The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-04-11
ST. MATTHEW'S AND ST. MARKS.

St. Marks and St. Matthew's are two
churches in an inland city, whose biog-
raphies may interest some of the read
ers of Sunday afternoon. Why should
not churches have their biographies as
well as individuals? They have their
characters, even to idiosyncrasies and
hobbies; they d'ffuse an influence about
them, wholesome or unwholesOme, pre-
cisely like an exaggerated type of hu-
man being.
These two churches were born in the
same religious family, at the same time
they held the same creed, possessed
about the same resources of property
and social influence and culture. They
should have been as alike as twins.
But they were totally unlike. st.
Marks was an offshoot from the old
congregation of st. Peters. There was
really no reason in any difference be-
tween the creeds or opinions of the
mother church and the seeding body
for any separation. The real reason
lay in the merits of certain Rev. Jacob
Supplee, who had won the younger
portion of his congregation to be his dis
ciples. He was young, warm-blooded
man, with talent for assault. Every
Sunday he attacked some heresy or
heterodoxy, from the date of Kent to
Strauss and Darwin, with an airy dash
and bravado that swept his hearers
along with him. On Friday he 'cram-
med'' with the dogmas of the infidel
selected, whether Gnostic, Positivist or
Scientist, on Saturday he demolished
them in 80 minutes sermon, and on
Sunday hurled it at them, while his dis
ciples triumphed VIGOROUSLY as one
host of Pharoah after another went
down beneath the waves of his rushing
eloquence.
Feeling themselves hampered by the
old conservative members of St.Peter's,
they resolved on a separation. For six
months they worshiped in a hired hall.
As we before stated, there was much
wealth and culture in the new church.
The majority of them lived in houses
built and decorated in accordance with
what their owners considered artistic
truth. Many of them had been in Eu-
rope and had brought back statues, pic
lures, Persian carpets and 6Yic-d 6rac
for their homes. Naturally when these
people, on Sunday mornings, went out
of the beauty and softness and color of
their own homes into the square hall of
the church, with its white-washed walls,
hemp carpeting and wooden chairs,
they were chilled and disguised. Their
conscience grew uneasy. What right
had they to lavish money on their own
dwellings and build no house for God?
How did this hired hall pay him honor?
Besides, the new congregations of the
Presbyterians and Baptists were each
building magnificent temples to His
glory. The organ in the Baptist Church
cost double the price of the whole build
ing in which they worshiped; and the
Baptist brethren had not half the solid
wealth of which they could boast. There
was Dove, the Baptist banker, who had
put down a round ten thousand-Dove
was very shaky indeed, etc., etc.
The matter was talked about in pri-
vate at first among the members; the
ladies were all, without a dissenting
voice, vehemently in favor of building
Then vague hints were dropped in
reference to it by Mr.. Supplee in SER
mons. A good deal was said by those
in favor of it about carnal-minded de-
votion to worldly things (meaning pic
lures, Persian rugs, etc, at home), and
neglect of the service and glory of God
(meaning a new church, organ, etc).
Some visiting clergymen openly express
cd their surprise at the lack of energy in
spiritual affairs in so young and vigor-
GUS a church.
At last the St. Marks people found it
to worship in their plain hall
without sharp computations, and when
they knelt on the hemp carpet felt one
that their Maker was insulted
by it, and the next wondered whether
the diSsenters who were in the back seats
were laughing at it secretly.
OF course a fire smoldering so holly
as this is soon kindled into flame. 4
meeting OF the vestry was called on
Monday. Subscription papers went
round on Tuesday. Without any diff
Guilty $50, 200 were raised. In the course