The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-04-28
FOR THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
Charlottesville and West Hanover Presbytery

Charlottesville and West Hanover Presbytery.
You have published the official account of the
Presbytery doings: but | sometimes think that
familiar account dSlshe facts and impressions of
such an occasion may serve to promote proper
interest in the affairs of the Church, and there
fore now send you something after that sort |
think it may well be questioned whether, in a
country where the churches of any denomination
are scattered over so wide territorial surface as
they generally are in ours, we are justified In call
! ing our ministers away, for three Sabbaths and
three weeks out of the year, from their churches
and tamies-to say nothing of money and time
expended also by the ruling elders who represent
| the churches. But there is some compensation to
these last, and to the Church, in the fact that the
ruling elders are benefited by the increased intei-
gence and interest in regard to the concerns of the
! Church which their attendance on Presbyteries
and Synods promotes. And, as to the ministers,
these occasions are, in some sense, their holyday
| times, and one learns from the enjoyment which
they afford what happy days must have been those
spent by the Jews Of old times, especially the
more pious, at the passovers and other great rcli
| gious festivals and on their way "up to Jerusa-
| lem" and back. m 1e
| The enjoyment of our nova days festivals be-
gins with the travel when brethren and old friends
meet, and pleasant groups are formed in the cars.
| Our route for the greater part of the way, led
| through the Piedmont country of Amherst. Mel.
son, and Albemare,-and that Piedmont region of
Virginia, with its undulating and varied surface,
| its picturesque landscape .border of the Blue
Ridge, and soil everywhere generous enough to
stimulate industry, | have always considered one
of the choicest regions to be found in any part of
the world The University still crowns the emf
nence where it stands, with its noble group of
buildings-looking almost unchanged since 1 first
saw them, in my early days, some forty years ago.
| But the town of Charlottesville has greatly ex-
panded and now covers almost three times the
space that it did when first knew it; and some of
the suburban residences are very tasteful and
pleasant. had the pleasure OF enjoying some
reinon with friends of days long gone BY still re-
siding here.
My sojourn in the place at this time was princi-
pally spent under the roof of the building once oc-
cupied for school purE1es blythe Hell.knowh and
beloved former pastor Of the Presbyterian church,
the Rev. W. S. White. 1t is now the pleasant
residence of the present esteemed pastor.
The very opening scene of the presbyterial &C.
casion-and could not help being impressed with
this conjunction of things-was the burial of the
Rev. T. w. Gmer Soon after our train got in,
the one from the east arrived, bringing his body
and the two trains brought most of the members
! of the Presbytery Thecofin was first transported
| to the basement of the church; and as stood by
| it, looking upon the face and form of that noble
young minister SO suddenly called from his work
on earth. my mind ran back to the last and only
| time that | had been in that room before-which
was during the war-and when had held half
hour converse there with another noble, devoted
servant of God--now also gone-the Rev. w. j.
Hoge When such men are taken from the very
midst of the harvest where they are so CALAMITY
and rapidly gathering the sheaves we have to fall
down before the Lord-whose awful but wise and
holy Providence in such things we cannot now see
through-and exclaim: "Help, Lord, for the
cody man ceaseth :" But that scene, of the
young minister scorpse and burial what sermon it
was to all present. but especially to ministers whom
God had brought by SO strange providence,
around that coffin and that grave! How there
seemed to come solemn voices from the world un-
seen, saying to each one. Give myself wholly to
the work; )" Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,
do it with all thy might.
Amongst the most interesting proceedings of the
Presbytery was the ordination of the two young
brethren, Converse and Murkand, at which a
large audience were present on Friday night.
They are to labor in opposite hemispheres, but
we may entertain the cheering hope that they will
each do good work for the Master. Beside the
daily night services held in the church in town,
there were preaching services held twice on the
Sabbath, at the University besides an address de-
livered to DR.. Mc3ufey'S Bible Glass, by DR..
Dabney, on Rationalism, which | much regretted
my being prevented, by the inclement weather,
from hearing. A friend who resides near the Uni
versiy told me that he supposed fully one.third Of
the students to be membefS Of some church, as
large majority of the professors are If his esti.
mate is correct it is very encouraging proportion
in comparison with our institutions generally; and
it was gratifying to learn not only of the existence
of the Bible class that | have spoken Of but an
afternoon Sunday school for the blacks taught
there and of other Sunday school efforts carried
on, in destitute neighborhoods around, by the
students. On Monday morning, with few loved
ones I visited the University, and was struck with
the fact that things remained so unchanged in APP
pearance from what they were when first, so many
years ago, the sight of them had greeted my
youthful eyes. From the top of the Rotunda a
wide and beautiful landscape presents itself. A
robe of snow had covered the greater part of it
but one could form some idea of its exceeding
beauty, as it must exhibit itself under bright skies
and dressed in the verdure of spring and summer.
The little group of us who stood there surveying
that wide and varied scene of natures beauties
looked on it with the thought in our hearts of a
probable soon-coming and wide separation. But
that scene suggested to the mind the brighter
thought of that beauteous land where everlasting
spring abides, and where the fear of any parting
shall never, never more cast its shadow over the
scene | think it is stated that it was view like
this, from Richmond Hill, in England that in
spired in Isaac Watts's mind the immortal hymn
from which have just quoted.
must not close without adverting to one of the
last things done by the Presbytery, which was the
appointment of its ministerial members, as sever