Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1896-10-08
THE PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

Shenandoah Valley reached Basic City
about the middle of the day. The pros
pect of waiting at the station two or three
hours for a Chesapeake and Ohio train
was not particularly pleasing, and 50 the
surprise was especially pleasant when
DR.. J. B. Winston met me and took me
over on a trolley car to his hospltaole
home in Waynesboro. DR.. Winston and
his estimable wife have an excellent fe-
male seminary, and it was a rare treat TO
dine with them and their forty fair,
sweet boarders from all parts of the
Union. A little visit to the Manse and
nv student friend, DR.. A. r. Cooke, and
his family completed the pleasure of my
stav in Waynesboro. Boarding the west
bound train at three o'clock with lew
fellow travellers we soon found ourselves
climbing the Allegheny mountains, and
at Clifton Forge took on a large delega-
ton of ministers and elders from the
eastern, southern, and southwestern sec
tions of Virginia. BY the courtesy OF
the railroad officials our train, which us
uallv finishes its trip at Clifton Forge,
kept on its way that Tuesday as far as
Ronceverte for the accommodation OF
the persons who were going to Synod.
There were about Il hundred OF us by
the time we reached ROnceverte, and 1t
was raining. But so efficient was the
management, that an hour afterwards
we had all been safely transported five
miles across the mountain to Lewisburg,
and were entering the old stone church
where the services had already begun.
BvneXt morning the weather had cleared
and it continued fair and cool, bright
and glorious during the meeting.
The opening sermon was preached that
Tuesday night, September 22d, by DIR.
George w. Finley, of Thinking Spring
Church, Augusta county, Va, from
Psalm l45: 7. "They shall abundantly
utter the memory Of Thy great goodness;
and shall sing of Thy righteousness, af-
Ter which Synod was constituted with
prayer. the roll was made up by the Sta
ted Clerk, DR. James p. Smith, and Rev.
w. Creighton Campbell, ID. d., of Roa-
noke, was elected Moderator. Three
temporary clerks were also appointed.
There were present in all ITO ministers
and 60 ruling elders.
Wednesday was field day for Missions,
Home and Foreign. In the morning an
encouraging report of the work of Syn
odical EvangeliZation was presented by
Rev. J. f. Booker. Three evangeliSts
are employed in aggressive work In rap
IDLY developing sections of the Synod
Interesting addresses were made by DrS.
f. NJ. Woods and Alfred Jones, setting
forth the needs and the success OF the
work. Ruling Elder Jed HotchkisS OF
Staunton, displayed "a fine geological map
of the two Nirginias, and in few well
chosen remarks showed the progress OF
population and the needs Of the gospel.
In the afternoon the report on Home
Missions was presented by Rev. Charles
Ghiselin. showing the work that the
Presbyteries are doing in sustaining
weak churches and Dr. Craig, Secretary
of the Assembly, Committee at Atlanta,
made an address on frontier work IN
Florida, Indian Territory, Arkansas and
Texas. AT night Foreign Missions was
presented in an able report by DIR. h. W.
McCorkle. and a brilliant address by DR..
J. T. Vance, representing the Assembly S
Committee at Nashville. DIR. Vance
dwelt for some length on what he called
| Gods argument for Foreign Missions,
the simple form of the church-an army
on the march. The work of colored evan
geliZation followed, presented in an earn
est and forcible address by a representa-
tive of the Assembly's committee at
Tuscaloosa, Judge Tapsley, of Admission,
| Alabama. whose son lies in lonely grave
! on the banks of the Congo river Africa,
| Collections were taken up that day,
| amounting to $5S for Home, and $40 for
| Foreign Missions.
Thursday was centennial day for the
| Lewisburg church, and Synod participa-
ted in the services. The exercises occu-
| pied most of the day, and were presided
over bv the venerable Dr. Barr, of Charles
| ton. W. Va. who was assistant pastor OF
! the Lewisburg church for ten years. In
| the morning Hon. John W. Arbuckle,
! elder of the church, read an interesting
! sketch of the history of the Lewlsburg
| church, and was followed by Hon. Geo
! f. Price, of Charleston, W. Va, who de-
! livered an able address on the early ms
tory of Presbyterianism in West Virgin
ia. tracing its progress from the time
when il first crossed the Potomac al
! ShepherdStown, about 100, down to the
present time. when it spreads over al
most the whole State with its good strong
! influence.
The old stone church, in which Synod
met, was built originally in lFI6, but has
| been enlarged, and the interior has been
renovated. and while it has quaint an
! tiuue appearance, it is at the same time
/ a comfortable and attractive and com
| modous house Of worship. For the cen
| tennial services it had been taStefully
decorated with potted plants, cut flowers
| and evergreens. while from an oil paint
ing above the pulpit looked down upon
the large congregation the benevolent
face of Dr. John McElhenney, who wa:
one o(.the pioneers of Presbyterlanlsm IL
| Greenbrier and Monroe counties, who
was pastor of the LewiSburg church FOL
siXty-three years, and whose monument
wreathed in flowers stands in the church
ward near the old stone church. Nher
at the close of the morning services the
congregation rose and sang together
Before Jehovah's Awful Throne, the
| scene was solemn and the effect lnSplr
ing.
In the afternoon DR. NJ. L. Lacy made
strong address on Presbyterianism anc
education, showing the relation between
the church and the school, illustrating
his subject by the history of the Lewis
burg Seminary, and making an appea
for religious education to counterfeit the
prevailing irreligious and goddess educa
ton of the age which threatens ruin tC
the institutions of our country. Atnigh
after DR.. w. S. Lacy had read an origt
nal poem by Miss Rose w. Fry, grand
daughter of DIR. McElhenney, on The
Old Stone Church." a sermon wa
preached on the Essential Doctrines o
Presbyterianism, by DR.. G. B. Stricken
professor of theology in Union Seminary
ia. His text was Tim. 4: l3, Give at
tendance to doctrine;" and he showed
clearly the importance of preaching doc
trines, as doctrines are the facts of re
ligion and the reasons for its duties, EN-
phasizing especially in powerful man
ner four great doctrines. the Inspiration
of the Scriptures. Election, Total De
pravity, and Justification by Faith alone
The rest of the time of Synod was ia
ken up with subjects of greater, or less
importance. DR.. f. p. Palmer present
ed the report on education, and DR.. +
NJ Richardson. Secretary of the Assem-