Newspaper Page Text
August 28, 1912 1 T H E 1
all fear and uncertainty. We may exultingly
exclaim, Death is swallowed up in victory.'4 0
death, Where is thy sting! O grave, where is
thy victory T Thanks be to God which giveth us
the victory, through our Lord Jesus Ohrfet.
Christ's victory, and ours through him, is inspiring.
We can afford to labor and to wait, to
he '' steadfast and immovable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord," when we know that
through him our labor is not in vain. There is
no ^aint on earth so weak but that through the
victory of Chribt he shall not be "more than
conqueror."
A MISTAKE CORRECTED.
A little tardy, but better late than never.
The Presbyterian op the South came into
existence on January 1st, 1909, as the result of
the combining of the Central Presbyterian of
Richmond, the Southtvestem Presbyterian of
New Orleans, and the Southern Presbyterian of
Alanta.
The first number was issued January 3d,
1909, and was called No. 1, Vol. 1; this was a
great mistake. But it must be told that the pro
inoters of the new enterprise were not unmindful
of, nor indifferent to, the long and honorable
career of the several journals which were thus
merged into one; for it was distinctly stated
that the volume number of each of the three
papers should be kept conspicuously placed in
the new paper, and thus preserve the connection
with the past. This was done for a while, and
then for some reason discontinued. To continue
to say we are four years old, when every now
and then some corespondent writes us of affectionate
connection with the p^per of more than
half a century, is not only a distinct loss but
a grave error.
For the sake of truth, and for the sake of an
unbroken career made illustrious by the service
of many of the best and brainiest men the Presbyterian
Church has ever produced, the Presbyterian
of the South will carry at its head
from now on its
proper volume number.
It is eighty-six years old, certainly?it may
he a little more. The story of these years of
splendid service, of the various names borne, of
the different cities occuoied. of the intimate re
lation held to many Synods, of the great and
good men whose lives are woven into its history,
is one of surpassing interest?we can give only
enough to prove our contention.
Dr. Adger says in his "My Life and Times"
that the Charleston Observer was first published
in Charleston, S. C., in 1826 and "possibly a
little earlier." Rev. Benjamin Gildersleewe, "a
strong man and a sound Presbyterian," was its
editor.
In Richmond, Va., Rev. Wm. S. Plumar, D. D.,
brought out on August 31st, 1837, the first namof
the Watchman of the South. The name
and fame of this editor indicate What must have
been the character of the paper he edited.
Qlintinr* A ?4-^
x/a. Augm o^oui. niter a iuu^ anu
successful editorial career in Charleston, Mr.
(;ildersleeve was induced to remove to Richmond,
and become the editor of the Watchman
and ObserverThe first issue of this new
journal appeared August 25, 1845. In those
days of slow transportation Richmond was very
,1! from Georgia, and after the removal of
^r- Gildersleeve, the Synod of Georgia at its
"" ' ting in 1846 determined to issue a successor
to the Observer. So early in 1847 at Milledgev'Ue,
with Rev. Washington Baird as editor, the
tlrst number of The Southern Presbyterian
eekly was brought out.
On -January 5, 1853, "The Southern Presbyf
'RE8BYTERIAN OF THE 84
terian'' was moved to Charleston, S. C., and Dr.
J. L. Kirkpatrick and others owned and edited
it. In 1857 Dr. Adger bought the paper and
moved it to Columbia. With him were associated
Rev. A. A. Porter and Rev. Dr. Jas. Woodrow.
Dr. Thornwell became a frequent contributor
to its columns, and the paper "'had a high
reputation and a wide circulation." When Columbia
was burned by Sherman the paper that
had struggled for existence suspended.
After the war Dr. James Wood row "had the
courage" to revive the paper; associated with
him were Dr. Jos. R. Wilson and Mr. Jesse A.
Ansley, of Augusta; under many difficulties Dr.
Woodrow continued the publication for more
than a quarter of a century, editing it with
"consummate ability."
Then Rev. W. S. Bean became proprietor and
editor, removing it to Clinton; after a few years
toe gave place to J. F. and W. S. Jacobs, and
they sold, after a brief ownership, to Dr. Thos.
E. Converse, of Christian Observer fame, who
carried the paper back to its native state and
located it in Atlanta. Under this management
it attained the largest circulation in its history.
On January 5, 1856, the "Watchman and
Observer" was issued under a new name, viz:
The Central Presbyterian, with Drs. T. V. Moore
and Mosds Hoge as editors; in his valedictory
Mr. Gildersleeve, after thirty years of noble service,
said: "We have now transferred to other
hands the chief responsibility which has so lm^
rested on ourselves."
Following Drs. Moore and Hoge came Dr.
William Brown, nomen clarum et venerabile;
then Messrs. Richardson and Southall, and later
Rev. James P. Smith, D. D., as editor and owner.
These men, it goes without saying, mad-* the
paper famous and caused it to become a tower
of strength in defending the truth and extending
the Master's kingdom.
Thp. hrethpen in tlia Slmirti on/1 Woof
moving in the same direction, for everywhere a
hurch paper was felt to be a necessity. In
Mobile, Ala., the Presbyterian Index had a brief
existence, and then it failed, as had several
other similar efforts, the Synod of MississioDi.
then embracing all of Louisiana, had issued on
February 25, 1869, the first number of the
Southwestern Presbyterian; the Board responsible
for the publication was composed of Rev.
B. M. Palmer, D. D., Rev. T. R. M&rkham, Rev.
Henry M. Smith, D. D., and Messrs. E. S. Keep,
Moses Greenwood, David Hadden, W. C. Black,
H. T. Bartlett, and Frederick Stringer. Dr.
H. M. Smith was editor for 22 1-2 years; he was
followed by Dr. R. 0. Mallard. Dr. J. G. Snedecor
was managing editor during the brief period
of the paper *8 residence in Birmingham, Ala.,
and on its return to New Orleans Dr. J. H. Nail,
Dr. Mallard and Dr. George Summey were successively
its editors.
In March, 1902, the Presbyterian Record of
Dallas, Texas, was merged into the Southwestern,
the Synod of Texas "continuing to elect corresponding
editors."
Through all the 39 years of its history the
Southwestern Preshvtfiriim rpon?mi?a<i
the stalwart defender of the old fadth and it
played a large and influential part in the splendid
growth of Presbyterianism in New Orleans
and the Southwest.
Into these three papers therefore was poured
the life-blood of the fathers of Southern Presbytenanism:
Plumer, Hoge and Brown; Thornwell,
Adger and Woodrow; Palmier, Smith, Mallard
and Nail; and the Synods of South Carolina,
Georgia, Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana and
Texas had joined in nurturing and maintaining
these journals, whose sole aim and purpose was
to advance the kingdom of God in the earth.
OUTS (993) 11
Born of such kindred spirits and nurtured
by such unity of life and doctrine, it is not *
matter of surprise, when the day of fast mail,
the telephone and the telegraph, brought every
section of our great Southland into close touch,
one part with he other, that these three Churah
organs should have combined into one, strong,
central mouthpiece that should be able the better
to speak forth for all the Church the same
dear old doctrines, to breathe the same catholic
spirit and to maintain the same pure jure divino
Presbyterianism.
Nor is it surprising that Richmond should be
chosen as the home of that organ, for Richmond
is the Dnblishinff fwntjvr of fho
byterian Church.
IS THERE A HELL?
"Grapho," of The Advance, who is, as all
know, Dr. Adams, the versatile editor of that
paper, tells in characteristic style of an encounter
which he recently had with a typical
tramp. The poor fellow, worn, hungry, hopeless,
cut oft by his own degraded life from those
who would willingly have helped him, piteoualy
cried, "No, I was once as proud a young man
as walked the streets. I came from a country
village with good recommendations and got a
nice place in a real estate office, and for a while
everything went welL But I was in a boarding
house, and didn't know anybody, and at night
?the devil's in the night?if I was a preacher,
I should preach about that city where there will
be no night?at night I got to going out with
leiiows that were a little wild, and then began
to drink some. I didn't think there was much
harm in it, aiid you know a young fellow in the
city doesn't want to act like a goody-goody boy
just from the country, as though he was tied
to his mother'8 apron strings. The boys soon
laughed me out of going to church, said that they
used to go, but their views had broadened out
since they came to the city, and a fellow must
be liberal if he is going to live there. 1 was soon
on the down-hill road, in the broad road as we
used to hear in the Sunday school. 1 thought
all the time that I could turn around when I
wanted to, but somehow I never wanted to. . .
A man who makes a hell of life can't feel 'happy
in a nice home. I know that some of the preachers
say there is no helL But, stranger, do you
know that a fellow who has been going in that
direction for years kind of feels that he will
reach the place after awhile, and when a man
goes from bad to worse all the time, where else
can he got"
This wail that comes from the inner consciousness
of the sinner is but the echo of the human
heart to the Word of God himself. However
callous and indifferent men may be when they
are in the full-tide of worldiness and sin, and
however their own wish is father to the thought
that there is to be no responsibility and no place
or state of Dunishment. the time eomes in avat-v
life when the soul must face the solemn facts.
The latest organiaztion reported to us is that
of the Ministerial Students of North Carolina.
The purpose of the association is to unify as
far as possible the students for the ministry of
the different denominations, that this may result
in the greater spiritual unity of those denominations
themselves. All this looks quite promis
ing, but how long will it last, and what will it
accomplish f
It is only by the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit that the Christian life becomes possible
to any one of us. Have you ever compared
your knowledge with your conduct! What a
contrast 1