The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-07-02
CHURCHES SILENT,
= POTENT FACTOR IN
CITY BUILDING
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
sunday school was organized In
1888. Cllnging together through ad-
versity IL was not long before the
little school was firmly on its feet
and with the years became an inte-
gral and vital part of the life of the
Presbyterian church. In 1886 j. NJ.
Hail was elected its superintendent
and for 33 years thereafter he guild
ed the destinies of that Sunday
school, faithful through both advcr-
sity and prosperity through which
the church passed. at last resignling
only because of i'll health. In Hall
who is still young" in vigor of
spirit, Tulsa has the oldest Sunday
school superintendent from point OF
service in the state OF Oklahoma.
on the last day OF December, in
1899, tall and vigorous young man
with a keen eye and a decisive man
ner stood In the pulpit of the old
mission schoolhouse on the site now
occupied by the Cosden building and
preached to the little congregation
gathered there. Rev. G.. w. Kerr OF
Edmond, Okla, was preaching his
trial sermon. Unwittingly the lis
teners were regarding a man whose
life and whose activity and whose
effort was to be ineXtrlcably bound
up in the future of city whose pos
slbilities were as yet undreamed OF.
virtually a pioneer, Reverend Kerr
has been factor to be reckoned
with In almost every phase OF civic
development during the more than
20 years that he has labored here.
lie came to Tulsa from Edmond in
February, 1900. In April of that
year the new church, built during
the pastorate of Rev. l.. L. David
son, was dedicated. This church
stood Just across the street from the
mission school and was used by the
congregation until the dedication of
the present structure at Seventh and
Boston in February pf 1911.
OF the pastors that the Presby-
terlan church has had. Rev. r. J.
Lamb, superintendent Of home mis-
eias in Oklahoma, still makes his
home here. Rev. f. II. Broyles of
Philadelphia was another pioneer
minister and Reverend Davidson,
whom Reverend Kerr succeeded. was
the first protestant missionary to
lay down his life in the Philippine
Islands.
Mothered School System.
The mother OF the Tulsa public
school system was the Presbyterian
mission school, maintained from
1893 TO 1899 in the mission school
building. The block upon which the
mission school building stood was
owned by the Presbyterian Board OF
Home Missions and in 1899 Nas sold
py 1t TO group of fou- civic-minded
men who purchased the block for
city school purposes. This property
they held is custody until they could
collect taxes to reimburse them. 1t
was turned over TO the city OF Tulsa
then, and after statehood, when the
school system was organized and
ooSrd of education formed. was
leeded to the board.
This group of men was made up OF
j. NJ. Hall, the first white man in
Tulsa, the. first Sunday school super
niendent in Tulsa and the first
president OF Tulsa's first school
board; j. NJ. Forsythe, r, n. By
mum and Joe Price. They paid $4,000
Tor the block upon which the Co.'S
den building, the city hall and the
new school admi- -istration building
now stand. The money they bor-
loWed from the Tulsa Banking COM
pany,. the first bank to be established
In Tulsa.
But that Is aside from the sub
80 matter of churches.
Other Churches Founded.
There are other Presbyterian
churches in Tulsa. The First United
Presbyterian church at Cheyenne