Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-08-07
WHAT THE A. r. P.'s ARE.
editor Hemphin Writes interestingly
of the Denomination.

There is great deal of idle talk
in Charleston, particularly among
church.goers, on Sunday. After
every regular church service there
must, Of course, be a discussion Of the
millinery features of the occasion,
and there is nothing more effective
in the way of spiritual copsolation
than the comparison of the conduct
of the people in the pews with their
daily walk and conversation. Nov
and then the thoughts of the reli-
iously inclined are engaged in the
contemplation of the scots with
which the world is crowded. List
Sunday, for example, after partiou-
larly striking sermon on the weather,
Q subject in which even the ungodly
take personal interest, while q
pleasant little company were waiting
for the okra soup to be served,
there occurred an animated and O
more or less intelligent discussion of
that particular sort of Presbyterian
roughly described by Parson Brown
low several generations ago as SO
peculiar sect of Christians who sing
David's Psalms, plough with double
lines and grease their shoes with tall
low" viz: the Associate Reformed
Presbyterians. The discussion was
precipitated by the question of a
facetious little woman, who asked,
"What ia an A. r. p, anyhow" But
the answer to the inquiry was even
more interesting than the question
itself, for with that superior air which
comes by travel and observation a
delegate to the recent Sunday school
Convention, at Asheville, N. c., re-
piled: "Well, / saw four or five of
them at Asheville, and they looked
very much like other people. had
always been curious to see one of
them, not being quite sure how they
looked. But they were at Asheville,
and my curiosity was rewarded"
Far be it from US to attempt de-
acriptions of the many sorts of Pres.
byterians that are to be found in this
country, but there is something par
ticularly interesting in the Psalm.
singing sort which would appear to
justify the News and Courier in de-
parting for the moment from it's
wholly n-sectarian character, and
in giving information touching these
nearest of kin to the old Covenant
ing stock of Scotland. There are q
good many of them in the upper part
of South Carolina, and in the Inde-
p ndence section of North Carolipa a
t,eJ fairly swarm, particularly en-
communion Sabbatha, The distinct
i've feature of their la,Sh is that th, Y
believe in an inspired psalnody, as it
is expressed in the declaration of the
Associate Reformed Presbyterian
Synod Of the South, made in 1871:
alt is the will of God, that the
,cred eongs contained in the Book
of Psalms be sung in His worship,
both public and private, to the end
of the world; and the rich variety
and perfect purity of their matter,
the blessing of God upon them in
every age, and edification of the
church thence arising, set the pro-
priety of singing them in convinc-
ing light, nor shall any human COM
posure be sung in any of the Asso-
ciate Reformed churches"
1t may be explained for the infor.
nation of those who would like to be
instructed upon this subject that "the
doctrines contained in the Westmin-
ster Confession of Faith are the doc
trines to which the Associate Re-
formed Presbyterians give their ad-
herence, and are in the main the doc
trines of all strict Presbyterians in
every part of the world" Robert
Latham, D. D., concludes his ellis
tory of the Associate Reformed
Synod of the South" in these words:
WGo fas aa doot rina ond nraat;aa