Evening star., 1961-01-14
THE HUMAN SIDE OF RELIGION
Peter Marshall Fund
Is a Living Memorial
BY CASPAR NAMES
Star Staff Writer

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something to the living keep
alive the memory Of the person
honored.
When DR.. Peter Marshall
died IL years ago this month,
many Of the numerous people
his rare personality and spirit
touched felt living memorial
to him should some day be es-
tablished.
The idea persisted but it was
not until 1856 that definite
steps toward its fruition were
taken. That year his successor
at New York Avenue Presby-
terian Church, DR.. George M.
Docherty, and William Kerr,
q member Of the congregation
and chairman of the Peter
Marshall Scottish Memorial
Committee, evolved the concept
Of a bursary Scottish for schol-
arship) fund for q young Scot
to come to America as Mar
shall himself had done.
How Fund Came About
The concept had its roots in
the visit Of Americans to Scot
land. They believed a living
memorial should be established
for the beloved pastor in his
native land. Eventually the
present idea developed.
The bursary fund enables a
licentiate or probationer (stu-
dent who has completed his
studies but is not yet minister
Of q church, to come to the
United States for approximately
nine months. Three months are
to be spent at Princeton Theo-
logical Seminary, three months
on the staff Of a Presbyterian
church In a metropolitan city
and three months on the staff
Of q church in q smaller in
dustrial town.
Behind this arrangement
was the thought that a visitor
could obtain practical expert
ence in the life of an Ameri-
can Presbyterian congregation.
Most scholarships concentrate
on the academic side and ne
glect the day by day life Of a
local church. A licentiate
working in a congregation un-
der this setup will go back
to Scotland with first hand
knowledge Of how American
Presbyterian churches are or
ganized, how they operate and
how they maintain their
church tradition.
First Bursar Now at Work
At present the first Of the
bursary fund holders is on the
staff Of the Silver Spring Pres
byterian Church. He is the Rev.
James Finley Robertson
Squires, q solidly built, soft
spoken native Of Glasgow who
received his DID. degree, with
distinction, from Trinity Col
lege. Glasgow University, last
July.
The 28-year-old former Soc
Ger player studied at Princeton
Seminary from September un-
til last month, when he came
to the Silver Spring Church.
He will be there until the end
of March. leaving to 60 to
First Presbyterian Church at
York, Pa.
Despite his short stay in the
United States, Mr.. Squires has
some definite impressions about
our country and its churches.
An obvious one is the greater
prosperity Of our churches.
Enthusiasm Is Noted
"You have a minister, asso-
ciate minister. assistant minis
ter and secretary in the large
churches here" he said. "In
Scotland one minister will do
everything himself. without a
secretary"
Another difference the 28-
year-old native Of Glasgow
pointed out is greater enthusi-
asm displayed by church mem
bars.
This stems out Of an age
population spread here and
abroad.
"The population in Scotland
and England is more heavily
weighted towards old age" Mr..
Squires added. This is far
more 50 than in America. I
think this may account for the
greater buoyancy apparent in
your country"
College students here are quite
different from those in Scotland
so far as political consciousness
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