The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-06-05
DEATH or DIR. B. NJ. PALM ELK
Famous Pulpit Orator Was Fa-
tally Injured by Trolley
Car.

tally Injured by "A TroIlc,
Car.
DR.. Benjamin M. Palmer, of New
Orleans, died on the 2Sth of May
from injuries received on the 9TH OF
May, when he was run over by street
car within short distance of his
home and dragged for fully block.
HIS right great toe was cut of and
injuries were inflicted on the fore
head, and his right ley was broken in
TWO places just above the ankle. lie
fingered from the time of his injuries
23 days.
Rev. DR.. b. NJ. Palmer was born
IN Charleston, S. c., ,Ja, uary %, 1918,
son of DIR. Edward Ialmcr, who aftor
sixty years of service in the church,
died in 1882 at the age of 92. DR..
Palmer passed his boyhood at Nc
phcrsonvillc and was sent to Amherst
college when only 13 years of age.
There he met Henry Ward Bccchcr,
then a student in a higher class, and
the two became fast friends. At the
age Of Is he returned to South Caro-
lima and taught for two years, thence
Georgia, whence he graduated in 1888
and entered the Theological Seminary
at Columbia. In 184l he was licensed
and entered upon career that was
destined to make him famous as q
preacher.
Shortly after his ordination he was
call d to the First Presbyterian church
OF Savannah, taking with HIM his
bride, Mary Augusta Mcconnell. In
lS43 he went to the First Presbyterian
church in Columbia, S. G.. remaining
there until 1857, when he came TO
New Orleans. In IS47 he established
the southern Presbyterian Review
which he edited for a number OF years
winning wide fame and in 1850 wac
elected TO the chair of pastoral Lheol-
OSy in the Seminary at Princeton Uni.
versity, though he declined tho ,elec
ton. Many other tlattering offers were
made to him throughout his career
including the pulpit of DR.. Aexan.
der's . clHArch in New York, but al
these offers he refused, preferring to
remain with his old congregation in
New Orleans.
DR.. Palmer was one of the strongest
leaders OF the South in the pulpit i'm
mediately preceding and during the
civil war and on Thanksgiving Day
1860, preached his famous secession
sermon in New Orleans. In 1861,
when the Southern churches withdrew
from the Presbyterian Assembly at
Philadelphia and met at Augusta, DR..
Palmer was chosen as moderator, TAX
ing his place as head of the Southern
Presbyterian church. His service i'm
the army was irregular, but his init
macy with General Polk and General
Bcaurcgard helped to turn his atten-
ton to the spiritual necessities of the
troops, and at one time he had full
charge of detailing the Southern min
listers III the army of Tennessee. DR..
Palmer was a profoundly impressive
orator and his reputation as preacher
was national.
His church IN New Orleans, the
First Presbyterian, has probably been
visited by more strangers, drawn BY
his reputation as a pulpit orator, than
any church IN the South. Two years
ago DR.. Palmer delivered notable ora.
ton at the Louisville reunion of UNI
ted Confederate veterans. DR.. Pal.
mer's wife died in 1888. He had six
children, only one of VIII ON is living.
| DR.. Palmer preached the centennial
anniversary sermon al the University
OF Georgia at the centennial celebration
at Athens last year.