The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-20
CHURCHMEN AT SUPPER
MEN OF CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN
 CONGREGATION DINE.
Enjoyable Occasion Last Night Presided Over by MT. vass--Justice Ander- son Pleads for Reunion
 of Churchen

The supper given by the officers of the Central Presbyterian Church to the men of that congregation last night, In the parlors of the church on South Lawrence Street. was an inspiring cc- casion. and sixty-five men. young and old, sat about the festal board, enjoyed a most excellent repast, joined in good fellowship and listened to a number of admirable addresses, some of which sparkled with wit and wisdom.
 The features of the supper were the presence of Mir. Angus R. Mcdonald, the father of the church. who. not withstanding he is in the 90th year of his age, in a seat of honor on the let of the pastor, Rev. Neal L. Anderson, D. D.. remained until we'll after Fl o'clock and appeared to enjoy every minute Of the time; a happy post-pran- dial address by Rev. !. W. Stagg, D. D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham. and an eloquent plea by Hon. John c. Anderson, Asso- ciate Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama and an ardent Presbyterian, for @ union of the churches South and North.
 The supper was arranged for the of- ficers by the members of the Ladies' Aid Society, and although the members of this society remained in the back ground throughout the evening, the excellence of their management was apparent on every hand.
 The tables were arranged in he shape of a double horseshoe, and they were ornamented with epergnes filled with great clusters of red carnations and sweet peas. The toastmaster. MT. T. Marshall Vass. sat at the head of the table and on either side Of him were: MT. Mcdonald, the oldest mem Der of the church and one of the oldest citizens of Montgomery; Rev. J. w Stagg of Birmingham Rev. A. L. Phil Hips of Richmond, Va. Rev. Neal L. Anderson and the officers of the church.
 The menu which was served in finc style by negro walters was as follows: Bouillon, crackers, veal outlets, cream dressing, salmon croquettes. peas in timbales, pickles, June apples. (eggs). mayonnaise dressing, homemade bread and butter. strawberries with whipped cream, cakes, coffee and cheese.
 When the supper had been served. Leslie L. Gilbert was introduced to speak on "what Are the Layman's Re- lations to the Church" Mir. Gilbert was followed by Dr. stagg. who dis cussed the reasons for the relation of the layman to the church. and by Brad ford Hardie, on how the layman may be a force in tho church.
 The remarks of Mir. Gilbert and Mr. Hardie were earnest and practical They dwelt upon methods by which church work may best be accomplished. pr. Stagg was so happy that he charmed his hearers. They insisted that he should not close, crying, "go on, Ego on," as he was about to resume his seat. He illustrated his thoughts with nu. merous effective anecdotes and his power of mimicry and his descriptive ability completely won his audience. He was applauded frequently
 When the three arranged toasts for the evening had been disposed of, there were flashlights" from a number of the men present. These included Wal ter Shepard, Frank w. Jackson, pr. Phillips of Virginia, who grew elo- quent in his references to great Pres- byterians i.I history; T. W. Tebb. Prof. R. Bliss Edgar. Justice R. T. Simpson of the State Supreme Court, Justice John c. Anderson of the State Supreme Court, Frank c. Shepard and Dr. An derson, the pastor of the church. Justice Anderson spoke with fervor and with eloquence as he pleaded for d union of the churches North and South He called attention to the fact that the General Assembly of the Southern Worth, Tex, and declared that the commissioners from Alabama ought to be instructed to vote for this reunion of the churches and thereby heal the breach which occurred through an un- Christian spirit forty years ago. T hope to see the day come" said Justice Anderson in q burst of elo- quencc, when the man in Maine will be just the same kind of Q Presbyte- rIan as the man in Florida: when these brothers will meet as Christians not ot | section, but of nation.
 In closing the occasion, Dr. Anderson spoke earnestly of his fourteen years as pastor of the church and of his eradication at the success of the gath ering. He appealed for a higher typo of civic righteousness in Montgomery aAd for a broader and clearer under standing of the gospel and the church Casino Matinee Today 3sSO o'clock.