Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-23
DR.. [AFFER / ! EDITOR | /.
BRIEF: SKETCH OF THE HEAD OF
THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.
A BRILLIANT P a
Criticism of the Paper by the Com
ference direct. Attention to the.
Publication and It. Chief Editor.
A varied and Remarkable Career.
/ BRILLIANT PHOTOGRAPHER.
\ varied and Remarkable Career.

Inc CRITICISM by tQe 4FlISlllla MelnOQlSI
Conference Of the conduct and policies of
the Baltimore and Richmond Christian
Advocate by few of the preachers and
laymen at the recent session and DR..
Lafferty's defence of the paper have d-
rected attention to the paper and it's
brilliant editor and former sole owner,
John J. Lafferty.
The criticisms generally were that the
paper was not sufficiently aggressive and
did not devote enough attention to the
great movement and enterprises under
Methodist direction and auspices. 1t was
the desire of the critics that the paper
should give more space to advancing the
interests of the orphanage, the educa-
tional institutions and interests of the
conference, the Epworth League and 9TH
er auxiIiaries of the church. These criti-
cisms came up in the form Of a report
from the Committee on Publishing Inter
ests, and were the subject of a spirited
debate. in which DR.. Lafferty answered
the critics of the paper in his usual happy
and yet effective style. An effort was
; made by the committee reporting to have
| a committee constituted to direct the
! policies of the paper and especially its
news features so as to supply the deficien-
cies complained of. The opponents of this
proposition had it so amended as to pro-
vide for the appointment by the bishop Of
the committee. This is regarded as a
victory for DR.. Lafferty and the friends
of the Advocate.
HISTORY OF THE ADVOCATE.
Dr.. Lafferty's career is almost the his
tory of the Advocate. though it was, in
fact. founded before his connection with
it. It was in 1874, the first of July, that
DR.. Lafferty purchased a half interest in
| the Advocate the late DR.. w. W. Ben
~ bo .oth hoI Tba
had been established before the war and
conducted by the church, but had lost
| money. After the war Rev. w. w. Ben
| nett, D. D., was in charge of the Advo-
! cate (then and until very recently the
Richmond. Christian Advocatel, and had
f! conducted it with some success. In the
! hard times: following the panic of 1878,
| however. the paper needed financial
strengthening and division of the work.
| Then it was that Dr. Lafferty, then re-
| siding at Lexington, where he was one
of the owners and the editor of the Lex
| ington Gazette and professor of journal
ism at Washington and Lee University,
came to the paper
MADE THE PAPER PAY.
At the time of DR.. Lafferty's purchase
! of half interest in the paper he paid
for it little more than two thousand
| dollars. In 1877. when DR.. Bennett, just
elected to the presidency of Randolph
Macon College, sold his half interest in
| the Advocate to DR.. .Lafferty. it brought
more than twice that sum. showing that
! the double force in charge OF the paper
and the improved conditions had enabled
| it's directors to put it on a profitable
| basis.
! Since that time, DR.. LaffertN, as sole
/ owner, has conducted the. paper without
| IT, 3@Ii1~ Is oh, RI
has made it pay comfortable mar
1 gin. "A few years ago he bought the
Baltimore Advocate. the organ of the
! conference, and subsequently,, owing to
| his advancing years, he sold stock in "he
enterprise. and it was incorporated as a
joint stock company, which has since con-
Quoted both papers. DR.. Lafferty and
Rev. Samuel K. Cox D. D.. distin-
| guished preacher and writer of the Ral-
.timore Conference, were made co-editors.
1t is now conducted by them with Rev.
| Herbert NJ Hope associated with it as
/ business manager and assistant In the
work.
DR.. LAFFERTY'S CAREER.
DR.. Lafferty has had a varied and brill
! liant career soldier editor, teacher,
lecturer and preacher. combining all these
| varied occupations at once during great
! portion of his career. Born in Virginia in
1887. DR.. Lafferty was thoroughly edu-
! Gated, taking a collegiate course at EN-
| DRY and Henry. and following it with
university training. Left an orphan az
| eleven years Of age. he has carved hN
! own career. His title is not Doctor OF
! Divinity, but Doctor of Letters. and was
conferred on him by the Washington and
| lie. University. He is a Master of Arts
! of Emory and Henry. He had just grad
uated in his studies for the ministry wher
the war began. There being a scarcity OF
chaplains in the army. DR.. Lafferty
sought this more ardGous and dangerous
! field of usefulness, and became chaplain
| of cavalry regiment in Western Vir-
\ ginia His health failed after a year o,
more of campaigning with the troops ir
this wild region. but he was made a major
| of cavalry in the valley. After the wal
/ he preached for a while, and then bought
an interest in the Lexington Gazette
! which he conducted in conjunction witt
! his work at Washington and Lee, anc
other occupations, for which his versa
tility fitted him. He continued there I'M
til his connection with the Advocate II
1874, since which time he has been con
tinuously joint or sole owner until re
Gently He now practically controls the
| paper.
A BRILLIANT WRITER.
AS writer Dr. Lafrerty is one Of thu
most brilliant in the religious journal
| istic field and would have made a grea
name as a paragrapher on the secular
press had he devoted himself to this fielt
instead. His style is sparkling, witty
pungent, epigrammatic and with now anc
then charming and sometimes caustit
satirical vein. His paragraphs are. meat1
and are unstudied epigrams. Virility char
acterizes all his work. He has an enor
1 nous capacity for work, having pub