Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-13

Notwithstanding the action of the meeting,
1t was the opinion of many of those pres
ent that DIR. Stakely will accept the call
which has been rendered to him.
Mr.. Edgar Speiden was moderator OF
the meeting. and Mr.. Moncure Burke. clerk
Of the church. was secretary After the
letter of DR.. Stakely announcing his res!g
nation had been read by Mr.. Burke. which
paper has been already printed in The Star
Mr. E. II. Jackson spoke in favor of the
resolution above referred to. The offering
of the resignation of the pastor was, he
said, a source of deep regret to him, and
he hoped that il was not irreVOcable. He
spoke of the fact that when he came to
Washington about thirteen years ago one
of the first persons who extended to him a
welcome was DIR. Stakely. 1t was his ear
nest desire that DIR. Stake!y would see his
way clear to retain his present pastorate.
DIR. StnkeIy's Work.
Mr.. Jackson referred TO the fact that in
the great ST. Paul's Cathedral in London
there is an inscription in Latin above one
of the entrances to the effect that if you
want to see the monument of the architect
who built the structure you must look
around you. The same remark would, he
thought. be applicable to DR.. Stakely, and
if should wish TO see his monument
they would only have to look at the First
Baptist Church of Washington. Mr. Jack
son spoke also of other work done by Dr.
Stakely since the latter came to this city
and said it would be to his everlasting
credit that he had succeeded in bringing
about a closer religious relationship be-
tween the white and cnlored Baptists of
the District of Columbia than had ever
previously existed.
Captain Graham seconded the pronosition
and said he was firmly convinced that if
the church stood by DR.. Stakely he would
withdraw his resignation. 1t was his opin-
ion that their pastor did not want to leave
Washington. and he was sure that the
members of the church did not want him
to leave them.
Should Accept Call.
DR.. George c. Samson remarked that he
loved DR.. Stakely as much as though he
were a member of his own family. and.
after paying eloquent tributes to both DR..
and Mrs. Stakely for their zeal and efiicien-
cy in church work. he said he felt that DR.
Stakely's best interests would be promoted
by his acceptance of the call to Monteom-
cry. Ala. which has been rendered to him
lie had. he said, read some of the letters
received by the pastor from members of
the Montgomery church, and through all
of them there ran such "a spirit of love and
intense desire that he would come to the
southern city that he felt that the call to
the other field came from God
MIR Percy s. Foster spoke briefly on the
subject and warmly indorsed the PROPOSE
tiGn To appoint q committee 10 confer with
Dr.. Stakely, and To see if his apparent de-
termination to Leave Washington can not
be changed. Mr. Foster related Sons. of
the pleasant experiences he had had with
the present pastor OF the church, and it
was his sincere wish, he continued that
those happy relations may not be severed.
Mrs. a. q. Wilkinson spoke in a similar
vein. did also Mr.. NGncure Burke and
others. and when the question of appoint
ing committee to confer with Dr. Stake
i on the subject of his resignation was put
before the meeting by the moderator it
was adopted by Il unanimous vote The
meeting then adjourned to meet one week
hence.
Personal Sketch.
Charles Averette Stakely is among the
younger ministers of the southern Baptist
convention. He was born at Madisonville
Monroe county, Tenn. the Sd day Of March
1850! but was reared in Ala bama and Geor-
gia. When about thirteen years of age he
was baptized into the fellowship of the
First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Ala.
by DIR. u. w. Gwin. Soon afterward his
father dying, the family moved to La
Grange Ga, where young Stakely entered
upon high school studies and where, after
having studied law under Mr.. A H. Cox
an eminent practitioner, he entered the
lesa, profession, being scarcely nineteen
years Of age He practiced in La Grange I'M
til he was nearly twenty-five years of age
In the meantime. at the age of twenty. he
was made county solicitor. which office he
resigned to enter the ministry. His first
charSt was AT tIbertOn, Ga, the church at
this place calling him to ordination. Dur
ing his pastorate at Elbrrton in ISL he
was married to Miss Jessie Davis iaugh-
ter of Rev. William H. Davis of Richmond
county, Ga. From Elherton he went to Au-
gusta where his labors were brief, and
from Augusta to Char estOn. S. c.. where
h. was pastor Of the Citadel Square Church
for about four years
DIR. Stakely lent well-known and valuable
aid to the Baptist churches of Charleston
in their recovery from the earthquake of
1ss';. In 1881 he was Gale to the pastorate
of the First Baptist Church of this city
which charge he resigned. heretofore
stated in The Star. Sunday last. Dr. Stake
ly received his degree of \. NJ. from Mer-
Ger University. Georgia, in 1851: his degree
of ID. d. from Richmond College in 1889
and his degree Of LII d. from Furman
| University. South Carolina, in 1S9S The
magnificent building of the First BAPTIST
Church. corner of 10th and o streets north
west. in which the southern Baptist con-
vention held It's fiftieth anniversary was
erected during DR. Stakely's pastorate and
was largely the result of his own enterprise
and zeal.
His Zeal and Fidelity
Since DIR. Stakely's residence in Washing
ton ne has labored necessarily for the up
building of his chosen denomination and he
has left no opportunity to do good escape
his notice. He was the originator of the
Baptist Social Union of Washington. and
also Of the joint conference of white and
colored Baptist ministers of the District of
Columbia For ten or twelve years past he
has had In course of prepare ton a work on
the Religious History of the Negro Race
in the United States.'' and he was recently
appointed by the Baptist ministers confer
ence OF washington to write a history of
the Baptists of the District of Columbia
he has ever since coming to Washington
peen trustee of Columbian University
and his efforts in behalf Of that great In