The Hattiesburg news., 1912-06-10
PASTOR OF MAIN STREET METH
opIsT CHURCH CHOSEN BY
COLLEGE TRUSTEES
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
IN METHODIST CHURCH
Since the Resignation Of Or. Hull he
Has Been Considered His Logical
decentralization Gives General.
Satisfaction.

Rev. Alexander Farrar Watkins, A.
B. D. D. pastor of Main Street Method
ist church, of Hattiesburg, at night
session of the Board Of Trustees of
Millsaps College, held at the college in
Jackson, Saturday, June s. was, on
the first ballot taken, elected president
of Millsaps College to succeed DIR. d.
c. Hull resigned.
Since the day it was announced that
DIR. Hull had been elected superinten-
dent of the public schools of Merid-
ian. the name of DR.. Watkins has
been prominently mentioned and
strongly urged as the one man in
Mississippi Methodism on whom the
duties and honors of the presidency
of Mississippi's great Methodist Col
lege should fall.
AS was perfectly natural, a number
of other distinguished names were
mentioned in connection with the va
cancy, but to those best acquainted
with the situation it soon became
strongly apparent that DR.. Watkins
was regarded as the logical man for
the place.
It was some time. ago learned that
several educators and prominent
church leaders whose names had been
suggested by admiring friends. had
given Dr. Watkins assurance that II
, his name was to be allowed to go
before the Board of Trustees, theirs
would not be. From the beginning
, this feature strongly emphasized the
5 strong probability of DR.. Watkins
t election.
= The news Of the election spread
!, rapidly in Hattiesburg Sunday morning
Y and elected most favorable comment.
+ There was an accompanying element
d of sadness, however, occasioned by
= the general regret that he is thus pre-
r vented from serving out the remain
h ing of this, his fourth year at this
r charge.
DR.. Watkins is one of the leading
and most learned men of the Missis-
v sippi conference. This new position
will permit him to round out In a
q most useful and beautiful manner, a
n life service which has been entirely
10 devoted to the church Of his espousal.
% He was born at Natchez, Miss, Dec IS,
10 1856, son of Rev. VIM. H. Watkins, ID. d.
2 native of Mississippi, and Elizabeth
n Jones Cwatkins) ,.dadghter of Thomas
10 Jones, of Liverpool, England; was edu.
Gated at Natchez Institute at Natchez
m Centenary College, Jackson, La, and
al Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn;
NJ entered the Methodist ministry in 1888;
ID was a pastor 1889. Field Agent Mill
a sap College 1902 during which time
he collected large part of the initial
endowment of the college; President
of Whitworth College, Brookhaven
= 1902; Field Agent of the Connection
al Superannuate Endowment fund
81 1904, when he collected over $500,
'ai 900 for that fund, used as endow
Is ment for the worn out preachers ant
aS widows and orphans of deceased
preachers; Presiding Elder 1905-S an,
la a pastor since 1905 He was delegat,
7s to the General Conference of tn
Southern Methodist church at the ses
u sions 1894, 1898, 1902, 1906. 1910;
ny member of the secretarial corps Of ses
w. sions 1898, 1902, 1910, and secretar
ni in chief in 1906 and 1910. He ha
As' been secretary of the Mississippi Al
nual Conference since 1900. vice pre-
ident of the Board of Trustees of Nil
spas College since 1900, and for nun
Der of years vice-president of th
to Board Of Trustees of Mississippi o
the phans Home. He has for years hel
de membership on several of the come
ion tional boards Of the Methodist churc
at South, and has represented his churt
nen in several Of the ecumenical counci
red lof the church, having been delega
CONTINUED on PAGE Three.)