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VOL. 111. RICH
SHOULD ATLANTA GIVE A "PRESBYTERIAN
BUILDINO" TO ttit*
SOUTHERN CHURCH?
BY THORNWELL. JACOBS.
In the first place, this article is not inspired.
It is not written nor suggested by a member
of the First Presbyterian church of Atlanta,
but by an observer of conditions as they are
in this city, and in our Church at large. It
has often been remarked that it takes an out
sider to appreciate opportunities lying before
individuals and communities.
Everybody knows that the First Presbyterian,
the mother church of this city, is "up
against it." Their building occupies a most
valuable site, but not an ideal location for a
church. It is the down-town church of Atlanta,
yet it is not located conveniently to
the leading street car lines of the city. It
is consequently hard to reach, and is in a
district where commercial values are growing
very fast, but where there is not a bright
outlook for a church organization. They
have been thinking for some time of moving
.their church site. They have not decided
definitely to do this.
Now, the Southern Presbyterian Church,
as is more or less generally known, is in an
unofficial way contemplating the establish
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mem- 01 neaaquariers somewhere. The recent
series of consolidations of our committees
point in that direction. The Presbyterian
building in Philadelphia, which has
proven so useful to our Northern brethren,
"seconds the motion," and all thoughtful
men in the church believe that it will be
a great thing for our denomination if we
had, located in some central city, a fitting
office building where our various committees
could be concentrated and where harmony
and co-operation could take the place of
even slight bickerings. Such a building
should be in a city ideally located for all
lines of work in offices, and should be ap
proximately at the geographical center of
our denomination. If at the same time it
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coma ue xocatea in a city where office space
could be easily sold, so that any unused L
offices could be properly disposed of, the
plan would seem even more attractive. If
this building could also be consecrated by
sacred use, and in that way identified with
religion, rather than business, every one would
rejoice, and if it could be so located as to be
in a position to do a splendid institutional
~ptv/ work, as a church in a down-town district of
a popular and ever-growing city, the proposi|
tion would seem well-nigh perfect.
Now, this is exactly the situation that we
have here in Atlanta. The present property
of the First church, which is the only down^
* town church in- the city, could be sold for
ftO.'cTl somewhere about $200,000.00. The Presbyterians
of Atlanta could add, for such a proposition
as we have outlined above, approximately
MOND, NEW ORLEANS, ATLANTA, JL
$150,000.00, and if necessary $200,000.00.
There would, no doubt, be a liberal response
to the plan also from the Church at large,
and it ought not to be difficult to raise whatever
else would be needed (which would be no large
sum) from that source. This would give something
like a half million dollars, which could
be invested in a splendid structure, whose first
floors would be a great church with the usual
institutional departments, and where unused
space could be rented to kindred organizations.
Into it could be brought, rent free, our various
committees and ecclesiastical organizations.
All this is no dream?it could be easily accomplished.
The situation is such that a little
perfect djrougtj buffering.
God would never send you the darkness,
If he felt you could bear the light;
But you would uot cling to his guiding hand,
If the way were always bright;
And you would not care to walk by faith,
Could you always walk by sight.
'Tis true, He has many an anguish
For your sorrowful heart to bear,
And many a cruel thorn-crown
For your tired head to wear;
He knows how few would keep close to Him,
If pain did not guide them there.
So He sends you the blinding darkness
And the furnace of sevenfold heat;
'Tis the only way, believe me,
To keep close to His feet,
For 'tis always easy to wander,
When our lives are glad and sweet.
Then nestle your hand in your Father's
And sing, if you can, while you go.
Your song may cheer some one behind you,
Whose courage is sinking low;
And, well, if your lips do quiver,
God will love you better so.
?Selected.
urging on the part of some of us outsiders
would possibly decide the First church people
to do just this thing. By doing it three great
needs would be filled. First. The need of
the Southern Presbyterian Church for
headquarters. Second. The need of Atlanta
for a down-town, institutional Presbyterian
church comparable to similar ones of our
brethren, the Baptists and Methodists. Third.
The need of the mother church of Atlanta
for a new site and a more adequate equipment.
In fact, the whole plan could be
successfully executed on the present site of
the First church should the members of that
organization so desire.
As said above, this article is not inspired;
vesternpresby teb/am
al Presbyter/an s
'hern Presbyter/an
'LY 5, 1911. NO. 27.
it is written by an individual who believes
that the thing could and should be done. If
the readers of the Presbyterian of the South
would like to see such a happy consummation,
they could help bring it about by writing to
the session of the First Presbyterian church
of Atlanta, or to their beloved pastor, Dr.
W. L. Lingle.
PROGRFSSIVE EVANGELISM?A LAYMAN'S
VIEWS.
BY ERNEST THACKER.
It was my pleasure recently to have a brief
personal conference on Evangelism with Mr. W.
C. Smith, of Ridgeland, Miss., one of our most
1 active and best known Invmpn in +V10
west. He has written out for us his suggestions
for a Progressive Evangelism, and his paper
was presented to the Assembly's Home Mission
Committee at its June meeting. The Committee
ordered a copy sent to the Chairman of
Home Missions in each Presbytery, hoping
that he would carry out such suggestions as he
thought would promote the work in his own
territory.
I am giving Mr. Smith's article to our
church papers with the prayerful desire that
its wise suggestions may stimulate the spirit
of evangelism throughout our entire Assembly.
MR. SMITH'S ARTICLE :
The morning after the Louisville General
Assembly had adjourned, 1 was assisting one
oi our veueraDie and godly Ministers on the
street ear with his hand-baggage, to go to the
depot. As we stood 011 the stre. t corner waiting
for his car, he said to nie: "My first
thought as I rose this morning was, What if
the Southern Presbyterian Church would
make an organized effort this year to win a
definite number of souls to Christ! If we have
been praying, and have been asked to pray
that a million souls may be won in Korea in
a certain time, would it be unreasonable to ask
all the earnest people of our Church to unite
in prayer and effort to bring as many as 50,000
souls in our own Southland into the Kingdom
of God before the meeting of the next
General Assembly?"
Then turning to me, he said: "Work out a
plan and propose it, and maybe God will own
and bless it."
1 said, "Doctor, I wish you had had that vision
before the Assembly closed, and that you
might have applied the torch of your inspirations
to our church leaders, so many of whom
were assembled here; at least, I wish we could
have talked about it before leaving your room,
where we might have prayed over it together."
"Without another word of reply to me, and
while his car was in sight, the saintly old man
raised his hat and bowed his head, and as I followed
his example, he lifted his voice in humble
supplication to God, in the midst of the clam