The addresses delivered in connection with the observance of the one hundredth anniversary, November 8-15, 1914

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The Centenary

OF

The First Presbyterian Church

OF

Nashville, Tennessee

The First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee.

The Corner Stone Was Laid April 28, 1849, and the Building Dedicated on
P'-aster Sunday, April jo. 1851.

The First Presbyterian Church

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

The Addresses Delivered in Connection

with the Observance of the

One Hundredth Anniversary,

November 8-15, 1914.

1915

Foster & Parkes Company

Nashville, Tenn.

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INDEX OF PORTRAITS

Page

Present Church Edifice 2

Rev. William Hume 8

Rev. Gideon Blackburn, D.D 16

Rev. Obadiah Jennings, D.D 24

Robert H. McEwen 32

Rev. John Todd Edgar, D.D 40

A. W. Putnam 48

,^ John M. Hill 56

■ 'i Daniel F. Carter 64

1, H. Hill McAlister 72

■ Dr. Paul F. Eve, Sr 80

Rev. Joseph Bardv/ell 88

Rev. R. F. Bunting, D.D 96

^^ James M. Hamilton 104

CM A. G. Adams 112

a Joseph B. O'Bryan I2d

Bradford Nichol 128

Rev. Thomas Verner Moore, D.D 136

d Rev. Henry J. Van Dyke, D.D 144

^ Pastor and Elders First Presbyterian Church 152

5 Pastor and Deacons First Presbyterian Church 160

J Rev. Thomas A. Hoyt, D.D 168

'ii John Hill Eakin 176

^ Byrd Douglas 184

^ Rev. Jere Witherspoon, D.D 192

Rev. William M. Anderson, D.D 200

Rev. James I. Vance, D.D 208

451815

CONTENTS

Page
Introduction 9

Centennial Sermon

By Rev. James I. Vance, D.D 1 1- 21

Our World Obligations

By Rev. Egbert Watson Smith, DiD 22-30

Greetings from the Representatives of Other Denomina-
tions

By Rev. Prof. Thomas Carter, D.D 31-34

Rev. Carey E. Morgan, D.D 35-36

Rev. H. J. Mikell, D.D 36-39

Rev. T. A. Wigginton, D.D 39-41

Rev. Rufus W. Weaver, D.D 41- 44

Rabbi Isidore Lewinthal 44- 46

Bishop Thomas Sebastian Byrne 46

The History of the First Church

By William E. Beard 47-71

The Ministers of the First Church

By Rev. James H. McNeilly, D.D 72-89

Personal Reminiscences of My Nashville Pastorate

By Rev. William M. Anderson, D.D 90- 99

The Church Officers and Their Work

By Dr. James D. Plunket 100-161

The Place of Calvinism in History

By Prof. Henry E. Dosker, D.D 162-180

Messages from Other Presbyterian Churches in Nash-
ville Through Their Pastors

From the Second Church, by Rev. A. S. Allen 181-182

From Woodland Street, by Rev. W. L. Caldvirell, D.D... 182-184

From Moore Memorial, by Rev. L. E. McNair, D.D 184-187

From Cottage, by Rev. W. S. Barr 187-188

From Adams, by Rev. Thomas H. Harrison 188-191

From Glen Leven, by Rev. W. C. Alexander, D.D 191-194

From West Nashville, by Rev. G. B. Harris 194-196

Greetings from the Synod of Tennessee

By Moderator G. F. Nicolassen 196-198

Greetings from the Executive Committee of Foreign
Missions
By Rev. S. H. Chester, D.D., Secretary 198-201

Memorial Address

By Major Wilbur F. Foster 202-212

The Staying Power of Presbyterianism

By President Walter W. Moore, D.D 213-226

The Program of Exercises 227-231

Rev. .W^ii.l'.am Humi-:,

Miiii>ter iSoi-1833.

INTRODUCTORY.

The Centennial Anniversary of the founding of the
First Presbyterian Church of Nashville was fittingly ob-
served with exercises running through the week, beginning
with Sunday, November 8, 19 14, and concluding with the
following Sunday.

The arrangements for the event were in the hands of
a committee, appointed by the Session, and consisting of the
pastor. Rev. James I. Vance, D.D,, and the clerk, Robert
S. Cowan.

Preliminary to the celebration a new organ had been
installed at a cost of some twelve thousand dollars. The
case for this magnificent instrument is of black walnut, and
was specially designed by the architect, Mr. George C. Nor-
ton, to harmonize with the other features of the church.

The celebration began with Dr. Vance's sermon on Sun-
day morning, November 8, and was carried out in its en-
tirety as outlined in the program found elsewhere in this
volume.

An important feature of the celebration was the open-
ing of a new department of work, represented in the Settle-
ment House at 17 16 Jo Johnston Avenue. A large com-
pany gathered at 11 o'clock on Saturday morning, No-
vember 14', many of them bringing with them donations
for the work. The formal exercises were conducted by
Dr. Vance, and consisted of brief remarks, the reading of
Matthew 25:31-40, and prayer. In the work conducted in
the institution are classes maintained by the Gleaners
as a memorial of their founder. Miss Martha M. O'Bryan.
The Master's Workers, as well as the Gleaners, are inter-
ested in sustaining the Free Dispensary and Clinic.

The reception given by the women's societies of the
church on Friday evening, November 13, was largely at-
tended, not only by members of the congregation, but by
friends from other churches.

A feature of the centennial exercises which enlisted
the sympathetic interest of the people was the decoration
of the graves of the ministers and charter members of
the church. It was in connection with this that Major
Foster's address was delivered in the old City Cemetery.
At this memorial service the prayer was offered by Mr.
Leland Hume, a great-grandson of Rev. William Hume.

The daily papers devoted large space to reports of the
centenary, and many messages of congratulation and good
wishes were received from friends at a distance.

-10-

CHAPTER I.

A CENTURY OLD CHURCH.

By The Rev. James I. Vance, D.D.

Text. — "As my strength was then, even so is my strength now,
for war, both to go out, and to come in." — Joshua 14:11.

We have come today to honor our mother — our spiritual
mother — to pay a tribute to the old church that has been
our home, and the home of our fathers, for a hundred
years. Here on this bit of ground where the church stands
for a century God's name has been honored, and the rights
of religion administered, in accordance with the faith and
order of the Presbyterian Church. Here hymns have been
sung and prayers offered and sermons preached. Here mar-
riage vows have been taken. From here the dead have been
buried. Here a great company of immortal souls have
made public their acknowledgment of Christ as Redeemer.
And here, through the long years, the faithful have gath-
ered at the Holy Supper to keep tryst with Christ.

A century ago this church was organized. It is a long
time as men count time. During this period in some of the
families on our roll six successive generations have regis-
tered themselves in our communion. But a century is not
long, as God counts time. A thousand years in His sight
are but as yesterday when it is past. The great thing with
God is, not how long, but how well — not how many years,
but how much service — not how many members, but what
is the quality of their piety, the measure of their sacrifice,
the stature of their faith. In celebrating the church's cen-
tennial let us be mindful of the way God counts time.

Nevertheless, a century of the modern world is a great

—11-

era, and one hundred years of the activities of a great church
in the modern world should merit some attention. We are
living in times wihen things happen quickly, when nations
spring up in a day, and thrones crumble between two suns,
when everything is speeded up, when the world's furniture
has been so changed that a modern century is packed with
bigger events than an old-time millennium. We are living
in a day when Christian eflFort may swing around the earth
and find something great to do for God and humanity at
every stage of its world tour. A century nowadays is tre-
mendous. Its possibilities and opportunities for the Chris-
tian church are limitless.

Therefore, the day we celebrate is notable, and we
should find in the annals of this century-old church some
chapters worth recalling and some achievements worth re-
citing. Let us keep the day, not in any spirit of boastful-
ness or vainglory, as though importance could attach to us
by reason of what others have done, and not in pessimistic
gloom, as though all greatness were behind us; but let us
recall the past with a deep and reverent gratitude to God
for His unnumbered blessings, with profound appreciation
of the toil and sacrifices of those who have gone before us,
with a solemn sense of present-day responsibilities, and
with the prayer that God will enable us courageously and
faithfully to do our work in this our day and generation.

OLD AGE AT ITS BEST.

The text for the day comes to us across the lips and
out of the life of a man to whom age was not infirmity.
Down towards the sunset of a splendid career, Caleb said :
"As my strength was then, even so is my strength now,
for war, both to go out, and to come in." He was a man
with a great past. He was one of the two spies who re-
turned from Canaan saying, "We can occupy the land."
While there he had seen Mount Hebron, and on his return
he asked that it might be given him for his possession, when

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the day should come for Israel to occupy the Land of
Promise. His request was granted, and for forty years he
lived without a doubt as to the value of his title. He grew
to be an old man, but his hope was undiminished. Oh, these
glorious old men who, as their bodies crumple and wither,
have souls that take on the morning! In his old age, we
find Caleb as vigorous as in his prime. At last the day
comes when he asks Joshua to let him occupy Hebron.
Joshua looks him over and speaks of the difficulties. He
says : "Hebron is fortified. The giants dwell there. The
sons of Anak are in undisputed possession, and you are old
and infirm. Your day is over. Your dream must pass.
Seek a quiet glen somewhere and there, free from strife, end
your days."

Listen to the old man's reply. "No, I am not infirm. I
am old, to be sure, but not worn out. My day is not past.
The best is not behind me. The best is yet to be. As my
strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war,
both to go out and to come in." As Joshua listened to the
ring in his voice, as he saw the glint of his eye, as he looked
past the old man and caught a vision of the God who ever
backs up such faith, he said to Caleb, "Forward, march !"
Like the hounds of war when they have broken their tether,
Caleb went into action. He stormed Hebron, not with the
big siege guns of modern warfare, but with the indomitable
might of a soul that trusts in God. The sons of Anak de-
parted and stood not on the order of their going, and
Caleb entered Hebron and dwelt there.

"As my strength was then, even so is my strength now,
for war, both to go out and to come in." May that spirit be
ours as we cross the summit of the century ! May we come
to this day, not with a spirit of infirmity, and not in some
cheap mood of self-glorification, but with a great and un-
conquerable determination, in the face of all obstacles, to
enter into the rich promises of God. It is no part of my

-13-

purpose this morning to sketch the history of the church,
or to dwell on the labors of individual men and women
whose consecrated services have made its history notable.
Others at the proper time in these centennial exercises
will do this. I desire, however, to dip enough into the past
to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, and
then to set your faces forward. I want to speak of our
strength as it was, and then of our strength as it is now, and
then of our task.

THE PAST.

First, let me speak of our strength as it was. The
strength of this church for a hundred years has been that
of a people who sincerely accepted the evangelical doctrines
of grace revealed in the Bible, and who have striven faith-
fully to practice and proclaim them.

As we lift the curtain on the past the first to come before
us are the founders, and along with them those who made
the organization possible. Two godly ministers stand out
in the early days of Presbyterianism in Middle Tennessee —
Rev. Thomas B. Craighead and Rev. William Hume, both
of whose names, through their descendants, abide on our
church roll. In the same group with these pioneer minis-
ters is to be placed a devoted woman, Mrs. Felix Grundy,
the founder of Sunday school work in Nashville. Follow-
ing these are the seven who met in the courthouse on a
November day one hundred years ago and organized the
First Presbyterian Church in Nashville — Robert Smiley,
Mrs. Andrew Ewing, Mrs. Mary McNairy, Mrs. Josiah
Nichol, Mrs. Ruth Greer Talbot, Mrs. Sophia Hall and
Mrs. Margaret L. Anderson, six women and one man. They
were a little company, fewier than we are accustomed to
receive at a single communion. What could they do ? Could
they support a minister ? Could they build a church ? Could
they storm and capture Hebron? Ah, but their faith was
great and their devotion undismayed. "As our strength
was then!"

—14—

The spirit of unconquerable determination and self-sac-
rificing devotion have characterized the church from the
beginning. You cannot turn the pages of its past without
a quickening of your pulse. It was organized in war times.
The city was full of soldiers on their way to New Orleans
to join General Jackson, who in his old age was received
into the Presbyterian Church by a later pastor. With every-
thing on the outside to distract, but with hearts garrisoned
by God's peace and souls preoccupied with the glory of the
"Kingdom that cometh not with observation," these true
servants of Christ met and organized their little church.
Soon they went to work to put a roof over their heads, and
in two years they had erected the first church on the present
site. Twice the house of worship here has been laid in
ashes, and each time the people have arisen and, with a great
generosity, erected a better building than the one the fire
destroyed. The present edifice was dedicated on Easter
Sunday, 1850, and cost $51,000. At the time the church
had three hundred and fifty-seven members. The money
was raised during a period of great financial depression.
What courage they had ! What sublime faith ? With few
members in hard times, they built a church which will be a
credit to religion as long as men meet on this corner to
worship God ! Soon the new church was unroofed by a
storm. In a few years it was unroofed again. Then came
the dreadful war, when the church was taken from the
people by the United States Government and used as a
hospital, while the owners of the church were left without
a local habitation for their faith. It must have been a great
day when they came home ; when, with the war over and the
church repaired and refurnished, they met once more in the
place they loved so well and sang "How Firm a Founda-
tion," and "I Love Thy Church, O God!" Such was the
spirit of devotion manifested by those who have gone before
us and such the strength of the church in years gone by.

From the first it has been a church blessed by the labors

-15—

of Christian women. For a while saintly Robert Smiley
was the sole representative of his sex. Many women joined
the church — so much so that Dr. Henderson, of Murfrees-
boro, protested to Dr. Blackburn that he was not in the
habit of preaching to congregations of women only. What
would the church have done without the work of these
women! I am grateful, however, that the men have not
continued to be in such a hopeless minority as at the be-
ginning. It has grown to be a man's church, too, and
among the elements of our strength have been men whose
characters were the synonym of integrity and whose influ-
ence has been a saving power in the community. I think of
three men who were here wihen I first became your pastor,
and who moved among the people exalting the holy office
of elder — A. G. Adams, James M. Hamilton and Joseph B.
O'Bryan. There were others whose work will be referred
to as these exercises proceed who loved the church and put
it first. Two men in a notable way have remembered the
church in their last will and testament — ^John M. Hill and
bis nephew and namesake, John Hill Eakin. Through their
splendid generosity their influence will be felt as long as
the old church has a name to live. Such men and such
women were our strength in former days.

It has been a family church. All of the founders, with
possibly one exception, are represented by their descendants
in the membership today. While it has long since become
a downtown church, the love of the children for the house
of their fathers has been such that they have declined to
desert it, and for long distances they come to the Sunday
school and to the church services. What memories gather
round such a place ! What hallowed associations are treas-
ured in such a shrine ! A church with a past is a heritage,
and when you add to this the sacramental ties of blood, the
legacy of association is priceless. Here are men in office
who bear the very names, as well as perpetuate the services,
of pious forbears. Here come children to the baptismal

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Rkv. Gideon Blackburn, D.D.

Pastor 1814-18:9.

altar from an unbroken line in the old church, and their
very names lift the curtain on the past. As I look down on
you this morning I see not only yours, but the faces of men
and women who have joined their voices with ours in the
worship, for I cannot conceive that they have ceased to care
for the old church. AH of this goodly fellowship is a part
of our strength as it was.

It has been an unselfish church. Colony after colony has
been sent out to organize new churches. Eight independent
congregations have been thus formed. It has not been a
sectarian church. While it is Presbyterian, its denomi-
nationalism has not been intruded on the community. It is
commonly called just "the First Church." Tliis abbreviation
sometimes gets us into trouble, as was the case with the
lady living in the suburbs, who, in putting her little girl on
the street car, told the conductor to put her off at the
"First Church." The child was lost, and when at last the
conductor was found, he straightened out the situation by
saying, "You told me to put her off at the first church,
and I put her off at the first one I came to." This title is
not used in arrogance. It merely means that the church
is not a sectarian, but a community institution. Here some
of the great public events have been held. Governors have
been inaugurated into office. Interdenominational gather-
ings have convened. It was in this house that the Southern
Sociological Congress was inaugurated. And all of this is
but the smallest part of our strength "as it was," for the
great glory of the church has been above and beyond all
this. Here souls have been saved. A great company have
found the Lord.

This is enough to give us a glimpse of the past — a hint,
.-it least, of the kind of church that has been doing business
on this corner for the last hundred years. We have noth-
ing to be ashamed of. We may hold up our heads and say
with honest pride and gratitude to God, "As our strength
was then."

-17-

THE PRESENT.

Let me speak next of our strength "as it is." The
strength of this church today is made up of people who
sincerely accept the evangelical doctrines of grace as re-
vealed in the Bible, and who strive faithfully to practice
and proclaim them. Obr resources and opportunities, how-
ever, for doing this are vastly increased, and likewise our
responsibility.

We occupy a costly site. More people throng these four
corners probably than any similar section of the city. Real
estate here is correspondingly high. We are not willing to
sell out to business and take a lower-priced site. We pay
no taxes. We must vindicate our location. We are acces-
sible. All the lines of urban transportation land passen-
gers at our door. Sometimes we are disposed to complain
of the noise of the cars. But there is a compensation. They
bring us the people.

We have a large membership. For many years this has
been the largest congregation in the Assembly. This fact in
itself is no particular distinction save as it represents re-
sources for Christian work. We have between fifteen and
sixteen hundred members — a big crowd compared with the
little group of seven who organized the church a hundred
years ago. If they could step out and say, "We can," why
should this big church hesitate? We are not poor, not if
judged by the tax list, by the style in which we live, by
the money we spend on ourselves. We are not a poor con-
gregation if judged by the gifts we make to causes outside
our church benevolences. When the Young Men's Chris-
tian Association recently raised four hundred thousand dol-
lars for a new building, about half of it came from mem-
bers of this church. If in 1815 a handful of members
could build a church, surely we should not be staggered by
an undertaking. If, in 1848, with the church in ashes and a
financial panic blighting the land, less than one-fourth the
present membersliip of the church could build this house,

-18-

W€ should be equal to any forward movement the work de-
mands ; and if we hesitate, it is not from lack of ability, but
of inclination and interest and sacrifice.

We are a downtown church. Some regard this as a
handicap. I look upon it as an asset. These smoke-be-
grimed towers look down on the busy street thronged with
people and seem to say, "Remember God !" The great bell
in the tower peals out its summons above all the noises of
the city, reminding men of the other world. Give me a
church located where life is densest, and human need is
greatest — not a church in some sequestered sylvan retreat,
not a temple in some lonely solitude far removed from the
walks of life and attended only by the children of privilege
and leisure, but give me a church whose doorstep is on the
pavement, against whose walls beat and lap the tides of
labor, whose hymns mingle with the rattle of cars and the
groans of traffic, whose seats are within easy reach of men
falling under heavy burdens, and whose altars are hal-
lowed by the publican's prayer. Gt>d grant that this old
church on the busiest corner of the town may be increasingly
this kind of a church !

There is an enrichment which comes with an historical
background. We have a big asset in our past. For a hun-
dred years this church has stood at the center of a great
State, and under the leadership of ministers who have been,
not sectarian bigots, but public servants, it has sounded out
a message that has heartened the men who were fighting for
the cause of the people. With such a past we have come
upon the greatest era in human history. The world never
needed a real church more than now. There was never so
much work to do. Its market value was never so high. If
the church does not help the world in these days, God have
mercy on civilization !

We have all the spiritual assets ; all the promises are
ours. God is as near to us as He was to our fathers. He
has as much for us as He had for the founders. If they

-19-

could stq) out seven strong, shall we, fifteen hundred strong,
rot down in ease ? In view of all this, may w^ not say that
the century has at least not loaded us down with infirmity ?
"As our strength was then, even so is our strength now."

OUR TASK.

Let me speak, in closing, of our task. It is still to train
people who sincerely accept the evangelical doctrines of
grace as revealed in the Bible, and who strive faithfully to
practice and proclaim them.

It is a poor remembrance of the past that forgets the
future. These celebrations of church anniversaries are a
sign of decay if they end in nothing but a panegyric of the
dead. What is there for us to do? Why are we what we
are? Hebron waits for us to possess it. The sons of
Anak are still there. Have we the heart to go against them ?
Do we believe by the help of God we can drive them out
and possess the land ? Have we grown soft and senile with
age, or can we say with Caleb, "As my strength was then,
even so is my strength now, for war ?" — not for ease, but for
war!

We must do more than hold our own. No army ever
conquered an enemy by holding its own. The curse of the
one talent man was that he did nothing but hold his own.
H'e brought back all that Christ hadi given him and got a
condemnation. The same awaits a church that does no
more. How are we meeting our task? What will they be
saying of us a hundred years hence? Will they say as much
for us as we are saying for those who have gone before
us? They will ask, "Did the church at its centenary move
forward? Did it plan a larger work? Did any one bring
a gift? Did any one celebrate the centennial by yielding
himself to Christ?" The fact that we happen to be alive,
at this date, and members of the church on its hundredth
anniversary does not invest us with a halo. What are we
doing with our strength? Are we merely enjoying our re-
ligion ?

-20-

We must make it possible for the church to do its largest
work. If we do not, who will? We can fetter or release
its energies. If the project were a hospital or some new
philanthropy, its success might not depend on us. It would
find friends to furnish the funds needed in all churches
and outside any church. But if we are to have a new Sun-
day school building we must come forward or the thing
will not be done. We owe it to the past to give the church
the best chance for the future, so that, when a hundred years
hence the people recall our times, they may hold their heads
high and look the sons of Anak in the face without a fear
and say, "As our strength was then — "

Is this church as safe in our hands as it was in the hands
of preceding generations ? Are we as devoted to Christ's
cause? Are we as quick to see what is needed and as ready
to meet it? Are we as bold to plan and as faithful to exe-
cute? Is personal piety as fine? Are family altars as com-
mon? Are we as diligent in giving our children religious
instruction ? Are we as reverential in the observance of the
Sabbath, as regular in our church attendance, and as con-
cerned for the salvation of souls? Is the stock in this old
church improving or petering out ? I leave you to answer,
and pray that God may give us vision and faith! May this
centennial season be a time of revival ! O for the faith of
Caleb ! Let us believe that what God has promised is as
securely ours as what He has already bestowed, and let us
live accordingly. Let us push on. We have a mighty God,
and in His name we can get the victory. Hebron has been
given us. Are we the people to take it? God help us to
say we are ! Be it ours to maintain the traditions of this
church, to keep the banner flying, so to live and labor that
now, and in the years to come, our Zion shall merit the
"Well done!" of God and man.

"Up! Let all the soul within you
For the truth's sake go abroad;
Strike! Let every nerve and sinew
Tell on ages, tell for God!"

—21—

CHAPTER II.

OUR WORLD OBLIGATION.

By Rev. Egbert W. Smith, D.D.

I esteem it a privilege to take part in the celebration
of the one hundredth anniversary of this historic church.
It is fitting that foreign missions should have a voice in this
celebration, because for a quarter of a century this church
has been a larger factor than any other church in the mem-
bership of our Foreign Mission Committee and in the con-
duct of its great work. Your gifted pastor is Chairman
of our committee ; for eight years one of your good elders
has been Chairman of our most important sub-committee;
your church is furnishing us our mission rooms rent free,
and your contribution to this cause now amounts to between
five and six thousand dollars per annum. In the name of
our whole committee, therefore, I bring you our most
grateful greetings and the assurance of our prayers that
your future may not dim but diadem your past.

It is always interesting to trace the course of a mighty
river back and up to its fountain-head, to stand beside some
crystal spring as it wells up from the earth's deep heart
and say, "Here starts the stream whose waters fertilize and
bless a continent."

To find the fountain-head of foreign missions, whose
waters centuries ago brought life and healing to our people
and are yet to overspread and bless the world, we must go
back and up till we reach — the heart of God.

-22-

Across the seas of ether God the Father looked and
beheld our little far-away foreign planet in its sin and misery
and want. His great heart responded to our needs, and the
first ship that ever bore a missionary away from the love
and light of home to carry the Gospel to a foreign shore
sailed from the port of Heaven. It bore Jesus Christ.
It was sent by God the Father. "God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son."

It is this world-love of God that inspires, pervades and
shapes the entire plan of redemption. The individual or the
church that has: only a personal outlook or a parish outlook
or a national outlook, has yet to learn the true aim and
glory of our Christianity.

Away back in the early chapters of Genesis we hear
God saying to Abraham, "In thee shall all the nations of
the earth be blessed." David understood it, "That Thy
way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among
all nations." Isaiah understod it, "Look unto me and be ye
saved all the ends of the earth." The angel at Bethlehem
understood it, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great
joy which shall be to all people." Jesus Christ understood
it, "The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give
for the life of the world." In that pattern prayer which
He taught us, before we ask for the daily bread on which
our bodily lives depend, before we ask for the forgiveness
on which our spiritual lives depend, we are to pray, "Thy
Kingdbm come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in
heaven." That amazing sacrifice of His on Calvary, for
whom did He mean it? Let scripture answer, "He is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for
the sins of the whole world."

And you remember that final scene on Mount Olivet.
The Saviour has finished His atoning work. He is on
the resurrection side of the grave. He is about to return
to His Father's house. Around Him are grouped His Jew-

-23-

ish disciples. They are thinking only of their own land and
their own race. They are asking only about "the restora-
tion of the Kingdom unto Israel." But the Saviour's great
heart took in heathen America as well as sacred Judea.
He was thinking of pagan Europe, in whose forests our
ancestors were roaming about in half-naked savagery, as
well as of favored Galilee. So to those Jewish disciples He
said, as His final and supreme command, "Go ye into all
the world ; make disciples of all the nations ; preach the
gospel to every creature."

So we see that the world-wide missionary enterprise is
no incident or afterthought of Christianity. It is the origi-
nal purpose of Christianity. It is that for which God gave
His Son to die. It is that around which cluster the most
thrilling scenes, the most solemn sanctions, the most glo-
rious promises, the most binding commandments, of our holy
religion.

If we believe that in Christ alone is found the truth that
satisfies the intellect, the power that regenerates the life,
and the hope that illumines the future ; if we believe that to
men's need of Christ there is no exception, and to His power
to save them there is no limit ; if we believe that He is the
gift of the Father to all, that He died to make atonement
for the sins of all, that He has been lifted up to draw all
men unto Him, then we must believe that the church's first
duty, the church's chief business, is to give the knowledge
of this Saviour to all mankind.

To this conclusion of scripture and reason our own be-
loved church says Amen. When our Southern Presbyterian
Church was organized in December, 1861, in the city of
Augusta, Georgia, that first historic Assembly adopted the
following declaration : "The General Assembly desires
distinctly and deliberately to inscribe on our church's ban-
ner, as it now first unfurls it to the world, in immediate

—24—

Rev. Ouadiah Jennings, D.D.,

Pastor 1828-183-'.

connection with the headship of our Lord, His last com-
mand, 'Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to
every creature,' regarding this as the great end of her
organization."

Any church whose congregational life is not adjusted
to this missionary end is like a ship whose prow is placed
at the side or rear of the vessel. A scriptural church puts
first things first.

Some years ago in Michigan a missionary speaker noticed
in his audience a woman whose whole appearance spoke of
deepest poverty; but there was a light in her faded face
which fascinated him. He took occasion to speak to her.
"Two years ago," she told him, "I learned for the first
time of this foreign missionary work, and each month since
I have been able to put something in the treasui-y." Her
bent form straightened and her eyes shone as she con-
tinued, "When I have made my offering I am conscious
that I am no longer simply a part of this little town, or
even of this great Commonwealth ; I am a part of the forces
which God is using for the uplifting of the nations." There
we have God's own antidote to that spiritual littleness and
narrowness which is the chief temptation of the Christian
life.

There is nothing that so develops, broadens, elevates and
ennobles a church or an individual as identification with a
great cause. Many a church is like a steamship trying to
navigate in a mill pond. No great port to reach, no wide sea
to sail in, no vast horizon for the eye, no large responsi-
bility for the mind, nothing but a dull routine of little
things to occupy the passengers and crew — no wonder
they become narrow and selfish, and their mission and pos-
sibilities as a church are left tragically unrealized. Let us
never forget that every church, however small, and every

-25-

Christian, however humble, is a ship built by Christ for a
world voyage. Its home is to be the great ocean, its hori-
zon the earth's rim, and its port the discipling of all na-
tions.

But our world obligation involves more than a supreme
task; it involves also a sacred trust.

The Bible declares over and over again that we are put
in trust with the gospel for the world. The unsearchable
riches of Christ we do not hold as a piece of private prop-
erty, but as a trust fund for the benefit of all nations. The
Bible calls us not owners, but trustees, stewards, of the
grace of God. To neglect a task is one thing, to betray a
trust is a far darker thing, whose punishment is that of the
unfaithful steward whom his lord put out of the steward-
ship.

Why did the Christian churches of the early centuries
lapse into what are known as the Dark Ages? Because
the church turned its God-given candle into a dark lantern.
Because it said, "So long as I see the light I care not who is
in the dark." North Africa and Syria and other lands, to
which missionaries are now sent, thirteen centuries ago
were starred with Christian churches. But they became
self-absorbed. They forgot their missionary character. And
God removed their candlestick out of its place.

But we need not go outside the Bible for illustrations.
In His own Book God has given the modern church a vivid
warning.

What was it that exalted the Jews above all the other
peoples of the earth ? It was the fact that to them was given
the knowledge of God. The long effort of God with that
people was to train and fit them for certain ofifices which
they were to render to mankind. As God said to Abraham,
"In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

We believe in election, but we do not interpret it as

—26—

God's taking one nation or individual to his heart to be
petted and pampered and made a favorite of to the exclu-
sion of all others. We rather think of it as God's choosing
one of HSs nations and molding it, training it, fusing its life
into transparency, that it might be capable of transmitting
him and His blessing to all the rest. That is what divine
privilege means. If God elected you to spiritual life and
light, be sure He was thinking of you not as a terminal but
as a channel, not as an absorbent but as a radiator, not as a
favorite but as a steward.

The tragedy of Jewish history is that the distinguishing
privilege granted this favored people bred in them such a
spirit of selfishness that when Jonah found that God was
about to have mercy on people who were not Jews, he fell
into a rage; and when the Jews at Jerusalem heard Paul
say that God had commanded him to go unto the Gentiles,
they cast dust into the air and cried, "Away with such a
fellow from the earth !"

The supreme sin of the Jews, the sin of which the re-
jection of Christ was but the effect and the expression, was
this : The most sacred trust ever committed to human
keeping, the knowledge of God, they held as a piece of pri-
vate property, they used as a personal luxury. And the
history of the Jews ever since, the most awful history of
blood and tears of which the race holds record, is simply
the judgment of God, writ large for all the world to read,
on the sin of the unfaithful steward.

But that is ancient history, you say. Not at all. All
about us at this moment are Judaisms of intellectual culture,
Judaisms of social privilege, and, worst and commonest of
all, Judaisms of religious light.

Here is a man excellent and indeed admirable in many
respects, a good neighbor, a kind father, a reputable church
member. He is a highly privileged man. His lot is cast
in a land of Bibles and churches. His home is bright with

-27—

Christian faith and love and purity. His future is glorified
with an immortal hope. The graves of his loved ones are
rainbowed with the prospect of reunion in the Father's
house. Thrice happy man ! But when you tell him of the
nations that still sit in darkness, waiting, dumbly waiting,
while the slow centuries pass, for "that Light whose dawn-
ing maketh all things new," he listens with a deadly apathy
Poor little Jew ! The most sacred trust on earth, the trust
of religious light, he has turned into a personal luxury.
"Provided I have the light," he says, "and my little circle.
I care not who is in the dark."

What that little Jew needs above all else is what that
other Jew, of Tarsus, needed — a vision of Christ. When
Paul caught a view of Him who loved and who died for
all men, in the blaze of that ineffable, all-embracing love, the
old Jewish selfishness in his heart withered and vanished
away and in its place was born a new sense which became
the motive power of Paul's life, the sense of a trust, the
divine principle of stewardship. Because God had en-
trusted him with the precious knowledge of Christ, he owed
that knowledge to the whole world. "I am debtor," he
cries, "both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to
the wise and to the unwise."

Not till we have learned the spirit of stewardship, which
is the Spirit of Christ ; not till we can say with Paul, "I am
debtor," have we passed from Judaism into Christianity.

You have read of the awful Irish famine of 1845. Men
and women were lying dead on their cabin floors. Babies
were starving on the withered breasts of their dead moth-
ers. Many lay dead in the fields, often with blades of grass
between their white teeth. When the cry of famishing Ire-
land reached America, instantly a great ship was filled with
provisions and sent speeding across the Atlantic. Suppose
the crew of that ship, instead of going to Ireland, had gone
off on a pleasure cruise, visiting distant and delightful coun-

—28-

tries, feasting for weeks and months on the provisions in
the ship, while the poor Irish stretched out their fast-thin-
ning fingers and prayed and pined and starved for the
bread that never came — what would have been the sin of
that crew? Simply this, the sin of turning a sacred trust
into a personal luxury, of all sins the most prevalent in the
church today and the most paralyzing to the progress of
Christ's Kingdom.

And this is no fancy picture. In China today our mis-
sion schools are turning away applicants for lack of room;
our churches are crowded to suffocation, while the sur-
rounding villages are begging, and begging in vain, for
teachers and preachers. "How can we know?" said an old
man recently to one of our missionaries. "We live in a vil-
lage where no one ever comes to teach us. How can we
know ?"

Gur Congo Mission is receiving delegations, often seven
or eight a week, from native tribes, sometimes hundreds of
miles distant, begging for a man of God to be sent to them.
But each of our workers is already doing two or three
men's work. When these messengers are told this they
often refuse to be refused. They sit down on the ground
sometimes for twenty-four hours, hoping against hope, be-
fore taking up their long journey home. One distant vil-
lage, in expectation of a teacher, built a church, which has
long since rotted down unused.

That famine scene is no fancy picture. The non-Chris-
tian world is stretching out its hands to us for that Bread
of Life which Christ has given us in trust for them, com-
manding with His last breath, "Take it into all the world
and give it to every creature." We have multiplied minis-
ters and churches for ourselves till in this Southland we have
one Protestant minister to every four hundred and seventy
people, and one Protestant church to every three hundred

-29-

and nineteen, while over yonder millions are yet groping in
utter darkness. Are we turning a trust into a luxury ?

"Through midnight gloom from Macedon
The cry of myriads as of one,
The voiceful silence of despair
Is eloquent in awful prayer,
The soul's exceeding bitter cry,
'Come o'er and help us, lest we die !'

How mournfully it echoes on !
For half the earth is Macedon.
These brethren to their brethren call,
And by the Love that loves them all.
And by the whole world's Life they cry,
'O ye that live, behold we die !'

Jesus, for men of man the Son —
Yea, thine the cry from Macedon —
O, by Thy Kingdom and Thy power
And glory of thine advent hour.
Wake heart and will to hear their cry,
Help us to help them, lest we die !"

—30—

CHAPTER III.

GREETINGS FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF
OTHER CHURCHES.

From the Methodists.
By Prof. Thomas Carter, D.D.

I count it a very high honor, my friends, to be present
on this happy occasion and present to you the greetings
of the Methodists of the City of Nashville, of the State
of Tennessee, and of our entire Southland. There are
over two millions of us, and we are by nature, by choice,
by grace, and by predestination an enthusiastic and to
some extent a vociferous division of the army of the
Lord. Hence you will readily see that it is well-nigh
impossible for us to compress into a bare five minutes
one tithe of the good-will we feel or one one-hundredth
of the congratulations your great church deserves for
having attained with such signal success and high honor
the centennial of its founding. If there ever was a time
when there was need for the power of a Joshua to cause
the sun to stand still and the moon to loiter in her flight
over the Valley of the Cumberland, it is tonight, when we
of other churches come to felicitate you upon the round-
ing out of your threescore years and forty.

I do not presume to speak for these other brethren
in this matter, but we Methodists feel that we must take
our own medicine. We have always made much of what
we call our time limit, and even to this day some
amongst us stoutly maintain that it is one of the best
devices ever hit upon by the wisdom of the fathers for

—SI—

avoiding any embarrassment arising from an undue
prolongation of ministerial loquacity. Are we to infer,
sir, that in the adoption of this on your part we are to
find one more bond that unites the spiritual children of
John Calvin and John Wesley? At any rate we salute
you and yet express the hope that by the time the next
centennial rolls around the time limit will have been
done away with in both churches and we shall all be
allowed to work and talk as long as we like !

First of all, then, we bring to you our sincere con-
gratulations on the marvelous numerical growth this
church has had during its lifetime of a hundred years.
Time and time again have we read the statement that
it was a little band of seven that gathered together on
that never-to-be-forgotten November day a hundred
years ago and constituted the charter group of this
church, which, under the guiding hand of God, has
grown to seventeen or eighteen hundred members. Be-
tween that day of small beginnings and this day of large
accomplishment who shall enumerate the multiplied
thousands that have been communicants at these altars?
Truly their name is legion and their register is kept in
the general assembly and church of the first born which'
are written in heaven ; but if we believe in the apostolic
article with regard to the communion of saints they, too,
are here tonight sharing in our joy and joining in our
service. But they have joined

"The choir Invisible

Of those immortal dead who live again

In minds made better by their presence."

We congratulate you, in the second place, on the
noble band of leaders — the Christian preachers and
prophets of the Lord who have been called to fill this
pulpit during the century that has gone. Twelve dif-

—32—

^

^^ ^

ROBT. H. McEWEX,
Elder 1829- 1868. Clerk of Session for Thirty-five Years.

ferent pastors — thirteen pastorates in all. Of these ten
have passed on before — only two abide — one like Caleb
— whose career was so cogently set before us yesterday,
is a "come-back." But all of them we recognize as the
gifts of the ascended Christ. Some were apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists and some teachers — all gra-
ciously given for the perfecting of the saints unto the
work of ministration. To have been the channel through
which such men as Campbell, Hoyt, Edgar, Witherspoon
and others of like mold, should deliver their message to
their age, is an honor that may well stir the heart of any
church to honest pride; and no sister church is worthy
of the name that does not share your joy in the noble line
of leaders you have had.

But we Methodists do not forget that you are Pres-
byterians and that in your ecclesiastical economy the
minister — no matter how able or eloquent— is not by
any means the all in all of a church's leadership. We
call to mind that you, in line with all Presbyterianism,
have made a distinct contribution to the democratiza-
tion of ecclesiasticism in the emphasis you have ever put
upon lay leadership. We congratulate you, therefore,
upon the many noble laymen who, by reason of member-
ship in or official relation to this church, have lived
lives of godliness and devotion and inspired by civic
conscience have made a century-long contribution to the
Christianization of this community and this Common-
wealth.

We congratulate you again on the fact that for a full
century you have maintained here a great worshiping and
working church where hundreds, yea multiplied thou^
sands, have found rest from their labors, light and lead-
ing for their perplexities and salvation from their sins.
The inscription on the seal of your church — Lux lucet
in tenebris — is to us most significant. For here on this

-33-

much-frequented corner, where whirl and rush the tides
of a busy city's life, you stand, where you have stood for
a hundred years, with a beacon Hght to warn men from
the rocks of sin, with a clarion voice to call them to their
better selves, with a hand of strength and sympathy to
help them on to God.

Finally, brethren, we congratulate you upon the
spirit of progress, of fellowship and of Christian com-
ity that has ever characterized this church. In fact, we
Methodists, along with other evangelical bodies of this
community, are fast coming to believe that we are well
nigh as much at home here as you yourselves are. This
attitude we have arrived at through no arrogant assump-
tions on our part, but wholly by reason of that insistent
and gracious hospitality on your part which has made
this great church the clearing house of the Christian ac-
tivities of our city. It is here that we have met and
mingled in efforts to advance cooperative work along
all lines — in Student Volunteer Conventions, in Socio-
logical Congresses, in the great Bible Conference of a
year ago — in all these gatherings, and many more, we
have come to know and profit by the spirit of Christian
cooperation you so preeminently exemplify.

Arminians though we be, your absolute antipodes in
doctrinal statement, we find that here we are all one in
Christ. Therefore, we greet you in the name of our
common Lord and Master ; we greet you in the name of
the common task that summons us to labor; we greet
you in the name of the common heritage we have as
children of illustrious forbears ; we greet you in the
name of the common Spirit whom we all share as Guide,
as Comforter and as Sanctifier. We Methodists give you
our glad greeting on this the occasion of your hundredth
anniversary and pray that this may be a great week in
your career as a church — a week when the splendid his-

-34-

tory of a century with all its momentum, shall be gath-
ered up and baptized by holy memories, and consecrated
faith and loving sacrifice shall thrust you forth into new
and larger fields ripe even now for the garnering of our
God, and may the future hold for you a far more glo-
rious history than even the thrilling story of your past
century supplies.

From the Disciples of Christ.
By Rev. Carey E. Morgan, D.D.

I read with peculiar interest Dr. Vance's centennial
sermon of yesterday morning. It will not be out of
place, I think, for a brother minister to say in this pulpit
that that was a great message and that it prepared the
whole city to measure more accurately the significance of
this centennial week to you and to all of us who believe
in our Lord and' Saviour Jesus Christ.

I have come over to rejoice with you and to bear to
you the greetings of my people. We are a few years
younger than you and have church fellowship with a
far younger communion ; but I hope you will not think
it presumptuous when I say that we hold ourselves to be
kinsmen of yours. Our fathers were Presbyterians ; two
of them, Thomas and Alexander Campbell, were Scotch
Presbyterians and were educated in Scotch Presbyterian
universities. Barton W. Stone, whose Christian leader-
ship laid the foundation for our present strength in the
middle country, was for long years a prince in your
Israel. We have the blood of the Covenanters in our
veins. I myself like to remember that the roots of my
own faith, through my ancestry, were nourished in
Scotch-fertilized North of Ireland soil.

We have much in our church life yet that shows the
influence of this ancestry. In our organization of the

—35-

local congregation, in our procedure at the Lord's table,
in our order of worship, in our thought of the quiet
movement of the Holy Spirit in conversion, in our em-
phasis of the truth of the gospel in its relation to sal-
vation, we get much from the apostles by way of our
Presbyterian ancestry. No doubt you think you had
still other things from the apostles that we did not ap-
propriate, but if so I beg you to believe that it was an
oversight and not intentional on our part.

I know something of the influence of Presbyterian-
ism on the life of the world, and the world would have
been a very different world without that influence. What
a terror to evildoers among kings Presbyterianism has
been ! John Calvin's trumpet call to the world, "God is
Sovereign," left no room for petty human tyrants and
stripped off more crowns, broke into pieces more scep-
ters, shattered down more thrones, repealed more des-
potic laws and gave a larger impulse to human freedom
than any other word ever spoken, unless it was that
word spoken by our Lord when he said, "One is your
Master even Christ, and all ye are brethren." Pres-
byterianism, therefore, has helped, not only to set up
the church of Christ in all the world, but it has helped
to write the history of freedom.

I congratulate you on the hundred years of this great
church's life, and I trust that the next hundred years
will be crowded even fuller of blessings for you and,
through you, for the city and State in which you do
your work.

From the Episcopalians.
By Rev. H. J. Mikell, D.D.

It is a great happiness to bear the greetings of the
Episcopal Church in Nashville to this First Presbyterian

-36-

Church on the occasion of its one hundredth anniversary.

This church, in this celebration, is Hke the wise house-
holder of whom our Lord speaks who "brought out of
his treasure house things old and new."

It is a dull and stupid mind which does not find a
fascination in things old. An old, faded, shot-torn ban-
ner of the Southern Stars and Bars — what an interest it
has, how precious it is, because it tells us of the hopes
and fears, the passions and struggles, the sacrifices and
bravery of the generations of our fathers which have
passed !

An ancient building — how it has stood as the feet of
many passing generations have gone by ! And when it is
a Christian church — how it has spoken in the midst of the
changing generations of man of something ancient and
sublime and everlasting! How it has borne witness to
the truth of eternal things, in the midst of temporal
things, how it has lifted men's minds and thoughts to the
things which are spiritual but real, unseen but powerful
and pervading!

But what a fascination, too, in things new, — the
new age, the approach of a new day bringing to man
fresh hopes and aspirations, the coming of the unex-
pected, the promise of a future when old errors shall
die and old sins be overcome, and men shall have a new
strength and opportunity in life, a new freedom, a real
democracy !

But if things old are splendid with traditions and
thoughts of the past, and things new are fine with
hopes of the future, how precious are the moments
which hold them both!

Such a moment is this anniversary, which looks back
into the past and forward into the future.

This church tonight thinks of its past, the lives which
it has hallowed, the fine uplifting service which it has

—37—

451315

done for the community, the witness it has borne to God
and truth; how it has stood on this busy corner, with
its towers pointed to Heaven, bearing witness in the
midst of the pursuit of the material to the truth of the
eternal.

But you will not be tied and bound to the past. You
heed the message of Maeterlinck when he says, "Let us
listen only to the experience which urges us on. It is
always higher than that which keeps us back. Let us
reject all the counsels of the past that do not turn us to
the future."

You consecrate yourselves tonight and you pledge
your church to newer and wider usefulness and service
for the coming years of the future, for you stand for
that which alone can solve the problems and ease the
burden of the future years of humanity — the power of
Christianity.

We do not believe those who say that Christianity has
lost its power, that its day is over, that we need some
other and newer gospel to answer the needs of the
coming years.

So far is that from being true that we believe that the
full power of our religion is yet to come. We believe
that from nowhere else will come the wisdom which can
solve the modern problems in the social and economic
life, that nowhere else can be found the power to cleanse
and purify the family and the individual life ; that in
nothing else, save the Christian religion, can be found a
sure foundation on which we can build the character of
our children. We believe that just as they brought all
their puzzling questions to Christ when He was on the
earth, men will still come to Him for strength and
guidance and peace from the strife of the passions.

With loyalty to the old truths of Christ's religion
-38-

you will translate them into the work of the present and
the fulfillment of the promise of the future.

You will not, like the magician in the tale of Aladdin,
give up new lamps for old, but you will take the old
lamps and use them to guide men's feet into new paths
of usefulness to their fellowmen.

So I bear my greetings: "The Lord prosper you.
We wish you good luck in the name of the Lord."

From the Northern Presbyterians.
By Rev. T. A. Wigginton, D.D.

It is seldom that an individual lives to celebrate the
one hundredth anniversary of his birth. And even in
those very rare cases where such a celebration is pos-
sible the friends who gather in honor of the occasion
are more impressed with the long life and past achieve-
ments of the centenarian than with his future possi-
bilities. The same thing is to be observed as to the life
of the ordinary organizations through which the indus-
trial and social life of a people finds expression. You will
find very few business or social organizations in this city
the activities of which cover a century. And yet we are
celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of an institu-
tion which has ministered to the best things in the life
of the city for one hundred years, and which is now
stronger for that ministry than ever before in its his-
tory.

Observations like these compel us to consider the
things which give to the church this unique perma-
nence and power. Ideally, the church is coextensive
with the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God and the

-39-

equivalent phrase, the kingdom of heaven, often have
the same meaning as the church in New Testament
usage. All these terms refer to the same spiritual order
in which the chief aim is the doing of God's will and the
realization of his ideals in human society. The kingdom
was the original conception, but in the development of
Christianity the church emerged as the social organiza-
tion through which it was sought to give practical effect-
iveness to the ideals of the kingdom.

Practically, the church is the social organization of
the kingdom. Or, perhaps it would be more exact to
say, that it is the social organization which seeks to em-
body and advance the principles of the kingdom. The
kingdom is the end to which the church is the means.
Perhaps the greatest value of this social organization
in the interest of the kingdom is to be seen in the per-
manence which it guarantees for the ideals of the king-
dom. Individuals come and go, but the organization
abides. Great leaders arise, fulfill their missions and
pass away, but through the influence which they have
been able to exert upon the church a new generation has
been trained to take up the work and carry it forward.
During this week of celebration you will consider some
truly great leaders who have long since passed to their
reward, but the influence of whose lives, conserved in
this organization to which and through which they
ministered, abides in continued blessing upon this city,
and reaches even to the uttermost parts of the world.
It was some such conception as this which moved the
apostle Paul to say to the Corinthians, "All things are
yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the
world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to
come ; all are yours ; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is
God's." It is the permanence which is thus given to the
ideals of the kingdom which enables us to think of the

-40-

Ri:v.

JuHX Todd Edciar,
Pastor 1833-1860.

D.l).

church as "the pillar and ground of the truth," and in-
spires us to sing:

"O where are the kings and empires now

Of old that went and came ?
But, Lord, thy church is praying yet,

A thousand years the same.

We mark her goodly battlements,

And her foundations strong;
We hear within the solemn voice

Of her unending song."

As one of the pastors of the city I congratulate you
upon the accomplishment of a century of worthy service,
and wish for you increasing strength and vigor until
the kingdom shall have come. As the representative of
a nation-wide Presbyterian Church, many members of
which in distant States acknowledge their debt of obli-
gation for the ministry of this congregation, I bring you
heartiest congratulations for your past history and
service, together with the wish that these may be the
earnest of an increasing power and influence until we are
all one, even as God and Christ are one.

From the Baptists.
By Rev. Rufus W. Weaver, D.D.

Brethren and Sisters of tbe First Presbyterian Church:
We rejoice that our First Church is now celebrating its one
hundredth anniversary. Speaking for the body of Chris-
tians who bear the name of Baptists, I use the possessive
pronoun "our" advisedly. This is our First Church as well
as yours, for we are all Calvinists. It is true that you bear
the honored name of Presbyterian, while we are called Bap-
tists, but these are our ecclesiastical names ; theologically

-41-

we are Calvinists. Therefore, we share your joy that the
oldest church in this city is a Calvinist church and that you
lead not only in length of years, but also in power, influence
and all that goes to make efficiency in Christian service.

The great epochs in the history of Christian faith have
been those periods when the teachings of Paul have re-
ceived new emphasis and interpretation. Through the ap-
pearance of some mighty spirit, who again has interpreted
the thouglit and experience of the Apostle to the Gentiles,
each successive age has felt the thrill and the meaning of
the distinctive Christian experience which comes only
through a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and
Lord. The realization of the sovereignty of God, the ineffa-
ble joy arising out of the forgiveness of sins, the sense
of gratitude as sinners saved by divine grace come to ap-
preciate the exceeding sinfulness of sin, gazing with ador-
ing love upon the suffering of our Saviour on Calvary — these
are the basal ideas in the system of thought called Calvin-
ism.

The most consistent and in many ways the most im-
portant theological document produced by the English-
speaking people is the Westminster Confession of Faith.
For this the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville has
stood for the past one hundred years. However, all Cal-
vinists do not find this document to be a full and accurate
expression of their doctrinal views. The fact is, there are
Calvinists and Calvinists. There are those who have stood
with unfaltering loyalty by the standards of the seventeenth
century. Then there are those who have been less con-
servative and less afraid of revision. My sympathies are
with the latter. I stand for a Calvinism revised, enriched,
improved, amended and brought down to date. Often Cal-
vinism is dry ; indeed, sometimes, like the bones of the val-
ley in the vision of Ezekiel, it is very, very dry. I believe
in a Calvinism properly irrigated. Now do not under-

—42—

stand me to be introducing a vexed question upon which
we differ. I am not speaking of the amount of water re-
quired or the mode of its application in the ordinance of
baptism. I have in mind the emotional element in re-
ligion. We Calvinists are inclined to emphasize unduly the
intellectual aspects of both religion and philosophy. Cal-
vinism always needs the fertilizing and fructifying power
of a deep emotional experience, for Calvinism is never true
to itself without the presence of this experience. The peril
which thouglitful Calvinists constantly face is the possession
of an orthodoxy of creed and an orthopraxy of conduct
without the "orthopathy" of the Christian life.

The splendid achievements of this historic church, the
long roll of consecrated and distinguished divines who have
ministered to this congregation, the constant increase to its
membership upon a profession of personal faith in Christ,
the generous gifts of your members which have gained for
this church the first place among Southern Presbyterians
in missionary offerings, are sufficient evidence that what-
ever may be true elsewhere, here clearness of thinking re-
garding revealed truth is linked to the faithful translation
of that truth into devout Christian living.

My enjoyment tonight is increased by the fact that
being under many obligations to members of the Presby-
terian Church in the United States, this occasion offers me
the opportunity to express my appreciation and my gratitude
for what I have received. I was rocked in a Presbyterian
cradle, though later I did crawl out, my Baptist father as-
sisting in this laudable or disgraceful proceeding, the
proper adjective depending upon your point of view. My
first playmate was my Presbyterian grandfather, who stood
between me and many a merited punishment. When in later
years I sought to secure a collegiate and theological train-
ing, a corporation was formed bearing the name of ''The
Rufus W. Weaver Mind Improvement Company," a Pres-

-43-

byterian lawyer drew up the document, and two-thirds of
the stockholders were Presbyterians When death robbed
me of those most dear, a Presbyterian minister, who has
been to me both friend and pastor, Dr. Egbert W. Smith,
participated in the funeral services. What I am I owe to
my sainted Presbyterian mother, whose prayers first awoke
in my heart a sense of the need of a Saviour, and whose
beautiful Christian endurance under trial will always be to
me the noblest exhibition of Christian faith I have ever
known.

These are some of the reasons for my rejoicing in the
success of Presbyterianism, and they enable me to share
your satisfaction as you review the splendid spiritual achieve-
ments of this historic church, which for a century, keeping
step with the progress of events, has been able to set forth
and to illustrate the best in Presbyterianism. My rejoicing
is increased by the high regard I have for your honored
and distinguished pastor.

I congratulate you as you begin the second century
upon your past, so glorious and inspiring; I congratulate
you upon all that the future promises of opportunity for
greater sacrifice and ever-widening influence. The God
of our fathers has been with you ; may He ever be with
you and with your children and your children's children
"all the days even unto the end of the age."

From the Hebrews.
By Rabbi I. Lewinthal.

It is with sincere pleasure that I extend to you. Dr.
Vance, and your church greetings, not alone from the
Vine Street Temple congregation, but from the Jews
at large in this city. You and your church have been
a great power for good in this community and have

—44—

taken the leading part in all great movements, civic as
well as religious.

It is to be regretted that the various sects and creeds
always emphasize their differences, but never their
agreements. Truly the ethics underlying religion of
both Protestants and Jews are identical. We read the
same Psalms; the utterances of the prophets stir all
of us ; all must heed and obey the Decalogue. Now, we
all agree that religion asserts the Fatherhood of God,
but forget emphatically that it teaches also the brother-
hood of man, a lesson we have yet to learn. But pray
let us not learn it in the same manner we have learned
the Fatherhood of God; let us not learn to love one
another through hatred and persecution. Let us not use
theology as a text-book for this great lesson. Let us
use the heart of man, and we shall find that the ties
which bind us to each other are more numerous than
the dogmas and tenets which separate us. Let us read
the heart of man, and we shall find that greater than all
the dogmas and creeds are friendship, love and liberty.
Let us read the heart of man, and we shall find therein
an aspiration common to us all ; to become more human,
to grow more divine.

We do not and perhaps cannot all agree upon the
same methods, nor is it necessary that we should, even
for the sake of fellowship. In the description of the
ideal peace the prophet Isaiah uses the following figure
of speech, "And the wolf shall be with the lamb, and
the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and
the young lion together." The prophet does not mean
that these animals will yield up their respective identities,
but that they will leave their beastly nature, so that
perfect peace will reign among them. Even so is it pos-
sible, with all our dififerences in thought and ideas, to
create an era of peace and fellowship: "When nation

-45-

will not lift up sword against nation," when they will not
hurt or destroy one another, when all hatred and per-
secution will be consumed by the fires of love, when man
will recognize in his fellowmau a brother, when all
nations will walk together in peace on that highway
which leads to the mountain of God. Not that the Jew
will become Christianized, nor the Christian Judaized,
but that we shall all become humanized and learn to un-
derstand, to respect and to love one another.

From the Roman Catholics.
By Bishop Byrne.

October 20, 1914.
Rev. James I. Vance, D.D., Pastor First Presbyterian
Church, Nashville, Tennessee.

My Dear Dr. Vance: I beg to acknowledge your
esteemed favor of October 19, informing me that from
November 8 to 15 will be celebrated the hundredth anni-
versary of the organization of the church of which you
are pastor.

I avail myself of the opportunity to congratulate both
you and your congregation on the auspicious event and
on the great good your church has done during this cen-
tury of its existence, and to express the hope that during
the second century of its activity, upon which it is just
about to enter, it may be still more fruitful in good
works.

I regret that circumstances will not permit me to be
present on the evening of November 9 to express to your
people the high esteem I entertain for them, and to
offer to yourself, in the responsible duties that rest upon
you, my hearty good wishes and fervent Godspeed.
I am, my dear Dr. Vance,

Very cordially yours in Christ,

Thomas Sebastian Byrne,

Bishop of Nashville.
-46-

CHAPTER IV.

HISTORY OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH.

By William E. Beard.

The seeds of Presbyterianism were sown here first by
Rev. Thomas Craighead, a North Carolinian, and a grad-
uate of Nassau Hall, Princeton, in the class of 1775. One
Saturday afternoon early in 1785, Mr. Craighead arrived at
the settlement on the Cumberland. His labors as preacher
began at once. The following day he mounted a stump
and preached the first sermon. During the year he located
himself at old Hlaysboro, in this county, an early town whose
site is now marked only by a cemetery. The citizens there
built him a neat stone church, and on September 25, 1786.
the trustees of Davidson Academy ordered school taught
there. He was the first teacher. Thisi stone meeting house
was "the cradle of the University of Nashville." Mr.
Craighead preached there regularly for nearly thirty years,
though after 1810 he was at war with his presbytery about
his views, the conflict not being settled until near his death
on September 11, 1824. The pioneer sleeps peacefully in the
old churchyard by the side of his faithful helpmeet.

REV. WILLIAM HUME.

The next minister having a place in the history of this
church to reach the Cumberland settlement was Dr. Wil-
liam Hume, who was born in Edinburgh, August 15, 1770.
The young Scotchman was studiously pursuing his course
at the University of Edinburgh and had almost completed
it, when one day he was summoned by the faculty to hear
the news that he had been appointed a missionary to Ten-

-47-

nessee. After prayerful consideration of the call, he ac-
cepted. Included in the modest amount of baggage with
which he undertook the long voyage over seas was a Scotch
cheese, a reminder of home from a friendly Scotchman to
a settler in Kentucky. The young traveler's means were
very limited, so limited that when the New York Custom-
house officers demanded duty on the Scotch cheese the
preacher could not meet it. The captain suggested that he
might escape the duty by declaring the cheese was a part
of his provisions, but Mr. Hume would not consent to this.
Regretfully, he left the cheese with the officers.

On December 2, 1801, Mr. Hume became pastor of a
small circle of Scotch Seceders here. This church building
was one of Nashville's first houses of worship. The Pres-
byterians among the settlers, who were pastorless, often
enjoyed the privilege of his preaching in that house. In
181 8 he united with the Presbyterian Church and the re-
maining members of his flock of seceders followed him. In
his new connection he labored devotedly some fifteen years,
often filling the pulpit of the First Church when it was
vacant. His name is frequently encountered in the annals
of early Nashville. He died May 22, 1833, and Nashville
citizens erected a monument to commemorate "his virtues
and his active goodness."

CHURCH ORGANIZED.

What is known as the First Presbyterian Church was
organized at the courthouse November 14, 1814. There is
some question about the exact date, for the records were all
destroyed when the original church was burned in 1832.
The date given is that suggested nearly fifty years ago by
one of the first members, Mrs. M. L. Bybee, of Memphis,
formerly Mrs. Patton Anderson, of Nashville. At that time
Mrs. Bybee's recollection was substantiated by other wit-
nesses to the event.

The church was organized by Rev. Gideon Blackburn,

-48-

^

A. W. Putnam,

Elder 1839-1869. Commissioner to the First General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in the United States.

assisted by Rev. Robert Henderson, of Murfreesboro, with
a membership of seven — six women and one man. The
church could do no more appropriate act than to engrave
upon its walls their goodly names, and particularly that of
the solitary male member. It is easily discerned that the
men of early Nashville were not churchmen, most of them
probably were more concerned with the question of whether
General Jackson could produce a race horse to beat Haynie's
Maria than with church matters, and it must have required
some moral hardihood on the part of Robert Smiley to be-
come a charter member of an organization in which women,
and not men, were so everwhelmingly emphasized. He
became the church's first ruling elder and continued as such
until his death, in 1823.

The ladies associated with Mr. Smiley in the organiza-
tion of the church were Mrs. Andrew Ewing, Mrs. Mary
McNairy, wife of Frank McNairy, Sr. ; Mrs. Josiah
NichoV Mrs. Ruth Greer Talbot- and her daughter, Sophia
Western Hall, wife of Elihu S. Hall, and Mrs. Margaret L.
Anderson, wife of Col. Patton Anderson, of the United
States Army.

STIRRING TIMES.

Nashville just then was already making strides forward
as a city; the first steamboat and a steam flour mill were
only three or four years in the future. It was the capital
city of Tennessee. But all of those great achievements
which have given Tennessee a high place in the national
firmament were yet to be enacted. One of them was just
then being staged. The day before the little church was

^A half of pew No. 82 is held by Maj. E. C. Lewis and occupied
by his children, who are descendants in the fifth generation of
Mrs. Josiah Nichol, the original holder of the pew of that number.

'Mrs. Talbot was the wife of Thomas Talbot, a pioneer hotel
proprietor in Nashville. On September 29, 1806, a dinner was
given at the Talbot tavern, of which Aaron Burr was the guest of
honor; "at which," according to the Impartial Rcvienf of October 4,
"were convened many of the most respectable citizens of Nashville
and its vicinity."

-49-

org-anized General William Carroll's division^ of Tennes-
seans mustered here preparatory to voyaging down the
waters to New Orleans to bear the brunt o£ the fighting in
Jackson's "almost incredible victory" on January 8. That
the homespun heroes who tramped Nashville's streets on
November 14, 1814, received a benediction at that modest
church founding is very likely, for Parson Blackbuirn had
been chaplain of Colonel Cannon's regiment in the Creek
war and had exerted his influence and his fervid eloquence
to prevent the disintegration of Jackson's army in the In-
dian country.

Mr. Blackburn was the church's first pastor, though
never formally installed. His services continued until some
time in the year 1818. Born in Augusta County, Virginia,
August 2^, 1772, he was licensed to preach by the Pres-
bytery of Abingdon in 1792, and taking his Bible and hymn
book in one hand and his rifle in the other, set ofif like some
John the Baptist to spread the gospel in the wilderness. It
was while living in Franklin, Tenn., where he also founded
a church, that he organized this church. When he retired
as pastor the congregation boasted forty-five members,
though only two or three of them were men.

Among the new members were: Mr. and Mrs. George
Martin, Mrs. Joseph Coleman, Mrs. Catherine Stout, Mrs.
Martha Childress, Mrs. Catherine Robinson, Mrs. Jesse
Wharton, Mrs. Felix Grundy, Mrs. Randal McGavock,
Mrs. Alpha Kingsley, Mrs. Robert Armstrong, Mrs. Alex
Porter, Mrs. Harriet McLaughlin, Mrs. Mary Ann Richard-
son, Mrs. Ellen Kirkman, Mrs. Anna M. Carroll, Mrs
John Baird, Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Jackson, Mrs. Michael C.
Dunn, Mrs. Margaret Tannehill and Mrs. Sarah Glenn.

'Gen. Carroll's brigade commanders were : First Brigade, Thos.
Coulter ; Second, Bird Smith, who died at New Orleans. The
colonels were: First Regiment. Wm. Metcalf; Second, John Cocke;
Third, James Raulston ; Fourth, Samuel Bayless ; Fifth, Edwin E.
Booth. Lieut. Col. James Henderson, of the First Regiment, was
killed in the action of December 28. 1814. He was from Rutherford
County.

-50-

MRS. RACHEL JACKSON.

The name of Mrs. Rachel Jackson rightfully belongs
to the list brought into the Presbyterian Church by Rev-
Gideon Blackburn.! In her very religious letters written
to her friend back home, Mrs. Eliza Kingsley, while she
was wiith her illustrious husband in the Territory of Flor-
ida, Mrs. Jackson says: "Say to my father in the gospel-
Parson Blackburn— I shall always love him as such. Often
I have blessed the Lord that I was permitted to be called
under his ministry."

Mrs. Jackson's simple piety could be but a reflection
of the profound spirituality with which Parson Blackburn
had impressed his flock ; a spirituality developed in the years
when day in and day out he risked his life to speak the
Word, preaching at times with a rifle at his feet, with armed
men in a ring round the women and children.

As pastor here his sermons, at least sometimes, were
inordinately long. It is related that on one occasion Gov-
ernor Carroll met Felix Grundy as the congregation was
leaving our first meeting house and asked him how he had
stood the long sermon. Mr. Blackburn had preached for
three hours and a half on "What Shall It Profit a Man?"

The length of the sermon may sound oppressive now, but
Felix Grundy paid this tribute to it : "I could have stood
it till 12 o'clock at night if he had continued."

During the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Blackburn the first
Presbyterian Church in Nashville was completed sufficiently
to occupy. This building was commenced in 1812, and
although unfinished, was used by the congregation for
services in the fall of 1816. It was erected by a general
subscription from citizens, and although under the control
of the Presbyterians, when not in use by them it was open

'A tablet to Dr. Blackburn was unveiled at Franklin Tenn
April 26, 191 1, under the auspices of the Old Glory Chapter d'
A R. Dr. J. H. McNeilly, of Nashville, made a talk on Gideon
Blackburn.

-51-

to other denominations. It occupied this same corner, the
ground to which was deeded on May i, 1823, by Randal Mc-
Gavock to Robert Smiley, Nathaniel A. McNairy,^ William
M. Berryhill, John Wright and David Erwin, Trustees, for
and in consideration of the sum of $750 and for "other con-
siderations" not mentioned in the deed.

ORIGINAL CHURCH BUILDING.

This church building, described as "a. spacious and com-
modious edifice," fronted on Summer Street, though the
entrance was first on Church Street. It had a bell tower^
but no basement. The seating capacity was 400. The pulpit
in Dr. Blackburn's time was in the south end, high up on the
wall. Early in the pastorate of Dr. Allan Ditchfield Camp-
bell, the second pastor, the church house was completed. The
entrance was changed to the Summer Street side and the
pulpit placed on the east side of the building. On the night
of January 29, 1832,^ between 11 and 12 o'clock, fire broke
out in the south end of the building. It was checked for a
time, but the city fire engine was not well supplied with
water and in the end the meeting house was destroyed.
Duncan Robertson* saved a hymn book and the Bible, which
was all that was saved.

Dr. Campbell's pastorate began in 1820, the pulpit in

"On March i, 1806, N. A. McNairy met Gen. John Coffee on
the field of honor. The meeting grew out of the Jackson-Dickinson
controversy, which ended in a duel fatal to Dickinson. The writer
is of the opinion that this was the same N. A. McNairy who was
elected an elder in 1824 and continued as such until his death,
September 7, 1851.

^At the time the church burned there was on the ground snow,
three or four inches in depth, which protected the adjoining prop-
erty.

'Duncan Robertson, known in the annals of Nashville as the
best man that ever lived in Nashville, died May i, 1833. On page
57 of the Bunting history of the church it is suggested that Mrs.
Robertson was a Presbyterian. Duncan Robertson's name does not
appear on the rolls of this church, however. Among other honors
claimed for Dimcan Robertson is that of being captain of Nash-
ville's first fire-fighting organization.

-52—

the interim between Dr. Blackiborn's departure and his com-
ing being suppHed by Rev. William Hume. Dr. Camp-
bell was a native of Lancashire, England, coming to this
country early in life. He came here from Pennsylvania,
and after nearly seven years' service returned to that State.
He died near Pittsburgh, September 20, 1861.

Dr. Campbell's pastorate is notable as marking the be-
ginning of the Sunday school as an adjimct to the church's
work. Dr. Campbell's part consisted in relaxing the min-
isterial frown toward this phase of religious endeavor,
which in its infancy here was regarded as an outrageous
desecration of the Sabbath.

FIRST SUNDAY SCHOOL.

But it was in the great heart of a member of the Pres-
byterian Church that the Sunday school of this church —
of all the churches in Nashville — had birth. Again the
honor goes to the women, for the mother of the Sunday
school in Nashville was Mrs. Ann Phillips Grundy, wife of
Felix Grundy, a name still a household word in Tennessee,
though he has been dead nearly seventy-five years.^

This first Sunday school was held on the first Sunday
in July, 1820, the place being a small frame house in the
rear of the site of McKendree — windowless and dilapi-
dated. The school was undenominational. Present that
day were: Mrs. Grundy, who had done the planning;
Nathan Ewing, Mildred Moore, Samuel P. Ament and fif-
teen little beneficiaries. The books used were the New
Testament and the Webster spelling book.

The school had a hard time. The promoters were her-
alded as disturbers of the peace, whose activities should not
be countenanced. At one time in this period of intolerance

^Before removing to Tennessee, Felix Grundy was Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court of Kentucky. An advertisement in the
Impartial Review of January 7. 1808, announces that FeHx Grundy
has arrived in Nashville to make his home here.

-53-

at least one house of worship in this city was thus pla-
carded :

"No desecration of the holy Sabbath by teaching on the
Sabbath in this church."

The institutional waif flourished notwithstanding. By
the time spring had come in 1822 it had so far won its way
that through the influence of Dr. Campbell and Dr. Thomas
Maddin. of the Methodist Church — McKendree — its value
as a part of the church organization received recognition.
About the first of November the different churches organ-
ized schools of their own. At the end of our past church
year the First Presbyterian Church Sunday school mus-
tered 677 members.

Rev. Obadiah Jennings, of Washington, Pa., who had
begun life as a lawyer, but turned to the ministry in 181 7,
became Dr. Campbell's successor in the pastorate. Before
coming to Nashville in 1828 his health had been seriously
impaired and frequently during his pastorate he delivered
his sermon sitting in the pulpit. On January 12, 1832, his
service was terminated by death. There is in existence a
quaint resolution adopted at a meeting- of "the pew-holders
and members of the congregation" on the ensuing January
19, setting out that as a tribute of respect and testimony of
love they wear crepe for a space of thirty days. It
was while the church building was draped in black for him
that the first fire occurred. Dr. Jennings is accredited as
pastor with bringing a number of influential men of the
city into the church. Shortly after his arrival here his
daughter, Ann E. Jennings, was married to Henry A. Wise,
a young lawyer from Virginia, then engaged in practice
here. Soon after the Wises returned to the Old Dominion,
where the husband entered quickly upon a life-long career
in public affairs. He was Governor of Virginia when John

*At the congregational meeting referred to Josiah Nichol was
chairman and William Berryhill, secretary.

-54-

Brown's attack upon Harper's Ferry heralded the coming
of the awful tempest of civil war. Governor Wise's eldest
son, Obadiah Jennings Wise, perpetuated his grandfather's
name for a season, but survived eight duels engaged in as a
result of criticism of his father by opponents, only to fall
a victim of the Civil War.^

After the death of Dr. Jennings and the destruction of
the church, services were held temporarily in the Masonic
Hall, Rev. William Hume preaching for the members, until
he went to his well-earned reward, before the pastorate was
permanently filled. The congregation then numbered ii6
members.

DR. Edgar's coming.

The year 1833 marked the beginning of a great era of
development in the church. That was the year the "stars
fell," about which time, from all accounts, it must have
been a very satisfying doctrine — that what is to be will be.
The new church, a $30,000 structure, with a seating capacity
of 1,000, and a spire rising 150 feet above the vestibule, was
completed. It was dedicated that fall. Of far greater im-
portance than the new church was the coming of Dr. John
Todd Edgar as pastor. H(js service as pastor began August
4, 1833, and death ended them on the morning of Novem-
ber 13, i860. He was one of the greatest among the great
pastors whose leadership the First Presbyterian Church has
followed, and is now following, in its century of existence.
During his pastorate 564 members were admitted on exam-
ination and 321 by certificate. Only two communion sea-
sons passed when there were no additions. It was under
his preaching at the little Hermitage church that the ven-
erable hero of many hard-fought battlefields. General Jack-
son, with tears streaming down his withered cheeks, enrolled

'Obadiah Jennings Wise, during the time he was fighting a duel
with every caustic critic of his father, was editor of the Richmond
"Enquirer," and, according to his half-brother, John S. Wise,
fought the eight duels referred to in less than two years' time.

-55-

himself publicly as a soldier under the banner of the Prince
of Peace and took his first communion.^ It was in 1838,
and the account from which this is taken was written proba-
bly by Dr. Edgar himself :

"A form of no common appearance for inspiring venera-
tion was standing before the assembly. It was the form of
one who had long been known as amongst the most distin-
guished of the country's Generals, who had often periled
his life in her defense, and who, under God, had achieved
one of the most memorable victories recorded in the annals
of modern warfare. Nor is this all. The same venerable
form had filled as a statesman the highest seat in the gov-
ernment of his country and had been clothed with the high-
est civic honors which the country, in all its unequaled free-
dom and independence, could bestow. He had passed
through a life of most eventful scenes ; he had returned to
his own Hermitage, to the tomb of his beloved consort, to
the few remaining friends of former days, to some of the
surviving children of those friends, and in their view was
about to pledge himself to become a soldier in a new army
and to engage in the performance of duties of higher im-
portance than ever commanded the attention of earthly
thrones or confederated states. And to add, if possible, to
the impressiveness of the scene, the partner of his adopted
son. dear to him, indeed, as a daughter, together with a
beloved niece, were about to seal with him their covenant
for the first time, to be followers of the Prince of Peace.

"The whole of the preparatory service was deeply inter-
esting, but when the time arrived for him and his relatives
and friends to arise and take their seats at the table of their
ascended Redeemer, a scene of weeping gratitude and joy
seemed to pervade the whole congregation.

^Some of the circumstances attending Gen. Jackson's uniting
with the church are told of in Parton's "Life of Jackson." The
account from which the above excerpts are taken appears in The
Republican Banner of July 20, 1838.

-56-

liUlcr 1S44-1S57.

John M. Hill,
I'oiiiulcr of the Jo

111 M. Hill I'liiul.

"To see this aged veteran, whose head had stood erect
in battle and through scenes of fearful bearing, bend that
head in humble and adoring reverence at the table of his
divine Master, while tears of penitence and joy trickled
down his careworn cheeks, was, indeed, a spectacle of most
intense moral interest.

"May God bless and uphold him in his last days. And
when the time for his departure shall arrive may he come
to his grave not only full of years but full of peace and joy
and holy triumph. "^

Jackson's funeral.
When the General did come to his grave a few years
later it was Dr. Edgar who officiated at the memorable
funeral at the Hermitage, delivering a thoughtful eulogy
before an array of 3,000 people, taking as his text that pil-
low of cloud for the unhappy, "These are they which came
through great tribulation and washed their robes white in
the blood of the Lamb."

From what we know of the effects of his ministry, Dr.
Edgar's whole being must have been involved in the work
of His Master ;^ such success could not have been otherwise
attained. D'uring his pastorate a magnificent organ was
installed in the church, one of the first two in Nashville
churches. Mr. Nash was organist, and his wife, gifted with
a rich mezzo soprano voice, was leader of the choir. Not
infrequently Dr. Edgar, after delivering an especially
earnest sermon, would seize a hymn book, and without wait-

^Miss Jane Thomas, in her booklet, "Old Days in Nashville,''
says that Dr. Edgar and Dr. John Newland ]\Iaffitt preached their
first sermons here on the same day in May, 1833. A Nashville
paper of the time says that the latter preached here on May 5, 1833,
but no mention is made of Dr. Edgar. Miss Thomas describes Dr.
Edgar as a very fine looking man, and very popular.

^The above is from reminiscences of Judge James T. Bell, pub-
lished in the American of September i, 1890. The other organ re-
ferred to, according to the same authority, was in Christ Church.

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ing for organist or choir, start some such hymn as "How
Firm a Foundation," leaving the organist nonplussed.

This organ was destroyed with the church, which burned
on the night of September 14, i84'8, the fire starting in the
tower, where tinners had been at work making repairs. The
firemen, a volunteer brigade then, made a brave fight, but the
crowd on the steps interfered with their efiforts and the
flames consumed not only the church, but the residences of
Sandy Carter and Henry Yeatman and damaged that of
Andrew Ewing. The fire loss amounted to $30,000 to
$40,000.

PRESENT CHURCH.

The corner stone of the new church — the present build-
ing— was laid April 28, 1849. The order of exercises was
as follows :

Scripture reading and prayer by Rev. Mr. Huntingdon.

Music by the choir.

Memorials, selected for the occasion, deposited with the
address of John T. Edgar, D.D., in the zinc box.

Music.

Address to the congregation by Robert A. Lapsley, D.D.

Box deposited in the stone, the exercises concluding
with prayer by Dr. Edgar.

For the benefit of those of inquiring mind, the parts of
the Scripture read at the ceremony included portions of the
second chapter of Second Corinthians, the I32d, 133d and
the first verse of the 127th Psalms. The hymns used at the
service were No. 499 of the Assembly Collection, "And Will
the Great Eternal God," and the 502d, "Eternal Source of
Every Good." Deposited in the stone were the Bible, Con-
fession of Faith, the almanac of 1849 and a silver plate bear-
ing on the one side this inscription :

Corner stone, First Presbyterian Church, Nashville,
Tenn., laid April 28, 1849.

John T. Edgar, D.D., pastor.

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Elders^— N. A. McNairy, R. H. McEwen, M. C. EHinn,
A. W. Putnam, James Nichol, J. M. Hill, A. A. Casseday,
W. Williams, N. Cross and W. B. A. Ramsey.

Deacons — S. V. D. Stout, B. H. Shepherd, W. Eakin and
A. Hume.

Communicants, 357.

Building Committee — J. M, Bass, Chairman ; A. Allison,
A. W. Putnam, J. M. Hill, S. D. Morgan, W. Nichol, J. T.
Edgar, O. B. Hayes and W. Eakin.

W. Strickland, architect ; A. G. Payne and J. C. Mc-
Laughlin, masons ; J. M. Hughes, carpenter.

A. Allison, Mayor of Nashville.

Population of the city, 20,000.

Population of the United States, 20,000,000.

N. S. Brown, Governor of the State.

Z. Taylor, President of the United States.

On the reverse side of the silver plate was an engraving
of the front of the church and underneath the words:

The former pastors:

G. Blackburn, 1813 (organizer),

A. D. Campbell, 1820.

Ob. Jennings, 1828.

Deposited also in the stone was a daguerreotype of Dr.
Edgar, sent by Daniel Adams, the engraver, "as a compli-
ment to Dr. Edgar and a specimen of the new art."

'Robert H. McEwen was elected an elder June, 1829, and con-
tinued as such nearly forty years. He was clerk of the session
over thirty years. A. W. Putnam, elected an elder September 6,
1839, succeeded him as clerk. W. B. A. Ramsey was Secretary of
State of Tennessee from 1847 to 1855. W. Eakin married the
youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Felix Grundy, Felicia; she
afterwards became Mrs. Porter. S. D. Morgan was not a church-
man. He was chairman of the commission which built the Capitol
and has a tomb in its walls. O. B. Hayes was a New Englander
who settled here in 1808. He was a lawyer with an extensive prac-
tice. Having acquired a competency, he retired with the view of
entering the ministry. The history of Davidson County says he
and Tom Benton were law partners while the latter lived in Ten-
nessee. It was his daughter who presented the church its famous
bell.

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On Sunday, January 6, 1850, the congregation worshiped
in the lecture-room for the first time. The church was
completed the following spring, the cost, including the or-
gan, being $51,000. The seating capacity, including the gal-
lery, is 1,300. The towers are 104 feet in height. The
church is finished in Egyptian style.

CHURCH DEDICATION.

The church was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 20,
185 1, at the II o'clock service.

Of that service a quaint account is preserved in the files
of one of Nashville's papers, the Gazette:

"A solemn and interesting occasion," "The building is
much the largest in the city," are expressions used in the
account. Dr. R. J. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, was to have
delivered the dedication sermon ; he was detained for some
reason, and the duty devolved upon Dr. Edgar, a result for
which the Gazette recorder acknowledges gratitude, the ser-
mon having been an unusually good one. Of the perform-
ances of the choir: "Everybody," the writer continues,
"speaks in rapturous adoration." And forthwith he launches
into an admission that he was among the multitude that had
lately thrown away money to hear the immortal Jenny
Lind, and he liked the choir's singing far better.

The narrator, among other things, does not overlook the
fact that the interior of the church is Egyptian in decoration,
and questions the appropriateness of it.^

^The church manual of 191 1 quoting from an old newspaper
account of the interior colors and decorations says : "There is a
mystic meaning in the colors used, which originated among the old
architects hundreds of years ago. It is as follows : Red represents
Divine love ; blue, Divine intelligence ; golden yellow, the mercy of
God; the lilies, innocence and purity; the triangle the Trinity.
The cluster of seeds held together with a band of gold, crossed
with red, represents the membership held together with the gold
band of love. Then, too, the winged globe has its symbol. The
globe represents eternity; the serpent, wisdom; and the wings
the soul."

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SUFFERS FROM STORMS.

The church since its dedication has suffered from two
storms. In 1855 the building was wholly unroofed and
partially so in 1859; from December 31, 1862, until June,
1865, it was under the control of the Federal Government
and used as a hospital, but it stands today a monument to
its builder, William Strickland, the builder of the Capitol,
whose ashes repose in the State House walls.

At a meeting- of the congregation held August 9, 1859,
it was decided to call an associate pastor to assist Dr. Edgar
in his work. A unanimous call was accordingly issued to
Rev. Joseph Bardwell, of Aberdeen, Miss. He accepted and
commenced his labors on October i, 1859. Within a little
more than a year the angel of death passed over the church
manse and summoned the pastor. The end came to him
November 13, i860. The night before he attended and
led the prayer-meeting, afterwards attending a church meet-
ing. Retiring about 10 o'clock, a few hours later "the mes-
senger came." From that time till his death he was speech-
less and unconscious. "His death will be universally
mourned as a public loss — a public calamity," was the ver-
dict of Nashville's best newspaper, chronicling the fact.
Mayor R. B. Cheatham ordered all business suspended on
November 15 during the hour of Dr. Edgar's funeral.

Mr. Bardwell succeeded him in the pastorate, but it was
not for long. After the fall of Fort Dbnelson and the
threatened occupation of Nashville by Federal troops, he,
with countless others, went South, He was not allowed to
return, the record reads, and on June 30, 1864, the pastoral
relation was dissolved. For a few months the pulpit was
supplied by Rev. J. T. Htendricks, and from then until after
the close of the war "the altar was desolate."

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DAMAGED DURING THE WAR.

A Nashville newspaper of Sunday, July 9, 1865, an-
nounces the fact that the Rev. Robert F. Bunting had ar-
rived and thereafter religious services might be expected at
the church. The church had been seriously damaged during
its occupancy as a hospital and the Federal Government
allowed the congregation $7,500 for making repairs. There
is now pending before Congress a claim for $1,200^ addi-
tional, which would have been allowed ere this had the
European war not come op.

Dr. Bunting was formally installed as pastor June 10,
1866. The relation was dissolved on July 23, 1868, the pas-
tor accepting a call to Galveston, Texas. It was at the
close of his administration that a history of the church was
prepared.

Dr. Bunting was succeeded in the pastorate by Rev.
Thomas Verner Moore, of Richmond, who was elected pas-
tor August 30, 1868. The calling of Dr. Moore recalls
the last meeting of the General Assembly in this church.
It began November 21, 1867. Dr. Moore was present as
a commissioner from East Hanover Presbytery and was
elected Moderator. So pleasantly did he impress the con-
gregation of this church that when the vacancy occurred in
the pulpit the call was extended to him.

LEE MEMORIAL SERMON.

Dr. Moore was a personal friend of General Lee and,
it is said, of Stonewall Jackson. You can find his name in
the official records of the war in connection with efforts to
secure the exchange of prisoners. He was then in Rich-
mond. One case in which he interested himself involved
the private exchange of General Lee's son. However,
General Lee would not endorse private exchanges and the
effort came to nothing. One of Dr. Moore's notable sermons

*A few months later the appropriation was passed.
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while here was a memorial sermon for General Lee. It was
preached in this church on October 23, 1870,- the request
for it having been made by a public meeting of citizens.
Dr. Moore died in the pastorate, August 5, 1871.

Dr. Henry J. Van Dyke, father of the well-known writer,
was the next pastor, coming here from Brooklyn, N. Y.
Prior to his coming on February 11, 1872, the pulpit was
supplied by Rev. J. E. Wheeler, of Vicksburg, Miss. Dr.
Van Dyke's term of service was brief, by reason of the se-
vere illness of his wife, whom he found necessary to take
to Europe. He resigned on November 17, 1872.

The next pastor was Dr. T. A. Hoyt,^ of New York,
the father of Mrs. Robert Ewing, of this congregation.
He began his work here February i, 1873. He was a man
of extraordinary executive ability and of the highest char-
acter. Before coming to Nashville he had been President
of the New York Gold Board, and on leaving for his new
field the board voted him a gift of $1,500. Dr. Hoyt left
the church in May, 1883. He died pastor of the Chambers-
Wylie Presbyterian Church, of Philadelphia.

During the remainder of that year and a part of the
next the pulpit was supplied by Bishop O. P. Fitzgerald, a
man whose name is enshrined in the hearts of all who knew
him. The new pastor, Rev. Jerry Witherspoon, of Jack-
son, began his work here on March 23, 1884, and continued
in the pastorate until January i, 1894, when he accepted a
call to Baltimore, going later to Richmond, where he died
pastor of the Grace Street Presbyterian Church.

CALLING OF DR. VANCE.

During the interim Dr. Collins Denny, now Bishop Den-
ny, supplied the pulpit. On September 9, 1894, the congre-

''Dr. Moore's sermon on Gen. Lee was published in full in one
of the Nashville papers at the time.

^The widow of Dr. Hoyt was an attendant upon the centennial
exercises held in the church November 8 to 15, 1914.

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gation voted to call Dr. James I. Vance, then of Norfolk,
a native of Bristol. At that meeting of the congregation
Dr. S. H. Chester presided as Moderator and Dr. Vance
was nominated by Prof. C, B. Wallace. When the vote
was taken there were 237 ballots for him and three cast for
ineligible men. Maj. Wilbur F. Foster and W. H. Raymond
were appointed to prosecute the call before the presbytery
at Norfolk. On October 6, 1894, Capt. J. B. O'Bryan re-
ceived a telegram announcing that Dr. Vance had accepted.
He arrived here on February 2, 1895, and was installed Feb-
ruary 17, 1895. His first sermon was very typical, "A
Young Man's Call." It was also appropriate. At that time
he looked scarcely more than a college boy and was, in fact,
only 33 years of age.

This first pastorate of Dr. Vance continued for over five
years. He resigned to accept the call of the Dutch Re-
formed Church of Newark, N. J. His successor was Dr.
William M. Anderson,^ a native of Trenton, Tenn., then fill-
ing the pulpit of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas,
Texas. A telegram on April 13, 1901, announced his ac-
ceptance of the call. His ministry is too recent to require
more than a passing comment. And that comment is that
no man ever enjoyed the affection of the city at large as did
he. He had the love of men in every walk of life, and the
efforts to minister to their spiritual needs almost cost him
his life.

Ob May 15, 1910, just two weeks after he had preached
his ninth anniversary sermon, Dr. Anderson announced his
decision to accept a call to return to his Dallas church, a
call which had been unanimously extended. He left this
city on the ensuing June 7.

On August 19, 1910, Dr. Vance wired from his summer

^Dr. William M. Anderson, the only survivor among the former
pastors at the time of the centennial celebrations, was an attendant
upon them and spoke on the night of November 11.

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Daniel F. Carter,

Deacon 1850-1860. Jilder 1860-1874.

home at Blowing Rock, N. C, to Dr. Paul F. Eve that he
had determined that it was his duty to accept the call of his
old church here. His present pastorate began November
Q.'j, 1910, his installation occurring December 4.

Dr. A. L. Phillips supplied the church in the interim
between the first pastorate of Dr. Vance and the calling of
Dr. Anderson. Dir. Thomas Carter supplied the pulpit in
the interim between the leaving of Dr. Anderson and the
second pastorate of Dr. Vance.

ONE CENTURY OLD.

On November 14, 1914, this church, according to our
reckoning, will be 100 years old. It has been singularly
blessed. It is the strongest church in the Southern Pres-
byterian denomination. It is one of the most successful up-
town churches in the country. Its membership today is
the largest in its history and its gifts the largest. The last
annual report showed a membership of 1,562 and its receipts
for the year were $32,087, equivalent to more than $20 for
every man, woman and child, rich and poor, in the congre-
gation. But this does not begin to tell the story. Nowhere
in this broad land is there a finer spirit among a church
membership ; nowhere in this world is there proportionately
more kindliness of heart or charitableness of purpose col-
lected together and expressing itself daily for the honor and
the glory of the Saviour of mankind. The church has been
fortunate in its pastors. Some have achieved success
through executive ability ; some have been priests in the
truest sense to their people, and others have been notable
for the eloquence with which they preached the word of
God. All have been devotedly earnest in the cause of the
Master. Had it been otherwise, there would have been no
success. We owe a great debt to each and every one of
them.

SOME NOTABLE MEMBERS.

And the membership —

Nashville's honor roll is fairly represented in the army

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of devoted men and women who have looked to this church
as their spiritual home.

The great John Bell was a member, and his grand-
children are prominent in the church at Murfreesboro.

Felix Grundy, Tennessee's greatest lawyer and the At-
torney-General of the United States, was a member. His
descendants are among the most prominent members of this
congregation.

M. H. Howard, the father of Nashville's public library,
was a member.

A. W. Putnam, the historian, was for some years clerk
of the session.

Samuel Watkins, who did the brick work on our second
house of worship, for years was a pew-holder and a large
contributor before he became a member.

John M. Hill, the great and good merchant, was one
of I>r. Edgar's early additions, and was for over thirty
years an officer of the church. Both he and his kinsman,
one of Nashville's most worthy men, the late John Hill
Eakin, also an officer of the church, remembered its people
and its work munificently when they neared the end.

Alfred Hume, the father of Nashville's public school
system, was a deacon from May 4, 1844, till his death, Octo-
ber 29, 1853.

Howell E. Jackson, of the United States Supreme Court,
was a member.

Dr. Philip Lindsley, who might have been President of
Princeton, and was for twenty-five years President of the
University of Nashville, was a member.

R. H. McEwen, the State's first Superintendent of Pub-
lic Instruction, was clerk of the session for a generation.

Or. Paul F. Eve, Sr., distinguished surgeon, was an
elder.

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Nathaniel Cross, the educator, was also a member.

John M. Bass, whose name is known wherever Nash-
ville's history has gone as the receiver of the city, was chair-
man of the building committee that erected this church. He
did not belong to it, but described his relation as that of a
half-brother.

Samuel V. D. Stout, William Nichol, Alexander Allison
and John A. McEwen^ were some of the Presbyterian
Mayors before the war.

Ephraim HI. Foster was not a member of this church,
but he was buried from it.

Gen. Frank Cheatham was not a member, but he was
married in it.

Some of those who labored long and faithfully in official
capacities and whose work has lived after them are A. G.
Adams, J. M. Hamilton, H. Hill McAlister, Joseph B.
O'Bryan, James M. Safiford, Byrd Douglas and Bradford
Nichol.

MRS. POLK A MEMBER.

And there are the women.

Mrs. James Knox Polk was for over fifty years a mem-
ber of the denomination, and for most of the time a member
of this church. Her portrait hangs in the White House,
placed there by American women of the North and South,
in recognition of her example as mistress of the executive
mansion. Her pew is still occupied by her connection.

And Mrs. Grundy, the mother of the Sunday schools of
Nashville. We honor her memory in this celebration for
her great mind and greater heart.

*In this paper as read, an honor belonging to a son was erro-
neously given to his father ; it was stated that R. H. McEwen had
been Mayor of Niashville. It was his son, John A. McEwen, to
whom the distinction should have gone. The latter was a Presby-
terian and a member of this church.

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And in our own time there is Miss Martha O^'Bryan,''
the romance of whose life was blighted by the cruel exigen-
cies of war, but whose efiforts to do good never relaxed till
she left this world to go and meet her hero, the unfortunate,
some say the martyred, John Yates Beall.

We do not boast of names upon the rolls of the church
as great. Our boast of them is the fact that these men
and women were good as well as great, and several have
left living testimonies of their goodness, such as the Wat-
kins Night School and the Howard Library. From the for-
tunes of two, both members of the same family, the church
itself is a large beneficiary, and as a result has at its com-
mand the means to meet its growing responsibilities effect-
ively and generously. The reference is to John M. Hill
and his nephew and ward, John Hill Eakin.^

Mr. Hill left two funds of $10,000 each, one for the
poor of the Presbyterian churches of Nashville, the other
for the relief of ministers and their widows of the Nash-
ville Presbytery, any residue remaining of the income going
to the widows of this church in need of aid.

JOHN HILL EAKIN's GIFT.

The John Hill Eakin fund, amounting to $119,500,

^John Yates Beall was one of the most daring spirits in the Con-
federate service. His most famous exploit, or attempted exploit,
was designed to effect the release of the Confederates imprisoned
on Johnson's Island. An associate in the daring enterprise was
Bennett Burleigh. The plan miscarried. Beall was later cap-
tured by the Federals and tried as a spy. He was executed on
Governor's Island, February 24, 1865. Miss O'Bryan died Decem-
ber 16, 1910. An account of her blighted romance and an appre-
ciation of her life, devoted to doing good, was written for the
Banner and appeared in the issue of December 17. 1910. It was
written by Dr. J. H. McNeilly.

'A portrait of John M. Hill was presented to the church at the
time of the centennial exercises by Mrs. John Hill Eakin. The his-
tory of Davidson County says that he came here as a young man
of 22 in 1819. From a modest beginning, he accumulated through
exact and conscientious dealings, a handsome fortune, and retired
in 1845. He is described as an "open-handed Christian."

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through the beneficence of his wife, also a member of this
church, is already in the church's hands. It is to be an
endowment fund, the income from which is to be used to
foster and aid the benevolent enterprises of this church
and promote, through this church, the building up of Pres-
byterianism in Middle Tennessee. It may be said Mr. Eakin
also left a similar amount to the Nashville Voung Men's
Christian Association, a feature of which is already the
John Hill Eakin Institute.

In connection with gifts to the church, a notable one is
the bell, the gift of Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, later Mrs. W. A.
Cheatham. For nearly fifty years it has called the mem-
bership to worship, and from 1874 to 1897 it did duty as the
city's fire alarm. The bell arrived here July 6, 1867. It was
made in West Troy, N. Y. ; it weighs 4,013 pounds and is
four feet ten inches in diameter. It cost $3,000. This is
inscribed on it:

Presented to

The First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tenn.,

by

Mrs. Adelicia Acklen.

June I, 1867.

In the course of its existence this church has been the
scene of several notable occasions, some of other than a
religious nature.

JACKSON PRESENTED SWORD.

For his services at New Orleans the State of Tennessee
voted Andrew Jackson a sword.- It was presented in this
church on July 4, 1822. After a great parade of the militia
and the notables, "an audience the most numerous we have
ever witnessed in this city" gathered, so the story goes, in

''An account of the presentation of the sword to Jackson is
published in the Nashville Whig of July 10, 1822. The file of the
paper is in the Carnegie Library.

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the original church house to witness the presentation. There
was an invocation by Rev. William Hume, an address by
Ephraim H. Foster, and Governor Carroll presented the
weapon. After General Jackson's response and a benedic-
tion by Mr. Hume, the procession proceeded- to Judge John
McNairy's spring, where a big barbecue was given. This
sword was bequeathed by General Jackson to Andrew J.
Donelson, his former Secretary and protege, with this in-
junction, "That he fail not to use it when necessary in sup-
port and protection of the constitutional rights of our be-
loved country should they ever be assailed 'by foreign ene-
mies or domestic traitors." This sword continues in pos-
session of the family.

On July 4, 1829, Gen. William Carroll, another hero of
New Orleans — he was buried from this church on his death
— was presented a sword from the State, the presentation
being made by D'aniel Graham, Secretary of State.

POLK INAUGURATED.

On October 14, 1839, James Knox Polk took the oath of
office as Governor in our church. Present that day among
the applauding spectators were General Jackson and Wil-
liam Carroll. Newton Cannon, as retiring executive, spoke
and the new Governor spoke, the opposition paper frankly
admitting that the speech of Polk was one of the purest
pieces of demagogy its editor had ever heard. Politics in
Tennessee was as savagely critical then as it has been in
later years.

The General Assembly of the church met here on May
17. 1855, holding its sessions in this building. Dr. N. L.
Rice, of St. Louis, was elected Moderator. The meeting
is sadly memorable. Dr. Philip Lindsley, the veteran edu-
cator, at the time Professor of Theology in the New Albany,
Ind., Theological Seminary, was present as a commissioner
from New Albany ' Presbytery. During the session he was
stricken with apoplexy and died at the home of his son-

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in-law, Rev. J. W. Hoyte. His funeral was held from this
church May 28.

The last meeting of the General Assembly in this
church was on November 21, 1867, when Dr. Moore was
chosen Moderator, and as a result received his call to the
pastorate. Representing this presbytery at that session
were Dr. R. A. Lapsley and Charles Ready.

A notable gathering in the church in comparatively
recent years was the National W. C. T. U. Convention,
which began November 8, 1907.

COINCIDENCES,

It is a coincidence to be noted in passing that the first
pastor and the present pastor were licensed to preach by the
Presbytery of Abingdon. There are other coincidences in
this celebration. When this church was organized Europe
was taking a breathing spell preparatory to the shock of
Waterloo.

The fiftieth anniversary found Hood's army at the
Tennessee River prepared to make its dash on Nashville,
with that veteran church official, Maj. Wilbur F. Foster,
among the advancing host, as was Surgeon J. D. Plunket.
The hundredth anniversary finds Europe again at war — a
war more dreadful even than the Napoleonic wars, but there
is this satisfactory fact to contemplate in this connection,
the hour is near at hand for the celebration of a century
of peace among English-speaking nations.

The writer is greatly indebted to Dr. John M. Bass, a
grandson of the Chairman of the Building Committee of
the present church, for the loan of Dr. Bunting's history.
He is also indebted to Mrs. T. M. Steger, a descendant of
Mrs. Felix Grundy, and a daughter of another devoted Pres-
byterian Church worker, Mrs. Felicia Grundy Porter, for
other data ; to Mr. Robert S. Cowan, the veteran clerk of
the session; to the Historical Society, the Carnegie Library,
and Dr. J. H. McNeilly.

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CHAPTER V.

THE MINISTERS AND PASTORS OF THE FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, OF NASH-
VILLE, TENN.

By Rev. James H. McNeilly, D.D.

One hundred years ago, in a pioneer town on the banks
of the Cumberland River, with a population of about fif-
teen hundred, six women and one man were organized as
the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville by one of the
mightiest preachers and greatest orators of that or any
other age.

In the century just ending that little band has grown
to a membership of sixteen hundred, with branches in all
sections of a city of one hundred and fifty thousand in-
habitants. And these branches have over two thousand
members. Moreover, in the city are other churches hold-
ing the same standards of faith and order, with eleven
hundred members. So that today there are near five thou-
sand Presbyterian church members where there were only
seven one hundred years ago. Our denomination has in-
creased seven hundred fold, while the population of the
city has multiplied one hundred fold. And when we note
the progress of our sister denominations in our city, as
compared with the growth of the population, we have rea-
son to be encouraged.

INTRODUCTION.

The progress of any great movement depends, under
God, largely on the leaders of it, and the First Presbyterian
Church, in the course of its history, has had a succession

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iW- ^^1^

H. Hill McAlister,

Deacon 1860-1867. hhler 1867-1891. Leader in tlie Work Resulting
Cottage Church.

in the

of able and godly men — "men of Hgtit and leading, who
had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought
to do." They were men of commanding personality, of
strong faith and courage, of intense energy, who exercised
a powerful influence on the moral and spiritual life and
ideals of the whole community.

I am asked to recall some of the characteristics of these
ministers of the Word of God as they are preserved in writ-
ten or printed records, in the traditions of a past genera-
tion, or in the memories of this passing generation.

It has been my privilege to know personally every man
who has served this church as pastor since 1833 — eighty-one
years ago. Moreover, I IJiave known intimately Col. W. B.
A. Ramsey, long Secretary of State for Tennessee ; Gov-
ernor Neil S. Brown, and Hon. Charles Ready, member of
Congress from Tennessee. These men were in their ^ youth
familiar with the beginnings of Presbyterianism in the
State, and had often heard the great preachers of that
earlier time. '

REV. DR. THOMAS B. CRAIGHEAD.

The first Presbyterian minister to work in Middle Ten-
nessee, or in the Cumberland Country, as it /was then called,
was the Rev. Dr. Thomas B. Craighead. He was born in
North Carolina, the son of Rev. Alexander Craighead, who
was one of \ Whitefield's helpers in the great revivals under
that wonderful evangelist. The son was educated at Prince-
ton, N. J., graduating in 1775, and in 1780 was ordained
by the Presbytery of Orange, N. C. After a few years' work
in his native State, he came to Kentucky, and in a short
time he came to Tennessee and located at Spring Hill, near
the village of Haysboro, six or seven miles east of Nash-
ville. The tradition is that when he and his company ar-
rived in 1785 they cut down the forest trees to prepare a
place for worship, and the first pulpit was the stump of a
large tree, while the congregation sat on the bodies of the
fallen trees — the first pews.

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At Spring Hill a stone building 24 by 30 feet was erected
for school and church services. There for thirty years Mr.
Craighead preached, and at first taught the Davidson Acad-
emy, the cradle of the University of Nashville. Some of
the foundation stones of that old building are still in place
in the grounds of the present Spring Hill Cemetery. The
house in which the minister lived until his death was sit-
uated just across the road, a short distance from the school-
house. A few years ago the residence was burned down,
but was rebuilt on the old walls and on the original plan.

Mr. Craighead was a profound scholar, an independent
thinker, a man of intense convictions and of dauntless cour-
age; and Dr. Philip Lindsley testified, "the most spiritual,
heavenly-minded person he ever knew." As a preacher his
diction was clear and unadorned ; his manner fervid, solemn,
intense ; his enunciation distinct and precise. He usually
spoke without notes. In person he was tall, straight as
an arrow, his countenance strong and stern, his complexion
ruddy, his eyes blue, his hair sandy. His bearing was
dignified. He preached frequently in Nashville and in the
surrounding country.

The Davidson Academy was incorporated by the Legis-
lature of North Carolina in 1785, and in 1786 Mr. Craig-
head was chosen President of the Board of Trustees.

His last years were embittered by his suspension from
the ministry on charges of heresy. The Presbyterianism of
that day was intensely orthodox, not to say intolerant.
Even Mr. Craighead himself was bitterly opposed to the
measures used in the great revival of 1810, which resulted
in the organization of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
The sentence of suspension was rescinded some time before
his death, which occurred in 1824, at the age 71 years.

Mr. Craighead was of that stern, independent, inde-
fatigable Scotch-Irish stock which furnished so much of
the pioneer courage and strength in the settlement of Ten-

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nessee. And he was a worthy representative of his race.
It is said that General Andrew Jackson was his devoted
friend. They were kindred spirits.

REV. WILLIAM HUME.

The first Presbyterian organization in Nashville was a
little congregation of Scotch seceders gathered about the
close of the eighteenth century. To them in 1801 came the
Rev. William Hume, of Scotland, sent out by the Scotch
Presbytery of Kirkaldy. He preached in a small brick
building near the site of the University of Nashville, which,
I believe, still stands. His congregation was small, his sal-
ary was meager, his circumstances were narrow, yet he
continued faithfully his ministry to them with self-sacrificing
devotion until 1818, when he united with the Presbyterian
Church in the United States and most of his congregation
followed him, uniting with this First Presbyterian Church.
For fifteen years, until his death in 1833, he served churches
near Nashville, and he frequently filled the pulpit of the
First Presbyterian Church. For many years he was a dis-
tinguished teacher. He was Professor of Ancient Lan-
guages in Cumberland College, afterwards known as the
University of Nashville ; after that Principal of the Nashville
Female Academy until his death.

Mr. Hume was one of the wise master builders who
laid the foundation of Presbyterianism and of education in
Nashville. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, August 15, 1770;
educated in the University of Edinburgh, trained in the
strictest school of Scotch theology, he was a thorough
scholar and an able minister of the Word of God. While
he was bold and firm in the defense of the truth, yet he was
a man of broad and catholic spirit, and in his daily life he
was gentle and humble as a little child.

For nearly a third of a century he lived in this city,
an accomplished teacher, a generous philanthropist, a cul-
tured gentleman, and he so bore himself that he won the

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confidence and love of all classes of the community, and
was known as "the good man of Nashville."

REV. GIDEOlSr BLACKBURN.

We next come to the great organizer of churches, the
Rev. Gideon Blackburn, D.D., teacher and preacher, the
Chrysostom of the pioneer pulpit — one of the most eloquent
orators, most zealous workers and devoted ministers of the
gospel who ever wrought for the Kingdom of God.

Born in Augusta County, Virginia, in 1772, in his boy-
hood he came with his family to Tennessee and was edu-
cated in the noted school of Rev. Dr. Samuel Doak. Hav-
ing studied for the ministry, he was licensed by the Abing-
don Presbytery in 1792 or 1795. He had charge of two
churches in East Tennessee, but with his heart afire with
the love of Christ, he went about in all the neighboring coun-
try preaching and organizing churches, and often he went
from place to place armed with his trusty rifle and march-
ing with companies of soldiers, who guarded the land from
sudden incursions of Indians.

Wherever he went he won the sturdy pioneers by his
genial, gracious manner, and by his wonderful gift of elo-
quence. He not only organized churches, but he strove to
evangelize the Indians, and established schools among
them, which were quite successful.

In 181 1 Mr. Blackburn came to Middle Tennessee and
took charge of the Harpeth Academy at Franklin, where
he remained teaching and preaching for twelve years.
As was his custom, he ranged widely, preaching at various
points in a radius of fifty miles, and organizing churches.
Often on Friday evening after school hours he would mount
his horse and dash off twenty miles to one of his five preach-
ing places and there administer the communion, preach five
or six times and be back in his classroom early Monday
morning. It is said that at one of these communion occa-

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sions three thousand persons were present and forty-five
were received into the church.

It was while he was teaching at Franklin that he made
Nashville one of his preaching points. Beginning in the
spring of 1811, at first he )came only once in every three
months, then monthly, and at length semi-monthly. In
November, 1814, probably on Sunday the thirteenth day
of the month, he organized this church and continued sup-
plying it semi-monthly until 1818 or 1819.

In 1823 he left Tennessee and became successively pas-
tor in Louisville, and Versailles, in Kentucky, and President
of Centre College in Kentucky. In 1833 he removed to
the State of Illinois, where he died in 1838. His ministry
in Nashville extended over a period of seven or eight years.
At first his congregations gathered in the open air, in a
grove near the Public Square, on the Sabbath. His preach-
ing on week days was in Mr. Hume's building. The tra-
ditions of his oratory represent it as overwhelming in its
power and eflfectiveness.

His personal appearance was remarkably impressive.
Over six feet in, height and finely proportioned, his bearing
was distinctly military. His features were prepossessing,
dominated by an eye large and penetrating, which could
express every emotion of the soul within. His voice was
rich and, silvery and could thrill with passion or soothe with
tenderness. His gestures were graceful and expressive.
His sermons were carefully studied, but delivered extem-
poraneously with fire and energy. His greatest power
was in word-painting, so that scenes, and events under his
magic touch lived and moved before enraptured hearers,
who forgot time, place and circumstances in looking upon
the vivid pictures. Governor Brown and Colonel Ready,
who had heard the great orators of the American Con-
gress, Clay and Webster, Preston and Prentiss, have told
me that Dr. Blackburn was the most eloquent orator they

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had ever heard. In his intercourse with others he was
courteous, affable, but always dignified, even stately.
Above all else he was interested in leading souls to Christ
and in their living righteous lives.

REV. ALLEN DITCHFIELD CAMPBELL.

The first regularly installed pastor of this church was
the Rev. Allen Ditchfield Campbell, D.D. Born in England,
he came at an early age with his parents to Baltimore,
where he was brought up. Graduating at the University
of Pennsylvania, he studied for the ministry of the Asso-
ciated Reformed Church, in which he was licensed in 1815.
Soon afterward he joined the Presbyterian Church, and in
1820 he became the pastor of this church. For seven years
he did his Lord's work in much suffering from frequent
attacks of illness. In 1827 he resigned the pastorate. He
was one of the founders of the Western Theological Semi-
nary at Allegheny, Pa., and for a time taught some of its
classes. He died in 1861.

Dr. Campbell was an earnest preacher of the Word, sim-
ple, clear and devout. Of his preaching it could be said
that "the common people heard him gladly." Hie was ex-
ceedingly hospitable and generous in his helpfulness to
theological students and to his brethren in the ministry.

REV. OBADIAH JENNINGS, D.D.

In 1828 the Rev. Obadiah Jennings, D.D., was installed
pastor of this church. His pastorate lasted only four years
until his death in 1832, but by his profound intellect and
logical power, his sermons, although generally read, made
a positive and deep impression on the members of the con-
gregation and upon the men of the community generally.

Dr. Jennings, the son of a Presbyterian minister, was
born in 1778 at Basking Ridge, N. J. Manifesting remark-
able powers of mind, he was given a finished education. He
studied law and won a high reputation at the bar in Penn-

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sylvania and Ohio. He did not unite with the church until
he was 32 years old. He. continued to practice law with
great success, but feeling called of God to the ministry, he
was licensed to preach in 181G. After serving churches in
Ohio and Pennsylvania for eleven years, he was called to
this church. In his brief pastorate of four years he labored
with zeal and faithfulness, and his influence was felt
throughout the regions around the city. In' 1830 he was un-
expectedly drawn into a public debate with Rev. Alexander
Campbell, one of the founders of the present body known
as the Christian Church. Mr; Campbell was a very able man
and a skillful debater, but he found in Dr. Jennings "a foe-
man worthy of his steel," whose legal training fitted him
for the debate.

Dr. Jennings was a man of sweet and lovely spirit. In
his intercourse with others he was genial, frank, witty, ani-
mated and sprightly in conversation, yet never violating the
proprieties which bind a gentleman and a minister. He
died January 12, 1832, and the house of worship, completed
in 1816, was destroyed by fire two weeks later, while draped
in mourning for the beloved pastor.

His funeral sermon was preached by Rev. William
Hume, who was to follow him to^'heaven in the next year.

REV. JOHN TODD EDGAR, D.D.

We come next to Rev. John Todd Edgar, D.D., clarum
et venerahile nomen. In my youth he was my ideal of a true
minister of Jesus Christ, and in my old age my memory
holds his image as primus inter pares of all the great preach-
ers I have known. With him begin my personal recollec-
tions of the pastors of this church, and I must crave par-
don if the remainder of this paper shall take the form large-
ly of reminiscences of that noble company with whom I was
associated in the work of the Lord in this city.

Dr. Edgar was wonderfully eloquent in the pulpit ; in
the pastorate he was tender and gracious. In all his rela-

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tions with the world he was the accomplished, genial gentle-
man; in his personal life he was the humble and devoted
Christian.

For twenty-seven years he went in and out before this
people, winning the love and commanding the respect, yea
veneration, of all classes in this city from the highest to
the humblest.

He was born in D'elaware in 1792 and was taken with
his father's family to Kentucky in 1795. He studied theol-
ogy at Princeton, graduating in 1816. He served churches
in Kentucky with increasing reputation. After a six years'
pastorate in the capital city, Frankfort, he accepted the
call of this church in 1833. Here his lifework was done,
ending with his death on November 13, i860, at the age of
68 years and 7 months. The elements which went to make
the success of Dr. Edgar as a minister of the gospel were
distinct and marked of all' men. Physically he was a splen-
did type of symmetrical, virile manhood. His body was
finely proportioned, being somewhat above the average
height. His face mobile and quick to respond to every
change of feeling, with an eye of dark hazel that could flash
with enthusiasm or melt in tenderness, was one of the
most potent aids to his oratory. His voice of extraordinary
compass and sweetness by its witchery and melody at once
gained and held attention. When he was a young minister
at Frankfort, Ky., Mr. Clay, prince of American orators,
was asked who of his contemporaries was the greatest ora-
tor. His answer was, "Go to the Presbyterian Church of
Frankfort and you will hear him."

In i860, just a few months before his death, he was
commissioner with Hon. Henry Cooper to the General As-
sembly in Rochester/ N. Y. When the Assembly adjourned,
Mr. Cooper invited the doctor to take a trip with him
through New England and Canada. They spent Sunday
in Boston, and the doctor was asked to preach in one of

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Dr. Paul F. Eve, Sr.

Elder 1860-69; 1870-77.

the largest churches of that city. Mr. Cooper told me that
the "Old Man Eloquent" was at his best, and as he stood
before that large audience and without notes poured out
the treasures of the gospel in tones of silvery sweetness, the
people were literally spellbound. And when he preached at
night, in the same place, not only was the church packed,
but the street in front and the windows were crowded with
eager listeners.

I had known him from my boyhood, for occasionally he
took a vacation of a few days and spent it with my father
in deer hunting. On these occasions he would preach on the
Sabbath in the courthouse, for the village church could not
contain the congregation. I remember the profound im-
pression made on me on one of these occasions. My
father's associate elder. Major Strong, a soldier of the
Revolution, then 90 years old, sat in the judges' stand by the
preacher, and the doctor, speaking of the frailty of life, laid
his hand on the "good gray head" and repeated the words
of the Psalmist, "The days of our years are threescore years
and ten, and if by reason of strength they be fourscore
years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow, for it is soon
cut off and we fly away." It was done so gracefully and so
graciously that the whole congregation was moved to tears.

He was noted for his reading or reciting of hymns-
The last time I heard him preach he repeated the lines —

"In that lone land of deep despair

No Sabbath's heavenly light shall rise,"

with thrilling effect. The desperate loneliness of that dark
world seemed reproduced in the mournful cadences of his
voice. Indeed, I have heard of some of the congregation
saying that the choir should not try to sing a hymn after he
had read it. And Dr. Robert Breckinridge stated that when
a committee was preparing a new hymn book they had to
appoint another reader, for Dr. Edgar's reading made the

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most commonplace hymn beautiful. In every service when
I have heard him he read the whole hymn, and the congre-
gation sang it then with the spirit and the understanding.

Dr. Edgar's piety was of the robust type and he was apt
to call things by plain names. On one occasion a man who
was already ready to report unpleasant things met the doc-
tor on the street and said, "I heard one of your brethren
in the ministry say that Presbyterians believe that there are
infants in hell not a span long. What do you say to that ?"
The answer came with energy, "It is an unfeathered lie and
nobody but a fool would believe it."

When I was examined for licensure, the Presbytery took
time and had me on the grill for three hours a day for
three days. Dr. Edgar examined me in theology and he
was so clear in his questioning that I could answer nearly
every question in the words of the Shorter Catechism. But
one of the ministers seemed anxious either to expose my
ignorance or show oflf his learning, so he plied me with all
sorts of difficulties, much to the doctor's disgust. At length
the question was put, "If I were to say to you that if God
predestinates men to salvation, then a man is not respon-
sible for his acts, and God is unjust to condemn him, what
would you answer?" Dr. Edgar, out of patience, spoke up,
"He ought to answer, 'Who art thou, O fool, that re-
pliest against God ?' " When the examination was con-
cluded the doctor moved that it be sustained, and that the
Presbytery vote its thanks to this boy's mother as his best
teacher of theology.

He was a strenuous Calvinist, and stood for the Biblical
order that the man must rule in the church and in the home.
Yet he rendered the most chivalrous deference to woman
as the most devoted follower of Christ and the queen of the
home. Man the head, woman the heart.

I remember a piece of practical advice he gave me when
I was licensed. "My boy, the women will be your most

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efficient helpers in the church, so pay them all respect, but
remember you are to be the head, and don't kiss any female
between six and sixty unless she is close kin to you," a rule
I observed for nearly fifty years, but now so many of those
whom I baptized and received into the church andi married,
gather about me with their children and grandchildren that
they seem close kin as my own children. But I must not
take up all the time on this grand old man. He was dig-
nified yet genial, witty, approachable and the very soul of
hospitality.

On the evening of November 13, i860, he conducted a
service in this church, and returning to his home was sud-
denly stricken by the messenger of death and entered into
the presence of the Lord. So great was the sense of public
loss that the law courts suspended their sittings and the
business houses were closed by proclamation of the Mayor
during the funeral service. In 184*2 he was Moderator of
the General Assembly.

REV. JOSEPH BARDWELL.

In 1859 Rev. Joseph Bard well was called as associate
pastor with Dr. Edgar and became sole pastor after the
death of the doctor. But after the occupation of the city
by the Federal forces he went South and his connection with
this congregation ceased. Dr. Bardwell was a strong
preacher of the gospel, inclined to be metaphysical in his
presentation of the truth but earnest, clear and deeply spir-
itual. He was afterwards Professor of Theology in the
Southwestern Presbyterian University.

For three years the church building was used by the
Federal Army for hospital purposes.

REV. ROBERT F. BUNTING, D.D.

After the close of the Civil War the Rev. Robert F.
Bunting D.D., was called to the pastorate of the church
and he continued his labors until November 15, 1868. He

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was a man of intense energy and specially adapted to the
work of gathering and reorganizing the members of the
First Church, scattered by the war. He had been Chaplain
of a noted Texas cavalry regiment and had shared the
hardships and dangers of his men in carnp, on the march
and on the field of battle, and he brought the same zeal and
activity into the service of the church. He was indefati-
gable in visiting and in looking after the temporal interests
of the church. He was a good preacher, but it was in
organizing the activities of the congregation that his genius
was manifest.

As an example of the impression made by his activity,
when the General Assembly met in this church in 1867, an
old brother from a rural congregation, who had been accus-
tomed to amble along at an easy pace, was anxious to have
an interview with Dr. Bunting, but could never find him
at home nor in the study. Finally he wearily asked another
brother how to get Dr. Bunting. The answer was, "Stand
on this corner half an hour and you will see him." "Why,
does he make this corner a special stopping place?" "Oh,
no, but he passes every corner in the city every thirty min-
utes."

The Texas people were devoted to Dr. Bunting because
of his ministry to their soldiers during the war, and so he
was called to the church in Galveston in 1868, where he
remained until he had built up a strong church. He was
afterwards financial agent of the Southwestern Presby-
terian University, and finally was pastor at Gallatin, Tenn.,
where he died suddenly.

REV. THOMAS VERNER MOORE, D.D.

The Rev. Thomas Verner Moore, D.D., pastor of the
First Presbyterian Church of Richmond, Va., was Mod-
erator of the General Assembly that met in this church in
1867. He made so profound an impression on all our peo-
ple that when Dr. Bunting resigned he was called to this

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pastorate. He had been pastor in Richmond for over twen-
ty years, but he accepted the call to Nashville and began
his work in December, 1868, continuing until his death in
August, 1871. A great deal of the time he was in feeble
health, and had to spend the winters in Florida, yet I have
never known a brief ministry to exercise so wide, perma-
nent and beneficent an influence. His personality impressed
all who came in contact with him. He seemed surrounded
by an atmosphere of holiness, yet there was nothing sancti-
monious or puritanical about him. He was genial, compan-
ionable, warm-hearted, sympathetic. He seemed to have
the spirit of the beloved disciple John, gentle, patient, gra-
cious.

His preaching was very attractive. He wrote his ser-
mons, and yet his reading was apparently as free as extem-
poraneous speech. His style was highly rhetorical, a model
of clear, beautiful English. He sought to edify by careful
exposition of the scriptures and these expositions were
deeply spiritual in application. He had published valuable
expositions of scripture.

While his physical health was delicate and his body frail,
yet his face was bright with a heavenly beauty and this
congregation loved him devotedly.

I was impressed by his wisdom in counsel. He would
listen patiently, advise gently and bear the burdens of others
with deep sympathy.

He was a thoroughly manly man, and like all Johanine
men, he was capable of sudden flashes of indignation. A's
an example, when he came he was put on the Committee on
Home Missions, of which I was Chairman. I confess I
looked up to him, not only with reverence, but with awe.
We had been anxious to secure a city missionary, and I had
secured the salary and had it in bank. I wrote to a youno-
man just about to finish his course in the seminary, who
had worked for us during his vacation, and who knew the

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field. I urged him to answer at once. I received a long
letter saying he would consider it as an indication of
providence and would prayerfully consider the matter. Then
he took up four pages exhorting me to pray the Lord of the
harvest to send laborers into His harvest. I was angry,
and just then met Dr. Moore, and asked him to go to his
study with me. I handed him the letter and he read it
slowly with growing wrath. Then he gave it back to me
with the remark, "That is the kind of letter to make a
preacher swear. Drop that fellow at once and let us get
somebody with more sense and less gush." I understood
him better after that interview.

At last this saintly man lay for weeks slowly fading
away into the eternal glory and his sick chamber was a
center of love and prayer from which went forth gracious
influences to comfort and bless his people.

For several months after Dr. Moore's death the pulpit
was supplied by the Rev. J. E. Wheeler, of Vicksburg, Miss.,
a young man of fine culture and ability.

REV. HENRY J. VAN DYKE, D.D.

In 1872 the Rev. Henry J. Van Dyke, D.D., was called
from Brooklyn, N. Y. He began his labors in February,
but after a few Sabbaths the condition of his wife's health
made it necessary for him to take her to Europe, and as she
did not improve, he resigned and went back to his former
charge. He was never formally installed over this con-
gregation.

REV. THOMAS A. HOYT, D.D.

In 1873 the Rev. Thomas A. Hoyt, D.D., was called, and
he began his work here on February i, continuing pastor
until May, 1883. He had been pastor of the First Presby-
terian Church in Louisville, Ky., but during the Civil War
he was sent away by the Federal authorities and was for-
bidden to preach. Going to New York he engaged in

—86—

business, and when he was permitted again to preach he
did mission work in the city, while continuing in business
to support his family, all the while anxious for a church in
the South that could give him a living. For ten years he
did his work here with distinguished ability, finally giving
up on account of failing health. He afterwards became
pastor, serving for many years the Chambers Church in
Philadelphia.

Dr. Hoyt was a. man of splendid presence, being six feet
three inches in height and large in proportion. He was
an impressive speaker, a gifted orator. H'is sermons were
carefully prepared but delivered without notes. His preach-
ing was largely theological, strong, clear, logical and ele-
gant in diction. He spoke with energy and zeal. He was
popular as a pastor, especially with the plain people.

Dr. Hoyt was a man of fine and extensive literary cul-
ture. In 1880 he was Moderator of the General Assembly
that met in Charleston, S. C.

REV. JERE WITHERSPOON, D.D.

After Dr. Hoyt's resignation the pulpit was supplied for
nearly a year by the Rev. Dr. Fitzgerald, of the Methodist
Church. In March, 1884, the Rev. Jere Witherspoon, D.D.,
came from Jackson, Tenn., and began his work in this
church. For over ten years he was in labors most abundant
and won the devoted love of the whole congregation. He
accepted a call in 1893 from the First Presbyterian Church
of Baltimore, Md. Afterwards he was pastor of the Grace
Street Presbyterian Church, of Richmond, Va., until his
death, a few years ago.

Dr. Witherspoon's preaching was largely emotional.
He was a man of tender sympathies, warm in his aflFections,
earnest and zealous in his love for the Saviour and for the
souls of men. One of his gifts that made him effective as
a pastor was his remarkable memory of faces and names.
He seemed never to forget any person, however casual the

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meeting might have been. In sickness or distress of any
kind he was Barnabas, the Son of Consolation. And
so his sermons, delivered in a voice of sweetness and mel-
ody, brought comfort to weary hearts and encouraged them
under life's burdens and warfare.

One feature of his character that aided in his work was
his exquisite sense of humor. He not only saw the bright
side of things, but he could laugh off imaginary troubles in
view of their comic side.

He was quickly responsive to the sympathies of his
brethren, and was absolutely free from envy or jealousy.
Once, after a very exhausting winter's work, I saw that he
needed a period of rest before his regular vacation in the
summer, so I went to several of the elders and told them
they must send him away for a while. With generous lib-
erality they consented and provided for all expenses. When
I told him what was done, and also told him that we all felt
he had done a great work for the church, his eyes filled
with tears and he said, "I didn't know my brethren felt that
way about me." It encouraged him wonderfully. One
more incident to show how dependent he was on the love
of his people : In going to Baltimore he was anxious as to
whether he could win the love there which enveloped him
here, and he said in his family, "I am afraid that I can't
win their love." H5s little son replied, "Why, father, if
you should go to Lapland they would gather about you to
get warm." So he lived loved and loving to the end.

REVS. DRS. VANCE AND ANDERSON.

After Dr. Witherspoon's resignation in 1893 this pulpit
has been filled by two great preachers, Drs. Vance and
Anderson, who are here to speak for themselves. It would
be ungracious in me here to characterize their ministry fur-
ther than to say that they have worthily maintained the
great traditions of this pulpit, and to wish that they may live
long to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ's gospel.

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RkV. JdSI.I'll llAKnWKI.I.
Pastor 1861-1S64.

CHARACTERISTICS.

May I call attention to some special marks of the Pres-
byterian preachers of the earlier days which are not so
emphasized today?

1. Their abounding hospitality. They kept open house.
Dr. Edgar spent his own and his wife's patrimony largely
in entertaining guests and in charity.

2. Their solemn sense of their responsibility for souls.
Spiritual and eternal verities were very real to them.

3. Their personal dignity. It was not unbending and
austere, but they were genial in social intercourse, still their
constant engagement with spiritual interests lifted them
above the frivolities of the day. Now, changed conditions
make the old-time hospitality impossible, and there has been
introduced into the pulpit a levity that often lowers its tone.

There was, especially in the South, in those days a rev-
erence and respect for the ministry as a holy calling that
tended to promote personal dignity. If I may be pardoned
a personal reference, I was associated for four years with
Confederate soldiers. I camped with them, marched with
them and went into battle with them. I was hungry with
the hungriest, ragged as the raggedest, yet I was always
The Parson, and the profanest soldier would not allow an
oath in my presence, and the whole regiment would have
resented any personal disrespect to me. Respect for woman-
hood and reverence for the ministry of the gospel were in
the fiber of the Southerner's makeup.

I would just as soon have slapped General Wash-
ington or General Lee on the back and call them "Old
Fellow," as to have attempted the same familiarity with Dr.
Edgar or Dr. Moore. They knew how to be companionable
and gracious and yet maintain respect for their calling.

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CHAPTER VI.

PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OE MY NASHVILLE

PASTORATE.

By Rev. William M. Anderson, D.D.

My friends, it is with deep and commingled emotions
that I stand before you tonight on this platform of one of
the historic churches of North America. I am standing in
the capital city of my native State. My mother, my father
and my wife are all native Tennesseans. Three of my
seven sons were born in Tennessee.

"Breathes there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said
This is my own, my native land."

My father graduated here about sixty years ago, with
the degree of A.M. from the old University of Nashville,
presided over by that princely and distinguished scholar
Dr. Philip Lindsley. I gave nine of the best years of my
life to the pastorate of this church. My sixth son died dur-
ing my pastorate here. My seventh son was born here at
the manse at the rear of the church. I repeat my opening
sentence, that I appear before you tonight with deep and
commingled emotions.

I hope you realize that I confront a very difficult, delicate
duty. If I say too much I will be accused of bragging;
if I say too little you may conclude I did nothing during
my nine years' stay in this city. I therefore ask your
patient, kindly attention while I recount some of the
reminiscences of my work.

-90-

1. I think it will be in order first to give some of the
facts taken from my private register. While your pastor
I delivered 1,920 sermons, lectures and addresses; the ses-
sion received 1,130 members; I performed 336 baptisms,
officiated at 453 marriages and held 387 funerals. During
that time the church expended an estimated amount of
$175,000. I sincerely hope that more was accomplished
than is indicated by these figures. They seem small as we
look at them, but by the time a pastor wades through the
work involving the amount of service indicated by these
figures he, at least, is conscious of having been reasonably
busy all the while.

2. I think you will be interested in some comments
on the special epochs in the religious work of the congrega-
tion and of the city during this time.

The greatest event that happened during my experience
here was the Student Volunteer Convention. At this time
4,188 delegates from the 700 schools, colleges and universi-
ties of the United States and Canada met in their first great
convention in the South. I served as Chairman of the
Ministers' Committee and also as Chairman of the Ladies'
Entertainment Committee. I worked as best I knew how
for more than three months preparatory to this conven-
tion. The city of Nashville has a right to be proud of its
accomplishments during this time. We were asked to en-
tertain, on the Harvard plan, 3,000 delegates. Five days
before the convention we were able to wire the New York
office that we had homes requested for the 3,000. Thev did
us the compliment of immediately wiring us to secure homes
for 1,000 more. It was no little task to get this citv to see
and realize the vision and entertain the 4,188 delegates as
indicated above. It took a combination of every sort of
plan to attain this end. For example, the woman's com-
mittee would meet, with myself as Chairman and Mr.
Southam, the Executive Secretary from the New York

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office, present. The roll would be called and reports given
as to the progress being made in securing homes. The
name of some church would be called, and a timid little
woman would rise and say, "Dr. Anderson, you asked our
church to entertain twenty-five, and we have been able to
secure homes for only nineteen." I would then say, "All
you ladies turn and look at this lady. Don't you think she
could get twenty-five homes if she would try?" They would
all say they thought so, and I would then ask her if she
didn't think it best to try again, and she would answer,
"I'll do my best again." This scene was repeated many,
many times, with the successful results, as above stated.
One lady of the McKendree Church met me on the street
and said, "Dr. Anderson, is your committee crazy? The
idea of asking our church to entertain 250 !" I answered,
"My dear friend, be very humble and patient or we may
ask you to entertain 350." This First Presbyterian Church
actually entertained more than 400 delegates. That con-
vention was a sight worth seeing. Frequently during its
sessions I have seen this entire Fifth Avenue crowded from
fence to fence with eager young people, hurrying from
Church Street to the Ryman Auditorium. Just before
the convention I secured from the Chief of Police the
privilege of saying to the dififerent squads of policemen,
as opportunity oflFered, a few words as to what they could
do to help make the convention a success. I tried to in-
spire them by telling them of the courtesy and full informa-
tion given by the London police. And after the convention
was closed and the delegates gone, a number of the police-
men commented to me favorably upon the high character of
the delegates and their good humor and the uniform good
order.

Another special epoch was the Torrey-Alexander meet-
ing, which continued for a month. The Pastors' Associa-
tion of the city appointed a committee of nine, naming

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myself as Chairman, to interview Dr. Torrey, then in
Atlanta, regarding his coming. I went down and told my
beloved friend, Mr. John W. Thomas, Jr., of our appoint-
ment, and that I, with authority, had named him also a
member of the committee, and that I desired that he take
his private car and convey the committee to Atlanta and ac-
complish the purpose of its appointment. He laughingly
declined the appointment, but touched a button that brought
in Mr. Robert Saunders, his chief clerk, and said, "Bob,
give Dr. Anderson anything he wants.''' I received a
round-trip pass for the entire comimittee to Atlanta and
return. Dr. Torrey and his helpers came and a great
work was acomplished. Many of you will remember how
Dr. Torrey spoke to great crowds of men every day at noon
for two weeks at this church with marked effect.

When Dr. George W. Truett, of the First Baptist
Church of Dallas, held a meeting in this city, he spoke every
day at noon in this church. Great crowds of men came to
hear him and were deeply moved by his earnest eloquence.
Dr. John Balcom Shaw, then of Chicago, now of Los
Angeles, held a meeting in East Nashville and spoke with
tremendous power to great congregations of men at the
noon hour in this church.

3. I can hope to give only a few of my experiences
while here. During that time I formed some of the warm-
est friendships of my life, which will continue into eternity.
While here I performed many happy marriages and was
always glad to make happy people happier by this event.
Many times I was greatly saddened by the death of beloved
friends. Out of the 387 funerals which I held, 84 were past
70 years of age; of this number 30 were past 80 years of
age ; of these 2 were past 90 years of age.

My experience with relation to my officers was riglit
remarkable. When I came I found 16 elders and 14 dea-
cons in active service. During my stay 5 additional elders

-93-

and 12 additional deacons were elected. Of this number
only two died during my pastorate — Deacons John Hill
Eakin and John C. Kennedy. Both were very valuable and
efficient men.

While here I conducted many services .of many different
kinds. On one Sunday I took part in eight services, but I
do not care to repeat that experience, as I was a little tired
that night. I sought to render all sorts of service to reach
and influence the various forces of this city and draw some
of them to attend our church, with what effect some of you
will remember.

When I came here the St. Andrews Church for the
colored people was worshiping in a little rented room on
the corner of Gay and Spruce Streets. Mrs. Sarah Brad-
ford, the mother of the Hon. J. C. Bradford, was deeply
interested in this work, and although I was not on the
Committee of the Colored Evangelism, she kept me going
until the present property of the church was the outcome.
Many of you will remember the noble work of the Woman's
Guild of this church, how it conducted many "garbage sales"
and used any and every legitimate device to get money to
help this congregation. My heart was deeply interested
in Rev. Spencer Jackson, who has nobly worked among the
colored people of this city.

I had many very interesting experiences in personal
work which I would like to relate to you, but they are too
sacred to be mentioned. If I should tell much about them
some of you, at least, would recognize who they are. I
have used them with marked efifect at other places when
recounting my experiences.

While here I purposed to preach the whole gospel and
endeavored to present the great doctrines of our church,
clothed in the form of practical evangelism. I did not try
to hold up before you a skeleton showing only the bones,
but life's actual ideals of truth as revealed in the life and
teachings of Christ.

-94-

4. My most marked experience during my stay in Nash-
ville was my dreadful illness, which occurred December
21, 1907. Some of you will doubtless remember it. It was
the greatest sorrow that ever came to my family and the
greatest blessing that ever came into my life. My devoted
mother and wife looked, as they thought, for the last time
on my face alive, but through the providence of God and
the help of Drs. Buckner, Bailey, Witherspoon and Wood,
the help of the nurses and the prayers of more friends than
I thought I ever had, my life was spared and I am still at
work. Permit me to outline two events that happened at
that time. Through your kindness my wife and I were sent
to Florida for an indefinite stay. After three weeks she
returned and I remained two months. Shortly after my
return one day on the street a Jewish lady stopped me and
took my hand and said, "Oh, Dr. Anderson, I am so glad
to see you back and yourself again. If ever we Jews prayed
for anybody, we prayed for you." A little later when the
State Fair of the colored people was being started, I called
Mr. Joseph H. Thompson and suggested that he and I go
out and visit the fair to encourage its promoters. We went
and were most graciously received. When we were shown
through the various departments and came to the woman's
building, the colored woman who had charge of it recog-
nized us both and called our names, and then said to me,
"Oh, Dr. Anderson, I am so glad you are well again! If
ever we colored people prayed for anybody, we prayed
for you." These two experiences greatly humbled and at
the same time encouraged me. A few weeks ago in Dallas
a traveling man came up and said, "I want to shake your
hand, for the last time that I was in your church at Nash-
ville was the Sunday that they thought you were dying,
and the service seemed like a funeral." I want to bear
testimony tonight to my gratitude to God for this expe-
rience.

-95-

There are some peculiar incidents connected with my
pastorate here that will be worth while to note. It was my
second time to succeed Dr. Jere Witherspoon, with one
man coming between us. When he left Jackson, Tenn.,
Dr. Nail followed him for seven years, and then I was
called. When he left this church Dr. Vance followed him
for five years, and then I was called.

When I came to be your pastor I was pleased to find
here as one of your deacons Dr. William Bailey, a college
friend. I had received courtesies from some of your offi-
cers, Mr. Throne, Mr. Raymond, Dr. Blanton and Dr.
Plunket and others, and had been associated most pleasantly
in Y. M. C. A. conventions with Mr. Harry A, Myers.

I was glad to become the pastor of my greatly admired
friend, Mrs. Gates P. Thruston, and hear her sing. As a
college boy I sat in the back seat of this auditorium one
night when every seat was taken and heard her sing "Only
an Armor Bearer," at a great Y. M. C. A. rally. Being a
lover of music I enjoyed her singing, which seemed a re-
producing of Neilson's great voice.

When I accepted your call I was accepting my third call
to Nashville. When I finished my course of study I was
asked to take charge of the Second Church. Later on
I was called and thought I was going to be pastor of the
Woodland Street Church, but Presbytery declined to let
me come.

One especially attractive anticipated pleasure was my
being associated again with my beloved friends, Dr. and
Mrs. J. H. McNeilly. He had been my mother's pastor
when I was 5 years old, and I was in her Sunday school
class. At that early age her sweet smile left an indelible
impress on my memory and I greatly enjoyed the intimacy
of our association during my work here, and I lament to-
night, with thousands of her friends in this city, our loss,
but rejoice in her gain, in her entrance to her heavenly
home.

-96-

Rev. R. F. Bunting, D.D,

Pastor 1 865- 1 868.

I recognized that in the student bodies of Ward Semi-
nary and Belmont College there were great opportunities
for service. I greatly enjoyed preaching Sunday after
Sunday to the splendid body of students that came from
these two and other institutions.

5. This resume of experiences would not be complete if
I did not recount some of the humorous incidents that hap-
pened. You will remember we had a Chinese Sunday
school. You will remember one of them, Lee Bow, cut off
his cue, let his hair grow and dressed like an American,
and was a sort of leader among them. Mrs. Clare was for
many years a devoted member of this church, also de-
voted to her pastor, whoever he might be. One day she
met Lee Bow on the street and said, "Lee Bow, do you
know our new minister?" "Yes — Yes — Yes." "Do you
ever see him?" "Yes — ^Yes — Yes." "Etoes he ever come
to your Sunday school?'" "Yes — 'Yes — Yes, he come to the
Sunny Skul, and b-e-a-t on de pee-anner and h-o-l-l-e-r."

One day the house was very full, the services had begun,
I had just announced the first hymn, the choir had risen
to sing, when an old lady cloaked in black, whom I had
never seen before, and have not seen since, rose from this
right hand block of pews and approached the pulpit and
beckoned to me, and I came to the edge of the platform.
She whispered in loud tones, "You don't preach long, do
you?" I said, "No, not very long." "Never over an hour,
is it?" I said, "Never over an hour, madam." And she
went back and sat down.

One Sunday I saw a well-dressed woman, whom I had
met elsewhere, and whom I knew to be eccentric, enter the
church and sit on a chair away back by the door. I always
invite strangers to come and meet me, and that morning
she came and said, "I want to ask you one question. Why
is this old Presbyterian Church worshiping in an Egyptian
temple?" I said, "Madam, you have answered your own

-97—

question. It is a Presbyterian church and not an Egyptian
temple." "It is." "It isn't." "It is." "It isn't." I said,
"Madam, it was not conceived by an Egyptian architect, it
was not builded by an Egyptian contractor, it is not in
Egypt, it has no Egyptian members, I am not an Egyptian ;
therefore, it is not an Egyptian temple." She said, "Did
you build it?" I said, "Oh, no, madam, it was built before
I was born, and possibly before you were born." At this
she became very angry, turned and hurried away.

One of the older devoted members of the church one day
said to me, "We have been very fortunate in this church ; we
have had an unbroken line of great men as pastors. Dr.
Edgar was, perhaps, the greatest man we ever had. He
was a great preacher, a profound theologian and a powerful
philosopher, but since he died they have been getting worse
and worse," and I am not the last.

Shortly after I became pastor frequently I was greeted
with this remark, "You remind us so much of Dr. Wither-
spoon." When Dr. and Mrs. Witherspoon came back on
a visit the ladies of the church gave them a beautiful largely
attended reception. Many of the older ladies kissed him in
their joy at seeing their beloved ex-pastor. I approached
a company of young matrons and said, "They say I remind
them of Dr. Witherspoon, but they do not kiss me." One
of the young matrons replied, "Please step out in the hall
a moment."

6. I cannot close this already too extended talk without
acknowledg'ing my gratitude and appreciation for your
kindness and goodness to me and mine while we were among
you. You gave me a trip to Europe, and the benefit and
experiences of that trip I would not part with for any
amount of money. You gave me two trips to Florida
for rest and recreation. Twice while I was with you you
raised my salary, and you gave innumerable tokens of
love to me and mine which we can never forget. I sin-

-98~

cerely thank you as a congregation for your help with my
beloved boys. Many of you, in ways that you do not realize,
contributed to their development in character. My oldest
son, now a pastor in the same city where I minister, says
that his work with the Christian Endeavor Society of this
church did more to help him to learn to think and speak on
his feet than any other single external element that came
into his life. I especially desire to thank you for your great
kindness to my beloved mother. She was an affectionate
nature and greatly appreciated every evidence of your
thoughtfulness and affection. It is so easy for those ad-
vanced in years to be forgotten, and their channels of joy
cut off. And this congregation seemed never to forget my
mother. And if you had never done anything else for me
and mine during my stay, I would be under an everlasting
debt of gratitude for your kindness to her.

I humbly apologize for consuming so much of your
time, and I regret to have wearied you with so much detail,
but I could talk to you for hours along these lines. I thank
you most sincerely for your attention.

-99-

CHAPTER VII.

THE CHURCH OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK.
By James D. Plunket, M.D.

To put into narrative form the personnel and work of
the officers of the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville
fori the one hundred years ending November 14, 1914, nec-
essarily involves much painstaking and discriminating effort
in collecting, weighing, digesting and systematically ar-
ranging a large, varied and tangled mass of data and detail
from many sources, and determining as to what should and
what should not be embraced in the story.

The occasion which calls for this review and the object
sought in its preparation alike place special emphasis upon
plainness of speech, as "an honest tale speeds best being
plainly told," and upon that good old English word, "brev-
ity" ; therefore, the writer shall strive to heed both sugges-
tions and be thus guided in what is to follow.

The Bunting Manual of 1868 and the historical memo-
randa to be found in the Church Manual for 191 1, pages
23-33, we shall regard as authentic, for no doubt much that
is there stated, particularly that portion that refers to events
in the church's history prior to 1832, when all the church
records were destroyed, was obtained from those having
personal cognizance of the facts and who were living at
the time (1865) when these memoranda were made.

We shall, therefore, so deal with these statements, using
them both liberally in the preparation of this review.

—100—

BEFORE CHURCH ORGANIZATION.

That we may have a suitable background — a foundation,
as it were, upon which to base properly what is to follow —
it is deemed best that a glance be taken backward at some
of the religious and social conditions existing in this locality
just prior to the organization of our own church. At irreg-
ular times, for twenty-five or thirty years, religious services
had been held in the Cumberland settlements in and near
Nashville, or "Nashboro," as for a time it was called; the
earliest record goes back to 1785. To the eastward, how-
ever, in the more settled portions of the State, Heiskell says,
"as early as 1790 a cordon of Presbyterians stretched from
Watauga to Nashville, and by 1797 there were twenty-five
Presbyterian congregations in Tennessee."^

At this period the struggling little borough of Nashville
was still well out on the frontier, having but few people,
and but little communication with the outer world ; Fulton's
steamboat had just begun to claim attention down East; the
railroad, the telegraph and the telephone, not to speak of
the aeroplane, were still undreamed of; and even the mails
— if such they can be called — were irregular and uncertain,
a week or more often intervening between the arrival and
the departure of a single mail. This isolation, however,
proved in some ways beneficial, as the individuals of the
community were thereby drawn closer together, all being
made to feel an interdependence and to recognize the under-
lying fact that, at least for the time being, their several in-
terests, general welfare and even personal safety were
bound up together.

Therefore, the most conspicuous tenet in the creed of
the little community naturally was, "Trust in God and keep
your powder dry."

As Nashville grew througli immigration and material
prosperity, the mental horizon of its inhabitants enlarged,

^Pioneer Presbyterianism in Tennessee, p. 21.
—101-

thieir faith increased and a religious spirit developed among
them; and when, in the fullness of time, the hour arrived
for the religious elements to assume a more definite form
than had existed in the settlements up to this time, it is
gratifying to note that the Presbyterians among them
promptly stepped out and took position as such.

CHURCH ORGANIZED.

It was on Monday morning, and after the hour when all
the household duties of the forenoon had been completed,
that here and there an individual, mostly women, could be
seen coming from the different sections of the village and
wending their way toward the courthouse (located on the
Square), where by appointment the meeting was to be held.
It was a notable gathering this, and while all seemed serious
and determined, not one of them realized; in any measure
the importance of the step they were about to take — its
influence upon Presbyterianism in Nashville, Middle Ten-
nessee, and, indeed, truthfully may be added, the South,
particularly the Southwest, and its effects upon unborn gen-
erations throughout this immediate section. Truly, "they
builded better than they knew."

After an earnest prayer by Rev. Mr. Gideon Blackburn,
the meeting was called to order and its object stated, and
upon roll call the following answered "present" : Mrs.
Andrew Ewing, Mrs. Mary McNairy (wife of Frank Mc-
Nairy, Sr.), Mrs. Josiah Nichol, Mrs. Tom Talbot and her
daughter, Mrs. Sophia Hall (wife of Elihu S. Hall), Mrs.
Margaret L. Anderson (wife of Col. Patton Anderson,
United States Army), and Mr. Robert Smiley (whom they
at once elected ruling elder) — six women and one man,
in toto.

After discussing for an hour or more and agreeing
upon all the necessary and usual features of such a pro-
ceeding, the Rev. Dr. Robert Henderson, who was also
present and assisting, offered a closing prayer, when the

—102—

little company adjourned and went forth, having thus fully
organized the Nashville Presbyterian Church on Novem-
ber 14, 1814.

Subsequently, as the denomination increased in num-
bers and strength, and other Presbyterian churches became
necessary and were organized in the community, it was
called "The First Presbyterian Church of Nashville," and
it is now so designated, officially, in its charter.

About this time there began a tide of emigration from
the States of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia
toward the West, particularly toward the Cumberland Set-
tlements, and Nashville, as a consequence, increased some
in population. Several writers have estimated that the
village about this period had from nine hundred to thir-
teen hundred inhabitants. U(p to this time the religious
people of the community were compelled to hold their pub-
lic services in the courthouse, which at best was small in
floor space and otherwise illy suited for public religious
gatherings, but when the weather would permit the woods
adjacent to the Square were used, and especially was this
the case on Sundays, when the congregations were largest.

The subject had been before suggested and discussed
in no enthusiastic way, but now it was more pointedly agi-
tated and urged that a meeting house be constructed for
general religious uses. After a time the matter took definite
shape, when a committee, appointed for the purpose, made
a successful nondenominational canvass of the people and
received subscriptions sufficient to justify proceeding at
once with the building. These subscriptions were taken with
the distinct understanding that, while the building, when
completed, was( to be placed under the control of the Pres-
byterians, it was to be open to all denominations When not
used by the Presbyterians.

FIRST CHURCH BUILDING.

The subscriptions above alluded to were made in the
—103—

spring, but the work on the church building was not
actually begun until late in the fall of 1811 or early in
1812, two years before the organization of the Presby-
terian Church of Nashville. A very disastrous fire, how-
ever, occurred a short time after this beginning was made,
and came near becoming the despair of the community.
The fire destroyed the entire business center of the town,
burning all the storehouses on each side of Market Street
from the Square south to the first alley, where was then
located what was later called "The St. Charles Hotel," one
of the leading hostelries of the place.^ As a consequence,
business depression prevailed, money became close, and the
subscriptions made for the purpose of building the church
were paid slowly, or not at all in some cases; the work
of construction came to a standstill — indeed, for a time
the effort seemed on the point of being wholly abandoned.
Two years had now passed and the people of the com-
munity had largely adjusted themselves to the trying con-
ditions occasioned by the fire ; the town had quieted down
and was gradually assuming its normal, the Nashville
Presbyterian Church had just been organized and was ex-
pecting to become the chief beneficiary when the proposed
church building was completed. From this time on Ruling
Elder Robert Smiley gave the matter his close personal
attention, and, with great tact, energy and pertinacity of
purpose, did succeed, after a time, in rekindling public
interest and effort. The construction was resumed, and by
the fall of 18 16 the edifice was sufficiently advanced for the
congregation to move to it from the courthouse (where up
to this time, as before stated, the services had been held),
and henceforward they held all their religious exercises
in the new house. The structure was a substantial brick
building of plain but neat design, 45 by 80 feet, with no
basement, and had a seating capacity of four hundred.

^Old Times in Nashville, by Miss Jane H. Thomas, p. 36.
— 104-

James .M. Hamilton,

Elder 1867-1895.

It was located on the corner of what was then called Spring
Street, but later known as Church Street, and Summer
Street, now called Fifth Avenue — the same site as that of
the First Presbyterian Church today. The building faced
west on Summer Street, with a side entrance on Church
Street. The pulpit was unique and would be a curiosity
among us today. The design was circular in form and
quite narrow. "It could scarcely hold three men standing
up. . . . The minister's head was fifteen feet above
the congregation." Possibly the pattern had come down
to our forbears from those sturdy reformers who resisted
Spanish tyranny on the dikes and sand dunes of Holland in
the sixteenth century. It was constructed high on the
south wall and was entered by a spiral stairway on each
side, with a window in the rear for light.

Now that a duly appointed and permanent church house
had been secured, a sense of relief and of thankfulness and
gratitude to God ipervaded the entire membership in an
unusual degree, and there was developed a determination,
much above the ordinary, that, for the future, every proper
effort should be put forth to advance the Kingdom of God
among men, "beginning first at Jerusalem" This determi-
nation has grown stronger all down the century, and is
today the leading characteristic of this congregation.

From the beginning the church's influence and member-
ship steadily but slowly grew, and there was every evi-
dence that this little church was indeed "a vine of God's
own planting," and that it had a definite mission.

TITLE TO CHURCH LOT.

Up to this time a very important and necessary feature
—one quite fundamental and urgent in its character— had
not been attended to; no deed liad been made to the lot
upon which the church edifice was built. Since the com-
pletion of the church building the matter had no doubt more
than once been brought up and discussed, probably urged.

-105-

by Ruling Elder Robert Smiley, who, naturally, as the only
officer of the church so far elected, felt sensibly his re-
sponsibility as such, and, therefore, desired to close up
promptly every business detail of the affairs of the church.
Why this deed had not been made does not appear plain,
unless possibly the money with which he was expecting to
pay for the property ($750) was slow in coming into the
church coflfers. However, on May i, 1823, nine years
after the organization and seven years after the church
building had been built and first occupied by the congrega-
tion, Randal McGavock made the long-delayed deed for
the lot to the five trustees of the Nashville Presbyterian
Church, naming first Ruling Elder Robert Smiley, and then
four others, all members of the church, one of whom was
soon afterwards elected an elder, and later the third named
was made a deacon — one of the first of tliis class of office-
bearers yet elected by the congregation. For the informa-
tion and convenience of all those desiring it, we have had
photographed and framed the page upon which is recorded
the original deed in the Register's office in the courthouse;
and it will be hung, no doubt, in some convenient place in
the church for reference. The language of this venerable
and interesting document is as follows :

This indenture, made this first day of May, 1823,
between Randal McGavock, of Nashville, of the one
part, and Robert Smiley, Nathaniel A. McNairy, Wm.
M. Berryhill, John Wright and David Irwin, who are
for the time being the trustees of the Nashville Pres-
byterian Church, of the other part: Witnesseth that
the said Randal McGavock, for and in consideration of
the sum of $750 to him heretofore paid, the receipt
whereof is hereby acknowledged, and for other good
considerations him thereunto moving, hath given,
granted, bargained and sold, and by these presents doth
grant, bargain and sell, convey and transfer unto the

—106—

said Robert Smiley, Nathaniel A. McNairy, William
M. Berryhill, John Wright and David Irwin, trustees
of the Nashville Presbyterian Church, and their suc-
cessors in office, the following piece or parcel of land,
being part of lot No. 78 as distinguished in the plan
of Nashville, beginning at the corner of said lot at
the intersection of Spring Street and Summer Street,
running thence with Spring Street toward the river
half the distance of said lot on Spring Street to a plug
of lead put in a rock, thence at right angles through
the center of said lot to an alley of 20 feet leading
from Cherry Street to Summer Street, thence with
said alley to Summer Street, and with said street to the
beginning, being that part of said lot on which is
erected the Presbyterian Church and the small brick
house belonging to the Female Bible and Charitable
Society ; to have and to hold to the said parties of the
second part and their successors in trust for the use
and benefit of said Presbyterian Church, to be modified
and declared by said trustees and their successors when
lawfully assembled, and especially for the purpose of
having thereon a meeting house for the Nashville Pres-
byterian congregation of Christians to worship
Almiglity God, a parsonage or other house for him
to dwell in who may have the charge of said church
for the time being, and such buildings incident thereto
as the trustees may end or direct — also in trust that
such part of said lot as contains the house erected for
the Female Bible and Charitable Society as has been
conveyed to said society by a former Board of Trus-
tees of said church shall be and inure to the use and
purpose expressed in said deed. And the said Randal
McGavock covenants that he will at any other time
when it shall be deemed necessary to make any other
or further deed to carry into complete effect this con-

-107-

veyance for the purposes herein expressed, and that he
will warrant the title as is herein expressed for the pur-
poses expressed against himself and his heirs.

In testimony whereof said Randal McGavock hath
hereto set his hand and seal this day above written.

(Seal) R. McGavock.

R. O. D. C, Book Q., page 722.

Since the text of the above deed refers specifically to
what was called "The Female Bible and Charitable So-
ciety," it may not be amiss to say here a word or two as
to what this organization was and to tell somewhat of its
purpose and practices. We find that, as its name indicates,
it was composed entirely of women, and in a general sense
may be said to have been primarily educational in its char-
acter, Bible study being particularly emphasized. They
also distributed Bibles, religious tracts and other religious
literature as opportunity oflfered or their facilities permitted.
They received and distributed donations — articles of cloth-
ing, bedding and food to the poor — and visited and assisted
in caring for the sick when necessary. And there was still
another feature of this society — one of great importance
and far-reaching and uplifting in its influence, not only as
seen in the lives of its members, but also as recognized by
the general community; this was a prayer service which
they held every Wednesday afternoon, and to which each
member was definitely obligated to attend, summer or win-
ter, rain or sunshine, nothing excusing but actual sickness
or absence from town. It was generally conceded that they
relieved a great deal of suffering and distress and other-
wise exerted a wholesome, restraining influence throughout
tlie town.

Through a popular .subscripition the members were
enabled to build for their society a meeting place, which
was popularly known as "The Society House." This struc-
ture, a one-story brick house 20 by 30 feet in size, and cost-

— 108-

ing nearly seven hundred dollars, was also located upon the
church lot.

THE OFFICE OF RULING ELDER.

Before beginning the consideration of the official record
as far as it has to do with the work and personnel of the
office-bearers of the First Presbyterian Church, may we not,
just here, digress a moment to refresh our memories, so that
we shall have more clearly in mind what the nature and
character of the eldership is and what their duties and
responsibilities are to the given congregation?

The eldership is a scriptural office and the most ancient
and the most permanent of any in the church. To quote
from one of the fathers of our communion:

"It differs from the ceremonial and typical officers —
those of the prophets, priests and kings of the old dispen-
sations, which prefigured Christ and his redemptive work —
and from the extraordinary and temporary offices of apos-
tles, workers of miracles, etc., of the new dispensation,
which were for important emergencies and for temporal
service. It differs from that of the minister, who is the
representative or ambassador of God to preach the gospel,
persuading men in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God,
and who presides in the church courts, ordains, administers
the sacraments and pronounces the benedictions. And it
differs from the office of deacon, who is ordained to serve
tables, to see that no class of the needy or poor of the
church is neglected in the daily ministrations; to care for
the real estate and other properties of the church ; to attend
to the collection of money, the payment of salaries and bills,
the care of the buildings and the preparation of them for
such uses and at such times as are determined by the ses-
sion. Througli all dispensations the functions of the office
of ruling elder have remained essentially the same, both
in character and work."^

'The Ruling Elder at Work, by Rev. Aspinwall Hodge, D.D.,
pp. 2 and 3.

—109—

To quote further from this father in Zion:

"The elders exercised their functions under the patri-
archs, when the church in the family became that of a race
in bondage in Egypt; when delivered and entering into
covenant with God at Sinai; when wandering in the wil-
derness under Moses; conquering their possessions under
Joshua ; disciplined during the time of the Judges ; in the
undivided, and in both sections of separated kingdoms of
Israel and Judah; during the Babylonian captivity; at the
time of Christ's ministry, and in the New Testament Church
as established by the apostles."^

Volumes, literally, have been written upon the topic of
the ruling elder — the name, the nature and the functions;
and we feel that we are within bounds in making the broad,
general statement that the weight of authority unquestion-
ably holds to the view that the office is of divine origin,
and, therefore, is possessed of a special and peculiar dignity
and importance.

A number of eminent Presbyterian writers here in
America have controverted this view, and today there exists
a well-defined tendency to give the ruling elder a lower posi-
tion than that given him in the Word of God, which fact,
at best, only brings to light and makes plain a great weak-
ness in our Presbyterian system, since, as we see it, the
power of the Presbyterian Church for good would be in-
creased in unlimited measure if the eldership could be
brought up to the scriptural standard, because our sys-
tem of church government derives its strength largely from
the efficiency of the eldership, they being, as some one has
said, "the inspiration of the church."

Our "Form of Government" says : "Ruling elders are
properly the representatives of the people, chosen by them
for the purpose of exercising government and discipline, in

^The Ruling Elder at Work, by Rev. Aspinwall Hodge, D.D.,
pp. 2 and 3.

—110-

conjunction with pastors or ministers. This office has been
understood by a great part of the Protestant reform
churches to be designated in the Holy Scriptures by the
title of governments and of those who rule well, but do
not labor in the word and doctrine." This, therefore, with
us cuts off all debate, since it is the deliverance of our own
General Assembly upon the subject.

In May, 1861, while in session at Augusta, Ga., our
General Assembly reenacted this, along with the several
other features of our church government, in withdrawing,
as it did at that time, from the compact existing with the
Northern Presbyterian Church. It was necessary for it to
be thus reenacted by our General Assembly for the per-
fecting of the independence of our own Southern Pres-
byterian Church, and to give it efficiency, and to set forth
the General Assembly's interpretation of the Holy Scriptures
as to what the ruling eldership is or may become in our
church. By its terms the limitations thus placed upon the
office are strictly observed now and have been since its
enactment by a loyal eldership throughout the bounds of
the Southern Presbyterian Churdh.

In resuming at this point the consideration of the official
record and personnel of those who were office-bearers in
the First Presbyterian Qiurch through the entire century
we find the first name to be that of Robert Smiley. There-
fore, there belongs to him the distinction of having been not
only the first male member of, but also the first elected
officer in, the infant church, and he is further distinguished
for having, singly and alone, served the congregation seven
out of the nine years he was permitted by God to fill the
place of ruling elder, as no other officer, either elder or
deacon, was elected by the congregation within that time.

The tribulations so often accompanying early childhood
in other fields of human experience were not wanting here
in the life of the infant church ; on the contrary, these first

-111—

years in its history proved to be a trying period indeed,
numerous discouragements, struggles and worry arising
chiefly from inherent local conditions which it was found
impossible to remove or avoid.

The multiple duties and responsibilities of this office,
therefore, were Robert Smiley's, and largely his alone.
Never at best was Ruling Elder Smiley recognized as being
a very robust man, but the contrary ; and being of a nervo-
sanguine temperament, he was earnest, ardent and deter-
mined in his nature, and, as has been said, "in every under-
taking where his heart was, he never could see failure" —
the right man in the right place, unquestionably. The con-
gregation had learned to lean heavily upon him and to hold
his leadership in the highest esteem'. Even now, though
his health was failing, they were loath to make division of
leadership; yet in 182 1, seven years after the beginning,
they did elect two others as ruling elders, James Trimble^
and Michael C. Dunn,^ who, being duly ordained, at once
entered upon their duties.

Ruling Elder Robert Smiley^ was of Celtic ancestry, and
was himself born in Ireland. He was a man of the highest
personal integrity, kind, gentle and optimistic, and constitu-
tionally religious. He commanded the respect and good opin-
ion of all who knew him. Col. Willoughby Williams, writing
in the evening of a long life, said: "Robert Smiley was a
clever Christian gentleman, and one of the best citzens of
the town." And a granddaughter, in a letter dated January
3, 1914, says: "Grandfather was a strict Sabbatarian. He
permitted no work of any kind to be done on the Sabbath
day unless it was absolutely necessary; in his home no
cooking was allowed on that day, even the coffee being
made on Saturday and warmed over on Sunday. . . .
His upright, saintly, godly character has always been a
rich heritage to his descendants."^

*No picture of him obtainable.

^Mrs. George S. Bowling, Clarksville, Tenn.

—112—

Elder 1867-1895.

A. G. Adams,

Founder of the Adams Church.

His health continued to decline, and so far spent now
were his physical powers that during the last twelve to
eighteen months of his official life he was unable to dis-
charge the duties of his office; and on September 15, 1823,
while still in his early manhood — at the age of 40 — he
fell asleep. Today, awaiting the resurrection morn, he lies
buried in the old City Cemetery, on South Cherry Street
(now Fourth Avenue, South), southwest comer of Oak
Street.

For four or five years after its organization the congre-
gation was supplied irregularly — once or twice a month —
with preaching services. The membership at this time has
been estimated to have been about forty-five. In the process
of evolution, however, the little church, as a sturdy oak,
grew slowly but surely in its membership and influence.
About this time or soon afterwards Mrs. Ann Phillips
Grundy, wife of Felix Grundy, one of the active, leading
members of the flock, made a happy suggestion that a church
Sunday school be organized ; this suggestion was adopted
and speedily carried into execution. Thus was provided
an agency of much merit, and one by means of which the
pent-up religious zeal and denominational enthusiasm and
the loyalty of its membership were greatly increased and
intelligently directed. Prominent among the names of
those taking part in the preliminaries looking to a realiza-
tion of this new departure we find those of Ruling Elder
Robert Smiley, Nathaniel A. McNairy and James C. Robin-
son— the last two named being elevated to the eldership,
of the church soon afterwards. Subsequently Ruling Elder
Robinson^ was elected by the session the Superintendent
of the Sunday school.

In 1820 the congregation had sufficient confidence in
itself to make the venture — though at that time the finan-

*No picture of him obtainable.
-113-

8

cial outlook was not very encouraging for such an effort
to be made by it — of employing a pastor, one who would
devote 'his whole time to the work of the church. The step
was taken and the employment of a regular pastor was
continued for the succeeding seven years, when, in the
spring of 1827, a growing invalidism in the pastor. Rev.
Allan Ditchfield Campbell, D.D., necessitated a change. A
second venture was made in the spring of 1828, Rev. Oba-
diah Jennings, D.D., being installed as pastor.

Many discouragements, arising from various causes,
as before stated, had from the beginning beset the path-
way of this struggling little band of earnest Christians,
and their troubles seemed now to increase in strength and
numbers. The health of the second pastor had become im-
paired, and, while the congregation looked and hoped for
his restoration, his condition constantly grew worse. This
fact alone tended greatly to lessen the activities of the
church, and somewhat to dishearten and depress the mem-
bership. He lingered until January 12, 1832, when, after
having served these good people for four years, he passed
to his reward.

Within a little more than two weeks — to be exact, seven-
teen days — after the pastor's death, and while the audi-
torium of the church was still draped in deepest mourn-
ing for him, an accidental fire on January 29, 1832, de-
stroyed the entire church building, with its contents, ex-
cept the altar Bible and hymn book. That courage which is
born of an active, abiding faith in an overruling, all-wise,
merciful God, and which is characteristic of Presbyterians
throughout their history, was here again much in evidence.
Undaunted 'by the scene of wreck and ruin before them and
undismayed by the disaster which had swept away tlie
house where the people of God were wont to gather together,
the Bench of Elders, even before the smoke had blown
away, called a congregational meeting for counsel and in-

— 114-

struction. On Tuesday, January 31 — two days after the
church was burned — the meeting took place in accordance
with the call, being held in "the session house." Much en-
thusiasm prevailed ; good feeling and hopefulness were to
be seen in every face. The zeal of those in attendance is
indicated in the statement that "it was unanimously re-
solved by said meeting to rebuild said church with as little
delay as possible."

The church membership was now one hundred and
sixteen. The population of Nashville had increased consid-
erably— being estimated, conservatively, at six or seven
thousand — and the city was more and more claiming the
attention of the outside world. For six or eight years steam-
boats had plied the Cumberland with increasing frequency,
carrying passengers and freight to Louisville and Pitts-
burgh, on the Ohio, and to New Orleans, on the Missis-
sippi ; stage lines had been established in several directions
to points more or less remote, rendering communication
more frequent and satisfactory ; the stir of an active and
increasing commerce was manifested on every hand, and
all seemed to feel the impetus of in-
creasing prosperity and progress.

The church officials and members
were a unit in the belief that the psycho-
logical moment had arrived when, with
proper effort, Presbyterism in this section
would go forward by leaps and bounds.

THE SECOND CHURCH EDIFICE.

The Bench of Elders at this time con-
sisted of five ruling elders, viz : James
Trimble^ and Michael C. Dunn,^ elected
in 1821 ; Nathaniel A. McNairy and James C. Robinson,^
elected in 1824; Robert H. McEwen, Sr., elected in 1829. In

Nathl. A. McNairy.
Elder 1824-1851.

^No picture of him obtainable.

-115—

arranging for active work, a committee, consisting of Ruling
Elder Robert H. McEwen, Sr., together with eight others
from the most influential members of the congregation, was
appointed to solicit subscriptions; also, at the same time, a
building committee was appointed, viz : Ruling Elder Robert
H. McEwen, Sr., James Woods, James Erwin and Alpha
Kingsley. The latter committee, in organizing, elected James
Woods its Chairman and Alpha Kingsley was made the
collector. The work of rebuilding was promptly begun and
was progressing as rapidly as could reasonably be expected
when, in the early spring of 1833,^ Asiatic cholera — which
but recently, for the first time, had come to America —
appeared in the town, producing panic and demoralizing to
a disastrous degree all religious, social and business affairs,
and causing the death of from one hundred and seventy-
five to two hundred of the inhabitants. The cholera's vic-
tims were mostly from the lower and most improvident
class, yet here and there it reached the higher and more
intelligent ranks as well. Dr. James Roane, a son of Gov-
ernor Achibald Roane, and a physician of rare natural
gifts and much skill, with a wide range of general informa-
tion, and a member of the Presbyterian Church and con-
tributor to its church-rebuilding fund, died of the disease
after only a few hours' sickness. In caring for others,
himself he forgot. Work upon the church building ceased,
of course ; business generally was suspended throughout the
community, and every one became obsessed with the idea
that great personal harm was impending. The community
did not fully recover from this staggering blow for several
years.

After the epidemic had subsided, or nearly so, as for
months afterwards there were sporadic cases of the mal-
ady, and even during the following season of 1834 thirty-
four deaths were reported as resulting from the disease

'Southern Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences, 1853.
-116-

in the town. After much effort the Bench of Elders finally
succeeded in getting the work resumed upon the church
building. While this interruption of three months or more
had retarded the work and greatly confused the plans of
the elders, yet in the late fall of 1833 the church edifice
was completed and dedicated.

The congregation, which in the interim had worshiped
in the Masonic Hall, now began holding services in its new
home.

The church building was a beautiful brick structure of
the Grecian-Doric style, and was said to have been, at that
time, "the finest church edifice in the State and an orna-
ment to the city." Its seating capacity was one thousand,
and the cost of the building and its equipment was in round
numbers $30,000. It had a nicely finished basement, with
the entrance on Summer Street (Fifth Avenue, North), as

now. THE PEWS.

As an aftermath of the cholera visitation, the financial
affairs of the community became greatly disturbed, money
being scarce and difficult to get and collections exceedingly
slow, in many cases impossible. The difficulty or impossi-
bility of making collections was a painful realization to the
office-bearers, who endeavored to collect the subscriptions
on the church building fund. These men were evidently
driven to their wits' end as to what to do to raise the neces-
sary money with which to pay the overdue and pressing
claims for work done. They finally adopted the novel, but
questionable, expedient of selling the pews in the church —
a procedure which we feel sure has been regretted by the
membership of the church up to this good hour, and one
which must continue to disturb the membership until a
final and satisfactory disposition of the matter can be made.
An auction was held in the auditorium, the pews being sold
to the highest bidder, as other property is disposed of, and
a duly signed deed was given to each purchaser. The fol-

-117-

lowing trustees were constituted a commission, clothed

with full authority to conduct such sale and to execute such

deeds: Ruling Elders Nathaniel A. McNairy, James C.

Robinson and Robert H. McEwen, Sr. ; Laymen S. V. D.

Stout and Robert I. Moore, the first named layman being

subsequently elected to the deaconship.

The following is the form of deed, or certificate, used

on this occasion :

The undersigned, trustees of the Presbyterian
Church in the city of Nashville, hereby certify that at
a sale of the pews in said church, which took place

on the day of month, agreeable to

notice, became the purchaser of pew No.

for the sum of dollars, the receipt whereof is

hereby acknowledged. In consideration whereof the

said is entitled to the sole use and occupation

of said pew, to have and to hold the same to himself,
his heirs, executors or assigns forever, for the purpose
of public worship, according to the rules and under the
discipline of the Presbyterian Church, and subject also

to the annual rent of dollars, and conditions of

forfeiture set forth in an ordinance^ of said congrega-
tion bearing date the 20th of August, 1833.

Given under our hand and executed this day

of , 1833.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

Trustees.

"Note — Stated Clery Cowan says that the "ordinance" referred to
in the deeds given to pew purchasers in 1833 has been misplaced,
but that he has often heard from older officers and members of
the Church, now dead, that its purport was: "If the pewholder
failed to pay the annual rent as assessed against a given pew for a
time, and which in amount would equal the sum paid by the original
purchaser, then the pew becomes forfeited to the Church."

-118-

The "conditions of forfeiture" referred to in the clos-
ing clause of the above-quoted bill of sale for the pews sold
in 1833 (and there was never another such sale before, nor
has there been one since that date) loom up large just
here in solving the troublesome question of having free
pews for the congregation. As a matter of fact, not one of
the one hundred and sixty-eight pewholders through the
eighty-one years intervening since the sale occurred, has
strictly complied with the conditions of forfeiture, which
were stated at the time of purchase, and which were fully
understood by each original buyer and seller, and which
to make doubly sure were explicitly referred to in the face
of the deed issued at the time of purchase.

If, therefore, upon careful investigation, this is found
to be substantially true, the way becomes clear for the
church at any time to adopt the free-pew system. In addi-
tion to the above mode provided by the church for repos-
sessing itself, under special conditions, of the pews sold in
1833, and which are located in the main auditorium, some
have adopted the plan of voluntarily donating back to the
church all their vested or supposed interest in any given
pew, and thereby effectually surrendering all claim they
may have had to such.

In the fall of 1803 that high type of a Christian gen-
tleman, Judge John McCormick Lea, did this when he
wrote the Bench of Elders that, "being admonished by in-
creasing infirmities of advancing years that my earthly pil-
grimage is nearing the end, ... I give and surrender
to the officers of the church pew No. 83." For a number
of years, we will add. Judge Lea served the church as one
of its trustees.

The church now entered upon an era of rapid growth
and prosperity the like of which it had not known before.
In the summer of 1833 a new pastor had been secured—
Rev. John Todd Edgar, D.D.— and in the following spring,

-119-

Samuel Seay.
Elder 1834-1843.

1834, to supply a growing need, they elected to the Bench

of Elders the following: Samuel Seay, William Armstrong^

and James Nichol. Ruling Elder James Trimble,^ after

serving three years, had died in 1824.

They also now (1834), for the first time,

and twenty years after the organization

of the church, created for it a Board of

Deacons. The following were elected to

the diaconate: James P. Clark, John M.

Hill, Alexander M. Cassiday and William

Berryhill. Joseph C. Brown at this time

is reported as having been also made a

deacon, but, for some reason, he never

became active in the work.

Two years subsequently, in 1836, it was deemed advisa-
ble to still further increase the number of office-bearers in
the church, Dr. William McNeil being elected a ruling elder
and Dr. A. G. Goodlett^ and S. V. D. Stout being elected
deacons. The membership continuing to increase rapidly
and there being an occasional removal from the city or
death of an ofifice-bearer, thus making a
vacancy, it was thought advisable to in-
crease the number of church officers more
frequently than had been the practice up
to now. Consequently, in 1838, Benjamin
McCulloch^ and William M. Brown^ were
added to the Bench of Elders. Elder W.
M. Brown, the last named, died after
serving only one year. In 1839 there
were two additions to the Bench of
Elders : William Hadley and A. W. Put-
nam. It is worthy of note that Elder Putnam was the Com-
missioner from the First Church to the first Southern Gen-

James Nichol.
Elder 1834-1878.

^No picture of him obtainable.

—120-

Joseph B. O'Brvan^

Deacon 1867-1870. Elder 1870- 1900. In Charge of the Work at the
Edgar Church.

Wm. McNeil, M.D.
Elder 1836- 1844.

eral Assembly (1861), which met in Augusta, Ga., and that
he also served as Stated Clerk of the session for two years.
For twenty-five years up to now (1839) the music in
the church had consisted wholly of con-
gregational singing, the record being sim-
ply that "the clerk, old man Mr. Cardwell,
stood in front of the pulpit to read out
the lines of the hymn and lead the sing-
ing." The officers of the church, how-
ever, at this time feeling the need of bet-
ter and more up-to-date church music,
decided to and did install in the church
a suitable sized pipe organ, locating it in
the north gallery over the main Church
Street entrance to the building. The instrument was for a
time placed under Professor Nash as organist, but later was
under Prof. Francis Neville Boensch, father to the present
Elder Boensch and grandfather of the present Deacon
Boensch. It was, indeed, not only the largest, but also the
sweetest-toned instrument of the kind in the city. The
addition was very popular, both with the
membership and the outside public.

Henry E. Thomas^ was made an elder
in 1840; after serving two years, he re-
moved from the city. In 1844 the in-
crease in the membership had been so
great that the congregation elected the
following as ruling elders : William Wil-
liams,^ John M. Hill, Alexander M, Cas-
siday^ (later he was elected by the ses-
sion Superintendent of the Sunday
school), and Nathaniel Cross. At the same time the follow-
ing were made deacons : Alfred Hume, William Eakin and

William Hadley
Elder 1839-1842.

^No picture of him obtainable.

-121-

Nathaniel Cross.
Elder 1844-1858.
Elder 1862-1866.

Benjamin E. Shepherd. After a term of office, the exact
length of which we are unable to state, Ruling Elder Cassiday
was succeeded by Deacon Hume, he being elected by the ses-
sion Superintendent of the Sunday school.

In 1846 Dr. Richard O. Currey was.
elected ruling elder. In the following
year, however, he moved from the city ;
but in 1850 he returned, when the congre-
gation formally recognized him again as
elder, and he at once reassumed the duties
of the office. The congregation did likewise
with Michael C. Dunn,^ who had left the
town after serving as elder for seven
years, from 1821 to 1828, but who in 1846
again took up his residence in Nashville.

In the spring of 1848, W. B. A. Ramsey was by the
congregation elected to the office of ruling elder, and upon
the day of his election was duly ordained and installed.

SECOND FIRE.

An uneventful summer had rapidly
passed by and the church work for the
fall and winter was taking definite form
in the minds of the more active church
leaders, when, on Thursday, September
14, 1848, the universally admired church
edifice, with all its contents, was burned
to the ground. The "Society House," be
fore referred to, and which had escaped
the fire of 1832, was destroyed by this
second fire. Thus the congregtaion of
the Nashville Presbyterian Church was
for the second time made homeless, and, as before, the fire
was due essentially to the same cause, inexcusable careless-
ness— in the first instance, that of the sexton ; in the last,

R. O. Curry, M.D.
Elder 1846-1847.
Elder 1850-1854.

'No picture of him obtainable.

-122-

that of workmen engaged in repairing the building.
Without delay the Bench of Elders called a congrega-
tional meeting for Saturday, the i6th, two days after the
fire occurred. This meeting was held, according to ap-
pointment, in the First Baptist Church, then on Summer
Street, near Deaderick Street, and which had been kindly
tendered to the congregation for its uses, to consider ways
and means for erecting another church edifice. Ruling Elder
William Williams was made Chairman and Ruling Elder
Nathaniel Cross was elected Secretary. In a series of
resolutions offered and adopted at the meeting, we find "No,
4" to be as follows : "Resolved, That immediately measures
be taken to secure the rebuilding of the church edifice at
the earliest practicable period." A committee to solicit
subscriptions — which was also to act as building committee
— was appointed, consisting of Ruling Elders A. W. Put-
nam and John M. Hill, Deacon William Eakin and the
following leading men of the congregation: Alexander
Allison (then Mayor), John M. Bass, Samuel D. Morgan,
William Nichol and O. B. Hayes. Rev. Dr. John Todd
Edgar was added ex officio. The committee elected John
M. Bass, Chairman, and Ruling Elder Nathaniel Cross,
Secretary.

Architectural design of the building and plans in detail
for construction were promptly obtained and adopted and
the work of rebuilding went rapidly and smoothly forward.
All the debris had been cleared away, the stone foundation
for the new edifice had been rebuilt in great measure, and
on April 28, 1849, seven months from the date of the fire,
and in the presence of a large assemblage of the best people
of the church and the city, the corner stone was laid with
a not very elaborate but exceedingly impressive ceremony.
The officers of the church had carried upon the main build-
ing a fire insurance policy for $8,000.^ This was promptly

^Nashville Whig, September 14, 18-
-123-

collected, and subscriptions for the remainder required to
carry out the architectural plans as adopted were liberally
made, and in due time paid.

Concurrent with the events above recited the steamer
"Caroline Watkins," from New Orleans, arrived at the city
wharf, and in coming up the river there had developed on
board some eight or ten cases of cholera. Through "Black
Bottom" the disease soon got a foothold upon the town, and
Nashville again had an epidemic of Asiatic cholera to deal
with. Most of those who were able left the city. Thus
panic and general demoralization along all branches of
human effort for the time being prevailed in the town.
Work upon the church building was suspended. Through
the succeeding eight or ten weeks Nashville lost from fifty
to seventy-five of her people from cholera, the disease being
virtually restricted to the lowest and most indigent class
of the community.

This second visitation was much milder than that of
sixteen years before, and the disturbance to the trade and
traffic of the city was not so prolonged nor damaging in
the aggregate as in the first instance.

Work was resumed upon the church building as soon
as it was possible to secure workmen, and among the first
days of the new year, 1850, the edifice was sufficiently near
completion to warrant the congregation in moving from the
Masonic Hall, where they had held their religious services,
into the lecture room of the new church.

In the spring of the following year, 185 1, the entire
edifice was completed and furnished at an outlay of forty-
eight thousand dollars. As yet the organ had not been
negotiated for. Congregational singing was again resumed
and continued for the succeeding ten years. Mr. G. Addi-
ton is referred to in the record as being "the church
chorister" who led the singing. After a time a correspond-
ence was begim by Mr. Charles F. Thurston, a member of
the music committee, with the several leading organ build-

-124-

ers in the country, looking to obtaining for the church a
suitable sized pipe organ. This resulted finally in securing
a much larger instrument than it had had before and one of
greatly increased musical power and expression. This
organ was installed during July, 1858, at a cost of
$3,000, and was located back of the pulpit, in the south
end of the church, as now, and was placed under the con-
trol of Prof. Henri Weber as organist. In 1912 the im-
provement of the instrumental music of the church was
again urged, the old organ, from fifty-six years' use, having
become much worn and out of repair, besides being out of
date in many of its music-producing features. A change
was finally determined upon and a magnificent, up-to-date
pipe organ was secured at a cost of $10,000. This organ
was installed on September i, 1913.

The church building was dedicated to God with much
"pomp and circumstance" on Easter Sunday of 1851, and
for sixty-three years it has been occupied as a church home
of an active, aggressive, prosperous Christian people. (A
minute description of this edifice having already been
printed in the Bunting Church Manual of 1868, it is
thought unnecessary to describe it here.)

In the Manual of 1868 it is stated that "the front
(Church Street front) never having been completed, pre-
sents an unfinished appearance. This was carefully com-
pleted in conformity with the original design in 1880, and
now the church edifice stands out before the public in a
strong, distinctive, striking individuality among all the
churches of the city. The suggestion has been made, and
indeed urged, by some short-lived iconoclasts that this
feature or that be changed, but it is quite gratifying to note
the fact that, up to now, after half a century and more
of use, barring the work done upon the front alluded to
above, it is unaltered and unchanged in any essential feature
from what it was when it came from the hands of its build-

-125-

Wm. B. A. Ramsey.
Elder 1848-18^8.

ers. May every succeeding centennial through the coming

ages find it as now!

Since 1833 the number of the church's communicants
had decidedly increased, and now they
numbered three hundred and fifty-seven
— an increase of 208 per cent. Nash-
ville also had grown from a small town
to the dimensions of a prosperous, thriv-
ing city, with a population of approxi-
mately twenty-five thousand, and many
believed from the indications then exist-
ing that in the near future it would be-
come one of the important nerve centers
of the country.

FIRE AND PESTILENCE.

A congregation having tO' face the dire destruction of
its church building by fire, as this one did, and at the same
time having to contend with an epidemic of Asiatic cholera
— and this, too, to be gone through with on two different
occasions, with an interval of near twenty years between
the two — is certainly a most interesting and striking coin-
cidence, if no more.

From a religious point of view, it is
believed, it demands serious and prayer-
ful study, that its lessons may be fully
recognized and heeded, not passed over
lightly and forgotten. That the officers
of the church and the members of the
congregation generally recognize the un-
usual significance in this special provi-
dence is quite clear, as at one of the ear-
liest meetings had after the second fire the
following resolution was unanimously adopted : "That, rec-
ognizing the hand of God in all that befalls us, and acknowl-
edging as a church and as individuals we merited his Father-

John Thompson.
Elder 1853-1860.

-126

ly chastisements, it becomes us to make a wise improvement
of the dispensation that has convened us together, to give
more diligent heed in the future to the public and private
means of grace, and thus to humble our-
selves under the mighty hand of God, that
He may exalt us in due time." The sub-
sequent history of these good people
gives ample evidence that a profound in-
fluence for good was the looked-for effect
of this second visitation of fire and pes-
tilence. The horizon of the congregation
was broadened and otherwise enlarged

A^

m

and a more active and enlighteend zeal

Wm. O'N. Perkins.
Elder 1858-1864.

was aroused for the Master's work.

In due course of time several missions were considered
and planned for different localities of the city and other
laudable work for those on the outside of the congregation
was carefully thought out, and, where found feasible, was
carried out. The women of the church organized several
new societies, with the object and purpose of helping the
poor and needy; and, in addition, in a
number of instances, they detailed one or
more of their number as representatives
to other church and union organizations
in the city that through a united effort
the greatest good could be brought to the
greatest number. Like the phoenix, the
sacred bird of old which came periodically
out of ancient Arabia to Heliopolis, and
there burned itself upon the altar, the
congregation speedily rose from its ashes,
even younger and more beautiful than
before, more consecrated, more active and more potential
in all church activities than at any time in its previous
history.

William S. Eakin.

Deacon 1858-1860.

Elder 1860-1872.

■127—

Rev. Wm. Bryce

Thompson.

Deacon 1860-1865.

Elder 1867-1876.

The Bench of Elders determined to recommend to the
congregation the enlarging of the diaconate of the cliurch
by the addition of at least five. This recommendation re-
ceived the concurrence of the congrega-
tion, the following being elected deacons
in 1850: Daniel F. Carter, G. M. D.
Cantrell, James Gould, William K. Hunt-
er and Robert Lusk, Sr. In 1852, James
Anderson,^ who had been a ruling elder
in the Hermitage Church, removed to the
city, was recognized by the congregation
as a ruling elder, and at once entered
upon the duties of the office. In the fol-
lowing year, 1853, John Thompson, of
Ellicott's Mills, Md., came to Nashville
to live, and, having been a ruling elder in the church
at that place, he, too, was recognized by the congregation
and took his place upon the Bench of Elders. In the
fall of the same year he was elected by the session Su-
perintendent of the Sunday school, and continued as such
for the succeeding seven years, until the
spring of i860, when he returned to
Maryland. In 1854 William Stewart was
elected to the diaconate. William O'Neil
Perkins had been an elder in the Presby-
terian Church at Franklin, Tenn., and
now, having removed to Nashville, was
recognized as an elder and became active
as such in 1858. At the same time Wil-
liam S. Eakin was made a deacon. Two ^'i','!'" ^-^^^p^rd.

Jtlder 1867-1870.

years later, in i860, the following were

elected elders: Dr. Paul F. Eve, Sr., Donald Cameron,^

'No picture of him obtainable.

-128-

Bradford Nichol,

Deacon 1867-1914. I'^Ider 1914. Leader in the Work Resulting in the
Cottage Church.

C. A. R. Thompson.

Deacon 186,^-1870.

Elder 1870-1873.

Daniel F. Carter and William S. Eakin, the last two being
raised from the Board of Deacons.

N. Davidson Cross was made a deacon in 1861. In
1862, Prof. Nathaniel Cross, W. Bryce
Thompson and H. Hill McAlister were
elected deacons. Andrew J. Smith was
made a deacon in 1865. In 1867, W. B.
Shapard, A. G. Adams and J. M. Hamil-
ton, who had been ruling elders in the
Second Presbyterian Church, but had
withdrawn from that church and had been
readmitted to membership in this church,
were by the congregation recognized as
elders and at once entered upon their
duties as such. At the same time Dr.
Joseph Jones,^ C. N. Ordway,^ H. Hill McAlister, W.
Bryce Thompson and E. B. McQanahan^ were elected
elders, and the following were made deacons : C.
A. R. Thompson, William Henry Smith, R. G. Throne,
Bradford Nichol, Sr., Joseph B. O'Bryan and J. Douglas
Cross. In 1868 death removed from the
Bench of Elders one of its oldest and most
efficient members. Col. Robert H. Mc-
Ewen, who for nearly forty years had
actively served the church as ruling elder,
having been elected in 1829, in the second
election held by the congregation after
its organization, in 1814. He was a na-
tive Tennessean, having been born in
Joncsboro in 1790, and he came to Nash-
ville from Fayetteville in 1828. He was
a pronounced Presbyterian, and his distinguishing character-
istic was promptness and punctuality in the observance of
all the ordinances of the house of God. Though a man of

John C. Gordon.
Elder 1873-1898.

^No picture of him obtainable.
—129-

M. Safford, Ph.D.
Elder 1875-1901.

decided convictions, he was never intolerant. Possessing
great energy and force of character, he was public-spirited
and a wise and prudent counselor. He was a business man,
attorney, soldier. In the Creek War he
volunteered, at 22 years of age, under
Gen. Andrew Jackson, and was in com-
mand of a regiment in the battles of
Horseshoe Bend and Talladega. He was
the Stated Clerk of the session for thirty-
five years. After a lingering illness, he
died on January 12, 1868, at the ripe old
age of 78.

In 1870 four elders and five deacons
were elected as follows: William Henry
Smith,^ Charles A. R. Thompson and Joseph B. O'Bryan
were elevated from the diaconate to the Bench of Elders;
Dr. Paul F. Eve, Sr., who had removed from the city the
year before, but had now returned, was reinstated in the
eldership; William C. Collier, William D. Kline, George
G. O'Bryan, Edgar Jones and Frank Porterfield were added
to the Board of Deacons. In 1873, Dr. John R. Buist^ was
elected elder, as were also A. W. Ferine,^
who removed from the city within the
next year; Robert S. Cowan, who is still
acting, having been one of the three trus-
tees of the John M. Hill Fund since 1895,
and continuously Stated Clerk of the ses-
sion since 1876; John C. Gordon, who left
the city in 1898, and Robert G. Throne
and J. Douglas Cross, who were elevated
from the diaconate. The following were
made deacons : John Hill Eakin, John
Thompson Plunket, Wilbur F. Foster, Henrv Sperry, Byrd
Douglas, Thomas H. Maney and A. Hume Lusk. In 1875,

'No picture of him obtainable.

-130—

Baxter Smith.
Elder 1881-1890.

J. Douglas Cross.

Deacon 1867-1873.

Elder 1873-1876.

James M. Safford, Ph.D., James M. Sinclair^ and Henry C.
Shapard were made ruling elders. In 1876, J. McGavock
Dickinson, James H. Wilks, H. Bruce Cochran and L. T.
Webb were made deacons. In 1881, Bax-
ter Smith was added to the Bench of
Elders, and Joseph H. Thompson was
elected deacon. Five were elected dea-
cons in 1886: Dr. Paul F. Eve, Jr., A.
Gillespie Adams, Jr., Harry A. Myers,
Robert Rodes and William M. Magill.
In 1892, W. H. Raymond, Sr., and W. O.
Eastin were elected ruling elders ; C. B.
Glenn, who had been an elder in the First
Cumberland Church of this city, was rec-
ognized as elder by the congregation, and
Dr. Paul F. Eve, Jr., was raised from the diaconate to
the office of elder. In 1896, John D. Blanton, LL.D.,
and W. Gales Adams were elected ruling elders ; Joseph H.
Thompson, A. G. Adams and Wilbur F. Foster were ele-
vated from the diaconate to the Bench of
Elders, and Clarence B. Wallace, Frank
N. Boensch, Sr., Wyatt T. Abernathy
(who died August 2.^, 1914), and E. P.
Bronson were made deacons.

SPIRIT-TWINS.

For the Bench of Elders to lose
within a period of twenty-eight days two
of its most zealous and active members,
Adam Gillespie Adams and James Mc-
Clung Hamilton, was a decided shock to
the members of the church. That providence had had the
planning of these two lives, and in a special sense, is mani-
festly true. Both of them were of Scotch ancestry. The

Henry C. Shapard.
Elder 1875-1877.

'No picture of him obtainable.

131-

one came here from County Tyrone, Ireland ; the other from
Logan County, Kentucky. At the age of 15 the one
joined the Burney Presbyterian Church, a little coun-
tryside chapel near Strabane, where he was born on July
12, 1820; at the age of 12 the other joined the Pres-
byterian Church at Russellville, at which village he was
born on September 5, 182 1. Together they joined the First
Presbyterian Church here on October 24, 1840; as yoke-fel-
lows they organized the Sunday school, which later, in 1842.
evolved into the Second Presbyterian Church of Nashville;
together they were made ruling elders in that church and
for twenty-five years they together largely shaped its work;
together, for cause, they returned to the mother church on
May 5, 1867, as before stated, and together they were recog-
nized as elders by the congregation, and together they at
once took places upon the Bench of Elders.

The one was elected by the session Superintendent of the
Sunday school, which position he was annually reelected to
and which he held continuously for twenty-nine years, up
to his death ; while the other became an efficient teacher in
the same Sunday school, continuing in that capacity to the
end of his days. The one died, at the age of 75, on March
31, 1895; the other, at the age of 74, on April 27, 1895.
Even in death they scarcely were separated, for, while the
one suddenly passed to his reward on the last day of the
month, the other lingered a few days into the succeeding
month, and then — who will doubt it? — together they passed
through the pearly gate, and today together, as spirit-twins,
they are walking the golden streets of the Celestial City,
conscious of having each given gladly fifty-five years of
loyal, active service to the Master while upon earth. As
exhaustive biographies of these two eminently religious
and unusual men are now in print, it is thought that this
resume will be sufficient here.

In 1899, Dr. James D. Plunket was elected an elder;

— 132—

W. O. Eastin.
Elder 1892-1904.

Byrd Douglas, Clarence B. Wallace and E. P. Bronson were

raised from the diaconate to the eldership, and John A.

McEwen, Dr. William Bailey, J. D. Jacobs, Dr. Matthew

G. Buckner, Edgar M. Foster, Duncan

McKay, W. D. Witherspoon and John

Irvine Armstrong were made deacons.

Ruling Elder Joseph Branch O'Bryan
was a native Tennessean, having been
born at Franklin, Williamson County, on
November 2, 1838. Soon after reach-
ing adolescence he came to Nashville and
began commercial life. At 16 he joined
the First Presbyterian Church. In 1867,
two years after returning from the war
between the States, he was elected by the congregation to
the diaconate. Here he served for three years, until 1870,
when he was elevated to the Bench of Elders, and for thirty
years he was active in the duties of the office of elder. His
church occupied a large place in his thoughts and life. From
his earliest youth he was religiously inclined and never had
any "wild oats" to sow. He was a man
of the highest personal integrity, having a
positive cast of character, being frank,
outspoken and direct. He thought clearly
and acted energetically and courageously.
Possessing great will power, he was essen-
tially a man of results, though never os-
tentatious in his methods. He was a just
man, and, withal, a man with the tender-
est heart, yet he never permitted his sym-
pathies to subvert his judgment. After a
brief illness he passed to his final reward
at the age of 62, as the shadows began to gather for the
night on March 17, 1900.

In 1901, John C. Kennedy, John B. Garrett, C. C. Fos-

E. P. Bronson.

Deacon 1896- 1899

Elder 1899-1904.

—133—

Wyatt T. Abernathy, dcaCOnS
Deacon 1896- 1904.
Elder 1904-1914.

ter, T. G. Tinsley and E. W. Foster were elected members
of the Board of Deacons.

In 1904, Frank N. Boensch, Sr., Wyatt T, Abernathy,
Dr. Matthew G. Buckner, Duncan Mc-
Kay and Dr. William Bailey were ele-
vated from the diaconate to the elder-
ship, and Robert T. Hopkins, George M.
White, John P. W. Brown, Charles S.
Caldwell, Dr. D. R. Stubblefield, Thomas
P. Kennedy and Dr. John A. Wither-
spoon were made deacons.

In 191 1 the following were elected
Charles E. Cooper, Lee Doug-
las, Verner Moore Lewis, William Win-
ter Lyon, A. Tillman Jones and Jacob
W. Brown.

In 1913, Bradford Nichol, Sr., William C. Collier and
Henry Sperry were raised from the diaconate to the Bench
of Elders ; George W. Killebrew was elected an elder, and
Dr. McPheeters Glasgow, Lemuel R. Campbell, William
Simpson, E. A. Ruddiman, W. Ridley Wills, J. C. Lucus
and Frank Boensch, Jr., were made deacons.

THE TABLES.

As a ready reference chart we have prepared the two
tables which appear below. The first table has to do with
the eldership, the other with the deaconship, and together
they give all the office-bearers the church has had through
the one hundred years ending November 14, 1914. At a
glance under the headings of the different columns one can
see, beginning on the left and reading to the right, in the
first column, the name of every individual ruling elder who
has actively served the church within the century; in the
next column, the total service in years he as elder has ren-
dered the church up to this time; in the next column, the

-134-

total years' service he as deacon has given the church; in
another column is given the date of such service the indi-
vidual rendered as trustee; in another, as Stated Clerk of
the session ; in another is given the date of his removal from
the city, if he has removed; in another, date of death, if
dead — that is, the date is given if it has been possible to as-
certain it; in another, if living, such fact is so indicated
under the heading, "Remarks." Where an elder has come
up from the diaconate, it is so stated, and the length of
service such office-bearer rendered as deacon is given, and
then it is embraced in his record of total service.

In this table the elders are graded according to the
length of service rendered, and not alphabetically as to
name or date of commission. Thus those serving the great-
est number of years are given first place, and so on down
the line to those who have served the shortest length of
time.

The second table is similarly arranged in regard to the
deacons which the church has had through the century, and
along the lines above indicated, and is also self-explana-
tory.

-135-

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—136—

Rev. Thomas Vekner Mookk, D.D.

Pastor 1868-1871.

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-141—

You will find in Table No. i that from its organiza-
tion to this time the church had been served by seventy-
one ruling elders, forty-five of whom were chosen direct
from the membership, while the remaining twenty-six were
raised from the diaconate. These ruling elders, together,
have given the congregation a grand total of twelve hun-
dred and twenty-five years of service, or an average of
seventeen years plus per individual.

From Table No. 2 you will see that fifty-nine individuals
have served the church only as deacons through the same
period, which gives a grand total of five hundred and ninety-
six years of service they have rendered, or an average of ten
years plus for each person.

There have been seven elders who have served 40 years
and over to 50 ; six elders who have served 30 years and over
to 40; eleven elders who have served 20 years and over to
30 ; twenty elders who have served 10 years and over to 20 ;
twenty-seven elders who have served i year and over to 10.

There have been three deacons who have served 30 years
and over to 40; five deacons who have served 20 years and
over to 30; twenty deacons who have served 10 years and
over to 20; thirty-one deacons who have served i year and
over to 10.

There have been twenty elders and five deacons who
have served over twenty-five years each. Of this number
ten elders are now living, but only one deacon.

From the eldership two have heard the call to minister
in spiritual things, and at the proper time were duly or-
dained ministers in the Presbyterian Church. Richard
Owen Currey, educator, chemist. State geologist, physician.
Confederate surgeon and editor, was ordained in 1857. So
far as we have been able to ascertain he never became the
pastor of any particular church, but frequently preached
at irregular times and at different places. He died in his
forty-ninth year, at Salisbury, N. C, on February 17, 1865.

—142—

Rev. J. Thompson

Plunket, D.D.
Deacon 1873-1881.

William Bryce Thompson, an educator, was ordained by
Nashville Presbytery at its fall meeting on October 17,
1875. For a time he had charge of four country churches
near Nashville, preaching at one of them
each Sunday of the month. Afterwards
he became pastor of Harpeth Presbyte-
rian Church, in Williamson County, and
Shiloh Presbyterian Church, in Sumner
County. While pastor of these churches
he would return and preach on Sunday
nights at the Cottage Presyterian Church,
in Nashville He was later called to two
churches, one at Decherd, Tenn., and the
other at Wartrace, Tenn. His health
failing here, his physician sent him to
Mobile, Alabama, for recuperation, but he grew worse
and finally died there on April 23, 1882. He had
served the First Presbyterian Church nine years , as
elder and five as deacon — a total of fourteen years; he
was also Stated Clerk of the session continuously for seven
years and Superintendent of the Sunday
school for seven years from i860 to 1867.
Two from the diaconate have also
become ministers in the church. John
Thompson Plunket, after serving the
church for eight years as deacon and fin-
ishing the prescribed course in the The-
ological Seminary, Columbia, S. C, was
ordained a minister by the Nashville Pres-
bytery on May 15, 1881. He at once
became the pastor of the Steele Creek
Presbyterian Church, Steele Creek, N. C,
where*"Tie remained for more than two years. In Septem-
ber, 1882, he was called to the Madison Avenue Church, Cov-
ington, Ky., remaining there during the six succeeding

Rev. John Irvine

Armstrong.
Deacon 1899-1904.

-143-

years. Then of Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church,
Detroit, Mich., he was pastor two years. The winters there
proving too severe for him, he accepted a call to the First
Presbyterian Church, Augusta, Ga., where he continued for
nineteen years and over, when he became pastor of the
Highland Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Ala. Here he
remained for three and a half years. After delivering a
sermon in that church on Sunday morning, November lo,
1912, from the text, "And we all do fade as a leaf" (Isaiah
64:6), he hurried home, two blocks away, and, as he entered
his front hall he fell to rise no more; "for he was not, as
God took him" — at the age of 58. He was made Moderator
of the General Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian
Church at its meeting held in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1905.

John Irvine Armstrong, educator and editor. He served
the church as deacon for five years, when he as minister
was ordained in October, 1906, and soon afterward became
pastor of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, near Atlanta,
Ga., continuing there for seven years.

While, as a body of church officers, they easily compare
favorably with similar bodies elsewhere, and, indeed, aver-
age much above men as one meets men every day, yet the
tendency of human nature to commit sin is proverbial, and,
therefore, they claim in this respect to be no exception.
The record for the century supplies only two glaring in-
stances of flagrant sin occurring among the office-bearers
of the church. The one in the case of an elder, the other
of a deacon. The session suspended both of them from all
official duties and as members of the church, also,

COLONIES FORMED.

The first twenty-five years of the life of the First Pres-
byterian Church was largely consumed in making its own
foundations solid and in studying the details of its own
development and growth; the last seventy-five years of its
century of existence, particularly the period between 1840-

-144—

Ri:v. TTknry J. Van Dykk, D.D.,

r.'istor 1872.

IQOO, was one of expansion — the establishing of other Pres-
byterian churches in and near Nashville. During this period
there have been sent out from this church no less than nine
different colonies for this purpose, and virtually every time
such a colony has gone forth one or more ruling elders of
the church have been its leaders. Usually, as a forerunner,
a Sunday school was organized in the locality, as was done
in 1840, by A. G. Adams, J. AI. Hamilton, Charles A. R.
Thompson and others, in what was then known as "Haynes'
Warehouse," located on North Market Street below the
Public Square. This effort proved so successful that at
the end of nearly three years, in 1843, there was formed
in the First Church a colony under the leadership of Ruling
Elder Samuel Seay, with the assistance of A. G. Adams,
James M. Hamilton, Charles A. R. Thompson, Alpha Kings-
ley and others, to go into that section of the town and
organize what was called "the Second Presbyterian Church."
This proved to be a most happy venture, as the church pros-
pered in a high degree through the following twenty years.
Then its prosperity was interrupted by the desolating and
distracting Civil War, whose pall hung heavy over the en-
tire country, demoralizing the affairs of the church no less
than those of the State. On May 4, 1867, the leading
spirits among the officers and members of the Second
Church who had sympathized with the Confederates in the
war, recently ended, petitioned the session to be allowed
to return to the mother church, setting forth their reasons
for so acting in a written paper from which we extract
the following: "That the Second Presbyterian Church of
Nashville was taken possession of by a minority of the
ruling elders (two out of six being Federal sympathizers)
under United States military authority in 1862, and it had
ever since been held and used by said minority." It is not
necessary to say that they were most cordially welcomed
back home. In 1902 the property of the Second Presby-

—145-

10

terian Church was sold and the officers moved the organi-
zation to North Nashville, where, on the corner of Monroe
Street and Ninth Avenue, they erected a modern brick
edifice, in which services are now regularly held. When the
Second Church determined to make this move the Edgar
Church, not far from the new location of the Second
Church, decided to join with that congregation. The two
congregations were, therefore, merged.

In 1854, Ruling Elder A. W. Putnam, assisted by Dea-
cons William K Hunter and Alfred Hume, established and
maintained for a number of years a mission Sunday school
near the southern terminus of Bass Street, on Stevenson
Street, in Southwest Nashville The social conditions occa-
sioned by the Civil War rendered it necessary to suspend
the Sunday school during the period of conflict, but in the
summer of 1865, the war then being ended, it was reestab-
lished in almost the same locality it had before occupied.
The average attendance was nearly seventy-five. In 1891
a colony from the First Church was formed, with Ruling
Elder H. Hill McAlister as leader, assisted by Deacons
Bradford Nichol, Sr., Byrd Douglas, William C. Collier
and others as teachers in the Sunday school and otherwise.
Fifty-six members signed a petition to the session asking
to be dismissed from the First Church to thus go and or-
ganize regularly what was called "the Cottage Presbyterian
Church." Through the twenty-three years since elapsing
this church has had seasons of great discouragement, but
the present outlook is bright — the congregation now wor-
shiping in a comfortable brick church building, being free
from debt and owning a nice manse next door to the churc'h.

The Bench of Elders, being fully conscious of the loss
the First Church would sustain in the leaving of Ruling
Elder McAlister, by resolution gave expression of their
loss, stating that he had been an officer in the First Church
for more than thirty years, during which time he had "uni-

— 146—

formly reflected a consistency, fidelity, self-sacrificing zeal
for God, and a cordial fraternity of spirit toward every
member of this session." It may be truly said that his life
abounded in good words and works.

On May 7, 1858, another colony was formed in the
First Church, and in this instance the leaders were Ruling
Elders W. B. A. Ramsey and Nathaniel Cross, who set
forth in their petition to the session for dismissal "that
in their opinion the interests of religion in general and
Presbyterianism in particular would be greatly promoted
by the establishment of a Presbyterian Church in Edge-
field." They went forth charged with the realization of
this opinion. Unexpected discouragements, however, soon
began to beset their pathway. Within a few months after
arriving in their chosen field they lost by death their most
enthusiastic leader, W. B. A. Ramsey, and many minor
difficulties arose and speedily took definite form ; but what
proved to be the most serious, at least for a time, was the
fact that there began an era of a deep-rooted, far-reaching,
bitter political excitement over the entire country, which
three years later culminated in a fierce, unparalleled Civil
War, lasting from 1861 to 1865. The young men entered
the army, incomes were greatly cut down or wholly swept
away, society faced a condition close to chaos, and for the
greater part of this period Nashville was but a military
camp, and that, too, in the hands of the enemy's troops. A
prominent member of the church, writing just after the close
of the war, says: "So uncertain is the condition of our
church, dispersed as it has been for the past two years, and
so reduced in circumstances are our members, that we would
now hesitate about assuming any kind of obligation." How-
ever, with a faith and energy born of desperation, as it were,
the congregation, as he further states, "considering it to be
our duty," resolved "to go forward, trusting to the Great
Head of the church to bless us and crown our efforts with

—147—

success." As a consequence they today occupy a spacious,
handsomely designed, splendid brick edifice, having all mod-
ern improvements, located on the south side of Woodland
Street, near Sixth Street, and are entirely free from debt.

In February, 1869, Ruling Elder Jos.' B. O'Bryan or-
ganized and became Superintendent of a mission Sunday
school in the district school building located near the plant
of the Tennessee Manufacturing Company, in North Nash-
ville. R. S. Cowan was later made Assistant Superintendent
of the Sunday school. From the beginning the attendance
was large, averaging from one hundred and fifty to one
hundred and seventy-five. It was not long until there was
a definite demand that preaching services also be provided
for, so Rev. A. H. Price was employed to preach here
on each Sunday and to canvass and visit the contiguous
territory through the week. Through voluntary subscrip-
tions a building suitable for chapel services as well was
erected in 1871, two years after the organization of the
church, and in the succeeding years many were received
into the church. On Sunday afternoon, May 30, 1886, a
more complete church organization was effected and the
name "the Edgar Presbyterian Church" adopted. On May
28, two days before this, there had been presented to the
First Church session a petition, bearing the signatures of
one hundred and eighty-three members, asking dismissal
to this new church. This church had a distinct clientele and
accomplished a distinctive work in the social and religious
life of the mill employes of its locality. As before stated,
the Edgar Presbyterian Church was merged with the
Second Presbyterian Church in April, 1902, when that
organization moved from North College Street (Third
Avenue, North) to its present site.

In 1866, Ruling Elder William Bryce Thompson or-
ganized a Sunday school in South Nashville, the place of
organization and meeting being the basement of an old

■148-

brick building- on the northwest corner of South College
Street (now Third Avenue, South) and Mulberry Street,
known as the Gun Factory. This was continued regularly
each Sabbath up to 1879, when it was deemed advisable
to organize the Sunday school into a church, which was
done, and the new church was named "Westminster." A
lot at the s. e. corner of South College and Ash Streets was
secured, and upon this there was erected a handsome brick
church building, with a seating capacity of nearly five
hundred. After a time discouragements, both minor and
major, began to appear in the pathway of this young or-
ganization. What was regarded as the most serious of
these was the finding, even at the outset, that the field was
too restricted, and as time went on it became more and
more so, several other denominations having built their
churches within a radius of a block or so of Westmin-
ster, as a natural consequence of which all were made to
suffer and languish. After more than a quarter of a cen-
tury's faithful effort, a congregational meeting was held
on November 26, 1905, the situation was carefully and
prayerfully considered, and there was finally adopted a
resolution from which the following is an extract : "That
in view of the inability of the church, on account of its
small membership, and there being only a few of such mem-
bership who regularly attend upon the ordinances or en-
gage in the work of the church, the Board of Directors of
our church, by its President, is hereby instructed to trans-
fer and convey in fee simple to the trustees of the First
Presbyterian Church the church building" and all other
assets of the Westminster Church.

Thus was discontinued for the time being all effort to
advance Presbyterianism in that locality. Most of the
members joined the First Church, and the sessional records,
etc., were turned over to the Stated Clerk of the First
Church for safekeeping.

-149-

In 1873 there was formed and sent out from the First
Presbyterian Church a similar colony to organize in the
western section of Nashville what it had been decided
to call the "Moore Memorial Church," this name having
been given the new church in memory of .one of the most
beloved pastors the First Church had ever had — Rev,
Thomas Verner Moore, D.D., who died on August 5, 1871.
This colony had as its leaders Ruling Elders Charles A. R.
Thompson and William Henry Smith, assisted by Deacons
George G. O'Bryan and Edgar Jones. The church erected
by them was a very handsome brick structure, located
on West Broad Street, nearly opposite the southern ter-
minus of Tenth Avenue. It was dedicated on March 23,
1874, and truly God has blessed the planting of this vine
in his vineyard, for from the very outset it has steadily
flourished, and today stands as one of the leading Presby-
terian churches in the city.

On August 4, 1888, in the second story of a brick resi-
dence on Clay Street, near Jefferson Street, Ruling Elder
Joseph B. O'Bryan organized a mission Sunday school
with thirty-nine pupils. By December 3, 1889, it had grown
rapidly, the enrollment being two hundred. The session
of the First Church determined to give this new Sunday
school close attention, and to that end a committee consisting
of Ruling Elders A. G. Adams and Joseph B. O'Bryan and
Deacon John Hill Eakin, was appointed to take charge of
and look after the affairs of the mission. The interest and
attendance continuing to increase, the committee in charge
recommended the organization of a church and the erection
of a church edifice. Tliis recommendation was approved by
the congregation, and on Sunday afternoon, February 23,
1890, a nice, suitably arranged frame building, named "A.
G. Adams Church," and located on the west side of Clay
Street (now Twelfth Avenue), nearly two blocks south of
Jefferson Street, was dedicated to the worship of God. The

-150-

lot was bought by the First Church at a cost of $i,ooo, and
the building, including the infant class-room, costing $2,500,
was donated by Elder Adams. This church is continuing
to do good work among its people and in the northern sec-
tion of the city.

On May 4, 1890, Ruling Elder Baxter Smith and four-
teen other members of the First Church obtained letters
of dismissal from the session to go out to Waverly Place,
then a southwestern suburb, and organize Glen Leven Pres-
byterian Church,^ the building to be located on Douglas
Avenue. A Presbyterian Sunday school had been organized
in that neighborhood nearly twelve months before this time,
and this Sunday school accomplished much in attracting
public attention throughout that locality and otherwise aid-
ing in adding to the membership of the newly organized
church. The Sunday school was transplanted to the church
building as soon as it was completed. It is a handsome
brick edifice of modest but tasteful design, substantial in
general character, and well located upon a capacious lot.
This church at once entered upon a career of manifest
usefulness and prosperity.

In 1899, Ruling Elders Byrd Douglas and Joseph B.
O'Bryan organized a Sunday school in West Nashville,
then called "New Town," aided by Mr. Mark R. Cockrill,
whose home is in that section of the city. In 1900 a
suitable brick Sunday school building, facing west, was
erected on Forty-seventh Avenue, the front end of the
lot (which faces south on Charlotte Avenue) being
reserved for a handsome brick church, which it is
the purpose of the congregation to build. Arrange-
ments are now being perfected looking to the earlv
erection of this building, which will be up-to-date in every
essential. The average attendance upon the Sunday school
now is something over one hundred. The Sunday school

^Sessional Records, Vol. V, p. 243.

-151-

building was so constructed that it might also be used for
chapel services, and has been so used up to this time. It was
dedicated on April 27, 1902. The membership of this
church now numbers one hundred and thirty-eight.

SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Many have found it difficult to understand the grounds
for the opposition which arose in Nashville to the first in-
troduction and establishment of the Sunday school by
Mrs. Felix Grundy, a member of this church, and others,
in 1820. This opposition became quite pronounced — indeed,
acrimonious on the part of a few. Such a contro-
versy, and upon the same issue, largely, had been going on
for some time in England, Raving been begun there when
Robert Raikes, "the Gloucester philanthropist," as he was
called, first attempted to establish a similar form of Sunday
school in his own town. The feeling engendered by the
controversy between the Sabbatarian and the liberal became
bitter both there and here, and for many years the effects
of the controversy were in evidence. The Sabbatarian was
unable to view the matter in any light other than, in its
last analysis, as an effort to establish and conduct a day
school, as we now know such, in large measure, upon the
Sabbath day, since the curriculum at first adopted both in
England and in Nashville was not much else than the
teaching practically of the two R's — "reading and 'riting" —
and that, too, upon the Sabbath day, and, where possible, in
the church edifice itself. As time wore on, however, the
curriculum was modified, the secular features being grad-
ually eliminated, and the religious and moral — Bible and
catechism — being given greater prominence and emphasis.
Then the opposition, while not entirely removed, gradually
relaxed and was much less in evidence. That this opposition
was still sufficient to require consideration is shown in the
fact that twelve years after the Sunday school controversy
began in Nashville, and when the first church edifice lay

—152-

^

n

X

in ruins from a disastrous fire, the church officers, in plan-
ning for its reconstruction, felt the necessity of making a
frank declaration of the congregation's position as to the
future holding of these semi-religious Sabbath schools in
an edifice dedicated to God and public worship, so that, in
soliciting subscriptions from the general public, the solicitors
might reassure any one who should decline to subscribe
because of the presence then or thereafter of such an or-
ganization in the church building; certain resolutions were
adopted by them and in bold letters placed at the head of
every subscription paper so used, closing with the words,
"for the purpose and under the conditions specified." It
was the sense of these resolutions that there should be held
in the church no public meetings except the commencements
of the university and "such as shall be for the benefit and
edification of the congregation," and that "the Sabbath
school be transferred to some other place, and not held in
the rooms appropriated for public worship" ; that "all per-
sons subscribing for the building of the church be made
acquainted with the foregoing resolutions." The destruc-
tion of all the church records in the fire of 1832 prevents
our pursuing this interesting history further, so far as it
relates to the First Church; hence we are unable to state
in details what finally was the definite solution of the
question.

We can say, however, that after a time there was estab-
lished a Sunday school in connection with the church. This
Sunday school was approved by the officers and generally
by the members of our own as well as other churches in the
community, and up to this time it has continued in a fairly
prosperous way to meet the ideal as an answer of the church
to the widespread, growing and fundamental demand for
religious education so sadly needed by the masses in this
day.

The Sunday school, as we see it, should stand for the
religious education of the masses in the same way and to

—153-

the same extent that the public school stands for the secu-
lar education of the masses ; yet a comparison of results
for the century will show that the one had not met the
expectations of the community as has the other. Why?
Can it be that the church has not as yet realized the value
and the potentialities of the Sunday school? Radical re-
forms along this line are certainly needed, and we believe
that they are just ahead of us in the present century. The
Sunday school of the First Presbyterian Church has had
but ten Superintendents since its establishment, in 1822.
Alpha Kingsley, an active church worker in those earlier
days, but, so far as the record shows, never elected a ruling
elder or a deacon, was made its first "President." The fol-
lowing have since served as its Superintendents : Ruling
Elders James C. Robinson, Alexander A. Cassiday, John
Thompson, William Bryce Thompson, Adam Gillespie
Adams and William H. Raymond, Sr. (the latter has been
Superintendent since 1895) ; Alfred Hume, deacon; Robert
A. Lapsley and Leroy J. Halsey, ministers.

The following is the present roster of the officers and
teachers of the First Presbyterian Sunday school :

Rev. James I. Vance, D.D., pastor.

William H. Raymond, Sr., school superintendent ; Charles B.
Glenn, and Clarence B. Wallace, assistants.
A. G. Adams, treasurer.
Frank N. Boensch, Sr., secretary.

John H. McEwen, secretary of Elementary Department.
Lee Cantrell, membership secretary.
Miss Margaret Vance, pianist.

CRADLE ROLL.

Mrs. Horace H. Trabue, superintendent.

beginners' department.
Claude P. Street and Mrs. Horace H. Trabue, superintendents.
Mrs. Ellen Rich, Miss Fanuelle C. Lewis, Miss Elizabeth P.
Elliott, assistants.

PRIMARY DEPARTMENT.

Mrs. Ellen C. Marshall, superintendent.

Mrs. Mary C. Dorris and Miss Martha Hightower, assistant
superintendents.

Mrs. J. E. Hart, Mrs. John Eagan, Mrs. Edgar M. Foster, Mrs.
Edwin Hughes, Miss Adele Raymond, Miss Lucile Landis, Miss

—154-

Georgia Hume, Miss Gertrude Talbot, Miss Felicia G. Porter, Miss
Sue Rae Symmes, and Miss Ruby Manning, teachers.

JUNIOR DEPARTMENT.

Mrs. Leland Hume, superintendent.

Mrs. W. D. Witherspoon, Mrs. Anna C. Conger, Mrs. Allen
D. Berry, Miss Amanda Phillips, Miss Henrietta Sperry, and Miss
Evelyn Connell, teachers.

MAIN SCHOOL.

Mrs. Martha Foster, Mrs. L. R. Campbell, Mrs. James I. Vance,
Mrs. Geo. M. White, Mrs. J. Vaulx Crockett, Miss Elizabeth Glenn,
Miss Eudora Loeb, Miss Margaret Myers, Miss Margaret Vance,
Geo. M. White, H. B. Geer, Morton Adams, Howell Adams, Wil-
liam Simpson, teachers.

ADULT BIBLE CLASSES.

W. R. Wills, President, Men's Bible Class.

S. Waters McGill, teacher. Adult Men's Bible Class.

C. B. Glenn, teacher. Ladies' Bible Class.

Mrs. W. S. McKittrick, teacher. Women's Organized Class.

Mr. H. C. Hibbs, teacher. Young Men's Class.

TEACHER TRAINING DEPARTMENT.

Mrs. R. S. Doak and Miss Adelaide Lyon, teachers.
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.

The membership of the First Presbyterian Church fur-
nishes a subject for study of the greatest interest, because
in many respects it is so unusual, and in the hands of a
master it could be made more interesting than any one of
many standard works of fiction. In variety and richness of
material, both as to character and incident, we know noth-
ing of a similar kind comparable to it. Before the Civil
War many negroes, chiefly slaves, became members of this
church. In its roster of members may be found the names
of those wlio have been prominent in the affairs of the
Nation, State, county and city as statesmen, legislators, mil-
itary captains, authors, historians, jurists, physicians, sur-
geons, educators, molders of public opinion, railroad build-
ers and managers, merchants, manufacturers, church work-
ers and leaders, and many other classes. (The story is told
that, upon entering Princeton University as a boy, he whom

-155-

the English-speaking world probably regards as one of
the most popular living writers of prose and poetry, regis-
tered as from Nashville. His father was at that time pas-
tor of this church.) An equally strong list could be made
of the splendid line of good women who from the beginning
have outnumbered the men in the membership of the church.
Many of tliese women gifted far above ordinary, brainy,
highly educated and accomplished in many instances — yet
who through traditional repression (which has not a single
just and sane reason to supoprt it) have not been permitted
to take any prominent part in either the legislative or the
administrative affairs of the church, and which, as a conse-
quence, has thereby sustained an inestimable loss ; and this
has been no less a discredit to the denomination as such
than a blot upon the escutcheon of the church. The enlight-
enment of the twentieth century, we feel sure, will not tol-
erate this reproach longer.

Among the denomiinational influences operative in the
earlier years of the religious life in this section, Presbyte-
rianism was preeminent, and largely has it held first place
all down the century. Most of the then leading families,
to name only a few — McGavocks, Grundys, Humes, Nichols,
McNairys, Leas, Irwins, Overtons, Woods, Lawrences, Mc-
Ewens (many others could be named) — became members of
this church, and it is a fact, as interesting as it is unusual,
that in quite a number of instances their descendants have be-
come members also. This is true even down to the fourth,
fifth and now the beginning of the sixth generation, and
many of them today are not only members, but are also active
in the Master's service, as church officers, in the Sunday
school, in the young people's societies or in other auxiliaries
of the church.

Since tbe organization of the church, in 1814, there have
been admitted by the session to membership the goodly
number of 5,525 individuals, as follows :

-156-

Received prior to 1833 116^

Received between 1833 and 1868 —

On examination 7^4

On certificate 503— 1»287^

Received between 1869 and 1914 —

On examination "^^77^

On certificate 2,344— 4,122^

Total 5,525

From these figures it will be observed that, upon an aver-
age, new members to the number of fifty-five, plus, have
been received each year, or, in round numbers, nearly five
each month, through the first one hundrd years of the
church's existence.

In 19 1 3 the communicants of the church numbered
1,562.

CHURCH MONEYS.

Church finances are always a problem, and, oftentimes,
the larger the church the more difficult they become. The
element of uncertainty, ever-present and all-pervading, is a
factor which must be reckoned with in any plan. If the
ideal is to be approximated in any degree, this feature must
be reduced to the minimum' in any system attempted. The
work of the church has largely to be planned in advance,
and this necessarily involves an outlay of money. How,
we would inquire, can the church officers plan definitely,
economically and successfully without first knowing what
their resources are or will be — what amount of funds they
can definitely, or at least reasonably, count upon to meet
the necessary expenses of such an effort? It is features like
this which render church finances such a perplexing prob-

*Bunting's Manual, 1868. Table, p. 72.
-Stated Clerk of Session, Cowan.

-157-

lem, tlie solution of which has involved much thought and
study upon the part of the ofificers of the church.

The individuals of the congregation make voluntary
offerings from time to time, these offerings, even upon the
part of the same individual, varying both as to amount and
as to the time they are made. They are received into the
church's treasury, and in turn by the officers given to the
object or objects most important and urgent in the con-
duct of the affairs of the church, including the current ex-
penses and those incident to the proper maintenance and
care of the material interests of our own church. Many
have been the plans and suggestions offered in the past as
to a practicable system, but as a rule they have not proved
satisfactory. In 1900 a joint committee of elders and
deacons carefully reviewed the entire subject. As a result,
a new, definite, business-like financial system was adopted —
a complete change from the old ; the new system having as
its most distinguishing features the "pledge card," and "the
duplex-envelope system," etc. This continues to be opera-
tive in the church, and is probably the least objectionable
of any plan that has as yet been tried.

At the spring meeting of Presbytery every year since
1869 the Stated Clerk of the session of this church has
made in the form now used a detailed report of all moneys
received and how expended by the officers of the church.
It is easy, therefore, to make comparisons for these forty-
five years. However, previous to 1869, as far back as
185 1, a different form was used in making such reports,
and from the beginning, 1814 to 185 1, thirty-seven years,
we have no data whatever ; hence we are unable to give
anything for that period. So it is the grand totals only
from 185 1 to 1914, inclusive, that we feel warranted in
including in the following financial statement, and even
from that period it is necessary to deduct the four years,
1862, 1863, 1864 and 1865, when the church edifice was

-158-

occupied by the Federal military authorities for hospital

purposes and during which time no church services were

held:

Contributions received from 1851 to 1868, inclu-
sive $ 98723'

Contributions received from 1869 to 1914, inclu-
sive 812,032^

Total $910,755

or an average of $15,437 per year for the fifty-nine years
for which we have dependable data. It may not be amiss
here to state, for contrast, that during the last year, 1913,
the First Presbyterian Church collected and expended, for
all causes, the sum of $32,807.

DISCIPLINE.

In both divine and human law provision is made for
the arrest of evil tendencies, and punishment is prescribed
for the doing of unlawful, overt acts. In the Presbyterian
Church the power to enforce this provision, to administer
this punishment, is delegated to the session of each indi-
vidual church. In the "Form of Government" adopted by
the General Assembly "the church session is charged with
maintaining the spiritual government of the congregation,
for which purpose they have power to inquire into the
knowledge and Christian conduct of the members of the
church, to call before them offenders and witnesses." Then
follows a list of penalties to be imposed upon persons found
guilty. The ruling elder is declared to be the representative
of the people — the members of the church ; and we are
further informed that "he is chosen by them for the purpose
of exercising government and discipline" — to "govern" in
both a general and a special way the affairs of the church

'Bunting's Manual. 1868. Table, p. 65.
^Stated Clerk of Session, Cowan.

—159-

and the conduct of its members, and in no less a direct and
tactful way to "discipline" effectively all those offending.
It will be observed that it is not made simply a privilege of
the session so to act, but that there is imposed upon those
who compose that body a solemn, earnest duty to act
wherever and whenever necessary, and in so doing they but
discharge that which they solemnly pledged themselves in-
dividually to do in the compact with God made at the time
of their ordination.

The General Assembly, being so impressed with the
necessity, value and wholesomeness of discipline in the
church — discreetly but firmly applied — gives further expres-
sion upon the point in "'the Confession of Faith," Chapter
30, Section 3, as follows : "Church censures are necessary
for the reclaiming and gaining of offending brethren ; for
deterring of others from like offenses ; for purging out
that leaven which might infect the whole lump ; for
vindicating the honor of Christ and the holy profession
of the gospel, and for preventing the wrath of God which
might justly fall upon the church if they should suffer
His covenant, and the seals thereof, to be profaned by
notorious and obstinate offenders." Yet, however the fact
be explained, in these latter days there has fallen upon the
church no less than upon society in general an indifference
to and a laxity in matters of discipline which is of common
remark. The "rod" upon the importance of which the
wisest of men placed such unqualified emphasis has virtually
disappeared from the home and also from the school-room;
in the civil courts of the land there is constant failure to ad-
minister punishment commensurate with offenses, even
those found guilty of capital offenses rarely suffering the
extreme penalty, while the disciplining of a church member
by the session or the holding of a church trial is something
which few if any of this generation have ever witnessed or
even heard of. Whither all this is leading is a question

—160-

n

which it behooves thinking minds to ponder seriously. It
can hardly be said to indicate that humanity is nearing per-
fection, and, therefore, no longer needs such restraining
or moulding influences, for does not daily observation dem-
onstrate the opposite to be true? It can mean, then, only
an ugly decadence of the race and one which, if not checked,
must ultimately land us again at the bottom rung of the
ladder.

In the record of this church for fifty-six years, begin-
ning in 1844, when it appears the first case was cited be-
fore the session, to and inclusive of 1900, when the last
case was disposed of, there have been thirty-eight individual
members cited before the session for disciplinary purposes,
twenty-six males and twelve females.

CLOSING.

There yet remains abundant material with which to elab-
orate the many topics and subtopics that have been more
or less briefly treated in the foregoing pages ; besides, there
could be added a number of other subjects of equal interest
and importance, and in much greater detail, and which
would doubtless add value and strength to what has been
said, but the present occasion, it would seem, does not call
for more than has been presented — simply an outline of the
more salient features found in the official record of the
church officers of the First Presbyterian Church of Nash-
ville and their work for the one hundred years ending on
November 14, 1914.

-]61
11

CHAPTER VIII.

THE PLACE OIF CALVINISM IN HISTORY.
By Prof. Henry E. Dosker, D.D.

I consider it a great honor to be permitted to add some-
thing, however insignificant, to your great jubilee.

The topic assigned to me for discussion is wholly con-
genial, inasmuch as these many years it has been my privi-
lege to guide young men in their studies in the limitless
field of the history of the Christian church. It is a won-
derfully illuminaiting study, it enlarges our horizon, it
broadens and deepens our view of things, and it opens up an
inexhaustible storehouse of homiletic illustrations. It com-
pels us everywhere to ask the question — why? For we are
not merely dealing with things as we see them, but are
compelled to answer the question — how did things come to
be what they are? And in the answer to this question we
find the source of the genetic study of church history.

When, therefore, I set myself to the task of outlining the
place of Calvinism in history, the first and most important
thing is to define as clearly as possible what we understand
by Calvinism.

Let me start out by saying that the system which bears
the name of Calvin is wrongly so called. Of all men Calvin
would have been the last one to sanction the use of his
name for such a purpose, his very principles would have
forbidden it. What we call Calvinism is a thing older than
Calvin, and it survived him. It is not the narrow concept
of an almost paralyzing view of the great doctrine of elec-
tion, of which its historic enemies have drawn such lurid

—162—

and repulsive caricatures. Whoever wants to know Cal-
vinism as it is should study the exhaustive treatment of
the subject in the incomparable Stone lectures, delivered at
Princeton in 1898, by the world-renowned Calvinistic leader,
Dr. A. Kuyper, of The Netherlands. Historically consid-
ered, Calvinism bears a threefold aspect ; you may consider
it in its theological, its ecclesiological and its political bear-
ings.

Says Dr. Robert Fruin, the celebrated liberal Dutch his-
torian, not a Calvinist nor its apologete by any manner of
means : "Calvinism came to The Netherlands with its own
well-defined system of theology, with its own plan of demo-
cratic church-order, permeated by a strong ethical sense
and zealous as much for the moral as for the religious
reformation of humanity" (Tien Jaren uit den 80 jarigen
Oorlog 151). And Bakhuizen Van den Brink, a still more
declared liberal, was compelled to say, "Calvinism was the
highest development in the religious and political principles
of the sixteenth century" (Het huwelyk van Willem van
Oranje met Anna van Saxon, 123).

Calvinism is what the Germans call a "Weltanschauung,"
a broad philosophical view of the world. As such it differ-
entiates itself from the Pagan, the Mahommedan, the Rom-
ish and the modernistic views of the world. It sharply de-
fines the believer's relation to God, to his fellowmen and to
the world. It demands immediate contact with God, ex-
cluding all priestly and ecclesiastical mediation. It regards
all men as equal before God and before the law. It sees
the curse of sin in this world stemmed by grace, it honors
the life of the world in its substantiality and seeks the de-
velopment of all the wealth of culture and intellect and
power, placed in this world by God

It will but glance in passing at the theological and eccle-
siological aspects of Calvinism, since my main aim is to show
you what Calvinism historically has meant to mankind.

—163—

Theologically considered Calvinism did not originate and
therefore could not have died with Calvin. The main
outlines of the system are as old as the life of the church.
Their norm is found in the teachings of Christ ; Paul taught
them and after him Augustinus and the venerable Bede,
Alcuin and Anselm, St. Bernard and Thomas Aquinas,
Bradwardine and Wickliffe and Huss, Wessel and Savona-
rola. Calvinism, so-called, therefore stands for an organic
process in the history of theology.

As such it is capable of extension and modification, its
main principles only remaining absolutely fixed. But the
very name unfortunately became a synonym for oppression
and narrov^mindiedness through the shortsightedness of
men. To the rationalistic mind of the Illumination, which
began in Germany a century ago, the theology of Geneva
seemed puerile and hopelessly passe. The French Revolu-
tion, with its shameless motto — Ni Dieu ni maitre, neither
God nor master — formed its veritable moral antithesis. The
slavish imitation of the life of Geneva by the followers
of Calvin, who stood nearest to him in point of time, caused
his name to be execrated. The blue laws of Geneva, abso-
lutely needed there to sear out the immoralities of the liber-
tines, which cried to high heaven, were adopted in coun-
tries and environments where they were wholly needless
and thus a straight jacket was put on a perfectly sane pa-
tient and the process was justly resented. But a reaction
has come. Calvin is studied in Germany as he has never
been studied before and the literature on the subject, ex-
panding year by year, has grown beyond the possibility of
keeping up with it. Calvin is dead, his very grave is un-
known and unmarked, but Calvinism lives and will live till
the end of time.

Calvin cannot be conceived without Luther, Luther can
be conceived without Calvin. The latter built on the
massive foundation laid' by the former. But of all the re-

-164—

formers Calvin alone had the power of intellect to reach
the logical ultimates of the reformed system. Luther for-
mulated two principles, the formal — the authority of the
holy scriptures and the material — justification by faith.
Calvin adopted only the first, he neither needed nor wanted
a secondary principle. Do not for a moment imagine that
the doctrine of election fills that place in his system. He
adopted Luther's major principle and that alone. Dr. Wil-
liston Walker, of Yale, has seen and acknowledged this in
his splendid biography of the reformer. The great doc-
trines of salvation are perfectly coordinated in Calvin's In-
stitutes, which tower like a mountain in a plain above all
the reformatory writings of the sixteenth century. Kamp-
schulte, a Roman Catholic biographer of Calvin, calls him
the "Aristotle," and Martin, a liberal French historian, the
"Thomas Aiquinas" of the Reformation. And these titles
are deserved. Standing on the basis of the absolute au-
thority of the scriptures, Calvin formulated the compre-
hensive principle of the Glory of God, as the mainspring
of all existence. All his theology centers in this one idea,
*'Out of Him and through Him and unto Him are all
things." Man in God's hands is like clay in the hands of
the potter, and he must glorify God whether in life or in
death, in time or in eternity. All this world, with its end-
less manifestations of power and glory, exists to that end
alone. All human institutions and relationships, all intel-
lectual achievements, all science, all art, all civil power are
to that end. God, God sovereign over all, is the center and
circumference of all existence. Wonderfully bold and
strangely inspiring idea!

In his ecclesiology Calvin apprehended the church as
the totality of all believers, conceived as visible and in-
visible, the mother of us all, outside of which there is no
salvation. He conceived of the sacraments as signs and
seals of divine grace. Leaning more toward Luther than

—165-

toward Zwingli in his doctrine of the supper, he saw in it
far more than a mere memorial of the death of Christ;
to him it meant an actual and soul-nourishing communion
with the living Christ.

The members of the church formed, in his view, a uni-
versal priesthood, revealing itself in the representative
office of the eldership, and thus he laid the foundations
for that great body of believers, which, under various
names and in various lands, bear the common earmark of
Presbyterianism. Democracy is written large both over
his., ecclesiastical and civil concept. There is only one sov-
ereign, Almighty God, and before Him all the nations, kings
and subjects, great and small, rich and poor, cultured and
uncultured, are but as dust in the balances. All power that
is is God's and the nations are as nothing before Him.

Can you conceive of such a system rightly apprehended
as anything less than a "Weltanschauung," a view of the
world, and do you wonder that it has modified the whole
course of human history since its entrance on the stage?

Let us look at this phase of it a bit more closely. What
place has Calvinism occupied and does it occupy in human
history ?

As we all know, there are two main currents in the his-
tory of the Reformation — the Lutheran and the Calvinistic.
The first lies nearer the common source and might therefore
logically be expected to mark the main channel. And yet,
when we study the history of Protestantism, we find the
opposite to be the case. Luther was a German, never more
nor less, and the Reformation, founded by him, remained
for all time characteristically Teutonic. It never attained
to cosmopolitanism. In the Lutheran branch of the Reform-
ation we find therefore only the German and Scandinavian
groups of nations.

Calvinism, starting at Geneva, first of all absorbed the
Zwinglian Reformation and conquered, or at least strongly

-166—

invaded, successively France, The Netherlands, Bohemia,
Moravia, the Palatinate, England, Scotland, Ireland and
the new world. If it be said that England ecclesiastically
presents almost an antithetical form of church life, hier-
archial instead of presbyterial, let us not forget that the
thirty-nine articles are Calvinistic in theology and that the
Puritan and Independent movements clearly indicate the
sway of Geneva in the national history.

And even pure Lutheranism lost itself in the mightier
current when in 1817, under Frederick William III, on the
occasion of the tercentenary of the Reformation, the Re-
formed and Lutheran churches of Germany melted together
in the "United Reformed Church of Germany."

What, then, was the inherent weakness of Lutheranism
which gave to Calvinism this overshadowing importance?

The answer may be given in a word. Luther stopped
at a halfway house. He never got entirely away from
Rome ; he never reached the logical ultimate of his own
position. His doctrine of salvation sharply differentiated
him from Rome, but his views of the church, of her wor-
ship, of her clergy, of her sacraments, were but a day's
journey removed from Rome. Above all his views of the
relation between church and state were a deadly menace to
the future of his enterprise. Princes and governments were
given a status in the affairs of the Lutheran Church wholly
unwarranted by Luther's own formal principle — the abso-
lute authority of the holy scriptures. The motto, "cuius
regio illius religio," laid the foundation for a Caesaropapay,
which doomed the Lutheran Reformation to ultimate fail-
ure. This attitude to the state, or rather this interference
of the state in the affairs of the church, made the wide
spread of Lutheranism impossible in a current of democ-
racy, which since the days of the Reformation ever grew
in strength.

And here is the very essence of the place which Cal-

—167—

vinism occupies in history. We commit a mistake when we
call Calvin's political ideal a theocracy. In Calvin's system
the state and the church were strictly coordinated, God
being sovereign in both spheres. The state had the law,
the church the gospel and prayer. All church members,
ministry and laity alike, were subject to the civil power and
its law. But inversely all magistrates, as believers, were
subject to the church and her discipline. Both spheres were
sovereign in their own domain. It is therefore wrong to
speak of the government of Geneva as a theocracy. Per-
sonally Calvin was inclined to a self-perpetuating aristo-
cratic oligarchy. But he builded better than he knew. His
principles reached farther than his practice, and it was his
system which laid the foundation of and became the guar-
antee for civil liberty and an ever-expanding democracy.

It was he who created individualism in national affairs,
who laid the foundation for a new order of things, in which
each citizen was to have a part. The principle of individual-
ism once asserted, the rights of the people once recognized
and the great structure we call popular sovereignty must
arise. Rome stood for church absolutism, Luther for State
absolutism, Zwingli for Erastianism or paternalism, Calvin
and he alone for sovereignty in church and state alike,
bound only by the will of God and therefore for a free
church in a free state.

Thus Calvinism became the pioneer for political Mod-
ernism and his influence on the development of modern his-
tory and modern man can never be overestimated. And
it was not the political aspect of Calvinism, not the civic
principle of human individuality or of the right of man
over against man, which wrought the miracle and achieved
the great historical success which it did achieve ; but it was
the potency of the religious principle underlying it which
did it all.

A cursory glance will convince the most skeptical or

-168-

Rev. Thomas

Pastor

A. HOYT,

1873-1883.

D.D.

the most hostile of the rejuvenating influence which Cal-
vinism has exerted over the nations which fell under its
sway. Says Dr. Kuyper, in his Stone lectures: "This
change in the history of the world could not have been
brought about except by implanting a new principle in the
human heart and by opening up a new world of thought for
the human spirit." And again: '"From Western Europe
the mighty impulse proceeded which caused science and
art to flourish, which opened new channels for commerce
and industry, which illumined family and civic life, which
elevated the burgher class to a position of honor, which
equalized the rights of employer and employee, which caused
philanthropy to bloom and which above all, by its puritani-
cal seriousness, has elevated the moral life of humanity and
purified and ennobled it."

The countries which came under Calvin's influence were
the strongest in the world. Where it was absent, govern-
ments are aristocratic, autocratic, tyrannical even. Where
it was present, constitutional government and the democracy
flourish. Calvin's touch created men and women of steel
and marble, men and women of fixed purpose, exalted prin-
ciples and large hopes, liberty-loving men and women, fear-
ing God and Him alone and dreading no man in whose nos-
trils is the breath of life.

Calvinism recognized that since sin is in the world we
need magistrates to curb and control it, as the bearers of
divine sovereignty, but also that, by virtue of our individual
rights, we must continually watch against the menace of
state power. Ages ahead of his time, Calvin did not hesi-
tate to announce the idea of popularly elected magistrates
as "by far the more desirable liberty." The political con-
fession of Calvinism is therefore thus formulated by Dr.
Kuyper: "i. God, and He alone, possesses sovereign rights
over the nations, because He created them, sustains them
by His Almighty power and rules them by his ordinances.
2. In the realm of political life sin has broken down the

-169-

direct divine government, and therefore, as a mechanical
substitute, human governments and their authority have
arisen. 3. Whatever may be the form of this government
one man never possesses power over another man except
by an authority which has been conferred on him by the
majesty of God." (Stone Lectures, III.)

Do we wonder that the liberty-loving races of Western
Europe received these new doctrines as the prophecy of
'hope for a new future?

Calvinism came to them like the dawning of a new day.
It subverted all the old ideas of life, it broke the shackles
of the ages, it swept away traditions, which had kept the
minds of men in a thrall of unbreakable mental and spiritual
dominion, it glorified God and lifted man, common man, to
an undreamed-of position of independence ; it quenched the
age-long thirst for individual liberty and it pointed prophet-
ically to a future where a new free man would stand in a
new free world, bathed in the light of the sovereign glory
of God.

Do I exaggerate or overstate my case?

Let us see how the problem has worked out, what Cal-
vinism actually has done for the nations which fell under
its sway.

Dr. Fruin, quoted above, justly reminds us that in
Switzerland, Holland, Scotland, England and wherever
Protestantism had to grasp the sword, it was Calvinism,
and it alone, which was always victorious.

Before we glance at the actual achievements of Calvinism
in history, let Dr. Kuyper tell us what would have happened
had Calvinism not arisen: "First of all Spain would have
conquered the lowlands, the Stuarts would have remained
masters in Great Britain, in Switzerland a liberalizing type
of Zwinglian reform would have prevailed, and the begin-
nings of American life would have been wholly different.
The balance of power in Europe in the sixteenth and seven-

-170—

teenth centuries would have been differently adjusted and
Protestantism would have been unable to maintain itself.
Nothing could have thwarted the Romish conservative
powers of the Hapsburgs, the Bourbons and the Stuarts,
and the popular liberties of Western Europe and America
would have been inconceivable. History would have been
written differently and with darker ink." (Stone Lectures,

I-)

I will even go further than Dr. Kuyper and affirm, with-
out danger of contradiction, that Protestantism would have
shared the fate of the pre-re forma to ry movements of Wick-
liffe, Huss, Savonarola and Wessel. For it was Calvinism
which rescued the decaying and instable type of the Lutheran
Reformation from extinction and, infusing new life and new
courage in it, recreated it and made it unconquerable.

Look for a moment at the Calvinistic current as it
sweeps northward from its humble source in the little bor-
der city of Geneva.

The redwood tree is the very monarch of the forests and
yet its seed is infinitessimally small. Geneva was the least
among the centers of the Reformation, and yet from it
sprung a force which was destined to encircle the world
and to renovate humanity.

In the days of the Reformation three forces were fight-
ing for the mastery in France: i. Humanism, extremely lib-
eral in its views, led by men like Rabelais and Montaigne.
2. Rome, strongly influenced by Jesuitism and controlling
the seats of power. 3. Calvinism, immensely popular
among the masses and a portion of the nobility, but finally
crushed by the government, dreaded on account of the
changes and sacrifices it demanded.

The main principles of Calvinism, in its theological
sense, had been foreshadowed by James Le Fever at Paris
long before the German Reformation had begun its history.
The story of the Huguenot struggle is one of endless suf-

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fering. No country in Europe was so drenched by martyr
blood as was France, nowhere was the struggle between
Rome and Protestantism fiercer or more protracted. It
lasted the better part of a century. And yet the Huguenot
cause survived it all. Neither the eight religious wars nor
the bloody massacre of St. Bartholomew, in 1572, suc-
ceeded in destroying it. Like a phoenix it ever rose trium-
phant from its ashes. With the promulgation of the edict
of Nantes by Henry IV, in 1558, its future seemed guar-
anteed. But its revocation, a century later, in 1685, by
Louis XIV, seemed to mark its utter destruction as a
national force. What that date stands for let another
date, again a century later, witness.

By the revocation of the edict of Nantes, France evis-
cerated herself; she committed political suicide. The Cal-
vinistic Huguenot buffer between the proletariat and the
throne, the nobility and the clergy was removed, and in the
inevitable clash between the two, in the cataclysm of the
revolution, both the throne of the Bourbons and the church,
which had been made drunk with the blood of Protestant-
ism, went down to one common doom. And yet the under-
lying principles of this horrible catastrophe were a carica-
ture of one of the fundamental demands of Calvinism — the
equality and brotherhood of man. The French revolution
was but a grotesque reflex of the Huguenot past.

Where, pray, did Montesquieu, one of the pioneers of
the revolution, get his idea of a threefold form of govern-
ment, the executive, the legislative and the judicial depart-
ments, expressed about 1750, in his great work, "The Spirit
of the Law," except from the organization of the Huguenot
Church? French Calvinism, as organized, if we may be-
lieve Professor Baird, in his "Rise of the Huguenots,"
looked to nothing short of a representative government,
protected by suitable guarantees and to complete religious
liberty. (Vol. I, 49.)

—172-

And again he says in his "Revocation of the Edict
of Nantes" : "The jealousy with which the crown viewed
the political assemblies of the Protestants was not altogether
unreasonable, for in truth those periodical gatherings of the
representatives of the Reformed communities revealed very
clearly the growth of the tendencies, which in more recent
times have given birth to free institutions, whether in the
form of republican government or of constitutional mon-
archy." (Vol. I, 10, 12.)

I have quoted Professor Baird to substantiate my views
expressed above. It is evident that republican France today
is building on the shattered foundations laid by the great
statesman of Geneva, that the democracy of modern France
roots itself in the graves of the Huguenots, that wavering
and vaccinating as it may be, stunted and dwarfed in its
growth as it unquestionably is, the democracy of France was
robbed of what it might have been by the revocation of the
edict of Nantes.

Calvinism reached The Netherlands, after two futile
waves of reform had passed over the country and re-
ceded, viz : the Lutheran and Anabaptist types of 'the
Reformation. The first exalted man's position in the church
till he became its overlord, the second secluded itself from
the world and revived the ancient ascetic view of life. Cal-
vinism did neither ; it did not overvalue man nor did it un-
dervalue the world. It captivated the popular regard, it
imbedded itself in the Dutch life and it fulfilled its every
implied promise in the lowlands, for there it created a free
church in a free State. Here the democratic spirit of Cal-
vinism had an untrammeled opportunity. Here it created
the first true republic in modern history, since the Swiss
were an Amphyctionic confederacy, entirely distinct from
a true republic.

And what marvels this Calvinism has wrought in these
lowlands ! It enabled a weak commercial people, wholly

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unfit for war, to burst fully armed into the arena of political
life and to humble the Spanish empire, the greatest of con-
temporaneous powers, after a struggle so protracted that the
time element of it seemed to be lost. In The Netherlands
it proved what it might do under favorable conditions, for
the full tide of its development there bore on its crest the
golden age of Dutch political power, the greatest triumphs
of Dutch art and science and literature. True are unques-
tionably the words of Froude in his "J^^i^s Caesar" : "Cal-
vinism, while it was believed, produced characters grander
and nobler than any which republican Rome produced,
. . . but when doubt had once entered the spell of Cal-
vinism was broken." The lowlands lost their virgin grip on
Calvinism, rationalism replaced it, the republic went under
and gave place to the "Little Holland" of modern times.

And was it different in Great Britain ?

Poole, of Balliol College, Oxford, had a clear vision
when he wrote, in his "Huguenots of the Dispersion" (page
i) : "But men were no sooner reconciling themselves to
the altered conditions (referring to the changes wrought
by the Lutheran Reformation) than there arose in an ob-
scure republic, just freed from its bishop's tyranny, another
system, taking its color from the polity of its birthplace,
destined in time to transform the national life in Holland,
England and Scotland, and to organize in France an anti-
monarchial party, only to be quelled by a measure involv-
ing the temporary ruin of the country. The Presbyterian
theory could not flourish in the face of the absolute views
of the sovereigns of the time. Everywhere it avowed or
encouraged a frank spirit of resistance, the diffusion of the
system being uniformly accompanied by a strenuous ten-
dency towards public freedom." Poole evidently appre-
ciated the political creed of Calvinism. Yes, it is true,
wherever it goes the democracy follows : James I of
England understood it when, on his ascension of the throne,

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he said that the terms king and presbytery were about as
well agreed as God and the devil, or words to that effect.
Between the fundamental Calvinistic principle of human
individualism and royal tyranny a gulf impassable is fixed.
Elizabeth had seen it before James, and, recognizing the
danger, had waged a desperate war against Puritanism.

It was the Calvinistic spirit of independentism which
laid the axe to the tree of the absolutism of the Stuart
throne. In Scotland, under the leadership of John Knox,
the typical Calvinist and the founder of Presbyterianism in
the more restricted sense, it had overwhelmed the existing
order of things, it had succeeded in linking itself to the
clan spirit of the country, it had fused absolutely hetero-
geneous elements into a deeper and spiritual homogeneity,
and it had regenerated the people, as it had done in Holland.
The indomitable spirit of John Knox kept marching at the
head of the clans, as it does today, although his dust has
ages ago mingled with its kindred dust. Calvinism spoke
in the riot in St. Giles against the usurpation of an oppress-
ing ritualism ; it spoke in the Melvillian movement, which
saved Scotch Presbyterianism from itself; it spoke in the
bitter persecutions under Claverhouse, a name thrice cursed
in the annals of Scotland ; it signed the solemn league and
covenant as it bound the souls of those "dour" Presbyte-
rians together with bonds stronger than iron and steel. It
made the sturdy, independent Scotchmen what they have
been ever since, in the history of the world.

Calvinism spoke in the days of the English Common-
wealth as it raised the English people from a king-ridden
and nobility-enslaved nation to one of the purest types of
democracy in the world. In the Westminster Assembly of
164 1 it gave voice to the most sharply defined Calvinistic
confession of faith ever written by man. And it is from
those days of the Commonwealth, so generally slighted by
English historians, that the steadily growing ascendency

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dates of the Commons over the king and the House of
Lords, which in our day has culminated in a supreme vic-
tory.

And that in a state where the church in her thirty-nine
articles had only in part accepted the Calvinistic theology,
where in this half-hearted way, in a place all its own, it
maintained itself as the religion of the land, and where its
every step was marked with aristocratic aspirations and
anti-Calvinistic social ideals. What, then, is the solution
of this secret? This, that not Anglicanism but Independent-
ism had imprinted itself on the political life and conscious-
ness of the nation.

And did the course of history run different in the New
World, the land of hope, our own marvelous Common-
wealth, where the long dream of the world's democracy
was finally realized and that on a gigantic scale?

What did the Pilgrim Fathers bring to these shores but
purest Calvinism? What else did the Dutch and Walloons
bring to New Amsterdam, now New York? What was
the character of the people who settled on the James River ;
who were their preachers? Anglicans though they were,
does not history tell us that practically all their leaders were
Puritans in spirit? What was the endless stream which,
in the eighteenth and in the beginning of the nineteenth
century, uninterruptedly flowed from Great Britain to these
shores? Who settled the mountain slopes and valleys of
Virginia and the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky, but
sturdy Scotch-Iri;sh Presbyterians, who laid the strong
foundation stones of the republic, so strong that the whelm-
ing flood of the later immigration from central and southern
Europe was unable to overturn them or to change the na-
tional character thus established? What we are politically
and nationally we owe to the man of Geneva, whom his
own fellowtownsmen used to call "ce Francois," or "cette
homme." Bancroft, our great historian, was a Unitarian

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John Hill Eakix,

Deacon 1873-1904. Treasurer of the Church. Founder of the Eakin Fund.

and therefore not given to fulsome praise of Calvinism.
But as a historian he is faithful to the truth and this is
what he has to say of it: "Calvinism was revolutionary,
wherever it came it created division ; its symbol, as set upon
the 'Institutes' of its teacher, was a flaming sword. By the
side of the eternal mountains and the perennial snows and
the arrowy rivers of Switzerland it established a religion
without a prelate and a government without a king. Forti-
fied by its faith in fixed decrees, it kept possession of its
homes among the Alps." Then he tells us of its onward
sweep through the lands of Western Europe and Scotland,
and continues thus: "It infused itself into England and
placed its plebeian sympathies in daring resistance to the
courtly hierarchy, dissenting from dissent, longing to intro-
duce the reign of righteousness. It invited every man to
read the Bible and made itself dear to the common mind
by teaching, as a divine revelation, the unity of the race
and the natural equality of men. It claimed for itself free-
dom of utterance, and through the pulpit, in an eloquence
imbued with the authoritative words of prophets and apos-
tles, spoke to the whole congregation. It sought new truth,
denying the sanctity of the continuity of tradition. It
stood up against the middle ages and their forms in church
and state, hating them with a fierce and unquenchable
hatred."

Bancroft was right, in part, but the subject having
gripped him, he devoted a separate essay to Calvin, and
in it he uses this language: *'It is intolerance only which
would limit the praise of Calvinism to a single sect or re-
fuse to reverence his virtues and regret his failings. . . .
We may, as republicans, remember that Calvin was not
only the founder of a sect, but foremost among the most
efficient of modern republican legislators, more truly be-
nevolent to the human race than Solon, more self-denying
than Lycurgus. The genius of Calvin infused enduring

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12

elements into the institutions of Geneva and made it for the
modern world the impregnable fortress of popular liberty,
the fertile seed plot of democracy. He that will not honor
the memory and respect the influence of Calvin knows but
little of the origin of American liberty."

And who will doubt it, who has the faintest acquaintance
with American history, that in the new world Calvinism,
as a political dynamic, exerted its greatest force till now
in the history of the world ?

As we have seen, the pioneers of the new Commonwealth
were practically all Calvinists or at least Calvinistic.

But let me take some concrete examples from our his-
toric records.

The "Mecklenburg Declaration" foreshadowed the Dec-
laration of Independence. It was adopted in a popular con-
vention on May 20, 1775. Three months later this instru-
ment lay on the table of the Continental Congress and it
was signed by men who were largely Scotch Presbyte-
rians. Who was its author? It was drawn up by a Pres-
byterian minister, one Ephraim Brevard, at Charlotte, N. C.

Jefferson himself declared that the Declaration of Inde-
pendence a year later was inspired by the memorials of
HIanover Presbytery.

And when this instrument, drawn up by the committee
ad hoc, finally lay on tTie table of Congress, and when every
one of the leaders hesitated to be the first to sign his name
to the document, since the act might well prove a death
warrant, it was a Presbyterian minister who broke the spell
and steeled the courage of all by approaching the table and
setting his name on that fatal and epoch-making paper.
The name spelled John Witherspoon. And to whom did
Washington point in his extremity, in the dead of that
dreadful winter spent at Valley Forge, as his last hope,
when gloom filled every heart and all seemed lost, but to
the stern Calvinists of his home county, when in answer

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to the question whether surrender were not the better part
of valor, he replied, "I will fight and retreat and retreat
and fight till I get back among the Presbyterians of old
Augusta County; when they stack their muskets I will re-
turn my sword to its scabbard."

Our entire Constitution is fashioned after the model
of the "Union of Utrecht," of 1579, the first republican con-
stituition ever drafted in this world, and as Douglass Camp-
bell has abundantly proved, it was in the hands of the
drafters of our own. And it gave birth to the Dutch re-
public, the very incarnation of political Calvinism.

Our entire social fabric is shot through and through
with the spirit and principles of Calvinism. Here, as no-
where else, in this wide world, the rights of the individual
are guaranteed, and here, as nowhere else, we find the reflex
of the principles of Calvin in our National and State Consti-
tutions. God is recognized as the "divine ruler," the "divine
protector," and the "supreme judge" in these instruments.
In the "Articles of Confederation" He is called "the Great
Governor of the world." Always and everywhere a recog-
nition of the rights of God in the government of this world
leads to a recognition of the inalienable rights of the indi-
vidual. The final application, therefore, on an ever-growing
scale, is of the principles of the man of Geneva. Consti-
tutional government flourishes only on this soil. Wherever
Calvinism either directly or indirectly asserts itself, a hap-
pier and brighter day has dawned for oppressed humanity,
for tyranny and Calvinism are logical and historical an-
titheses.

He knows little of Calvinism who has not studied it in
its wider and deeper aspects, or followed its trail through
the mazes of history. But whoever does so will feel the
thrill of endless vistas. Strange as it may seem, the recog-
nition of the sovereignty of God leads to the largest possible
view of the sovereignty of man, who, conscious of an im-

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mediate contact with God, feels the reflected glory of that
presence in his own heart and in his own life, and stands
without blanching before the face of man, whoever he
may be.

Calvinism has not yet run its course. In ever-widening
circles its power will be felt as the world's history unfolds
itself, because, based on immutable principles, it forms a dis-
tinct view of life, of the world and of God. Wait and see
whether on the ruins of the now tottering powers of Europe,
God, through these principles, will not build a new and
greater continent.

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CHAPTER IX.

GREETINGS FROM OTHER PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCHES.

From the Second Church.
By Rev. A. S. Allen.

Honored pastor and beloved members of the First Pres-
byterian Church, I count myself happy in being privileged
this evening in bringing you the greetings of your first-
born child, the Second Presbyterian Church of this city.
She was seventy-one years old yesterday, and therefore you
became her mother at the age of twenty-nine years.

We bring you greetings of good will, love and admira-
tion. We extend you the joyous hand of loving fellowship.
We love you because you are our mother. We love you
for what you have so unselfishly done for us down through
the years past. We love you for what you are today to us
in good will and sympathy. We honor you because of
your splendid minister. Of all the men whose pathways
have crossed my own in life few stand so high as he in my
own estimation, and no one stands higher. I honor him
because his views are so kindred to my own way of think-
ing. True this might be said of a fool, but surely no one
would so class himself.

We honor you because of your splendid official boards
and your level-headed and non-arrogant membership. It
has been my happy privilege on several occasions to supply
this pulpit, and I always found kindness and cordiality ex-
tended me.

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We sincerely trust that the strength, beauty and activity
of youth may ever abide with you. May your hair never
grow gray, your eyes dim nor your step tottering.

May your digestive power for a hearty meal of gospel
truth ever remain perfect, so that you may be immune to all
dangers arising from poor assimilation. May you never be
afraid of that which is high, nor your desires fail, nor the
grasshopper to you be a burden. May old Father Time
deal gently with you, never putting a stoop in your shoulders
nor chiseling a gloom in your fair face. And finally, as the
evening shadows lengthen, and the twilight fades, may you
hear, ere the silver cord be loosed, the Master say, "Well
done, thou good and faithful church, since you have so
nobly done your part in my vineyard on earth, enter ye into
my glorified church above."

From the Woodland Street Church.
By Rev. W. L. Caldwell, D.D.

It is rather an unusual thing for a lady to invite guests
to her birthday party and then call on them to say nice
things about her, and to her face. But as you are a century
old, I guess we are to allow you certain liberties, and
especially with those so near and dear to you as we are,
most of us your own children. In the Orient it is quite the
fad to get old. There they, speak of the accumulated years
with pride. As a rule our ladies are not overfond of tell-
ing their ages, but you seem to have caught the Eastern
fad, you are not only not ashamed to tell your age, you
are actually glorying in it! And well you may, for it is
honorable. Your hoary head is a crown of glory; it is
found in the way of righteousness. You have grown old
gracefully, a thing not easy for some of us to do. For,
like youth, old age has its perils and temptations. Some
whose lives were prophetic of a beautiful old age have

—182—

disappointed us. They have lost the sweetness and gentle-
ness of former days. The aggravations of the world, its
cares and perplexities, have dulled the splendor of life as it
moves toward the setting sun. If life has been full of dis-
appointments, it is easy to become crabbed and sour. Or if
it has been full of successes and achievements, there is dan-
ger of vanity and self-consciousness. Then old age will
become garrulous, full of self and past attainments. But
you have steered clear of both these rocks. You are to-
day a hundred years young ! And you carry your age well.
You have not settled upon your lees, you have kept abreast
the times, and so kept your heart young. You have not been
satisfied with past achievements, your attitude has been that
of reaching forth to the things that are before. Your
prayer has been:

"O' for man to arise in me,

That the man that I am may cease to be."
(Ladies said "woman.")

There is a tradition that the eagle dies when he reaches
the century mark. At the end of ten years he soars into
the sun, and his pinions are scorched and he falls into the
sea, where they are renewed and he comes out with the
dew of his youth. This he does for ten decades, when he
falls to rise no more. It may be to this that the Psalmist
refers when he says, "Thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."
I am thinking that you will go the eagle one better. With-
out these periodical slumps into the sea you have soared con-
tinually upward, and today you are younger and stronger
than ever. You have renewed your strength by waiting
on the Lord, and so can mount up on wings as eagles, or
run and not be weary, or walk and not faint. You seem to
say to us :

"Grow old along with me.
The best is yet to be."

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I am a litle bit wary about claiming kin with people,
but as your character is well established, I am tempted to
claim kin with you tonight. It is this way. On the fair
page of your history among the pioneers stands the name of
Thomas B. Craighead. He was the pioneer preacher of
Presbyterianism in Middle Tennessee. He was also an
educator and, together with Andrew Jackson, laid the foun-
dation upon which rests the great educational system of
our city. Out of his work grew Cumberland College and
the University of Nashville. His ashes rest near the Her-
mitage, not far from those of the great "Old Hickory,"
whom he loved and trusted. Now, he was the son of the
famous Alexander Craighead, author of the first Declara-
tion of Independence. Rachel, Thomas' sister, became the
wife of David Caldwell, and my father's grandmother.
Now, if this doesn't make me kin to you it certainly ought
to make me a Daughter of the American Revolution ! But
if this claim does not appeal to you, I come in a closer rela-
tionship, as pastor of the Woodland Street Church, your
own daughter, who loves you for your splendid history, and,
together with your other children, rises up to call you
blessed.

From the Moore Memorial Church.
By Rev. L. E. McNair, D.D.

The greetings I bear upon this happy occasion to the
pastor and members of this church are more than words of
congratulation.

During the week now closing many have been reading
the account of this very unusual celebration and, as they
have read, have greatly admired the accomplishments of the
one hundred years of splendid history about which so much
has been said. The wide influence of this old church upon
the life of this community has produced a profound impres-

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Byrd Douglas,

Deacon 1873-1899. Elder 1899-1911.

sion upon all who are familiar with this glorious record.
There are many others whose expressions have been more
than words of mere admiration. They have been praising
God for the years of faithful service in His Kingdom.

But I come tonight to speak for a congregation bound
to this church in ties of very intimate relationship. This is
a relationship which leads me to speak in words of grati-
tude, tenderness and love. I represent a church which is
more than a sister church. We are the child of a great
and glorious mother.

The mother was born, as you know, in the month of
November, one hundred years ago. You have just been told
that her first child was born in the month of November,
seventy-one years ago. The Moore Memorial Church,
another child, was also born in the month of November,
forty-one years ago.

I have noticed that all good things have come into exist-
ence in the month of November. / was born in the month
of November.

The child I represent reaches her forty-first birthday
this month, and though mature in her own strength and
well established in her own work, she yet reverently
acknowledges the debt of gratitude and love she owes the
mother, out of whose life she sprang and whose faithful
labors in the years that have passed have largely made pos-
sible the maturity to which the child has come.

And now we are rejoicing over the splendid age of the
mother church.

To this age you have come, not in a lifeless spirit, not
in infirmity, limping up to be pitied, as one whose life has
been spent ; not to years of restful inactivity. This, for
you, is a period when, rising from the precious memory of
the great years that are over, the church now girds herself
with more youthful vigor for the years that are to come.

Glorious as has been the past, I cannot believe it has
been the better time of this church.

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In the mythologies of most people and religions there
exists the tradition of an age called "Golden." The Greeks
and Romans placed this age under the rule of Saturn, and
some of the poets, as, for example, Virgil, in the first books
of the Georgics, have turned their poetic material into
splendid account as they hold out the hope that the pristine
state of things will one day return. In our own time there
are those who look forward anticipating in the future the
promised goal. For this church the present time is
"golden."

The conditions surrounding this church are more favor-
able than ever before. This church is grander than ever.
Under the superb leadership of your present great and
beloved pastor you are now rendering the most efficient
service your church has ever achieved.

I take this opportunity to say, while we honor the great
men who have served in this historic church, we recognize
no superior to your present much-beloved pastor, Dr. Vance.
My association with him in the work we share in this com-
munity warrants me in speaking very feelingly of him and
of his great service. I regret the occasion is such I cannot
say more about him.

But now, O church of God, you are yet at the beginning
of an endless destiny. The counting of the milestones you
have passed urges you to look forward and to press on. Be-
fore you is the untraversed plain and beyond it are the
everlasting hills. Unto these hills lift up your eyes for
strength.

I now assure you of our respect, honor and love. Very
tender ties bind us together in our work for our Lord.
May He strengthen these ties and keep us faithful together
for our great work.

I am sure I have more than consumed the five minutes'
time given me. I am reminded of the story they tell on one
of our local, well-known "after dinner speakers." On a

-186—

certain occasion he was on the program with several other
speakers and was informed he could speak for only ten
minutes. After speaking for thirty minutes, he turned to
the toastmaster and said, "Mr. Toastmaster, I do not know
how much of my ten minutes remains, but I gladly yield
the remaining portion to the speaker who is to follow me."
So I gladly yield my remaining time to my friend who is
to follow me.

From the Cottage Church.
By Rev. W. S. Barr.

Dr. Vance, Officers of the First Presbyterian Church, and
Friends:

It is one of the highest honors and also one of the great-
est pleasures for one of the daughters to bring greetings
to the mother who is celebrating her one hundredth birth-
day.

A little historical sketch prepared by Rev. Harris E.
Kirk, D.D., while pastor of Cottage Church, would be of
interest at this time:

"The Cottage Church Bible School was organized June
22, 1850, in St. Cloud Grove, comer of Ewing Avenue and
Bass Street, by Messrs. W. G. Hunter, James Gould, A. W.
Putnam, H. H. McAllister, Alfred Hume and others of the
First Presbyterian Church. The first building was erected
on the northeast corner of Bass Street and Stevenson Ave-
nue. Alfred H|ume was the first Superintendent and was
succeeded, respectively, by A. W. Putnam and H. H. Mc-
Allister. The building was taken by the United States
Army in 1862 and the school discontinued.

"In 1865 the school was reorganized by H. H. McAllis-
ter, who again became its Superintendent. Bradford Nichol
succeeded him in 1879 and served until 1883, when Mr.
McAllister again took charge. Messrs. Baxter Smith, S. O,

-187-

Merrill, W. S. Hill and Bradford Nichol served consecu-
tively up to 1896.

"The present building, located on the southeast corner
of Bass Street and Stevenson Avenue, was erected in 1881,
chiefly through the efforts of Messrs. H. H. McAllister,
Bradford Nichol and Byrd Douglas. Mrs. Ann Pope con-
tributed $1,000 to the building fund, and at her death gave
the church enough money to build the manse."

The Cottage Presbyterian Qiurch was a mission of the
First Presbyterian Church from June 22, 1850, to May 3,
1 89 1, on which date its organization was effected.

May God bless the mother who has done so much for
the daughter, and may the daughter grow more like the
mother.

From the A. G. Adams Church.
By Rev. T. H. Harrison.

Dr. Vance, Officers and Members of the First Presbyte-
rian Church:

What I shall say tonight will be extemporaneous.
Words fail me and are inadequate to express my profound
gratitude to you on my behalf as well as on behalf of
the people of the A. G. Adams Church, whom I represent,
for the gifts that you are constantly bestowing upon us. Of
course the ministers representing the other Presbyterian
churches of the city who liave spoken before me have
graduated. You have not got to care for them now.
The congregations they represent have become able to take
care of themselves, but I and my congregation you still have
on your hands. We are still in your care, but we are hop-
ing and praying that the day will soon come when we can
care for ourselves. Nevertheless, we appreciate your care
of us, for you are taking good care of us. We are your
baby, still crying for help, and with much appreciation we

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are glad to say that you are constantly supplying our needs.
Dr. Vance, these boys who have just spoken ahead of
me have referred to the church as "she," and they have well
said this church is the mother church of all the Presbyterian
churches of Nashville. I was just wondering, while they
were speaking, why they did not refer to you as "Father."
I think it would have been very appropriate for them to
have addressed you as such. As for myself, I like to think
of you in this way, because you are a father to me and the
people of the A. G. Adams Church, whom I represent.
Yet in my referring to you as father I do not mean to
reflect upon your age. Now, while these boys were speak-
ing, my mind went back into the past, and I began to think
of the origin of this church. We are told that through the
faith of six women and one man, God laid the founda-
tion of this institution one hundred; years ago. I think that
this should be a great week to the citizenship of Nashville
from the very fact that they have within it a church that is
one hundred years old. No doubt since the beginning of
this church here in Nashville there have been other insti-
tutions brought forward ; no doubt there have been all kinds
of commercial enterprises put forward; there have been
banks with tremendous capital ; there have been institutions
of learning that started with a name, but by the death of
some one some have failed, others have changed their names,
in the short period of one hundred years. If you were to try
to find some of the many things that have taken place in the
way of institutions being brought forward in the past one
hundred years in this city you would have to hunt the
records of the city. Some you would find have passed out
and are no more, but here is an institution that had its be-
ginning with only seven in the company. It has constantly
grown. Financial failures have made no change in its
growth. While many manufacturers have "gone broke," and
institutions of learning have failed and banks become bank-

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rupt, here is an institution that has continued to increase in
numbers and in wealth. The reason for this is plainly ex-
plained in the Bible. It is because your wealth is in heaven.
You belong to a God who has never become bankrupt and
there is no chance for you to fail. Your institution will
never go broke, neither will there ever be a time but what
there will be a sufficient number in the organization to keep
it going, for it has at the head of the institution the Lord
Jesus Christ, who emptied himself of the wealth of heaven
on the cross of Calvary that your wants might be filled with
an abundance of His matchless gifts. So you will never be in
poverty, neither will there ever be a time that your institu-
tion will fail, for your wants will never be great enough to
exhaust the source of God's supply. That was fixed in
the gift of Christ.

I am led to believe that the part that these six women
played in the organization of this church is one worth con-
sidering. It leads me to believe that woman has some-
thing to do today in the shaping of the lives of her children,
by helping to hold the church organization together, and
being a part of the institution. Some of these boys, who
spoke ahead of me, have referred to the church as "she,"
but they seem to feel a delicacy in speaking of her age,
saying that some women object to the telling of their
age. I have never really insisted on anybody telling his
age, especially on a woman telling hers. Personally I ap-
preciate my own age and am thankful to know that the
Lord has let me live as long as I have, and I say with
much appreciation that I am almost old enough to have
gray hairs in my head. Some one mentioned the woman
suffrage question. This is a thing that I do not agree
with. I would prefer to call them "Suffer-yets" instead
of Suffragettes, for I think the place for woman is in the
church, for in it she will be more competent to school her
children in the things that they need to know about. If her
time is spent in political work I am afraid she will make a

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miserable blunder and will be a stumbling stone for her
children.

Let me say, in conclusion, that I represent the "baby"
church in Nashville; not in age, neither in size, but accord-
ing to finances. My congregation has everything except
money. I am sure we have plenty of people, both adults
and children. Our people are of the working class. We
have no money, but we have a lot of faith. We believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ, and I think that we have at least
enough religion to save us. We do some praying, but not
enough, yet we believe that the day will soon come when
the Lord will provide us with some of the wealth of the
earth. There is no reason to fear that you will fail to help
us as long as we are helpless, and I am sure there is no
failure for you, as the Lord Jesus Christ has never failed
to supply the wants of His people.

Again, I know that you are going to progress as a
church, for progress is at your disposal. Of course there
will be funerals and a long list of names will be kept of those
that once were here but now gone, yet this will not affect
the existence of your institution, for the Lord is on your
side. You can't keep from advancing, because you have
"Vance" ; so the prayers of myself, as well as the prayers
of my people, are and ever will be that you may be ready
always to respond to the call of your Lord, who calls you
to meet Him in the great field of human need, that of spread-
ing the gospel both at home and abroad.

May the blessings of God, Who knows no failure, and
Whose cause has never been defeated, be with you both now
and evermore.

From Glen Leven Church.
By Rev. W. C. Alexander, D.D.

The brother who has just taken his seat has professed
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to be embarrassed by having to follow the excellent speaker
who preceded him. But listening to his own polished periods
I am reminded of an incident related by that loyal Presbyte-
rian, the late Governor Daniel G. Fowle, of North Caro-
lina. He said that when a student at Princeton, quite a
controversy arose in the theological seminary as to whether
a minister should speak with or without his manuscript. One
of the professors was a strong advocate for written dis-
course. A young student who differed with him upon this
subject ventured on a public occasion to deliver an address
upon the advantages of the extempore method. When the
meeting had adjourned his friends gathered about him to
congratulate him upon the success of his speech. "Yes,"
he said, "but unfortunately I forgot to mention one of my
strongest points." The old professor, who was also standing
near, snapped out, "Yes, and if you had written it down you
wouldn't have forgotten it." Now, it does not occur to me
that our meeting this evening calls for formal and finished
addresses. This is our Presbyterian family gathering, when
we have come to do honor to the mother of us all. The
formal services in the auditorium called for those splendid
papers to which we have listened with so much interest and
admiration, but in this social assemblage it would seem that
our felicitations may best be expressed in words as simple
as they are sincere.

On her one hundredth anniversary we are here to do
honor to the old First Church. We are all proud of her.
We are proud of her noble service to God, to this city and to
this Commonwealth. We are proud of her prosperity as the
largest church in our Assembly. We are proud of her loy-
alty to the everlasting gospel. We are proud of the galaxy
of noble men who have been the pastors of this church, and
we are also proud of the people who listened to them. When
Mr. Beard, in his delightful history, related the story of how
Dr. Gideon Blackburn, practicing the perseverance of the

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Rev. Jkre Witherspoox, D.D.,

Pastor 1 884- 1 893.

saints, preached so eloquently for three hours, that Felix
Grundy said in his enthusiastic admiration that he could
have listened without weariness for three hours longer, some
of us were impressed with the reflection that surely they
had great listeners in those heroic days. Now, it is to be
feared that good listeners do not always receive their proper
meed of praise. We are reminded of an incident related of
Gen. Ellison Capers, the late Episcopal Bishop of South
Carolina. Having preached in a Carolina town on a certain
Sabbath he went to be the guest of one of those noble
women whose homes are always open to receive the servant
of God. Throwing himself into an easy chair, ready to
receive him, he remarked to his hostess, "Miss Maria, you
don't know what hard work preaching is!" Ajid she is
said to have replied, sadly, ''Ah, Bishop, you surely have
never tried hstening!" So we are proud not only of the
preachers, but also of the listeners of the old First Church,
and your patience on this occasion is a cheering proof that
you are not unworthy of the fathers who have already in-
herited the promises.

I bring to you the cordial greetings of the Glen Leven
Church. While not indebted directly to you for an organi-
zation, we are grateful to you for some of our valued char-
ter members, and we cherish for you the warmest regard.
We rejoice in your strength and prosperity as you enter
upon the second hundred years of your history. It is a
desirable thing for a denomination to have a strong central
church, for that church may and ought to be a potent factor
in the extension of the cause of which it is a representative.
Long before this church shall celebrate her second centen-
nial all of us who are here will have passed into silence, but
the cause of our common Presbyterianism will remain.
Surely, therefore, all of us should live for the cause dear
alike to the hearts of us all. When Dr. Vance, then a pas-
tor in New Jersey, addressed the great Laymen's Mission-

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13

ary Conference at Birmingham, Ala., some years ago, he
said, "The Southern Presbyterian Church is the greatest
church in the world !" We congratulate you upon having
him for a second time as your pastor and his leadership in-
spires the confidence that your great congregation will give
itself to the extension of our work in this city, for the
church which shines brightest at home will shine farthest
abroad. When your second centennial shall be celebrated,
may that occasion find you still strong and prosperous and
may many other pastors gather here and say with pride,
"Our churches are the children of the old First Church."

From the West Nashville Church.
By Rev. G. B. Harris, Jr.

Dr. Vance, Officers and Members of the First Presbyterian
Church :

It is with pleasure that I bring you greetings on this
occasion from the West Nashville Church. It is fitting that
in the arrangement of the program tonight this century-
old church should adhere to the old-time rule of seniority.
And so the representatives of the various churches are to be
heard tonight according to the date of organization of their
respective congregations. Under the operation of this good
old rule I have the honor to represent the "baby" of the
family — the youngest direct ofifshoot of the old plant. Ac-
cordingly I have sought to remember the injunction, "Little
children should be seen and not heard," and have kept a
discreet silence and a listening ear while my seniors have
spoken. I am conscious that I must be upon my good be-
havior tonight lest I convey the impression that the "baby"
has been spoiled and so bring down upon it the maternal
wrath.

It is now nearly fifteen years since you began the mis-

-194-

sion work which has become the West Nashville Presbyte-
rian Church. The founders of that work and their suc-
cessors have labored well, and the church comes to bring
you her best wishes, after a most successful year's work.
In fact, this youngest child hopes, ere she reaches "sweet
sixteen," to make her debut in a new party gown — a hand-
some new building, which will be a credit alike to that con-
gregation and to the mother church. And if God's bless-
ing continues to rest upon us, I doubt not that we shall be
instrumental in building up yet more the Kingdom of God
in our part of this growing city.

It affords me pleasure also from a personal standpoint
to bring you greeting. I have been getting a little nearer
the First Church as the years have passed. I began my min-
istry as the pastor of the West Side Church, a daughter of
Moore Memorial, and therefore a granddaughter of this
church. I am now pastor of West Nashville, a daughter of
the old First Church. So we are getting nearer together.

Then, too, I am reminded of the fact that both the First
Church and I are indebted to the same grand old man. Rev.
Gideon Blackburn, D.D. — the church for her organization
and I for the name I bear. You will pardon the brief nar-
ration of an event in the life of that pioneer preacher and
founder of this church, as my father gave it to me. In the
year 1811, when war with England was imminent, Rev. Dr.
Blackburn preached a sermon to the command of General
Andrew Jackson at what is now the foot of Broad Street,
on the banks of the Cumberland River. In that company of
soldiers was my paternal grandfather, Oliver B. Harris. He
said he never heard a more eloquent sermon. General Jack-
son was moved to tears. The fervor and spiritual power
of the consecrated and gifted speaker, the earnest and heart-
stirring appeal of the gospel he preached made a profound
and indelible impression upon my grandfather, whose re-
ligious experience might be said to date from that hour.

-195—

Many years later, when my father was born in 1829, he was
named Gideon Blackburn Harris, and on my birth in 1885,
being his only son, I received his name. So, for my name
I am under obligation to the same grand old preacher who
organized this church and sent it forth upon its great
work.

So, with peculiar pleasure I bring you birthday greet-
ings tonight, both on behalf of myself and the church I
represent, and my prayer is that you may continue to grow
and prosper ; that the blessing of God may rest yet more
abundantly upon you, and that your path down the coming
years) may be as the "path of the just, which is as the shin-
ing light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

GREETINGS FROM THE SYNOD OF TENNESSEE.
By Moderator G. F. Nicolassen.

[The Synod of Tennessee, at its meeting in October,
1914, adopted resolutions of congratulation to the First
Church of Nashville upon the completion of one hundred
years of its history. These resolutions were read by the
Moderator of the Synod, who then proceeded with the fol-
lowingt remarks :]

In fulfillment of the pleasant duty which has been en-
trusted to me, I desire to congratulate this church upon its
centennial celebration, and to assure you of the deep interest
felt by the Synod in your welfare.

One hundred years of life — what does that signify? For
an individual it generally means infirmity and approaching
dissolution. For a state or a church it suggests vigor and
power. Physiologists tell us that in the course of seven
years every particle in the body has changed, and yet the
personality is not lost. In the period of a hundred years
a church may occupy several buildings, will necessarily have

-196-

a number of pastors, and the personnel of its membership
will be entirely changed. And yet the identity of the church
is continuous. During all these years the First Church of
Nashville has been a power for good in this community.

What constitutes a successful church? Is it to have a
brilliant pastor, many officers, a large number of members ?
These are all elements of strength if properly used. But the
real test is : Do they minister to the needs of the people ?
Are the men and women made better by them? Are the
boys and girls provided with entertainment that will satisfy
this craving of their natures? And when I say entertain-
ment I do not mean something that will please for the mo-
ment, but make no lasting impression upon the character.

What shall be the record of the next hundred years?
None of us will be here to see it. The King of Persia wept
when he looked out over his vast army and realized that a
hundred years later not one of them would be alive. But
he was a heathen and knew not the true God. We are bet-
ter taught, but what does our religion mean to us ? Is it a
garment that we put on every Sunday morning, or is it a
vital principle within us that controls our thoughts as well
as our acts and our words? Do not be discouraged if the
results are slow. The growth of character is gradual, like
the development of the oak. They tell us that the honored
President of our Republic was not particularly brilliant as
a college student, and gave small promise of the greatness
that he has achieved. But see the strength that he has
developed ! A man who was able to keep a nation out of
war and who has won the absolute trust of ninety millions
of men! But I would point you to a higher model than
Woodrow Wilson — one who shares our humanity and was
"tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin." This
is the goal that is set before us, and to this we shall attain if
we make the proper use of what He has given us.

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Resolutions,
centennial first presbyterian church, nashville.

Whereas, On November 14', 1814, during a period of
national strife incident to the war of 1812, there was or-
ganized in the courthouse at Nashville, Tenn., the First
Presbyterian Church of that city, then composed of eight
members, seven of whom were women ; and

Whereas, This church has been blessed of God through
all these years so that she now looks back upon a noble his-
tory— a history which reveals her as witnessing to the truth
of her Lord by a broad catholicity of spirit, coupled with
earnest devotion to Him ; as standing at once as a fortress
and a force ; as planting her missions in various parts of the
city and thus becoming the mother of churches ; as sending,
by her rich gifts, the Gospel of Light to the people of this
and other lands ; as gladly giving her capable officers for the
counsel's and labors of the church, both at home and abroad,
and as blessing by the rare endowments of her exceptional
ministers, not only the city and the Presbytery, but the
Synod and the Assembly as well ; and

Whereas, This, the largest church of our Synod and
Assembly, is planning to celebrate its centennial from the
8th to the 15th of November; therefore, be it

Resolved, i. That the Synod of Tennessee express its
gratitude to God for the organization, the continued exist-
ence and the remarkable development of this church ; for her
activity and achievements ; for her peace and prosperity and
power.

2. That we extend our hearty congratulations to the
people of this church for what has been accomplished dur-
ing the years that are passed; for her position of privilege
and responsibility ; for her capable body of officers and her
richly gifted pastor.

3. That we invoke the blessing of God upon her officers

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and members, to the end that, appreciating their position of
leadership, they may, by their ideals and aims, by their
character and conduct, measure up to their responsibilities,
as they witness to the truth of the gospel in ever-widening
circles of influence until, through them, the spirit of Christ
is felt to earth's remotest bounds.

4. That the Moderator of this Synod be directed to
kindly present to the First Church, Nashville, at such time
during this centennial celebration as shall be arranged, the
hearty felicitations of this Synod, and to express our un-
feigned interest and sincere regard for pastor and people in
their rejoicing, in which we delight to share.

Relations of the First Presbyterian Church and of the Ex-
ecutive Committee of Foreign Missions.
By Rev. S. H. Chester, D.D.

The discussion of my topic would naturally proceed un-
der two heads : First, the relation of the First Presbyterian
Church to the Committee of Foreign Missions, and, second,
the relation of the committee to the church. I did not have
the privilege of hearing the splendid extempore address de-
livered by my colleague. Dr. Smith, as a part of this cen-
tennial program, but he showed me the manuscript of it,
and I noticed that in his opening paragraph, with that won-
derful gift of comprehension and condensation which he
possesses, he mentioned almost everything that could pos-
sibly be thought of under the first head. He referred feel-
ingly and appropriately to the fact that your pastor is our
committee chairman, that one of your elders is in charge
of our health department, that another one is chairman of
our most important sub-committee, that still another one
looks after our railroad interests, and that the roof over our
head is your property. For all of these things I trust that

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we are not wanting in a proper feeling of gratitude and ap-
preciation. It is true that for awhile after we became your
beneficiaries in the matter of housing, on rainy days we
needed the protection of umbrellas in our offices in addition
to that aflforded by the roof, and were put to some expense
in providing buckets and tubs wherein to dispose of the
surplus water that found its way through the roof to our
floors. That little defect, however, was soon remedied, and
now we can sit before our lovely grate fires, whose cheerful
blaze promotes mental quietude, while we wrestle with our
various and sundry problems, and the wilder the storm that
rages without the more comfortable and cozy we feel.

Under my second head, I would remark that the attitude
of the Foreign Missions Committee towards the First
Qiurch from the beginning has been one of hopeful recep-
tivity. While we have appreciated all that you have done
for our cause in the way of financial help, we have con-
tinually hoped that you would do more. We have ventured
to hope that by reason of your close association with us
and the opportunity which this afforded you of knowing
our work and understanding its importance and its needs,
you would become the banner church of our whole Assem-
bly in your missionary giving.

While you have not yet attained to this position, a glance
over your records which I made in preparation for these
remarks shows that you are making hopeful and continually
accelerating progress toward it. Taking the record for
forty years by decades, the figures for the first decade be-
ginning with 1875 are $5,754 contributed to foreign mis-
sions during that period. The contributions of the second
decade beginning with 1885 were $14,285, which is more
than double those of the first. Those of the third decade
were $16,020. In the fourth decade, beginning with 1895,
the contributions mount up rapidly, reaching the encour-
aging sum total of $33,721.

-200-

Rev. Wm. M. Anderson, D.D.

Pastor 1901-1910.

The most rapid advance began with the year 1908, the
seventh year of Dr. Anderson's pastorate, the congregation
jumping in that year from $1,383 to $3,421.

The four years of the present pastorate show the best
record of all, beginning with $3,734 in 191 1 and reaching
$5,294 in 1914, the sum total for the four years being
$18,744. This does not prove that the present pastor is a
more enthusiastic missionary man than those who preceded
him, but it does show that he knows how to wield for the
work of the kingdom and to develop on continually broaden-
ing lines the splendid force of workers gathered into the
membership of this church by his own labors and the labors
of those who preceded him. I am sure that I voice the
unanimous sentiment of the Committee of Foreign Missions,
as well as of this entire community, that this second pas-
torate of his so auspiciously begun may continue to the end
of his working days and that this end may be in the far
distant future, and that long before the first decade of his
second pastorate is finished he may have the joy of seeing
realized what we know to be the wish of his heart, that this
church may become the banner church, not only of the
Southern Presbyterian Assembly, but of all the churches
of this broad land, in its helpfulness to the great cause of
foreign missions and to every other cause connected with the
welfare and progress of the Kingdom of God.

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CHAPTER X.

REMARKS AT THE OLD CITY CEMETERY NOV. 14,
1914, WHEN THE GRAVES OE THOSE WHO
ORGANIZED THE CHURCH WERE COV-
ERED WITH FLOWERS.

By Maj. Wilbur F. Foster.

It is a seemly and appropriate thing, my friends, that
we should this day have come together in "the silent city
of the dead," where sleep so many whose names we revere
and whose memory we cherish, to recall the deeds of that
little band of devoted Christians, few in numbers but strong
in faith and courage and purpose, who an hundred years ago
today bound themselves to each other and to the God of
their fathers, for His worship and His service, and thus
laid the sure foundation of the Presbyterian Church of the
city of Nashville.

Had we the power to "summon from the shadowy past
the forms that once have been," with what deep interest and
throbbing hearts would we listen to the story from their
lips, of their lives, their trials, their triumphs and, above all,
their unfaltering trust in God and the wisdom and sure
fulfilment of His eternal purposes. Alas! that cannot be.
We can only call the roll of those honored names, read a
few brief head lines, so to speak, of their history, and with
loving hands cover their graves with sweet flowers, as a
token of affection and grateful remembrance. "Such graves
as these are pilgrim shrines," and it is well that we stand
in this sacred ground with uncovered head and reverent
thought, to pay tribute to the memory of those who are

-202—

buried here, and from their lives learn lessons of faithful-
ness and steadfast trust.

We shall first recall the names of only those pastors of
the Presbyterian Church whose graves are with us, and
which it is our privilege this day to visit. In each case our
reference will be brief, as ample historic record has been
prepared by another.

Rev. Thomas B. Craighead

Was a man of strong character, a great preacher, an
eminent educator and a leader among men. Although
never installed pastor of the Presbyterian Church in
Nashville, he was yet the first preacher of the Presby-
terian faith in Middle Tennessee, and our church was
organized by those to whom he had ministered in sa-
cred thingsi for many years, and by whom he was great-
ly honored and beloved. Records are indefinite and
sometimes contradictory, but we think that the follow-
ing statements are correct :

Rev. Thomas B. Craighead was the oldest son of
Rev. Alexander Craighead, and was born at Sugar
Creek, Mecklenburg County, N. C, in 1750. He was
educated at Princeton, N. J,, and ordained to the min-
istry by Orange Presbytery, North Carolina. In 1780
he was married to Elizabeth Brown, daughter of Rev.
John Brown, of Frankfort, Ky., and in the same year
moved to Spring H!ill (or Haysborough), six miles
northeast of Nashville, and that continued to be his
home until his death in the fall of 1824.

The stone building in which he preached at Spring
Hill was also the schoolroom in which, for twenty-three
years he taught the students of Davidson Academy, of
which he was the founder, and the President until 1809.

His grave is in Spring Hill Cemetery, near the spot
where stood the house in which he lived so many years,
and where he died when 74 years of age.

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Just here in the old City Cemetery where we are gath-
ered are the graves of two eminent men, Rev. William
Hume and Rev. Obadiah Jennings, devoted servants of God
and both closely identified with the early history of Nash-
ville and of the church whose centenary we are commem-
orating.

Rev. William Hume

Was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, August 15, 1770, and
died in Nashville, May 22, 1833.

He was of the "Scotch Seceder" faith and was the
pastor of that congregation in Nashville more than sev-
enteen years, until in 1818 he united with the Presby-
terian Church of the United States, and labored as an
evangelist until his death, frequently filling the pulpit
of the First Presbyterian Church, but never as its
pastor.

He was a most eminent man, greatly beloved and
respected by everybody.

Rev. Obadiah Jennings, D.D.,

Was born in New Jersey, December 13, 1778, and died
in Nashville, January 12, 1832.

He was installed pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church in April, 1828, and continued as such until his
death, when only one month more than 53 years of age.

He was a man of great intellectual power and dis-
cernment.

Three beloved pastors of the First Presbyterian Church
rest from their labors, and their remains are buried in beau-
tiful Mt. Olivet. Although gone from among us they are
not forgotten, and it is our privilege this day to visit and
spread flowers upon their graves. These are their honored
names :

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Rev. John Todd Edgar, D.D.

Was born in Delaware, April 13, 1792, and died in
Nashville, November 13, i860.

He was installed pastor August 4, 1833, and served
continuously twenty-seven years until his death.

Rev. Thomas Verner Moore, D.D.

Was born in Newville, Pa., February i, 1818, and
died in Nashville, August 5, 1871.

He was installed pastor January 17, 1869, and con-
tinued as such until his death.

Rev. Thomas A. Hoyt, D.D.

Was born on Beach Island, South Carolina, Jan-
uary 31, 1828, and died at Bryn Mawr, Pa., June 29,
1903.

He was installed pastor February i, 1873, and con-
tinued as such until April 19, 1883.
It was a notable birthday which we are now celebrating,
for one hundred years ago, on the 14th day of November,
1814, the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville began its
life with a membership of seven. Seven has ever been re-
garded by mystics and mythologists as a sacred number,
a number having peculiar potency in both spiritual and ma-
terial affairs. Be that as it may, it is surely the fact that
the earnest and devoted seven who that day clasped hands in
solemn covenant for the worship of God and the upbuilding
of His church, began a work which in the providence of God,
and by His blessing, has wonderfully prospered.

Let us briefly trace the record of that notable seven who,
under the leadership of a zealous and devoted "man of
God," the Rev. Gideon Blackburn, that day raised the ban-
ner of the Cross, which, by the blessing of God, never
has been and surely never shall be lowered.

—205-

Robert Smiley

Was the only male member of the little band and
was 31 years of age at the date we are here to com-
memorate.

From the tablet which covers his grave we learn that
he was born in Ireland, September 11, 1783, and died
in Nashville on his 40th birthday, September 11, 1823.

From the scant record at our command we are led
to believe that he was a most earnest and devoted Chris-
tian, a man of the highest integrity, and that he died
as he had lived, "at peace with God and at peace with
the world."

On September 7, 1823, he was chosen President of
the first Sunday school society organized in Nashville.

He was the honored ancestor of many descendants
who have ever "kept the faith," and was the first of
the long line of ruling elders of the First Presbyterian
Church, having been elected at its organization.

Mrs. Susanna Hi. Ewing.

Was the consort of Andrew Ewing, and was born
in Philadelphia, Pa., December 25, 1737. She was,
therefore, almost JJ years of age when this church was
organized. At that time her husband had been dead
about a year.

Their home was four miles south of the village, as it
then was, on the road which is now the Granny White
Pike, and when her death occurred, October 31, 1818,
she was buried in the family graveyard near the resi-
dence, and there her remains still rest beside those of
her husband, under the shade of the great oak trees that
surrounded her home, and in the midst of a landscape
fair and beautiful beyond description, albeit less than
fifty years later the wavering lines of contending armies

—206-

swung to and fro across these graves where the dead
slept so peacefully, for they were in the very line of the
Confederate entrenchments at the battle of Nashville.

Of her husband, Andrew Ewing, it is recorded that
he was of the Quaker persuasion ; "was one of the bright-
est ornaments of that sect, and proverbially good, honest
and charitable."

He was the first Clerk of Davidson County, holding
that office from October, 1783, until his death, May,
1813.

Their many descendants have ever been eminent in
social, business and professional life.

Mrs. Mary McNairy

Was the wife of Frank McNairy, the senior mem-
ber of a family conspicuous in both the early and later
history of Nashville and the State of Tennessee.

We have not been able to learn the record of her life,
or the date and place of her death and burial. It is the
belief of some of her descendants that she returned to
North Carolina with her husband, and that they both
died and were buried in that State.

Mrs. Josiah Nichol

Was born near King's Salt Works, Washington
County, Virginia, September 22, 1781. Her maiden
name was Eleanor Ryburn, and she was married at the
place of her birth to Josiah Nichol, April 19, 1797, when
less than 16 years of age. She died at Nashville, No-
vember 19, 1864. Her grave in the old City Cemetery,
unmarked by a monument, adjoins on the south side
that of her husband, who died May 31, 1833, in the
62d year of his age.

Mrs, Nichol was a few days more than 33 years of

—207-

age when this church was organized, and at that time
was the mother of nine children, seven of whom were
then living. Three others were born later. She is still
well remembered with respect and affection by the older
citizens of Nashville.

Mrs. Ruth Greer Talbot.

Due north from yonder courthouse two and one-half
miles "as the crow flies," on the northern slope of one
of the beautiful hills that encircle the city of Nashville,
stands a substantial two-story dwelling that is now 124
years old. It was built of cedar logs cut from the
surrounding forest and put together with wooden pins.
When built it was of such stately magnificence as com-
pared with other dwellings of that date that it was
known far and wide as "The Mansion." This house,
which is still occupied as a dwelling, was built by a man
who came from the Watauga Settlement in East Ten-
nessee, wearing upon his scalp a furrow plowed by a
bullet at the battle of King's Mountain. He had been
Sheriff of Washington County, then of North Caro-
lina, and was Clerk of the Senate at the first meeting
of the Legislature of the State of Franklin.

His name was Thomas Talbot, and with him came his
wife, Ruith Greer Talbot. Two children came with them
and shortly after their arrival the third child, Sophia
Western, was born. Twenty-three years later the mother,
Ruth Greer, and the daughter, Sophia Western, then the
wife of Elihu S. Hall, became charter members of this
church.

Ruth Greer Talbot was born April 29, 1768, at the
home of her father, Andrew Greer, on the Watauga
River about three miles above Elizabethton ; was mar-
ried when 17 years of age ; moved to Nashville when
22 years old, where she died October 7, 1819.

-208-

Rev. James I. Vance, D.D.,

Pastor T89S-1900; 1910 .

Hard by the "mansion" where she lived, in the thick
shade of a beautiful grove, in the valley of the little
stream now known as Page's Branch, is the quiet burial
ground in which is her grave beside that of her hus-
band, Thomas Talbot.

She was a woman of strong character, energetic and
industrious ; the mother of eight children, and is de-
scribed as "an affectionate wife, a tender mother, an
indulgent mistress, a kind neighbor and charitable to
the poor."

Sophia Western Hall,

The wife of Elihu S. Hall, was the daughter of
Thomas and Ruth Greer Talbot, as already stated. The
date of her marriage we have not been able to learn.
Her death occurred January 21, 1816, and her grave is in
the southeastern portion of the old City Cemetery, under
the monument inscribed to her memory.

She was 23 years of age when she became a charter
member of this church and in her 26th year at her death.

Margaret L. Anderson

Was the wife of Col. Patton Anderson, U. S. A. Of
her life we have been able to learn but little. In a foot-
note in the history of this church prepared by Rev. R.
F. Bunting, D.D., it is stated that he was in correspond-
ence with her in 1868, and that she was then Mrs. M. L.
Bybee and was living in Memphis. Dr. Bunting states
that by her memory of the fact he was enabled to learn
the date of the organization of the First Presbyterian
Church.

From this it appears that after the death of Colonel
Anderson she became the wife of Mr. Bybee and lived
in Memphis, where she probably was buried.

-209—

14

Thus we end the brief record of the illustrious seven
who were the charter members of this church, a record each
item of which might be expanded into a story of thrilling
interest.

There were tw,o others, Mrs. Felix Grundy and Mrs.
Robert Lusk, who were not present at the organization, but
whose names are so inseparably linked with the history of
the early days and later life of the church in the century
which ends today that failure to pay tribute to their memory
and make record of their noble service would be inexcusable.
We shall try to be brief.

Mrs. Robert Lusk.

Matilda F. Fairfax, "Mother Lusk," as she was lov-
ingly called by many in her later years, was a citizen of
Nashville throughout her long life of nearly 89 years.
Here it was she was born, January 15, 1810. Here she
was married by the Rev. William Hume, October 7,
1829, to Robert Lusk, who for many years was the
efficient Treasurer of this church, and here it was that
she died, November 27, 1898.

Mrs. Lusk became a member of the First Presbyte-
rian Church December 17, 1842, and then for fifty years,
half the century whose passing we now commemorate,
it was she whose hands prepared the communion bread,
and with unfailing regularity provided for the sacred
feast.

Again, when war swept over the city and the church
and its contents were seized by the invading army for
occupation and use as a hospital, it was she who de-
manded and reclaimed the portrait of the late pastor.
Dr. Edgar, also the cushions of the church and the pul-
pit furniture; removed them to her home and stored
them, together with the silver communion service, in
her parlor, where they remained in safety until after

—210—

the war was over and the church was restored to its
rightful owners in 1865.

Let us honor her merriory and decorate her grave
in peaceful Mt. OHivet.

Mrs. Felix Orundy,

Whose maiden name was Ann Phillips Rodgers, was
the daughter of John Rodgers and his wife, Sarah
Dougherty, and was born in Virginia, December 6, 1779.
She was descended from a notable family of Scotch-
Irish Presbyterians, one of whom was President of Har-
vard College in 1684. When but a child she came with
her parents to Kentucky, where she was married to him
who became so eminent as a lawyer and a statesman.
In the winter of 1807-8 they removed to Nashville and
at once Mrs. Grundy became active and zealous in the
life of the First Presbyterian Church. To select one
from the many incidents connected therewith:

We are told that in 1819 the Bible was excluded from
use in the public school of Nashville, and then it was
that Mrs. Grundy, believing that the public services of
the church were inadequate for the purpose, determined
that the children of the village "must be taught the way
from earth to heaven." And so, in the face of very
great opposition, even from church people, Mrs. Grundy
opened a school on Sunday morning, July 2, 1820, with
fifteen scholars. The use of church buildings for the
purpose was peremptorily refused, and the school was
opened in a little dilapidated cabin among the cedars in
the rear of the McKendree Church.

And this was the planting of Sunday schools in Nash-
ville. Behold the splendid fruitage! God has blessed
the work, and we, nearly an hundred years later, come
with thanksgiving, praise and gratitude to pay loving
tribute to the memory of her who planted the seed.

-211-

In yonder Olivet, where the earliest rays of the ris-
ing sun and its latest beams as it sinks in the west rest
in benediction upon her grave, flowers are spread by
loving hands today, and in the bright future, as the years
come and go, wherever her name shall be spoken and
the story of her life be told, the glad voices of happy
children and the grateful hearts of fathers and mothers
will thank God that such a woman once lived !
And so we close.

"God be thanked that the dead have left still

Good undone for the living to do;
Still some aim for the heart and the will,

And the soul of a man to pursue."

-212-

CHAPTER XI.

THE STAYING POWER OF PRESBYTERIANISM.
By President Walter W. Moore, D.D.

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not
faint." — Isaiah 40:31.

These words were written for the encouragement of
the Jewish captives in Babylonia. For nearly seventy years
they had languished in exile and they were thoroughly dis-
heartened. They were a broken and helpless people. Their
deliverance and restoration to their own land seemed an
utter impossibility. But the prophet declares that, so far
from being an impossibility, it is a certainty, because it has
been decreed by the Almighty, and He calls upon them to
put their trust in God, the source of all power, and to
bestir themselves and march forth in His strength, buoyant,
energetic, persistent ; for "they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as
eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; and they shall walk
and not faint." What strikes us at first sight as curious
about this statement is the order in which these results of
faith in God are given — flying, running, walking. That
seems to us an inversion of the natural order. We are apt
to say, surely walking is easier than running, and running
is easier than flying. We should have expected the prophet
to say, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength ; they shall walk and not faint, they shall run and
not be weary, and they shall mount up with wings as eagles.

—213—

But he does not say that. H!is order is not walking, running,
flying, but flying, running, walking.

It sounds like an anti-climax. But it is not. On the
contrary, as George Adam Smith has well said, it is a true
climax, rising from the easier to the more difficult. It is a
true description of Christian life and work. It is far easier
to mount up with wings as eagles and to run and not be
weary than it is to walk and not faint. It is far easier to kin-
dle a blaze of temporary enthusiasm about religion, or make
a burst of speed in some new religious enterprise than it is to
persevere through difficulties, dangers and disappointments.
The most effective servant of God is not the man of ardent
feeling or impetuous zeal, but the man of steadfast persist-
ence— not the man who can fly or the man who can run,
but the man who can plod. We do need the uplift of en-
thusiasm, and we do need the dash of energy, but we need
still more the power of endurance. A skyrocket is a beau-
tiful thing and by no means without its uses ; a bonfire is a
joyous thing, and by no means devoid of warmth, but a
lire of good hickory logs or hard coals is better. The text
describes three phases of religious experience — the ecstatic,
the impetuous and the persistent. They are all of value, but
the one that counts for most in the long run — the one that
accomplishes most in the end — is the persistent.

Flying, running, walking — soaring, spurting, trudging —
enthusiasm, energy, endurance — these three, but the great-
est of these is endurance.

And that, my brethren, is the real reason why the Pres-
byterian Church has done so great a work in the world and
has won so great a place in history. No denomination in all
the sisterhood of churches has shown more staunchness and
steadfastness and persistence and "patient continuance in
well doing." It is sometimes said that the reason for the
great position of the Presbyterian Church in history is its
intellectual force. But that is only a part of the truth.

—214—

The quality which has given it an influence out of all pro-
portion to its numbers is not primarily a quality of mind, but
a quality of character. For, as the Saturday Evening Post
has said, "Ability never amounts to much until it acquires
two more letters and becomes stability." And whatever else
men may say about you as a church, they all with one ac-
cord give you credit for staying power, for steadiness, for
perseverance. And they respect you for it. They know
that while flying and running attract more attention than
walking, while the obtrusive things of life win more ap-
plause, it's the steady things of life that accomplish more
results. A brilliant minister of a sister denomination said
once that a Presbyterian congregation was more trying to
him than any other because they had so little apparent enthu-
siasm and looked at everything in such a sober-sided, steady
way. "However," he added, "they have some good points,
and one of them is that they unll pull on a cold collar." He
meant that like a staunch team of horses, they would do
their duty at any time regardless of the state of their feel-
ings. They pull whether they feel like it or not.

Professor Upham has said that there are two classes of
Christians — those who live chiefly by emotion and those
who live chiefly by faith. The first class, those who live
chiefly by emotion, remind one of ships that move by the
outward impulse of winds operating upon sails. They are
often in a dead calm, often out of their course, and some-
times driven back. And it is only when the winds are fair
and powerful that they move onward with rapidity. The
other class, those who live chiefly by faith, remind one of
the mighty steamers which cross the Atlantic, which are
moved by an interior and permanent force, and which, set-
ting at defiance all ordinary obstacles, advance steadily and
swiftly to their destination, through calm and storm, through
cloud and sunshine. Those who depend for inspiration on
the state of their own fluctuating feelings or on external

—215-

conditions will be strenuous or slack in their work, accord-
ing as the outlook is promising or unpromising, but those
who wait upon the Lord, those who trust fully His unchang-
ing wisdom, power and love, will work steadily on regard-
less alike of their feelings and their circumstances.

We have an English colloquialism to describe a thing
that starts well and then fails. We say it peters out. Dr.
Denison has suggested that the expression is derived from
the name of that impulsive, boastful disciple who in his
earlier career was always making such a brave start and then
failing to make good. Peter did this so often that that sort
of performance had come to be known by his name. We
say of a man who acts that way that he peters out. He
lacks constancy, steadfastness, persistence. Now, your ideal
Presbyterian is certainly not a quitter. He sticks to it.
He sees the thing through. He works at it steadily. He
bends all his powers to it as though the whole success of it
depended on him. And yet he says, and says truly, that
the whole success of it depends on God. Indeed, he so mag-
nifies the sovereignty of God in salvation and in all re-
ligious work, he so insists that divine power alone can ac-
complish real results, that superficial observers sometimes
accuse him of fatalism. They say, "You Presbyterians
stress the sovereignty of God so much that you destroy
the sense of human responsibility, you cut the nerves of
human effort, you say God does everything, then there is
no occasion for man to do anything, you put a premium on
sloth." Well, the answer to all this is historic fact. It is
precisely the people who have so exalted the sovereignty of
God that have always done the most strenuous and per-
sistent work for His Kingdom. And that is the teaching
of our text. Wait upon the Lord, mount up with wings,
run, walk. It is a trumpet call to faith in the sovereign
power of God, who increaseth strength to them that have
no migbt, and it is a trumpet call to the most intense and
persistent self-exertion — flying, running, walking.

-216—

The combination that God has ordained in order to the
best success is trust and toil — absolute dependence on Him
and manly self-dependence. And this is the combination
that has made our people so great a force in human affairs.
I am, of course, very far from claiming that Presbyterians
have a monopoly of this combination. We honor it equally
when we see it in our brethren of other churches. But we
may claim, I think, without immodesty, that no denomination
has exemplified this combination more signally than ours,
and that as a consequence none has shown more staying
power in character and work.

There are three features of the Presbyterian system
which have contributed powerfully to the making of this
intelligent, steadfast, dependable type of Christian char-
acter: First, the Presbyterian polity, or mode of church
government; second, the Presbyterian type of worship, or
forms of service, and third, the Presbyterian creed, or sys-
tem of doctrine.

THE PRESBYTERIAN POLITY.

I. In its polity, or method of ecclesiastical organization
and government, Presbyterianism is republican in its form
and spirit. Its fundamental principles are personal liberty
and constitutional organization.

A personal libery such as is involved in the Protestant
doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, bringing every
man face to face with God, and teaching that each indi-
vidual "must for himself realize the priceless benefits and
dignities of redemption," gives to every man persona)!
worth, and cannot fail to put a premium upon the best
development of all his powers.

The other principle is constitutional self-government.

Presbyterianism holds that church power rests not in
the clergy but in the people, and that church government
is administered not by a single individual, which would be
monarchy, nor immediately by the people, which would be

-217-

democracy, but by representatives of the people, chosen
by the people, and sitting in constitutional assemblies. These
representatives are of equal rank. Presbyterianism asserts
not merely the parity of ministers, but the parity of Pres-
byters, the teaching elder and the ruling, elder have equal
authority in all the courts. It is popular government by
representative majorities. In short, the Presbyterian Church
is an ecclesiastical republic.

Now, the very first necessity of a successful republic is
general' intelligence. Presbyterianism has thus been com-
pelled by the genius of its organization, even by the instinct
of self-preservation, to promote the education of all its peo-
ple. A system which teaches that church power rests in the
people and is administered by representatives of the people
is of necessity the friend of the education of the people.
This is the ground of Bancroft's statement that Calvin was
the father of popular education, the inventor of the system
of free schools.

The two great principles which characterize Calvin's
system, viz : personal liberty or the worth of the individual,
and republican organization or constitutional self-govern-
ment, are both derived directly from Scripture, and it is in
these two principles that we find much of the potency of
Presbyterianism as a maker of character, a maker of men,
a maker of citizens. It teaches that all men are the sons of
the Lord Almighty, that all are equal and all are kings;
that every soul is of infinite value and dignity and that each
individual mind may be in direct communication with its
Creator. With such a conception of man there can be no
despotism in church or state. No prelate or king can be
lord over another man's conscience.

The historic opposition of Presbyterianism to all tyranny
in church or state is therefore not an accident. It is no
accident that Presbyterianism has furnished more martyrs
to Christianity since the Reformation than all the other

—218-

churches combined. It is no accident that Presbyterianism
has taken a leading part in all those great movements which
have secured the religious and civil liberty now enjoyed by
the foremost nations of the world. These things have
sprung naturally and inevitably out of the Presbyterian es-
timate of the worth of the individual and the Presbyterian
theory of government by the people. ''Civil and religious
liberty are linked together. In whom does church power
rest? In the people or in the clergy? When you settle
that question you decide the question also of the civil liberty
of the nation. If you decide that the power rests with the
clergy, then you establish a principle which, by an inevitable
analogy, associates itself with the principle that the civil
power rests in kings and nobles." Hence the remark of
Lord Bacon that "Discipline by bishops is fittest for mon-
archy of all others. But if you settle, as Presbyterians do,
that church power rests in the people, in the church itself,
then from this principle springs the other, that civil power
rests in the people themselves and that all civil rulers are
the servants of the people." If there is liberty in the
church, there will be liberty in the State ; if there is no
bishop in the church, there will be no tyrant on the throne."
Hence it is that modern tyrants have with one consent
recognized that Presbyterianism was their natural enemy
and have hated and feared it accordingly. Charles the First
of England, whose inability to tell the truth and keep an oath
cost him his head, did tell the truth once at least when he
said, "The doctrine (of the Presbyterians) is anti-monar-
chical," and he added that "there was not a wiser man since
Solomon than he who said, 'No bishop, no king.' " James
the First, born and reared a Scot, spoke what he knew when,
at the Hampton Court Conference, he said, "Ye are aiming
at a Scot's Presbytery, which agrees with monarchy as well
as God and the devil." History has demonstrated that the
views thus expressed by the Stuart kings were absolutely

-219-

correct. Presbyterianism has not only placed a premium
on self-culture by its doctrine of personal liberty and its
estimate of the worth of the individual ; it has not only placed
a premium on general intelligence by its republican polity,
which rests the power of government in the people them-
selves and administers it through representatives of the
people, but, as a natural consequence, it has in every age
been a chief educator of the people in the principles of civil
liberty and has in every land reared heroic champions of
human freedom — Admiral Coligni in France, William the
Silent in Holland, John Knox in Scotland, and William the
Third of England, whose victory at the battle of the Boyne
saved the British Empire and America, too, from the blight-
ing rule of Rome. As to our own struggle for national in-
dependence, it is well known that the revolt of the Ameri-
can colonies was spoken of in England as a Presbyterian
rebellion. When Horace Walpole said, "Cousin America
has run away with a Presbyterian parson," he was doubtless
referring particularly to Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, Presi-
dent of Princeton, whose speech in the Colonial Congress
swept the waiverers to a decision in favor of the Declaration
of Independence, and who was the only minister of any
denomination who signed that immortal document; but
Walpole's remark might well have been made with the
whole body of American Presbyterian ministers in view.
They instructed the people in their rights. They called
them to arms in defense of their liberties. They sat in the
councils of state. They endured the privations of the camp
and the fatigues of the march, and they fought beside their
parishioners on the fields of bloody strife. It is not too much
to say that the American Revolution could not have suc-
ceeded but for the Presbyterian ministers. While some
denominations were opposed to war under any circum-
stances, and therefore preferred submission to armed resist-
ance, and while the clergy of some other denominations sup-

-220—

ported the crown and bitterly opposed the movements for
independence, the Presbyterian ministers throughout the
whole country, from New England to Georgia, gave to the
cause of the colonies all that they could give of the sanction
of religion, and wherever a minister of that denomination
was settled, the people around him were Whigs almost to a
man. This is now gratefully recognized by our brethren of
all denominations, and whatever the indifference or short-
comings or hostility of their own ministers to the people's
cause in the Revolutionary struggle, they all now alike
honor the Presbyterian ministers who denounced the op-
pression of the mother country, and fired the hearts of the
people to resistance, and fought and suffered to secure the
freedom in which all alike rejoice today.

In speaking of Presbyterians it is generally quality that
is considered rather than numbers ; when the world esti-
mates their services it does not count, it weighs. Bishop
Candler, of the Methodist Church, says : "There is only one
objection to the Presbyterians, that is, there are not enough
of them." Yet in mere bulk and number, as well as in
influence, they contributed more than any other strain of
our people to the Revolutionary army. One-third of the
whole population of the colonies at that time was of Pres-
byterian stock and they were then, as always, the kind of
people who did not put their hand to the plow and look
back.

The Presbyterian polity, then, has been a mighty pro-
moter of the intelligent and steadfast type of Christian pa-
triot. By its fundamental principle of personal liberty and
the worth of the individual it has strongly stimulated self-
culture ; by its fundamental principle of representative gov-
ernment, with its inevitable demand for general intelli-
gence, it has strongly stimulated popular education; and,
growing out of these two as naturally as a tree springs
from its roots, it has developed a strong type of manly

—221—

character, hatred of tyranny and love of liberty in the state
as well as the church, and, we think, has become one of
the best promoters of ideal citizenship that the world has
ever seen.

THE PRESBYTERIAN WORSHIP.

2. A second thing which has contributed to the staying-
power of Presbyterianism is its type of worship. As Dr.
McPherson says, its forms of worship, like those of the
New Testament, are usually simple and non-ritualistic. In
view of the dangers of formalistic and spectacular services
the common Presbyterian custom has been to follow an
order which is plain and reasonable, and perhaps occa-
sionally austere. Often defective in beautiful ceremonies
which appeal to the aesthetic instincts, sometimes deficient
also in the enthusiasm which warms the feelings, Presbyte-
rianism has steadily made its specific impression upon the
mind rather than the tastes or the emotions, appealing to
ideas and convictions more directly than to the sentiments
or the external senses. Accordingly, Mr. Froude, who was
certainly no Presbyterian, has said, "When emotion and
sentiment and tender imaginative piety have become the
handmaids of superstition, and have dreamt themselves into
forget fulness that there is any difiference between lies and
the truth, the slavish form of belief called Calvinism in one
or other of its many forms has ever borne an inflexible
front to illusion and mendacity, and preferred rather to be
ground to powder like flint than to bend before violence or
melt under enervating temptation."

This is, in great part, a result of the robust thought-
fulness of Presbyterian worship. "In particular, Presbyte-
rianism has always exalted the sermon as a leading part of
worship, and thus emphasized the teaching function of the
minister to the extinction of the priestly. The high themes
of the Christian pulpit in the hands of trained and earnest
men have supplied a measureless educational force. Popular

-222-

ignorance scatters like mist before the sun in the presence of
able, convincing and persuasive sermons.

"In view of this uniform importance which Presbyterian-
ism has attached to the didactic vocation of the pulpit,
it naturally produces a peculiar type of experience and
character in its worshipers. If they are reserved in the
expression of passionate fervor, if they come short in ar-
tistic sensibility, they are as a class highly developed in the
substantial elements of intellect, judgment and conscience.
They are trained to think, to reason, to weigh and to decide
for themselves. They can generally give a reason for the
hope that is in them. They follow common sense and ap-
point themselves detectives of humbug, and they are re-
markably free from visionary whims, caprices and vaga-
ries." They have staying power.

THE PRESBYTERIAN CREED.

3. The third reason for the staunchness of the Pres-
byterian type of religion is its creed or system of doctrine.

There is not time to amplify this point, so I will simply
cite the testimony of three eminent witnesses, neither of
whom is a Presbyterian.

The Rev. Dr. Curry, an able and distinguished leader of
the Methodist Church in America, says of the Westminster
Confession of Faith : "It is the clearest and most com-
prehensive system of doctrine ever framed. It is not only
a wonderful monument of the intellectual greatness of its
framers, but also a comprehensive embodiment of nearly
all the precious truths of the gospel. We concede to the
Calvinistic churches the honor of having all along directed
the best thinking of the country."

Ralph Waldo Emerson laments in the following lan-
guage the effect of New England's lapse from Calvinism
to Unitarianism : "Our later generation appears ungirt,
frivolous, compared with the religions of the last or Cal-
vinistic age. The religion seventy years ago was an iron

-223-

belt to the mind, giving it concentration and force. A rude
people were kept respectable by the determination of thought
on the eternal world. Now, men fall abroad, want polarity,
suffer in character and intellect."

H'enry Ward Beecher, Congregatipnalist and extreme
liberal though he was, says : "There is no system which
equals Calvinism in intensifying to the last degree ideas of
moral excellence and purity of character. There never was
a system since the world stood which puts upon man such
motives to holiness, or which builds batteries which sweep
the whole ground of sin with such horrible artillery. Men
may talk as much as they please against the Calvinists and
Puritans and Presbyterians, but you will find that when
they want to make an investment they have no objection to
Calvinism or Puritanism or Presbyterianism. They know
that where these systems prevail, where the doctrine of
men's obligation to God and man is taught and practiced,
there their capital may be safely invested. They tell us,"
he continues, "that Calvinism plies men with hammer and
chisel. It does, and the result is monumental marble.
(Some) other systems leave men soft and dirty. Calvinism
makes them of white marble to endure forever."

Such, my brethren, are some of the facts in regard to the
value of the Presbyterian polity, worship and doctrine in the
making of strong Christian character and in the doing of
substantial Christian work. Let no one suppose that these
facts are mentioned in a spirit of mere self-praise. There is
surely no harm in recognizing gratefully any gifts and
graces God may have bestowed upon our branch of the
church. Nay, there is positive spiritual advantage in doing
so, for the contemplation of such a record is fitted to hum-
ble us for our own shortcomings, and to fire us with a new
zeal for the great scriptural system which enabled our
fathers to render so mighty a service to the Kingdom
of God.

—224—

That system is our heritage. But there are some omi-
nous signs in our time that we are not all holding this
heritage intact and that the proper attitude for us is not
self-complacency, but self-examination. For instance, if
the people choose the church officers whom they wish to
have charge of their organized religious work, and if we
allow all manner of voluntary and irresponsible societies
to virtually displace the session and other church courts
and to determine the method by which our work shall be
carried on, regardless of the chosen representatives of the
people, are we protecting the people in the rights which
belong to them under our Scriptural republican polity, and
will not both officers and people suffer loss of power?

Again, if we substitute for our simple New Testament
forms of worship an elaborate ritual which appeals to the
senses and the artistic sensibilities rather than to the mind
and the conscience, and which relies on ceremonies rather
than ideas, can we hope to continue to produce the staunch
and thoughtful type of piety which has been the glory of
our past?

Again, if we substitute for the strong theology which
teaches that there is one far-off divine event to which the
whole creation moves, that there is a sovereign God of
absolute power to help, to save, to perform, to carry out
His will — if we substitute for that the idea of a God in-
capable of foreseeing the future, subject to mistakes, wrest-
ling with an unmanageable universe, whose providence, in-
stead of moving with the definiteness of Omnipotence, is
"like a drop of water trickling down a window pane," un-
certain where it will run next* — do we not dim the inspir-
ing vision of faith and weaken the uplifting assurance of
victory — do we not cripple high endeavor and render pa-
tient continuance in well-doing almost impossible?

No, my brethren, if we would still continue to make

♦Biblical World, xHv., 23&

—225—
15

Christians who can not only mount up with wings as eagles,
and who cannot only run and not be weary, but who can also
walk and not faint, then we must still stand by our free
polity, our simple worship and our stalwart creed.

Dr. Charles E. Jefferson has said with truth that "we
have today flocks of flying Christians, quite too much in the
air. We have also racing Christians, a breed who run with
fury and raise a deal of dust and disappear. The Christian
man most needed is the man who will quietly walk through
the years, day by day loyally doing his task, loving the
church with a passion which does not sputter or die down,
and serving the church with a fidelity which knows no
shadow of turning. He is the man who is a pillar in the
temple of our God, and he shall go no more out forever."

In this flighty, hasty, superficial age of ours there is
surely need for the solid, staunch and persistent type of
Christian character and work. There is need for it in your
city as well as elsewhere. And I pray God that this ven-
erable church which for a hundred years has stood for these
ideals in this community, may abide by them steadfastly
through the years to come. Wait on the Lord. Mount up
with wings as eagles. Run without weariness. Walk with-
out fainting. God give you this uplift of the soul, this
readiness for His service, this patience in His work !

—226—

CHAPTER XII.

SUNDAY, NOV. 8.

ii:ooA,M. Centennial Sermon. By the Rev. James
I. Vance, D.D.

7:30 P.M. Address. By the Rev. Egbert Watson Smith,
D.D. Subject : "Our World Obligation."

MONDAY, NOV. 9.
7:30 P.M. Greetings from other churches —

Rev. Prof. Thomas Carter, D.D.
Rev. Carey E. Morgan, D. D.
Rev. H. J. MiKELL, D.D.
Rev. T. a. Wigginton, D.D.
Rev. Rufus W. Weaver, D.D.
Rabbi I. Lewinthal.
Bishop Byrne,

Paper. By Mr. William E. Beard. Subject;
"The History of the First Church."

-227-

TUESDAY, NOV. lo.

7:30 P.M. Greetings from the Synod of. Tennessee. By
Prof. G. F. Nicolassen, Moderator.

Address. By the Rev. James H. McNeilly,
D.D. Subject: "The Ministers of the
First Church."

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11.

7:30 p.m. Address. By the Rev. Wm. M. Anderson,
D.D. Subject: "Personal Reminiscences
of My Nashville Pastorate."

THURSDAY, NOV. 12.

7:30 P.M. Paper. By Dr. James D. Plunket. Subject:
"The Church Officers and Their Work."

Address. By Prof. Henry E. Dosker, D.D.

Subject: 'The Place of Calvinism in His-
tory."

-228-

FRIDAY, NOV. 13.

7:30 to 10:00 P.M. Church reception under the auspices of
the Women's Societies.

Greetings from the Pastors of the other Presbyterian
churches in Nashville —

Rev. a. S. Allen, Second Presbyterian Church.

Rev. W. L. Caldwell, D.D., Woodland Street Pres-
byterian Church.

Rev. L. E. McNair, D.D., Moore Memorial Pres-
byterian Church.

Rev. W. S. Barr, Cottage Presbyterian Church.

Rev. T. H. Harrison, Adams Presbyterian Church.

Rev. W. C. Alexander, D.D., Glen Leven Presby-
terian Church.

Rev. G. B. Harris, West Nashville Presbyterian
Church.

Rev. S. H. Chester, D.D.

SATURDAY, NOV. 14.

(Date of organisation.)

11:00 A.M. Formal ppening of the First Presbyterian

Church Settlement House.

3:30 P.M. Decoration of the graves of former pastors
and founders.

Ministers.

(Buried in Spring Hill Cemetery.)

R]ev. Thomas B. Craighead

(Buried in City Ce^netery.)

Rev. William Hume

Rev. Obadiah Jennings, D.D.

(Buried in Mount Olivet.)
Rev. John Todd Edgar, D.D.
Rev. Thomas Verner Moore, D.D.
Rev. Thomas A. Hoyt, D.D.

—229—

Charter Members.

(Buried in City Cemetery.)
Robert Smiley
Mrs. Mary McNairy
Mrs. Josiah Nichol
Mrs. Sophia Hall

(Buried on Noel Farm.)
Mrs. Andrew Ewing

(Buried in Talbot Burying Ground.)
Mrs. Tom Talbot

(Buried in Memphis.)
Mrs. Margaret L. Anderson

Founder of Sunday School.
(Buried in Mount Olivet.)
Mrs. Felix Grundy
Address. By Maj. Wilbur F. Foster.

Committee on Decoration of Graves.

Mrs. Percy Warner Mrs. R. S. Cowan

Mrs. Robert Ewing Mrs. Mary C. Dorris

Mrs. T. D. Craighead Mrs. Ellen C. Marshall

Mrs. John Hill Eakin Mrs. Bradford Nichol

Mrs. Martha Foster Mrs. Sue V. Symmes

Mrs. Geo. W. Fall Miss Kittie Vaulx

Mrs. W. F. Foster Miss Ella Brown

Mrs. W. G. Adams Miss Jennie Hough

Mrs. Wm. Bailey Miss Georgia T. Hume
Miss Louise Grundy Lindsleyi

—230—

SUNDAY, NOV. 15.

ii:CX)A.M. Sermon. By President Walter W. Moore,
D.D., Union Theological Seminary. Sub-
ject: "The Staying Power of Presbyte-
rianism."

7:30 P.M. Address. By President Moore: "God's
Method for Strong Character and Fruitful
Work."

REV. JAMES I. VANCE, D.D., Pa<stor.
Miss EwzabeTh Pbarcv, Pastor's Secretary

ELDERS.

MR. R. S. COWAN, Clerk MR. JOSEPH H. THOMPSON

MR. ROBT. G. THRONE MR. A. G. ADAMS

DR. PAUL F. EVE MR. C. B. WALLACE

MR. WM. H. RAYMOND DR. J. D. PLUNKET

MAJ. WILBUR F. FOSTER DR. WM. BAILEY

MR. W. GALES ADAMS DR. M. G. BUCKNER

MR, CHARLES B. GLENN MR. DUNCAN MCKAY

DR. J. D. BLANTON MR. HENRY SPEERY

MR, FRANK BOENSCH, SR. MR. W. C. COLLIER
MR. GEORGE W. KILLEBREW

DEACONS.

MS, CHAS. s. CALDWELL, President mr. verner moore lewis
DR. E. A. RUDDIMAN, V. President dr. john a. witherspoon
MR. JOHN H. McEWEN, Secretary mr. t. garland tinsley
MR. EDGAR M. FOSTER, Treasurer mr. harry a. myers

MR. CHAS. E. COOPER, AsSt. TreOS. MR. E. W. FOSTER

MR. GEO. M. WHITE MR. JOHN P. W. BROWN

MR. J. B. GARRETT MR. ROBERT T. HOPKINS

MR. LEE DOUGLAS MR. C. C. FOSTER

MR. T. P. KENNEDY MR. WM. WINTER LYON

DR. MCPHEETERS GLASGOW MR. A. TILLMAN JONES

MR. LEMUEL R. CAMPBELL MR. W. RIDLEY WILLS

MR. WILLIAM SIMPSON MR. J. C. LUCUS

MR. FRANK BOENSCH, JR.

TRUSTEES.

MR. W. W. BERRY

COL. A. M. SHOOK

MS. PERCY WARNIX

—231—

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