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VOLUME EIGHT
NUMBER FORTY- EIGHT
DR. R. C. BUCKNER’S EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY
Founder of Great Texas Orphans 9 Home Kept Open House — Was Visited By Two Thousand People—Manna Hall
Dedicated —Splendid Gifts to the Orphans.
By J. L. WALKER.
J
or vale. The far-off southern gulf sent gentle
warmth on the wings of the breezes, and dur
ing the entire golden day winter was wholly
suspended.
“Father Buckner,” as his orphan family af
fectionately call him, was in the finest health
and spirits, and was everywhere greeting and
shaking hands with his friends.
Multitude of the Finest People.
By ten o ’clock visitors were arriving in autos
and on trains. The Buckner Orphan children
were neatly attired. To the visitors Buckner
Orphans’ Home seemed a charmed spot. En
thusiastic expressions were heard on every side.
They continued coming, and by eleven o’clock,
a multitude of 2,000 of the finest people from
all parts of this finest State, swarmed about
the beautiful lawns.
Robert Cooke Buckner, D. D., L.L. D.
‘ 1 Where is Dr. Buckner ?’ ’ this was the ques
tion on the lips of the visitors on entering the
grounds. “We must see Dr. Buckner —bless
his good soul —and shake his hand!” They
found him —found him everywhere, the same
genial, smiling, courteous, cheerful, happy,
Christian gentleman that he has always been.
The dear old man does not know how to be any
thing but his natural self.
There is just one R. C. Buckner, as there was
just one Broadus, one Columbus Durham, one
Spurgeon, one Carey. This fact was recog
nized at Ridgecrest, N. C., when the five moun
tain knobs on the Southern Baptist Assembly
ground were named, “Broadus,” “Durham,”
“Spurgeon,” “Carey” and “R. C. Buckner.”
God Raised Up Buckner.
That God raised up Dr. Buckner to establish
the world’s ideal orphanage, none of us doubt
Nor does Dr. Buckner himself doubt it. The
Divine Hand used all the morning of his life to
prepare him for this holy afternoon task.
To prepare him for his great afternoon work,
Moses needed forty years’ schooling in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians, and then another
forty years’ schooling in the hardships of the
desert. Before “Pardise Lost” could be writ
ten, the world’s first poet must be crowned with
ANU ARY 3rd, was highday at
Buckner Orphans’ Home. Dr.
Buckner kept open house all day,
and received his friends, and the
friends of his 650 orphan children.
The day was perfect. The mid
winter sun rose with springtime
warmth, and suffered not a floating
cloud to cast its shadow on hilltop
t>RIESTLY CONFESSION OF ROMISH TYRANNY—Page Four.
ATLANTA, GA., JANUARY 23, 1913
silver. And before our noble Southwestern
Theological Seminary could be founded the hair
and beard of the great B. H. Carroll must be
white as light. And so it was, before Dr. Buck
ner should begin building this home for orphans
he must have many years of training as pastor,
as editor and as denominational leader.
/ ■ .B
■ ■ - ■ fc,
GEORGE W. TRUETT,
Who Preached Dedication Sermon of
“Manna Hall.”
Dedication of Manna Hall.
At eleven o’clock, more than 2,000 visiting
people and orphans were gathered in the beau
tiful spacious home chapel. The “Home Chor
us Class,” of one hundred orphans, sang like
angels. Bro. R. H. Coleman, business mana
ger of the Baptist Standard, called on George
W. McCall, of Oklahoma, to lead in prayer.
Then came George W. Truett, at his best.
He opened God’s Book and read: “And Moses
was one hundred and twenty years old when
he died; his eye was not dimmed nor his natu
ral force abated. ’ ’
“Moses never grew old. He died young.
And Dr. Buckner is not old at eighty. He is
still young, and God will keep him young in
heart, in spirit and in body, as his work is not
yet finished. Moses lived in the companion
ship of God, laid himself out for his people, took
the future into account, for he had respect unto
the recompense of reward. Would you be al
ways young? The way is open:
“Live always a surrendered life to God.
“Link your life to some great cause or insti
tution.
“Life for the future.
“That is what Moses did. That is what Dr.
Buckner has done.
“And now we are to dedicate ‘Beautiful Man
na Hall,’ where 1,200 people can eat bread from
Heaven at one sitting. There is just one man
among us fit to offer the dedicatory prayer,
that one is R. C. Buckner.”
The vast audience stood with bowed heads,
while the patriarch of the orphans, with words
deeply impressive, gave Manna Hall back to
God.
A cablegram from the Buckner Colony, in
China, read, “Boundless Love.”
A congratulatory telegram was read from
the professors and students of the Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary. Hundreds of
congratulatory messages—they could not be
read.
Thousands of dollars were announced for
Buckner Orphans’ Home.
Dinner Fit for a King.
The principle company repaired to “Beauti-
Manna Hall. ” And Manna Hall groaned under
the weight of good things. The great dinner
of chicken, and turkey, and bread, and cake,
and fruit, and hot coffee, and pure milk, had
been prepared largely by the Dallas County
Baptist Association. It was a dinner fit for
a king. The happy orphan family were at
their accustomed places. There was the sound
of the organ in the great balcony, mingled with
the sweet voices in a hymn of praise to God.
Then was God thanked while all heads were
bowed.
Like unto occasions when Jesus fed the mul
titudes, all were filled. But instead of enough
left to fill twelve baskets, there was enough
left to feed the large orphan family three days.
The happy company with delight inexpressi
ful Manna Hall.” And Manna Hall groaned un
der the weight of good things. The great dinner
hade us all “Good-bye,” and departed for their
own homes, but left the radiance of their bene
dictions and benefactions behind.
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