Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-06-29
STATUE TO ALEx. CAMPBELL.
Sketch of his Life and LabOrs-One sf
the Worlds Great Religious
Leaders AND Teachers.
New York Tribune, June 2i.l

New York Tribune, June 24l
A general informal cOnvocation OF the
leaders Of the large sect known as Camp
bellites or Disciples OF Christ took rlace
last week in Bethany, West Virginia,
the motive being the unveiling OF
statue OF their founder, Alexander
Campbell, and a discourse upon his life
and work by Judge jeremiah Black, OF
Pennsylvania. The selection of the ora
tor was q wise one, Judge Black and
Bishop Campbell being alike prominel t
types of q class of western men which
unfortunately is fast dying out; men of
exceptional size and endurance in both
BODY ard mind, Of shrewd insight
and stsrl integrity, who made
bold grasps at truth, and then
forever after defended their Opin-
ions with an obstinate, downright force
which belonged to their Scotch-Irish
blood and western training. Alexander
Campbell had all the instincts and quail
tiles OF military leader; fate made him
q scholar, and a pOlemical scholar. and
the result may be easily guessed. He be-
came, IS many such men become in the
church, the founder Of a neE sect, and
not satisfied with the executive work and
contests which this position entailej
sion to defend orthodox christianity, or
Protestantism, against sll cOmeIs. His
public debates with Owen and Bishop
Purcell, and his fierce attacks up
on communism and Catholic
ism, greatly interested the whole
religious world forty years ago. His
Scotch thOrOughness made him a pro-
found scholar in his own lines Of re-
search, he was undoubtedly one Of the
best philOlogists the country has pro-
duced, while the same sincerity
and antipathy to sham forced him to
thrust aside all mere dogmas and creeds
and lead his followers to the broad
basis Of simple belief in Christ as q
Savior. Immersion was, however,
urged as a necessary cOrOliary to this.
Upon this foundation each believer was
permitted to erect what doctrines he
pleased. This liberal creed, and per-
haps the personal influence OF its
teacher, caused the sect to increase
with great rapidity during his life, es-
peCially in the southern and southwest
ern States. At the time Of his death it
numbered over five hundred thousand
members in this country, besides influ.
ential churches in Great Britain and
Australia. Probably there is no other
sect which, in proportion to its size, can
boast of larger number Of colleges or Of
publications devoted to its interests.
The church OF the disciples also bears
strongly the impress Of the peculiar
mind of its founder. It's members are
apt to be logical, argumentative chris
tians; each individual being driven to
the bible for his doctrines, an excep-
tional familiarity with holy writ is
the rule among them; and as
there is necessarily a great diversity in
these doctrines, each man stands ready
to defend the peculiar faith that is in
him at the shortest notice. Religious
training Of this kind is au education in
ITSELF which fact offers an explanation
of the exceptionally small number of il
literRte members OF the sect. No man
of his time, probably, exerted more
direct or widespread personal influence
than Alexander Campbell; and now
that he is silent forever it seems but fit,
even at this late day, that bis disciples
and friends should have assembled at
his old home to do him honor.