BULLETIN OF COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY THE CENTENNIAL Published Quarterly by COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DECATUR. GEORGIA Vol. XXI JULY, 1928 No. 4 Entered as Second Class Matter May 9, 1928, at the Postoffice at Decatur, Georgia, Under the Act of August 24, 1912. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation http://archive.org/details/columbiatheo1928colu Columbia's Centennial GRACED BY THE PRESENCE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY And nothing could have been more gracious than the con- siderateness of that venerable company ! But, in view of this Century of accomplished service, surely it was a grace of con- gruity. In view of that Columbia Triumverate B. M. Palmer, J. H. Thorn well, J. Leighton Wilson, which gave to the Southern Assembly her grand particularities, it was even a grace of condignity. Viewing the widening horizons of oppor- tunity, may it prove the (/race of consecration. GIRDED BY THE FAITH OF THE FATHERS The pressing challenge from secular civilization and scien- tific relativism to the Church to abandon her Gospel and adopt the program of social melioration, how the fathers of the Church honored alumni of the school, hurled it back with no uncertain rejection! Dr. A. M. Fraser bade the Seminary and the Church take no lower tasks than the procla- mation of the Eternal Gospel. He plighted the troth of the New Columbia to the Unique Characteristics of the Christian Religion; while, with the same solemn fidelity, Dr. A. B. Curry, declared her missionary message to be the Apostolic Commission. Columbia's first Commencement in Atlanta, her maiden effort in the second century of her life, was made with every bugle ringing out the Evangel, every turret flying the flag of Emanuel ! GRIPPED BY THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SONS David's Captains, Columbia's Alumni, A Fellowship without Envy! A Loyalty without Reserve ! So the grand old grad. Dr. C. \Y. Grafton, 73, pledged it and so the school enjoyed it. What unity ! What enthu- siasm ! From what distance they came for this reunion ! What 'a round table fellowship* ! "All one will." "and we will work thy will who love thee"! What a tonic for the President! "Sweet faces, who will help him at his need!" 3 The Presentation of the Gavel TO DR. HARRIS E. KIRK Moderator of the General Assembly.. Mr. Moderator'. By the votes of your fellow-commissioners, you have been elevated to the moderatorship over this Assembly. On behalf of Columbia Seminary, and by appointment of the chairman of its Faculty, I come to place in your hands a symbol of your authori- ty. It is eminently fitting that you should preside over this Court of the Church with a gavel presented by Columbia Semi- nary. For the General Assembly has come to Atlanta at this time in order that it might participate with us in our centennial celebration. This gavel was made of material taken from the old campus and from the new. One part of the gavel stands for the yester- day of Columbia Seminary ; the other part, for the to-day and the to-morrow. The union in this gavel of wood from the old and new campuses is meant to represent to you and the general Assembly the relation of the Columbia of the present to the Columbia 'of the past. They are not divided: the old continues in the new, and the new is "carrying on" in the spirit of the old, seeking to give to its aims and ideals larger fulfillment. The saving fundamental truth held and held forth on the Campus at Columbia we cherish still at Atlanta, and are endeavoring to commit to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. The Columbia of the past is rich in yesterdays, having reached to summit of one hundred years of life and service. It is. rich, not only in years, but also in memories: memories of creative personalities, whose works abide ; rich in traditions : traditions of faith that worketh by love ; of scholarship consecrated to service ; of sacrifices cheerfully offered ; of sufferings patiently endured ; and of hopes long deferred but now being realized. The Columbia of to-day is bright with promise, being encouraged by the glory of past achievement to undertake great things for God and expect great things from God. So I have the honor and pleasure of presenting to you this gavel in the name of Columbia Seminary, the century-old insti- tution which has recently returned to renew its youth in the heart of its enlarged constituency. Rev. J. B. Green, D.D. 4 The Centennial Class A class of twenty-two was graduated at the Centennial Commencement. Their fields of labor extend from Carolina to Texas and Oklahoma. Several are engaged in the work at home, pending mission appointments abroad. The class has appointed a committee, consisting of 1. M. Richards, J. K. Johnston, Claude Mcintosh and Dr. 1. B. Green, to arrange for the raising of a substantial fund, as the class's Centennial tribute of support and affection to their Alma Mater. The Centennial Class bears a unique distinction. They spent t\fb years on the Columbia campus where they became thorough- ly imbued with the spirit of ( )ld Columbia. As the first Senior Class on the new campus in Atlanta, they form, in the Seminary life, a strong connecting link between the past and the future. The Centennial Class has been a medium through which the in- fluence of the traditions and hallowed associations of the first century has been re-incarnated in the campus life of the New Columbia. CLASS ROLL Eugene Griffin Beckman, A.B., B.D. Wewoka, Okla. Walter Montgomery Crofton, B.A., A.M., B.D. Dublin, Ga. Charles Cureton, A.B., B.D. Converse, S. C. William Harper Dendy, A.B., B.D Andrews, N. C. Robert Clifton Dorn, A.B., B.D. Houston, Texas Charles Grenville Hamilton, A.B., B.D. Durant, Okla. Bob Shiver Hodges, A.B., B.D Batesburg, S. C. John Knox Johnston, A.B., B.D. Chesterfield, S. C. Robert Plympton Lovell, Jr., Ph.B., B.D Fort Worth, Texas Malcolm Alexander Macdonald, A.B., B.D. Union Point Ga. Angus Guy Mclnnis, A.B., B.D. Crawfordville, Ga. Claude Mcintosh, A.B., B.D New Brookland, S. C. Ralph Leon McRaney, A.B., B.D St. Joseph, La. James McDowell Richards, B.A., M.A., B.D Clarkesville, Ga. George Francis Swetnam, A.B., M.A., B.D. Vaiden, Miss. Walter Swetnam, A.B., B.D. Calhoun City, Miss. Donald Augustus Swicord, A.B., B.D. Chunju, Korea Eugene Thomson Wilson, A.B., B.D Asheville, N. C. Walter Daniel Arnold Hamer, S. C. Angelo James Luck, A.B. : Asheville, N. C. James Samuel Mansfield . ... Bessemer, Ala. Rufus William Oakey Atlanta, Ga. 5 Presentation of Loving Cup to Dr. W. W. McPheeters On Behalf of the Alumni of Coin in bia Theological Seminary On the Occasion of the Fortieth Anicersary of His Professorship. The Gilbraltar steadfastness, the "< )ld Faithful" loyalty, the genuine beneath the surface love of the great Dean of Columbia, received striking and whole- hearted appreciation at the Alumni Banquet held in his honor May 21st. The meeting over-flowed in numbers, enthusi- asm, fun. fellowship and affec- tion. Deep spoke to deep in this feast of soul fellowship. For forty years Dr. McPheeters' love for his boys has shone un- climmed ; for forty years the loyalty of this Richmond alum- nus has preserved Columbia's autonomy and heritage ; for forty years, in the Battle for the Bible, he has stood like a stone wall. By precept, by faith, by publication, by letter, by personal visitations, he has been a mighty influence in the seminaries, the colleges, and the Church for the integrity of the Word. After tributes by Dr. R. O. Flinn, Toastmaster, Dr. D. M. Douglas, Dr. S. C. Byrd, Dr. S. H. Hay and others. Dr. J. Blan- ton Belk eloquently expressed the universal esteem of the Alumni in the following appropriate words : Mr. Toastmaster, Our Honoured Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen : The high honor and special privilege of presenting this token of love to our honored guest have been bestowed upon me. How can I say to Dr. McPheeters what is in your heart? Who am I to interpret love to our professor of interpretation? Interpre- tation is an art that comes only with years of painstaking appli- cation. 6 Dr. McPheeters "A Loving Cup" That is our text. And to be true to the Columbia system, we must look with care upon the immediate context. Behold, sir, that context About you are gathered men who have filled this cup to overflowing with love. No professor, in such company, would have a greater right to say "My cup runneth over." My instructions were to say, "We love you as a scholar and as a gentleman." Your classroom with its quiet dignity, its air of learning, its chaste and cultured personality, is among the happiest memories of the past. The immediate context brings before us in logical sequence the larger context. Here is only a cross section of your students. Behind is the dark background of Columbia's Alumni for fifty years. From city, and hamlet, from the country and mission fields come the love and good wishes of your preachers. And what shall 1 say of the literary context? How urgent you used to be, sir, that we should consider well this important element in interpretation. Have you not just felt the literary genius of Sam Hay and S. C. Byrd, and those other masters of expression? I gather all that has been said here tonight and focus it upon our text. And still the literary blends into the artistic symmetry of the cup itself. Where could one find more of beauty, both of shape and workmanship, than here? How other can we explain such artistry than to believe that the cup itself was built upon the architectonic principle ! A student need not remind you, Dr. McPheeters, that "Loving" is a present participle. Divinity is an Eternal present tense. Here, then, we behold the historical context, and declare that loving you tonight, we always have loved you ; even when you were hard on us, we loved you ; even when you were disap- pointed in us, we loved you. And I shall violate every rule of interpretation by projecting the historical context into the future and saying: "We always will love you!" Let us read the inscription : "Presented to Dr. W. M. McPheeters On the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of his professorship in Columbia Theological Seminary As a token of love from his former students Atlanta May 21, 1928." 7 Dedicatory Address The Reverend J. Sprole Lyons, d. d. The dedication of this splendid building is the first step in the development of an imposing and beautiful quadrangle. It will be the right wing of the central and domi- nant structure which will include a tower of imposing height, of chastened but charm- ing beauty, containing a spacious and wel- coming entrance, with upper floors devoted to library and stack room purposes. Beyond this central tower, and serving as a balance to this building, will be a large, spacious and beautiful library. Leading off on the left of this great central and composite structure is the new dormitory now in use, beyond which will be the Refectory. On the right side of the rectangle thus forming will be the Chapel, and on its western slopes will be the Athletic building ! and, of sacred interest, in the central area of the great quadrangle will be the original chapel of Columbia Seminary, which is to be removed to this site; in which the Original Book of Church Order of our Assembly was prepared by Doctors Thornwell, Adger, and others ; where generations of young min- isters have developed the gift and grace of preaching; and where Woodrow Wilson gave his heart to Christ in a public profession. The completion of the group of comfortable Pro- fessors' homes, and the construction of Mission Terrace a group of cottages and apartments for the accommodation of returned missionaries and their families, will add greatly to the value, the beauty and the usefulness of this wonderful community. I am under the restraint of an insistent modesty on part of the generous donor of this building, Mr. J. Bulow Campbell, which calls for brevity and avoidance of any but necessary personal references. Suffice to say that no background of personality could be more attractive, nor more worthy of having the plain facts about it uttered definitely and fully, than the personal and family features, which finds beautiful and enduring expressions in the wonderful structure. (Cam): 1rcct^ in id A Bcbotcli ( Etrtunia (j "'iTherc is no hiphcr ca (Christia I will, therefore, conf: and useful building, anc its dedication, will tell tc after. What will such i of this building? As he n this inscription, and re; between the lines, he w: 1. Think of a goodly I con is probably the bes human spirit while it is the flesh. 2. He will think of I cumstances of her nobl voted, consecrated, Chr: 3. He will be certain t son, who is a sharer in Such a man is doubtless but he has in the priv spreading through the w 8 ill iaU jinn, XLrihntc to [Jiistian pother b'm Campbell t|, on earth than that of the thrislrp" myself to what this great lis striking inscription of 1 thoughtful visitors here- isitor gather as the story :s this structure, and reads the facts plainly visible r