The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-06

I nclency or the w OTlu. IHe man Heeueu | the healing Christ.
 | His originality of thought was con- stant delight, as was the terse, vigorous
 Saxon style in which he clothed his | thought.
 | His preaching always attracted
 crowds of men of every degree, men of 1 the learned professions, business men, | working men. It would be difficult to
 say whether he got closer to a critical I fudge or a poor drunken tramp whose eyes he closed at last in hos
 pital after a fit of delirium tremens
 He knew and kept many secrets. When
 he said to the people of Charlotte once
 q know more people here than do | anywhere else, and I know more about
 them" the universal laughter that fol- lowed was a witness to the truth or that saying.
 As a pastor, he confessed that he was
 not overfond of the te-shutting bus l iness" as he styled the pastoral call | ing that was demanded of him. But those who have been with him in the
 sickroom and in the chamber of death can testify to his rare gifts in bring l ing the comfort of the gospel to the suf- fering and sorrowful.
 | As the chief executive of his church, he always won the confidence of his people as to the reasonableness ana feasibility of church extension. When | he left Charlotte, he had helped in the founding and building of Westminster and Tenth Avenue churches, party colo nies of the Second church, which even ! then possessed a membership Of l004,
 while 635 members had been added dur l ing his pastorate. In presbytery, synod and geenral assembly, he was always "in favor of things and church causes l and institutions were debtors to his Izeal and practical wisdom. He was a
 master of assemblies, and nothing de. Lighted him froe than by bold and open appeal from the floor to bring to
 naught the plans of petty ecclesias-
 tical politicians who occasionally ap- pear in the best regulated church
 courts. He was a man with an eye, and | he hated shams because he saw through
 them so clearly.
 ] He had his faults, of course, but
 even his defects were on the side Of his qualities. He loved truth, and was sometimes regardless of sentiment that was not based upon truth. He often l stripped away with rude hand the scaffolding that men had built as props ! for their faith, but it was to leave
 them resting on the One Foundation. | One of his favorite expressions was,
 When you grant God, you grant every
 thing" He had the "gaudium cer- taminis" rather highly developed. and | in going straight to his point he some ! times trampled upon tender corns, won- dering all the while why men should have corns, or having them, why they 1 should mind getting them trampled, if only the truth were gained. Yet his heart was as tender as woman's. l Twice only have I seen tears fill his | eyes, once when he was told he had | hurt the feelings of another, and once when a friend had done him an uneX- pected favor. To his loved ones he was absolutely devoted whether as son, aS 1 And his friends could count on his 1 loyalty to the uttermost. A great soul has passed onward.
 l 1T.
 l In writing this poor tribute to his memory I have had constantly with me, now that nothing of earthly help can reach him, the thought of what he would have said in like case. And this 1 thought has borne heavily upon me, l that useful servant of Christ has l died in his prime whose life might have been prolonged for further use l full service.
 Dr. Stagg, like most ministers. was dependent upon his salary for his liv- | ing He was generous to fault, and 1 I have heard his deacOns say that 1t was no use to increase his salary, he would only give away more of 1t. He had some life insurance, as he told me on my last visit to him, some weeks ago. But life insurance is available
 usually after death. His church at Or jlando was most considerate and con- tinued his salary for several months. with the use of the manse for his wife and children. Other friends, one 1 in particular, whose righthanded be- nevolence is accompanied with left handed ignorance. were helpful in their generosity. But Dr. Stagg worried over- much at the prospect of 8 year or more of invalidism even with eventual re-
 covery in prospect and worry made re- covery impossible I shall meyer forget the pathos of his expression when he told me that he had been lying in that sanitarium Studying the economies of
 burial"
 Our southern church has made pro- vision for the widows and orphans of her dead ministers. But 1t has Nhade no