The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-02-26


or Is the reward Of virtue .
One hundred years ago. In attempting to
compass or comprehend this mighty s're,ch
Of years, our minds become bewilder"", "ii"
we re lost in Il sublime contemplation ." t'i''
great i:i,l< crowded within ihnl perl'"i.
Nu one is left to tell us "f those "h"a"Ii:"i
days of long age. The fathers, where are
they. 4 yOc: from ilir >iirhi tothh answers !:
They have been gathered into the beautiful
mansion above. , ~ ,.
A hundred years ago. our country was Just
in it's infancy. The long ana terrible strug.
gle for Independence had just closed some
Seventeen years previous TO this. one year
from the organization OF this Presbytery.
Washington was inaugurated first PRESIDENT
was celebrated last year in the city OF New
York with imposing ceremonies.
A hundred years ago, this beantliul iann O,
ours was vast wilderness, where the red
nature uncivliZed. and on these hills and
through these hollows, might have been
heard the howl of the wolf and the scream OF
the panther Under the benign ihenee ond o
the solitary place have been made glad anu
the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose.
The savage has been driven back. and the
law-abidlng christian citizen has AIKEN his
place, and instead OF the yell OF the indian,
we have songs Of praise rising from tnous-
and altars. - ~
was three million nine hundred thousand,
now IL Is claimed that next census roll reveaf
the fact that there are siXty-ilve million souls
Then there was not mile OF railway railway ,h IN; az
and miles completed and In running OF der.
There are four hundred million acres OF i'm.
proved and cultivated lands which last year
produceu four hundred and ninety million
bushels of wheat two billion one hundred
million bushels OF corn anu seven mllllon
bales Of cotton.
"The progress and improvement In COM
merce, manufactures and agriculture. sur.
noce nj yfhinp known I'm The worlds hiStO tOry." !"
Then, what shall we say with reference to
our great educational advantages. hun
land, o common English education was pro.
cured at great cost and sacrifice. The teach
ers were frequently untitled for lnstructlng
the children. You no doubt remember read
ing OF the school master who was asked by
the patrons what system OF geography he
taught, that is in reference TO the shape OF the
earth round or fiat. He replied, Will teach
either. as 1t may suit my patrons: II tne
the ditch.
All over our beloved land, there are
school houses. colleges and seminaries OF
learning for male and female.
The earliest colleges In this country were
Harvard, William and Mary, and Yale. But
few young men In the olden times could avail
themselves, Of these colleges. They Were were
Many of our fore-fatherS worked their way
through college by ringing the college Dell
and acting as librarian and other means OF
graduated at South Carolina College and then
had to 60 North TO complete their theolos-
ical course My father rode horseback to
New York City to study theology under DR..
Mason.
And if you will pardon me, will relate a
very thrilling, fearful incident which hap
pened to him on that journey. No doubt the
children will enjoy it. one evening ,i noouI
swamp, suddenly he was attacked by u high
way r6bber riding large while horse. The
robher demanded his money, but my nther
putting his hand down into the saddle bags,
made his knife snap, which the robber
thought to be n pistol. He became tefriheu
and legged for his life, saying. sir, don't shoot
me. let me show you how fast can get away.
And with all speed. Ikea miserable coward.
If boys OF our day, had to ride horseback n
thousand miles to College aud encounter rob-
bcrs by the way, many of them would never
main at home and perhaps join base ball
club and become a professional pitcher;
Statistics show that there ARE to-day In
America five hundred Colleges and seminar
les, five thousand instructors and seventy
five thousand students. on; the obligations
of the American youth. And just now Con-
gresS IS about to appropriate seventy mlliloh
for Educational purposes.
Now what has the church been doing these
hundred years? Progress has been her watch
word. Marvellous has been her growth;
There are today In America. one hundred
and seven Thousand two hundred church
buildings, eighty-two Thousand seven hun,
dred ministers. eleven million eight hundred
thousand members.
Ten new churches arc built every working
day in the year. During the past ninety
years, the Evangelical Churches of the
United States have contributed for Foreign
Missions scventy-five million dollars, Tor
Home Missions one hundred million, for
Religious publishing houses. one hundred
and fifty million. There is Il church for every
one thousand of the population. and every
Sabbath, nine million children are In the Sab
Surely such figures should encourage the
church to more faith and greater efforts for
building up Christs Kingdom In our beloved
land.
In this great work OF pushing forward the
Kingdom of God in our land, our branch OF
Zion, the Associate Reformed Church. has
taken an humble part. She has stood In her
place battling for the crown.rights of Jesus
We have tried to defend the truth of God in
It's purity. Looking buck over our, past
eventual history, like Paul, we ought 10
thank God and take courage.
And now, In conclusion. we would In the
name Of ali the visiting brethren, return cor
extended 10 us by the beloved Pastor Of this
church.
At the conclusion of Rev. J. y. Lowry's ad
dress DR.. Sloan said that, according to the
programme that had been arranged by the
committee, the formal organization Oh the
meeting would now take place. He moved TO
nominate for Moderator the Rev. W. NJ. Grler,
d. D.. President of Erskine College. Dr. Grier
was unanimously elected.
DR.. Sloan nominated II. 5. Galloway, who
was elected clerk.
A portion of the eighty-iifh Psalm was
sung.
/ Tie Moderator introduced the Rev. Robert
Latham, d. d.. of Due West, who had prepar.
cd the historical address for the occasion. DR..
Latham seemed to catch something OF the in
Splration of the OCCASION, and spoke with
great spirit and force. His address is con-
tribution to the history Of the Associate Re
formed Church. 1t WAS II splendid prcselta-
ton. the full text OF which may De found on
the first page OF this paper.
At the conclusion of Dr. Lathan's address,
and when the choir had sung portion OF the
eie hty-fiflh Psalm, DR.. Slonn invited every
body 10 come to the large table that was
formed in Il hollow square in the grove nnd
get dinner. The choir now sang soul-str.
ring unIhcm.
One of the largest audiences That has ever
assembled at Long Cane was present 10 wit
ness the, interesting exercises Of The Centel-
nlal. The house was crowded Including the
smllerics.
We noticed quite II number OF colored pro-
pie In the galleries.
Between one thousand and two thousand
people are supposed To have been fed ut the
dinner table. And all were welcomed.
Long Cane and Cedar Springs kept mp their
renOwn for knowing how to spread elegant
tables, bountiIuly loaded.
a. Il NJ