Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1909-07-13
In Memoriam.

N. G., July 6, 1909:
REV FRANCIS TOMBSTONE MURDOCH,
S. T. D..
The members of St. Luke's
Chapter of the Brotherhood of St
Andrew cannot fad words to ex-
press the great grief and SORROW
each one of them has sustained on
account of the death of their deal
friend and associate, the Reverend
Francis tombstone Murdoch, who
was the beloved Rector of St.
Luke's church for the long period
of thirty seven years. Some of us
have been closely associated with
him in the bonds of faith and
friendship for the entire period of
his Rectorship and the others have
had the privilege of his companions
ship and fellowship for a shorter
time. He was our spiritual direc-
tor and guide and the soul and ir-
SEPARATION of the Chapter. He Or
ganized it and planned all it's
work, and the Chapter gladly fol-
lowed his leadership. He tried to
get near to those who we're helping
him in good works. He did not
make use of ostentatlon or display
when working for the cause of
Christ. In quietness and conf
dence, re was persuaded, should
be his strength in svery effort he
might be making to accomplish
the results he hoped and prayed
for. In the Sunday School, he
taught a class of boys, and he pre-
f FRED to teach boys rather than
mtn and no boy could come I'M
der the Influence of DR.. Murdoch
without receiving much help and
benefit from the association. His
sanity personality could not fail
to inspire noble conceptions of life
and to suggest precious thoughts
connected with Christian duty and
tn, If obligation to GID. To the
boys whom he trained, he was a
real father in God as he was also
to every congregation to whom he
ministered. He preached every
where with remarkable power and
persuasiveness the imperishable
truths Of our holy religion. What
all his hearers, young and old,
learned from him, will be their
strength and support amid the
manifold trials and temptations
of life and will be to them a sus-
tainining power ard source of
comfort in the hour of death.
Although mighty in intellect
and having vast stores of know
ledge aud learning, yet he never
failed to be interested in the every
day affairs of the least educated
of the people. Very simple.
things attracted him, and
he always found entertainuent in
the common talk of the poorest of
his parishioners.
He organized the Church Con
ference of Rowan county Large
congregations attracted by
these conferences and his dis
courses on such occasions were
equal to any of the sermons Of
the greatest preachers in the
land.
Recently he became Interested
in Church Institutes for educating
the people and especially the
young men in the ministry and
candidates for orders, in the car
dlnal truths and precepts Of the
church and of the gospel. He
was a thorough churchman, but
the church doctiine for which he
was a stickler he always maintain
ed was Bible truth. His church
principles were according to the
lines of one of the hymns of the
church:
What the Church rec ,iveth,
That l hold for,true;
What the saints believed in,
That, believe | too.
The last Institute he conducted
was at Cooleemee, in Davie coun-
tY, and all who heard his instruc-
tlons there were deeply impressed
with the beauty, the clAarness and
the intense spirituality of his ev-
cry utterance. One of the men he
prepared for the ministry, now an
honored and faithful priest in the
Diocese, said t, me and to Others
that DR.. Murdoch had appeared
at his best at this institute and
that no Doctor of the Church,