Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-10-29
Letter from Rev. DR.. Geo. b. Taylor to
the StauntOn Baptist Church.


Letter from Rev. DR.. Geo. B. Taylor to
the Staunton Baptist Church.
ROME, Italy, Sept. II, 1878.
To the Baptist Church, Stduaton, Va.:
DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS Il
can say with Paul in his letter to the
Colossians :-"Though be absent in the
flesh, yet am with you in the spirit,
joying and beholding your order, and
the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. "
Specially at this time, as hear that you
propose to celebrate your 25th annivers-
ary, the miles that separate us and the
oceans that roll between US seem ami
hilated, and 1 am in your midst again.
Nay, the years that are gone seem to
shrink up and your past history and
mine, SO long intertwined, is wildly be-
fore me.
In 1S39-'4O, when 1 was very little
boy, my father, who was at that time
Chaplain at the University, full of the
missionary spirit, went over in the stage
to Staunton, to preach. To my childish
Imagination. Stanton seemed then far
ther from Charlottesville than it now
seems from Rome.
In 1S50-'51, I was teaching school in
the County of Fluvana, and was sent
with General Cooke as delegate to the
State Temperance Convention in Staun-
ton. The journey was m de in General
Cookies carriage During my stay in
Staunton, I was with other delegates,
Hospitality entertained In the family of
Mr.. DOnaghe, and was much impress
ed by the gentle and active piety of Mrs.
n nh orif fOr IIoh vi,
| remember thinking that if she were a
be most pleasant field of labor for a
minister But certainly the idea of my
settling there did not occur to me. On
inquiry could not hear of white Bap.
tist in the place. If my memory does
not deceive me, Iheard ofa colored Bap
tist brother, and of a Baptist lady living
in the country.
Two or three years later, when / was
student at the University, some excite
ment wa produced among the Baptist
students by the laying of the corner
stone OF Baptist M, H. in Staunton,
and some af them went up to the cere-
mony, and came bach full of enthusiasm
at DIR. Burrows sermon or address which
7 believe, was delivered in the Episcopal
CHURCH. It was either on this occasion,
or at the constitution of the church, that
the eccentric, excellent, Littleberry w.
Allen, the leader of the Goshen Associa-
ton in those noble missionary enter
prises which made it for many years the
Banner Association of the State, if not
of the land, delivered an address, in the
course of which he said, in his own
peculiar way, that perhaps the Staun
tonians thought the Baptists very poor
people, but he would tell them that there
were many sections East of the Blue
Ridge in which the Raptists owned all
the lands and the slaves besides. In
the changes of the times, the Goshen
Association has lost much of its wealth
and prestige, but let it never he forgot
ten that that body originated and for
many years helped to sustain the Baps
tist work not only in Staunton but in
many other important centres in the
Valley and in Western Virginia.
Some months later, passed though
Stanton in private conveyance, on
my way to the Healing Springs. AS I
rode up Main st, ] looked with rather
melancholy interest at the begun church
edifice, upon which no work seemed to
be going on. It doubtless dragged heavi-
ly, and, as l afterwards heard, many
WEI6 tHc pIeuiCLiOuS luduc AA tAc tOW Il,
at that epoch, that the enterprise would
never be completed. But there were one
or two brethren there who loved it as
their life; and as he is gone to his rest,
it will not be considered invidious if ]
name as one of the chiefest, Simpson F.
Taylor. There were also ladies, whose
name will readily occur to many, who
labored diligently with the needle to
raise funds for the cherished object, and
these labors, recounted by the Agent, as
he traversed the State, awakened SYM
pathy and almost romantic interest in
many hearts, and doubtless called forth
many contributions. This Agent was
Elder l.. B. Rice, who. having been sent
as missionary to the town, and after
| wards elected as pastor of the church,
judiciously gave most of his time and
energy to the collection of funds for the
| building. He was indefatigable in his
efforts, visiting in his buggy scores ol
country churches, holding protracted
meetings, at the close (which he would
take collection for Staunton. Every.
where, he seems to have been well re-
ceived, and if the Goshen Association
originated the work, the brotherhood al
large seem to have come forward with
cordial CO operation. I question if any
similar enterprise ever met with more
general sympathy on the part of Virgin
la Baptists.
In the Summer of 1857, I. having con
cluded my pastorate of the Franklir
Square Church in Baltimore, was called
to, and accepted the pastorate of thu
Staunton Baptist Church. It was ar
ranged that I should begin my labors ir
the ensuing October, contemporaneous
ly with the opening of the main audi
ence room of the church edifice. I com
menced those labors at the appointed
time, and from that date till about fiv'
years ago, when came to Italy, excep
the two years of my University Chap
laincy, my home and work were il
your midst. During those years, l pass
ed from youth to middle age, / married
became a father, and again and agai'
was called on to follow my children t.
the tomb. In all my joys and sorrows
dear brethren and friends in Staunton
sympathised, as did in theirs. Durin
that pastorate, I also passed through tn
trying and sad scenes connected wit
the war, and encountered the difl1cultie
which can be imagined, better than dc
scribed, incident to the early history
such an enterprise as building upa Bar
4;e& Iy,r,roh II, ot oov1 M uitv In whic