the missionaries
established a station at what
is now known as Byrd's mill, on the
Chickamauga creek, and called it Brainard
station, after the celebrated missionary
to the Indians of New Jersey, David
Brainard, whose biography is well worthy
of perusal by the good people of
Chattanooga. From this mission Missionary
Ridge took its name.
"I remember well both of these good
men, John Vail and Ainsworth E. Blount.
They were not ministers, but laymen, and
had been sent out in company with Mes
srs. ouiitJi aim Worcester, ministers, nut
to preach but to train the Indians in agriculture
and handicraft. They were good
and consecrated men, and after the Indians
were carried west, 1836-1839, remained
in this country, Joining this little
band in June, 1840, in establishing this
cnurcn.
"I was called to the pastorate and took
charge In 1862. The congregation had a
membership of about 150 at this time. I
was a young man just 20 years of age.
It was the home of my youth, the church
of my childhood ,and I felt great hesitation
in taking charge of the church.
There sat before the good old elders that
[E PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SC
had taught me in the Sunday School
when I was a boy, that had received me
into the church on confession of faith in
Christ, a great many of my relatives and
the boys and girls, now grown up, with
whom I had gone to school, with whom
i naa enjoyed many a romp.
"I can see the congregation now in the
amen corner, as we call it. There sat
Elder John P. Long and his family, Mrs.
William Crutchfleld and her husband. Directly
in front of me sat Elder W. W. Anderson,
my dear Sunday School teacher,
and nearby my venerable mother and my
blind aunt, Mrs. Jane Eakin, accompanied
by Miss Dollie Hooke. To my right
sat Thomas Webster, just a little behind
him Larkin Hale, with his fine, noble
face and so much confidence in his young
pastor that he always took a nap while
the sermon was going on. A little in the
rear of him was Dr. L. T. Green and his
family. Over him W. A. Moore, then
Capt. Fulton, John R. Weaver, Thomas
Richardson, as regular as a clock, and
others in the choir were Miss Mary
Green, Mrs. Cooper, Misses Lizzie and
Josie Hooke, and these two men, Mr.
.Cameron, after whom Cameron Hill was
named, and Judge R. M. Hooke. All honor
to these two men, for neither of them
knew anything about music or could sing,
but they did their best. All honor to the
man that can not pray in public or speak
before an audience, but is willing to try
when called on and do his best. Such
men help to make the world better.
"When your speaker took charge of
this congregation, in 1862, it was a trying
time, for the whole land was in the
throes of the Civil war. Congregations
were divided. Some few in the congregation
held to the union. The great majority
went with the south. But by leaving
politics severely alone and by bringing
the gospel to bear upon the hearts of
me [jcupie ?s luey were passing inrougn
these new experiences, our congregation
remained undisturbed and undivided. Our
congregations in those days and the days
following were large.
"During the entire year of 1862 our congregations
were largely composed of our
own townspeople and soldiers on duty in
and about the city. There was a camp
of instruction ,a camp of direction, hospitals,
soldiers on duty and regiments
and often brigades resting and waiting
for orders. In many of these camps and
regiments I had and embraced the opportunity
of preaching, besides ministering
to my own people regularly.
"During the year 1863 the times grew
more appalling. Soldiers were in the city
mnro than ounr A ffow Kt?4
...V* w ?UM*? V?V4. Aitvi 1.11C uai'
tie of Murfreesboro this city became a
veritable storm center. Bragg fell back
and had his headquarters here. Just at
this juncture the churches further south
sent many evangelists to preach in tents
and open places to the soldiers. Amnn^
them was Dr. B. M. Palmer, of New Orleans,
who stayed in my house about
two months and filled during that time
a Sunday in my pulpit. Also Dr. Bryson,
who afterwards was moderator of the
General Assembly.
"Our own ordinary congregation of cit
)UTH January 12, 1910.
izens was about crowded out by the soldiers
during the summer of '63. It was
at this time that tho nnsinr
the Rev. Mr. Pitzer, afterwards for thirty
years pastor in Washington, conducted
a revival meeting in the church, which
was confined to the soldiers. Night after
night the house was crowded. There were
a great many hopeful conversions. We
knew that a great battle was impending
and that many of them would fall on the
battlefield. This very thought made both
the preachers and soldiers intensely in
earnest, for it was the last opportunity
for many of them. So we instructed them,
prayed with them, examined them as to
their hope in Christ, received them into
the church and gave them letters to their
home churches whenever and whomvor
God in His providence permitted them to
reside.
"A great many and some remarkable
revivals were held in the armies during
these and later times by chaplains and
evangelists.
"It was during August of this year that
the incident of Dr. Palmer and the shelling
of the city which you all know so
well, occurred.
"The next most remarkable event in
the history of the church occurred, so
far as the congregation was concerned,
on the Sunday following the ninth day of
September, 1863. On the first Sunday of
September the pastor preached to a
house filled with gray coats, soldiers and
offlcers of the Confederate army, with a
scattering of citizens here and there. On
the second Sunday we had a crowded
house again, but it was blue coats?offlcers
and soldiers of the Union army, and
probably not ten citizens and church
members in the house.# It was a new and
trying experience. Our people had mostly
gone south, flying from the invasion
of the Union army, and out of the 150
or more church members not more than
fifteen were left in the city.
"Our church edifice was used for a little
more than one year by the government
for a hospital. With the aid of
Mrs. William Crutchfleld, we secured
from the government a sufficient amount
to place it again in good repair.
"In March, 1873, I realized that my
health was gone, the city was growing,
my church was increasing, and that a
stronger man was needed in the pulpit.
For this reason I resigned and Presbytery
sundered the relations existing between
us as pastor and people, but those
ties of friendly feeling, and love for you
and your pastor will, by the grace of God,
never be sundered."
MISSIONARY UNION.
The fourteenth annual meeting of the
woman's Missionary Union of Tuscaloosa
Presbytery was held In the First
Presbyterian Church, Selma, Ala., October
19-20, 1909. The meeting was
opened with devotional exercises, led by
Rev. .T m ^?*
.... untie, ui yoney i/reBK
Church, after which the president, Mrs.
J. D. Snedecor, took charge of the meeting,
and the following program was carried
out:
Tuesday Afternoon.?3 o'clock,. Execu