Columbia Theological Seminary Bulletin, 1, number 3, January 1909

BULLETIN

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Published Quarterly by the Board of Directors

of the Theological Seminary

of the

Synods of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama of the

Presbyterian Church in the United States

JANUARY, 1909
Vol L No. 3.

[Second Claai Mail rates applied for]

FORE WORD

Our last Bulletin gave some matters that were of special
interest for the Synod of Georgia. This Bulletin contains
some matter that is of special interest to the Synod o
Alabama. But any matter that is of interest to either of
these synods is of interest to the entire constituency of
Columbia Seminary. For, as we stated in a former
Bulletin, these synods constitute a natural group of churches
and whatever promotes the welfare of one of them will
directly or indirectly promote the welfare of all the others.

A BRIGHTENING OUTLOOK

A New Enclosure For Seminary Grounds.

The old plank fence that has so long disfigured the Semi-
nary grounds is at last to be removed. It will be replaced
by a handsome brick, stone and iron structure that will
make the Seminary property an ornament to the city. The
money for this enclosure has come from the city of Colum-
bia itself. It was given with cordial good-will and is but
an earnest of what the city will do for the Seminary in the
days to come.

A Financial Agent for the Seminary.

It will be gratifying news to the constituency of the
Seminary that the Executive Committee have taken steps
to secure a Financial Agent. There is every reason to ex-
pect that the man of their choice will be secured. His
name, when announced, will in a large measure guarantee
the success of the canvass that he is expected to organize
and push. The object of this canvass, of course, will be
to raise the one hundred thousand dollars contemplated in
the action of the four synods. It is hoped that the agent will
begin his canvass in the city of Columbia and complete
the raising of the fifteen thousand dollars that will be
needed for the new enclosure and chapel. The fifteen
thousand dollars from Columbia ought easily to mean
thirty-five thousand dollars additional from the Synod of
South Carolina ; and fifty thousand dollars from the Synod
of South Carolina ought to mean an equal sum from the
Synods of Georgia, Alabama and Florida combined. One
hundred thousand dollars will give us some much-needed
buildings and the endowment for the chair of English Bible
and Pastoral Theology. It is hoped that everyone in the
four synods, preachers and people alike, will contribute
toward making this effort a success.

The Candidates Are Available.

There are enough candidates in the four synods who
will be entering some seminary next fall to raise the enroll-
ment at Columbia to something like what it has been in
times past. With the synods undertaking seriously and
with enthusiasm to build up the material equipment of the
institution, it is confidently expected that each presbytery
will direct its candidates to their own seminary. If history
repeats itself and there is every reason to believe that it
will the presbyteries, by pursuing such a course, will be
the beneficiaries of their own wisdom. In other words,
if they send their candidates to Columbia for their theo-
logical training, Columbia will send them back ministers
for their vacant churches and home mission fields.

An Brroneous Impression.

The impression seems to have gotten abroad that Colum-
bia Seminary has all the funds that it needs in order to
accomplish effectively the ends for which it exists. How
such an impression ever became current, one is at a loss
to understand. The fact is, that Columbia Seminary has
less endowment than any of her sister institutions in our
Church, except the newly established school at Austin,
Texas. We sorely need a fire-proof library building and a
chapel that will at least be respectable and not a reproach to
the Presbyterian name. In addition to this, we need the
endowment for a chair of English Bible and Pastoral
Theology. Our Student Fund Endowment also needs to
be at least doubled that is, if our student body is to be
increased. We need additional endowment for our library
and for our current expense fund. None of these needs
are fictitious. The increased equipment is needed, not
merely to put us upon a footing of efficiency equal to that of
our sister seminaries, but, wholly apart from this, in order
to enable Columbia Seminary effectively to serve the four
synods of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

AN ACTION THAT PROMISES LARGE BENEFIT
TO THE SEMINARY

At its meeting in October last the Synod of South Caro-
lina sent to the Synod of Georgia a communication inviting
its cooperation and that of the other associated synods*
in an effort to improve the equipment of the seminary.
Omitting introductory matter the proposal of the Synod
of South Carolina was as follows:

"Brethren, let us arise and build. No one can doubt that
if we will only agree to see in the Seminary our common
responsibility and our common blessing, we, the four
synods of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida,
can, by God's blessing, make this institution, which at
times has threatened to become our reproach, our glory.
It is ours. Let us care for it, and make it worthy of our-
selves. It has been a mighty blessing in the past is still
a great blessing. Let us make it an even more potent
agency for building up the Redeemer's kingdom in the days
to come. Our sister synods in Virginia and North Caro-
lina, in Kentucky and Missouri, and in Texas, are all
engaged in bettering the equipment and increasing the
efficiency of their respective seminaries. Shall we permit
ours to languish? We have the means to make it the equal
in equipment of any. We have the candidates to build up
its student body. Our own churches will be the first, the
largest, and the most lasting beneficiaries of our liberality
and activity. Let us, then, arise and build.

It will require $100,000 to put the Seminary upon a
footing of permanent efficiency. This Synod will make
the effort to raise $50,000 of said sum. Will not your
venerable body do the same to raise $30,000, or such other
sum as in your judgment will be your equitable proportion
of the whole amount named? We are making similar
overtures to the Synods of Alabama and Florida.

*It was understood that a copy of the foregoing communication, with neces-
sary explanations, would be sent also to the Synods of Alabama and Florida.
By some oversight it seems that this was not done.

Praying for you grace, mercy and peace from God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we subscribe
ourselves, through our Moderator and Clerk,
Your brethren in Christ,
(Signed) HENRY ALEXANDER WHITE,

Thos. H. Law, Stated Clerk. Moderator."

RESPONSE OF THE SYNOD OF GEORGIA

To the communication from South Carolina given above,
the Synod of Georgia, in session at Athens, through its
Committee on the Theological Seminary, made the follow-
ing cordial response :

"Your Committee on Theological Seminary would report
that communications from the Synods of South Carolina
and Virginia, and the report of the Board of Directors of
Columbia Seminary, together with the minutes of the
Board, have been placed in our hands.

From the report of the Board of Directors, it appears
that the Seminary is in an encouraging condition, with great
possibilities for the future. The spirit of both faculty and
students is admirable. The attendance is larger than in
many past years. The Seminary seems on the eve of the
most useful work in its history.

Your committee would, therefore, recommend: (1) That
the Synod congratulates the Seminary on the substantial
character of the work it is doing and the bright prospects
before it for the future. Synod is especially gratified at
the harmony and sympathy existing between the Board of
Directors, the students and the faculty.

2. In answer to the courteous communication of the
Synod of South Carolina, asking this Synod to cooperate
in raising $100,000 for the material betterment and enlarg-
ing the faculty of the Seminary, Synod answers that it
will heartily cooperate with the controlling synods in
raising this fund, and urges its pastors and churches to give
aid and encouragement to this worthy movement.

3. That Synod exhorts the Board of Directors, in con-
junction with the faculty, to make such improvements in
the curriculum of the Seminary as will be calculated to meet
more fully the needs of the Church of the day.

4. That in answer to the communication of the Synod
of Virginia relative to greater economy in the use of means
and men in theological education, Synod answers that
inasmuch as the Synods of South Carolina and Tennessee
are not in sympathy with the scheme proposed, we do not
deem it wise to enter upon even a threatened agitation, the
result of which cannot but be harmful to Columbia Semi-
nary just at this time.

(Signed) D. W. BRANNEN, Chairman."

ACTION OF THE SYNOD OF ALABAMA

The Synod of Georgia not only took the foregoing action,
but sent Rev. Dr. R. C. Reed as a special commissioner to
the Synod of Alabama to bring to the attention of that
body the communication from the Synod of South Carolina,
and its response. As a result the Synod of Alabama,
through its Committee on the Theological Seminary, took
action as follows:

Report on Columbia Theological Seminary.

"Your Committee begs leave to report:

1. That we have considered the communication from the
Board of the Seminary covering the year which closed
May, 1908, and are much gratified to note the encouraging
condition of the Seminary affairs. The endowment is all
safely invested, and yields a revenue sufficient for the
present needs; the attendance has been steadily increasing,
and is, we learn, larger this year than for many years past ;
and there is a most gratifying state of feeling among the
students, professors and members of the Board.

We are glad to learn that a movement has been set on
foot to raise the sum of $100,000 to be added to the

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permanent endowment for the purpose of securing another
professor and otherwise improving the facilities of this
school of the prophets. We learn that the Synod of South
Carolina proposes to raise $50,000 of this sum, and the
Synod of Georgia $30,000, leaving $-20,000 to be raised
by the Synods of Alabama and Florida. Your Committee
respectfully suggests that this Synod agree to do what it
can to raise at least $12,500, leaving $7,500 to be
raised by the Synod of Florida, and we ask that this Synod
shall record its hearty approval of this effort, and urge all
our ministers and church sessions to lend all possible aid
to the undertaking by cooperating with the representatives
of the Seminary who may come into their respective
churches soliciting subscriptions.

2. We recommend that Rev. Dr. Wm. E. Mcllwain be
now elected a member of the Board of Directors for the
ensuing three years to take the place of Rev. Dr. A. A.
Little, who has removed from our bounds.

(Signed) NEANDER M. WOODS, Chairman."

The report was adopted.

WAS IT A WISE ACTION?

In 1857 the Synod of Alabama entered into partnership
with the Synods of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida
in the ownership and control of Columbia Seminary.
This was not because there were no other seminaries at
that time able and willing to educate the Synod's candidates
for the ministry. Princeton, N. J., Union, Va., Danville,
Ky., were all ably manned and had ample accommodations
for all the students that Alabama could send them. Rail-
road facilities were such as to make these institutions easily
accessible. Why, then, did the Synod of Alabama establish
intimate and responsible relations with the Seminary in
Columbia, S. C. ? Obviously the Synod believed that an
advantage would accrue to her by this step. In other
words, the Synod of Alabama believed that she could serve

9

the interests of Christ's Kingdom in her own bounds better
by sending her candidates to Columbia than to another
seminary. Without pausing to ask why the Synod enter-
tained this belief, or whether there was any rational ground
for such a belief, we raise the question, have results justified
the belief? If we take a segment of history embracing six-
teen years, this will serve as a fair and trustworthy test
of results. If we take Union Seminary, Virginia, for
comparison with Columbia, that will also make the test a
fair one. Here, then, are the results : During the sixteen
years from 1889 to 1905, three hundred and ten men gradu-
ated from Union Seminary. Of these, only two on leaving
the seminary settled in Alabama. During this same period,
one hundred and twenty-five men graduated from Columbia
Seminary. Of these eleven on leaving the Seminary settled
in Alabama. At this rate, if Columbia had been as pros-
perous, i. e., if she had graduated as many men as Union,
instead of furnishing two, she would have furnished
twenty-seven men to the Synod of Alabama.

Tested From Another Point of View.

It may be suggested that the reason of the difference is
to be found in the fact that more students went from the
Synod of Alabama to Columbia than to Union, and there-
fore more came back from Columbia than from Union.
The reply to this suggestion is that the fact is just the
opposite. During the sixteen years under consideration,
twelve students from the Synod of Alabama graduated at
Union, of whom only one returned, and he gave to the
Synod just one and one-half years of labor. During the
same period, seven students from the Synod of Alabama
graduated at Columbia, of whom six returned to Alabama,
and in the aggregate gave to the Synod sixty years of labor.
To state the matter a little differently, the Synod of Ala-
bama sent twelve candidates to Union Seminary in Virginia
to be trained for the ministry and the Synod received in

10

return eighteen months of ministerial labor. The Synod
sent seven candidates to Columbia Seminary to be trained
and received in return sixty years of ministerial labor.
This would seem to be a mathematical demonstration that
if the Synod of Alabama wishes to have the benefit of the
labor of her candidates in after years she had better send
them to Columbia Seminary rather than to Union.

And From Yet Another.

Perhaps it would be just as well, however, for the Synod
of Alabama to educate her candidates in Kentucky. Here
again we can apply the test of results. Take the segment
of eleven years between 1894 and 1905. During this time
ten candidates from the Synod of Alabama received their
training in Kentucky. Of these only two came back to
the Synod. One of these remained one year and the other
two years. Of the thirty- four years of ministerial labor
performed by these ten young men, the Synod of Alabama
has had the benefit of only three years. Is not this a mathe-
matical demonstration that if the Synod of Alabama wishes
to have her own students return to and labor in her bounds
after their graduation, she will do better to send them to
Columbia than to send them to Kentucky?

Conclusion.

Evidently the fathers, who in 1857 accepted for the
Synod of Alabama the position of joint ownership and
control in Columbia Seminary, did so for the reason that
they wished to retain as many of the students as possible
after their graduation for work within the bounds of the
Synod. They believed the way to do this was to send
them to Columbia. Have not the results abundantly justi-
fied their belief?

Columbia Seminary was founded especially to serve the
territory covered by the four controlling Synods. It con-
tinues to exist especially to serve this territory. It regards

11

this territory as its own. It rightly regards this territory
as its own, just as the child rightly regards the father who
begat him and who nourished him through infancy and
childhood as his own.

The Seminary is making an effort to secure all the stu-
dents from this territory. It is certainly entitled to them
if it can show, as it assuredly can show, that it is to the
interest of the Synods to send their candidates here. The
doors of the Seminary are open to students from all quar-
ters, and they are gladly welcomed, but the Seminary is
disposed to urge a claim for the students of its own terri-
tory. It needs them, and the Synods need to send them
here.

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