The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-02-19
THE CHURCHES
OF HAYTIESBURG
Article Prepared by DR.. A. F. Wat
kins For the Cummings
Company.

The News published few days ago
an article pertaining to the school
system of Forrest county and the edu-
cational advantages offered, prepared
by Supt. of Education Currie at the
request Of Mr.. Thompson, representa-
tive Of the E. A. Cummings company,
who desired the information to use in
the cut-over lands OF
South Mississippi. Another factor,
equally as great in influencing home
seekers to settle in any community as
the schools, is the churches and the |
moral and religious advantages Of
fered. That the advantages offered
by Hattiesburg and vicinity might be
properly set forth, DR.. A. F. Watkins |
pastor of the Main Street Methodist
church, was asked to prepare an ar.
ticle on the subject which he has done
and which reads as follows:
Church Advantages.
It is natural that prospective set
tiers in a new country should be in
|terested in the matter of the church
advantages and the general religious
influences of the communities In
which they think of settling, and 1t
is well that the sections in which
they are invited to make their
homes, should set forth the moral and
religious advantages which these Sec
lions enjoy. The lack of churches
and school houses. in the eyes of right
thinking men, go far toward counter
balancing the attractions Of fertile
soil and a salubrious climate, and
low moral tone, with it's inevitable
spirit of lawlessness, is often the de-
termining element in the decision of
those, who contemplate moving from
one section of our country to another.
1t is a pleasure to the citizens of
Hattiesburg and Forrest county to feel
THAT they are able to offer to all, who
would settle in our midst, moral and
religious advantages equal to those OF
the sections from which they come,
and to assure them that, while in the
more sparsely settled portions of the
country churches may not be found
so close together, these churches are
sufficient to meet the demands of the
community about them, and their in
> fiuences are honored, their services
attended, and their institutions sup
ported as Loyalty as in any part OF
I the Union.
In the towns and villages all of the
i usual ecclesiastical bodies are repre-
scented by organizations and build
! ings, while in the rural districts, ev
cry neighborhood can boast a Metho
dist or Baptist church, and often both
and, in a more limited measure, {
Presbyterian church, and in these dis
tricts the preponderent element, boil
lin numbers and in influence, will b.
found affiliated with one or the othe
\ of these churches. 1t is said of tn
i Baptist churches they they are so dis
tributed that nowhere in the county |
a home more than three or four mile
from one of them.
m While it is true that in the countr
neighborhoods a larger proportion c
the citizens are communicates OF tn
churches than in the cities and towns
survey of the religious advantage
es of Hattiesburg will show that in tn
RS matter of churches and the influence
IN that make for Christian citizenshi
ny this section is probably as fortuna1
e, as in the matters of healthfulness, fe
Ill tility of soil, cheapness of land, genia
g. ness of cline, and other attraction
a Within the corporate limits of II
rs, city, and the immediate vicinity, the
ng are FIVE Baptist churches and fi'
Ike Methodist churches, with a Bapti
er and Methodist membership Of approx
mt lmately two thousand each. There a
dy -four Presbyterian churches with
or aggregate membership of about sev'
hundred. and one each of the Rom;
ar Catholic and Protestant Episcop
nd churches, both we'll organized al
III strongly supported, the former nul
ng bering about four hundred souls al
In the latter considerably less. In CO
M nection with the Roman Cathol
of church there is parochial school
H. about one hundred pupils. There
If, one organization of the Disciples
at Christ, and fairly well equipped al
M active Salvation Army Post. Besid
lis these there are scattered members
he other religious bodies. ESTIMATE
re- the white population of Hattiesburg
nd eight thousand, it will be seen that
Up large proportion of our citizens a
members of some branch Of the Chrl
ur ian church.