Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-09-25
SAW HIS PHOTO.
In Spurgeon'S Album-A Corval-
lis Pastor HonOred.

l
!. they will be able to describe ii
! detail in many a wear to come.
While in~Engl4nd they ran
across photograph that proba.
bly, gave them as great surprise
as did any object during Their
travels, for in the picture they
beheld a face that is known and
respected by all residents of Cor.
yallis-that of Rev. Mark Noble,
for years the faithful, earnest
pastor of the Baptist church in
| Corvallis. In his own enter
tanning way Prof. Horner tells of
the old photograph and of where
he saw it, in far away England.
He says: aaa *#
It was Sunday. We had been to
Westminster Abbey and at the gray
cathedral known as ST. Paul's. Cha.les
| Spurgeon has many friends In Oregon.
so we visited the old church where he
ministered to the thronging thousands.
At the entrance we were handed card
calculated to actuate the worshiper and
make him more receptive to the divine
message which was to come from the
pulpit that day. Charles Spurgeon has
been dead these years; but We expected
to find his son in the pulpit. Sickness
denied us that privilege, because the
minister was not able to appear. At the
appointed hour of the service, however,
the hymns were led by precentor, and
verybody seemed to participate in the
singing. The congregation in Spur
geon's church resembles body of con-
gressmen at worship with their wives.
There was no organ or other musical in
stru ment in evidence. This was Spur
geon's idea. The godly man said:
r"When the peoples hearts are filled
with the love of God, the people will
1sing."- Hence the organ was not re.
quired in his church, in fact there was
not room for it.
After prayer, scripture reading and
d
troduced as the speaker of the day.. He
preached upon the higher life ENG
land and the possibilities of Englishmen
the world over. He is one of His Ma
'jesty's strongest advocates of the new
educational bill in England. His
bronzed face and calloused hands and
his earnestness as he expounded the
word of God, seemed to intimate that
while he is godly man and>a mem Der
of Parliament, that he is also close to his
mother earth-a veritable child of nature
who impresses you with the simplicity
of the Spurgeon followers in London-in
fact, a typical American in the mother
land.
After the close of the service, the aged
Curate takes us through the apartments
of Mr. Spurgeoa, and refers to the college
and other institutions maintained by that
congregation, likewise, the lasting good
which emanated from the preaching and
efforts of the worlds greatest Baptist
preacher. Among the trophies which
the church cherishes, is Charles Spur
geon's photograph album, containing the
portrait of his dearest and best friends.
Many of these represent crowned heads
and the honored OF the earth. Not to be
overlooked are Queen Victoria and Glad
stone. To US the most interesting, how
ever, was the old picture of a young man
whom Mr.. Spurgeon dearly loved. The
young man was one of his converts,
trained in his Sunday school by the pres
ent curate, educated in Mr.. Surgeons
college, and many say that he breathes
the purity and simplicity so noticeable in
the life of the great Baptist preacher.
The curate said: 81 am now past my
S0th year, and have known all of Mr..
Spurgeon's associates. None of Mr..
Spurgeon's boys were nearer to him than
this young man. There was nothing
that Mr.. Spurgeon would not confde in
him"
But who is that young man that the
Curate especially points ont as Mr.. Spur
geon's young friend ?--This young man
who used to preach to Mr.. Spurgeon's 8
overflow congregation ?--this young man
whose name was written in the affec-
tions of the Great Divine? We look be-
low the picture aud we see in Mr.. Spur
geon's hand writing the name, Mark No
BILE, who was for years the pastor of our
city. Then it dawned upon us for the
first time that we had never stopped to
realize when we read of the Great Di-
vine how much personal pains and en-
deavor he spent ia educating and pre-
pairing pulipiteer for the First Baptist
/ church of Corvallis. 1t seemed as if the
Corvallis church of days gons by was
merely an overflow audience of Charles
lSpurgeon's great church, with Mark
Noble as its preacher.