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THE PRESBYTERIAN FRAGRANCE LINGRES
THE THREE GREAT NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES, WITH FIFTEEN HUNDRED LEADERS, STIRRED AND BLESSED ATLANTA
WITH THEIR MIGHTY GATHERINGS—DR. JOHN E. WHITE PAYS BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE.
T
HE greatest Presbyterian gathering
which ever assembled on American soil
| has left Atlanta’s gates, but the frag-
rance of their fellowship and benedic
tion is like the lingering breath of the “Rose
of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.”
The thing which most concerns The Golden
Age, with its old-fashioned faith in the BOOK
and the BLOOD, is the fact that every utter*
ance which stressed these foundation beliefs,
was cheered to the echo, and while here and
there certain “liberal tendencies might have ex
isted in certain individuals, they were gloriously
immersed by a Presbyterian wave of orthodoxy.
It was an inspiration.
Waite Shower of Flowers.
As a general tribute to the Presbyterian
hosts we can not do better than to reproduce
from The Atlanta Georgian the Saturday even
ing story of Dr. John E. White, who is in dan
ger of being arrested and hailed into some
high philological court for his recent attempt
to bankrupt the English language in saying
elegant, beautiful things about the truths of
God and the valorous deeds of men. Dr.
White’s twenty-minute speech at the Southern
Baptist Convention on the “Judson Centennial
Movement” was a veritable gold mine of bril
liant epigrams and stirring appeal. Those who
did not hear it or who have never heard Dr.
White speak, can imagine a man as good look
ing or better than William J. Bryan, and then
catch at the skirts of his elegant eloquence by
reading the following tribute to
‘ ‘ The God-Blessed Macs. ’ ’
Two good-natured witticisms at the expense
of the Presbyterians of the late Sam Jones
have just passed into oblivion beyond recall.
He said that the only objection to be had
against the Presbyterians was that there are so
few of them, and that ‘ ‘ The Presbyterians pay
more for their religion and get less fun out
of it than any people on earth.”
The historic gathering of 1,500 commission
ers in Atlanta, representing American Presby
terians, has abruptly made an end of the first
HELPS PLUCKY BOYS START UPWARD.
(Continued from page 1.)
fits of a mental rest during the vacation and
an outloor life. To my surprise he spoke mod
estly of the money one could make and quoted
from average reports rather than from a few
selected from expert salesmen. While he was
not positive how much I would clear during
the vacation, yet he assured me that my con
nection with the company would mean my
continuing in college as long as I chose.
He won my confidence and admiration, and
made a lasting impression upon my mind by
his unfluinching fairness in holding out to the
end that he could give me no better contract
than any other young man who had had no
experience in the work. From the time I sign
ed the contract, the touch of his personality
made me optimistic, gave me fire when dis
couraged, and coinage in disappointment. I had
scarcely been with the company) two years
when I began to catch the vision he tried to
show me at that first meeting, viz.: That any
worthy educational ambition was possible, so
I entered the University of Chicago. It was
The Golden Age for May 29, 1913
complaint, and their lively proceedings in de
bate and the good cheer they have radiated
on our streets and in our homes leaves no
ground for the other.
The Presbyterians number nearly 5,000,000
in the world and constitute one-fifth of the
evangelical force of Chirstianity. They have
furnished their full share to the entertainment
of history.
The English and Welsh names of Smith and
Jones represent our largest American classifi
cation of surnames, but the folks whose names
carry the handle of the “God-blessed Macs”
belong to a class of quality incomparable in
weight and achievement.
Next to the Jews the Macs have preserved
through generations a distinctive character.
They are not all Presbyterians, but there is a
Presbyterian quality in them all.
Presbyterianism is only a denominational
subdivision —a fragment broken off from Scotch
granite; but the Presbyterian essense has gone
with Scotchmen into every nook and corner
of American character. Its leaven is pungent
and penetrating, and if they could only monop
olize it and secure a royal patent on all it per
meates, the Presbyterians would lay claim to
the most immense religious areas. But there
is no monopoly in truth, and the Presbyterians
are debtors also. Renan said, “Jesus begat
Paul, Paul begat Augustine, Augustine begat
John Calvin, John Calvin begat John Knox.”
It is with difficulty that Protestants are re
minded that Augustine was Roman Catholic.
Aside from theological heredity, the Presbyte
rians, taken as they are. constitute in the world
an incalculable value to human character far
beyond their numerical strength.
It is not generally known that the name
Scotland was stolen from the little country
now known as Ireland. Scotia, before the
tenth century, was a territorial term, while
Scotus was a race name and the generic term
of Scoti embraced the people of that race,
whether inhabiting Ireland or Britain.
After the tenth century the principal strong-
while there my health grew so unsatisfactory
I was advised by physicians to stay out of
school for a year.
When this crisis came, I had no better friend
than B. B. Coffey, and in a larger sense than
ever before I saw the man as he was. He
had inspired my faith from the veryl first,
but now I saw him face to face and he was
my friend —my brother!
This year of waiting was changed from a
restless one of anxiety and worry, by the op
portunities the book business gave me, to a
busy but not strenuous year, a time of recrea
tion but not idleness, and, perhaps, my com
ing in contact with so many of our schools
and colleges in almost every state South of
the Ohio, and east of the Mississippi, will be
worth more to me than any single year spent
in Chicago, and I am quite sure this work
has brought me a little closer to the great
throbbing heart of humanity, has given me
a firm sympathy with my fellow man, and has
inspired me with a stronger faith in the broth
erhood of man and fatherhood of God.
hold of the people designated Scoti included
nine counties in the North of Ireland as well
as the Western part of Scotland.
The Scotch-Irish, therefore, are not a mix
ture of Irish and Scotch blood, but are the pure
Scotch who happened to be geographically
identified with Northern Ireland. The main
contribution to American life from the Scotch
came from this region. They brought their
quality with them, and it was a fighting
quality.
The first Scotch-Irish clergyman to land in
America, in 1682, landed in jail immediately,
charged with the offense of preaching the Gos
pel at a private house.
The first great Scotch-Irish lawyer spoke a
piece in Virginia about “Give me liberty or
give me death.” At Mecklenburf, North Caro
lina, the Scotch-Irish raised the first standard
of defiance to Great Britain.
At Alamance, in North Carolina, ten years
before, they had fought the first skirmish of
the American Revolution.
When George Washington saw red-coats
landing at every seaport he said that if the
worst came to the worst he would gather the
Scotch-Irishmen around him and make a fort
ress of liberty in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
At King’s Mountain the Scotch-Irish, under
three Presbyterian elders, flung victory into the
teeth of despair and saved the cause of In
dependence.
The Presbyterians may not claim them all,
but we all claim them.
We have had a large flavor of this life for
ten days in Atlanta. All our under-estimates
are revised.
We have seen the Presbyterians as many and
we know them as much. We have marked them
as good, soldiers, and we have felt them as
good brothers. We have witnessed them in
their conflicts, and we have warmed toward
them in our homes.
If in the storm they are oak and rock, in
the sunshine they are vine and flower.
B. B. Coffey is an embodiment of this idea—
he is verily a business builder, and a friend to
young men.
Sincerely,
BEBE BOSWELL.
Mrs. O. S. Payne’s beauti
fully bound, fascinating story
and The Golden Age one
year, $2.25. Write to
day. Address 13 Moore
Bldg., Walton Street, Atlanta,
Ga.
