The San Francisco call., 1899-05-15
THANKSGIVING
, AND SONG ON
JUBILEE DAY
First Presbyterians
Have a Birthday.
TURNED THE HALF CENTURY
REV. DR.. MACKENZIE TELLS OF
EARLY STRUGGLES.
Bis Charge Was Founded in This
City in the Days When Gold
Was Plenty and Piety
Scarce.
TURNED THE HALF CENTURY
REV. DIR. MACKENZIE TELLS OF
EARLY STRUGGLES.

l with song and thanksgiving and the
fluctuations and hearty congratulations
Of San Franciscos foremost citizens. the
First Presbyterian Church has celebrated
It's golden jubilee. Yesterday was q day
OF much rejoicing, and from the begin
ming OF the morning service to the end of
that in the evening the handsome edifice
at the corner of Van Ness avenue and
Sacramento street was thronged with
worshipers, happy that they were per-
mitted to be there and take their part
in honoring the fiftieth birthday Of their
community.
The jubilee has been looked forward to
and planned for months. Rev. DR.. Mac
kenzie, for fourteen years the pastor, has
bratlon one that will not have been for
gotten even when the next shall come
around, and his success was demonstrat-
ed IN the two beauutul services OF yes
terday He has had every assistance in
his efforts; the whole congregation has
worked with him with a resolution TO
make its day a success and triumph,
and the congregation was with him yes
terday when he offered thanks for many
blessings.
DR.. Mackenzie's sermon in the morning
was, Of course, historical. The church of
which he Is pastor was first to be builded
by any creed in San Francisco 1t was
the first Protestant church in the State.
and its history begins almost with that
of California's gold mines themselves.
had the handsome pile that houses them
to-day. The first sermon was preached
away back in 49 in little tent spread on
Dupont street by handful OF worship
ers. 1t lasted them through the dry sea-
son, and later, through the efforts of one
of the flock. Alfred Dewitt, the Scotch
Presbyterian Church Of New York built
a small building and shipped ii round the
Horn TO this city. 1t was erected on the
site OF the tent, only to be burned down
Another soon took its place. however.
and that becoming too small, the present
Chinese Presbyterian Church on Stockton
street was erected in 1858 and there the
rapidly growing flock Worshiped until
1888 when the church was moved to its
present home on Van Ness and Sacra-
mento.
The romantic history of his charge wt.s
DR.. Mackenzte's inspiration for his ser
mon of yesterday morning. He turned to
Genesis for his text and read from the
chapter which tells Of the pilgrimage of
Abraham and Sarah into the land Of
Canaan, where he builded his first altar
1t is with special design turn TO Gene
sis" said he. Genesis is the book
of beginning. Abraham was the first pio-
neer and his altar the first in the west.
il is with beginnings and pioneers and al
tars in the west that We have TO do on
this day of jubilee.
Abraham is not without his successors;
his successors We're not lacking in the
surg1ng multitude that thronged here IN
'49. The tent and the altar then were the
first care of many and especially of the
q tent for some Sarah and her children,
and then they pitched a tent for God and
the altar for his worship.
NO mansions of marble, no cathedralS
of stone, yet to be raised on these ave-
nues can stand for more than those two
weather-stained tents where our pioneer
sheltered his Sarah and worshiped his
God. The first Of these as an organized
church was a tent bearing the legend,
First Presbyterian Church.
Carrying out his parallel, DR.. Macken-
Zie led his congregation on from the time
OF the pitching of the tent on through the
days when the word became dominant
and the tents gave way to the more sub
stantial affairs of the present day. He
was filled with his theme and spoke with
q feeling that held his hearers as wrapt
as himself until ne had finished
In the evening he allowed those who had
come in to congratulate and give assur-
ances Of good will to do the talking.
Mayor Phelan, though not of the Protest
ant faith. occupied prominent seat, and
when introduced by DR.. Mackenzie paid
a glowing tribute to the church, it's his
tory and the good 1t has done, and ended
with a well deserved eulogy Of its pas
tor.
William Pierson, for years a pillar of
the church, followed him with some rem
fniscences Of those who had gone and of
the early life Of the church itself, and he
IN turn was followed by George d. Gray
Of Oakland and Gates D. Fahnestock,
who spoke along similar lines. The mu-
sic and the decorations were in keeping
with the spirit of the day, and the choir
never sang in better voice.