The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-02-17
THAT DISPENSARY CHURCH
4 CURIOUS COMPLICATION HAS
ARISEN SINCE THE MAT
TER BECAME PUBLIC.
from the Augusta Herald.

From the Augusta Herald.
Since the publication in The Her.
aid of the story of the building of
the new church in the town of Liv-
ingston, in Orangeburg county, South
Carolina, the full limelight of pub
Ilcity has been turned on it, and all
the facts in connection with it have
been made public. The story as pub
lished in The Herald is fully sub
Stimulated, but has led to a peculiar
situation. The church (building) is
now rejected by the church (organi-
zatiOn) and the little town finds it
self with a white elephant on it's
hands in the shape of a handsome
and well appointed church building
A dispensary is being operated in
the town, and the profits arising
from it were so great that after pay
ing for all the municipal improve
mentS a considerable sum remained
| What to do with this money was a
question that worried the town au-
thOrities not a little, until finally
some one proposed that it be ap-
piled to building church. A propo-
sItiOn was made to the members of
a country church near the town to
build this church and give it to them,
which was accepted, after the pastor
had consulted with his presiding
elder and obtained that officials sane
ton to the plan.
The members of the church agreed
to aid in the building, but as the
work progressed so we'll and they
were not pushed to put their hands
down into their jeans, they gave no
further aid than that which accrued
from patrOnizing the dispensary, and
the church was paid for wholly with
dlspensary money. 1t is completed
now, the handsome pews having been
put in during the past week, and it
is ready to be opened for divine SER
vices.
But now it appears that there will
be trouble in getting these services
started.
The Southern Christian Advocate
questioned the truth of the story as
published in The Herald, and called
upon the Methodist preachers to ex-
plain. This has been done in a letter
from Rev. c. B. Smith, the presiding
elder of that district, who states
that THE reports as set forth in the
newspapers are largely true" He
intfmates that building a church with
dispensary money is no worse than
building school house with such
funds, but he adds that "No Metho-
dist preacher shall ever preach in
it while l am on the district" unless
the higher church authorities will
now give their consent.
This they may not do. Then no
Methodist pastor will be allowed to
preach in it. and of course the other
denominations cannot afford to take
a less exalted position. And so this
handsome, commodiOus and COM
Portable church must remain closed,
and the people be compelled to at
tend some less attractive or conven-
lent church, or perhaps be unable to
attend any church at all.
Now isn't this a curious compIi-
cation? Here is a nice church,
which the church authorities will not
accept because they claim that, fig
uratively, the devil built it. But
what shall be done with it?
Is not Sam Jones illustration ap-
plicable in this case that if you find
the devil going your way don't hest
tate to ride him if that will be a
help to you in serving a good cause?