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Fsbra&ry 21, 1W12 J THE
Editorial 1
The laymen pay a line tribute to the preachers
in the fact that though they often think and say
that the latter are not good business men, and
that there is great need to "run the church on
business lines," and to put into the church
something of the methods of business men, they
fall back on the preachers to help them out in
all their meetings, to develop and carry out the
plans, and even in some cases to gather the
money to finance the enterprise projected.
Perhaps the most remarkable pastorate known
in the South is that of Rev. W. M. Norment, of
tiardeman county, Tennessee. He took charge
of the Cumberland Presbyterian churches of
Whitesville. New Hope and Ebenezer in 1849,
when he was twenty years of age, and has remained
their pastor ever since, sixty-three years!
lie is still quite active, and under his leadership
two new houses of worship are now reaching
completion.
The "labor question" looms too large in the
Men and Religion Movement. Indeed, some
have written down the movement as a propaganda
in the interest of unionism. To those who
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Hie iHinuiar with the organization and methods
of the movement this, of course, will be known to
be a misrepresentation of it as a whole. One department
of it, however, is busily engaged in the
presentation of the labor problem from the standpoint
of unionism, and is thereby throAving the
movement out of the reach of the sympathy of
that great multitude of workers who look upon
the unions ivith disfavor.
Rev. Hugh Henry, pastor of the historic Briery
church in Prince Edward county, Va., died at
his home on February 14th. He was a native of
Front Royal, Va., and Avas sixty-three years of
age. lie received his theological education at
I'nion Seminary, Va., and was ordained by West
Hanover Presbytery in 1875. In his ministry
he served successively the churches of Lebanon,
Tabor, Olivet, Hat Creek, Diamond Hill and
Rustburg. Later he Avas installed pastor of the
Briery church in 1893. His entire ministry was
spent in the Synod of Virginia. Mr. Henry was
a man of unusually quiet manner and of a high
order of piety, fine ability and discriminating
grasp of revealed truth. His personal character
was almost beyond criticism and the memory
of his entire life Avill be a lasting source of com
tort and strength to his family and a host of
friends who survive.
Rev. J. W. Clymer ded at the home of his
son-in-law, Rev. P. \V. T. Pitman, in Williamsburg,
Va., on January 26th, at the age of eightytwo
years. He was a native of Jefferson county,
W. Va., and was a lineal descendant of John
Clymer, one of the immortal signers of the
Declaration of Independence. He was educated
at Union Theological Seminary, New York, and
ordained in 1859 by the Presbytery of Winchester.
Mr. Clymer's ministerial service extended
through fifty-three years and was abundantly
fruitful. He served as pastor at Woodstock,
Va.; Keyser, W. Va.; Hancock, Maryland, and
Winchester, Va. His memory is sacredly cherished
by the people to whom he ministered and
by his fellow-laborers in the gospel.
There has been much said in the public prints
of a young Presbyterian minister who was lately
received into the Baptist Church, as though
it were phenomenal. But Presbyterians have
frequently educated young men who afterward
departed elsewhere, some into the Roman Catho
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE Si
\otes and
lie priesthood, others into the Unitarian ministry,
others possibly into the Mormon eldership
and others still into avowed skepticism and
scoffing. "We get them right and start them
right, but they sometimes stray in devious ways.
Let it not be supposed that it is a rare thing for
our beloved Baptist brethren to get good things
from Presbyterians, when in reality they have
gotten all the sound theology they know, most
of the best hymns, sermons, general literature
and leadership; besides Y. M. C. A. privileges
and Bibles from the Bible Society (in which our
immersionist brethren don't take stock) by the
hundred thousands, both of which institutions
are endowed largely by Presbyterians. In fact,
it is an important department of Presbyterian
church life to furnish ability, character, conviction
and general equipment with which to supply
the dynamics, diplomacy and orthodoxy of
the Church at large. It is a great mission, and
Presbyterians, from Paul on down through the
ages, have felt the responsibility. We must do
it at whatever cost, or there will be an awful
drifting on the tides of ritualism, traditionalism
and sectarianism to be finally immersed in a
shoreless, fathomless sea.
One of our papers, in commenting 011 the Chattanooga
Convention, remarks concerning those
attending the great convention: "These men
were not preachers, but hard-headed business and
professional men, many of them conspicuous by
reason of the high character of service which
they are rendering their generation." All of
which is true, yet is was noticeable that about
three hundred and fifty of the fifteen hundred
registered were "preachers," and that those who
appeared upon the platform and made the stirring
speeches of the wonderful convention were
"preachers," and it is again worthy of notice
that these hard-headed business men find that
they cannot get along without the preachers and
do not desire to do so. We are not discrediting
flm rnnom J A? -
Iiiaguui|;cui CI1U11S itUU ITSU1US U1 UUT COIlSeCrated
laymen, anl we rejoice that they are coming
into "their own" so splendidly. But we
think that they and the preachers are one in this
great movement to push the Kingdom of Christ,
and there should be no disparagement of either
group of consecrated workers.
Charles Birthright, who died recently at
Clarkton, Mo., was a negro, a native of Halifax
county, Virginia. He was born a slave and continued
with his master, Major Birthright,
through a greater part of the war between the
states. He and his wife were the only negroes
living in Clarkton, yet at his funeral there was
not standing room for the people who wished to
be present. He was prosperous and left an
estate valued at between fnrtv ?nd fitv thmiMnd
dollars, which remains the possession of his wife
during her lifetime. After her death the entire
estate becomes the property of Stillman Institute
at Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the support and
training of colored youths for the ministry. It
was doubtless in his master's home that this
former slave learned the principles of religion
that influenced him to give the earnings of a
lifetime to Christian education and it was there
that he acquired the fine qualities that secured
for him the high esteem of the community in
which he lived. There were thousands of such
characters in an earlier day, but their numbers
have grown deplorably less and seem almost
ready to vanish away.
The Protestant Episcopal Commission appointed
to arrange for a World Conference on
)uth ~u?
Comments
Faith and Order has issued a letter to commissions
thus far appointed by other churches. It
is true that this letter speaks of the Protestant
Episcopal "Church" and other "communions,"
but our wording is better and must prevail.
Other " communions, both Catholic and Protestant,"
are expected to appoint commissions, after
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wxiiuu xwriiijn ussuciauons ior joint action may
be expected." The letter very courteously suggests
that meanwhile "each commission should
try to cultivate within its own communion an
earnest and intelligent desire for the restoration
of Christian unity." To this end several
printed prayers are provided for use as may be
needed. "The clergy" are to be urged to preach
on the subject of unity, and both clergy and laity
to engage in a thorough and critical study of the
distinctive tenets of Faith and Order which are
understood to be at the foundation of their
position." We can only add that unity already
exists so far as the communions are spiritual,
and it is to be deplored that the tradition known
as the historic episcopate is one of the most
formidable barriers to corporate union.
It is always gratifying to have important articles
which appear in our columns in harmony
with the views of the leading representatives of
sister Churches. Especially is it pleasing to
have them emphasize, as many of them do, the
cardinal truth of the spiritual character of our
Lord's kingdom. An instance is found in the
following from the Philadelphia Presyterian:
Rev. Thornton Whaling, D. D., in a powerful
sermon preached in connection with the fiftieth
anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States, published in "The Presbyterian
of the South," makes the following strong statement
:
44 After all, dogma rules the world, false dogm<i
makes unreliable character in individuals or societies,,
weak dogma makes weak character, and
strong dogma gives strength and poise to the
personality or society builded upon it."
This is sound, but it will shock many of our
liberal' brethren, who have been so diligent to
discredit and belittle dogma. If we change the
word dogma to conviction, few people would find
fault with the statement. Conviction is the state
of mind in which it lays hold of the truth. Dogma
is the same thing, with the addition of expression.
It is not the mere words expressing
the truth. It is the truth laid hold of by the
mind, and Dr. Whaling's statement is thoroughly
pnrrppt T^VIA f~1Vmw>V? on/1 onoioi-tr u ^
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sounder and safer and more efficient if this was
realized in the life. Nothing has been more
weakening upon the Church than the persistent
teaehing that dogma was of no value. Dr. "Whaling
again says:
"It is well for the hungry to get soup and
other good food, and for the sick to get pills and
other medicines, and for the State legislatures
to have the best and most authorative expert advice
a3 to how to handle all political measures involving
a moral element. The Church does best
when she develons individual man wVm Vi?v? tV?A
moral and spiritual insight and passion which
will drive them to these hard practical problems
and qualify them for wisely settling these in
sistent issues."
Dr. Whaling is right again, and it would ho
well of the Church would recognize her great
mission in producing men. Furthermore, the
Church must train her men as well as instruct
hem. The Church must care for the poor and
sick, and train her men to do so; this will be in
obedience to the commission, "Heal the sick, and
feed the hungry."