Columbia Theological Seminary Bulletin, 2, number 2, October 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

Vol. II.

OCTOBER, 1909

No. 2

[Entered as Second Class Matter July 11, 1908. at the PostofEce at
Columbia. S. C, under the Act of July 16. 1894.]

A MATTER OF PRACTICAL MOMENT.

The matter referred to is that of ministerial supply. Those
to whom it is of practical moment are the four Synods of
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida to other
synods also, of course; but for the present they may be
passed by. If the churches already organized in the four
synods named are to be cared for, and built up, they must
have ministers. And if we hope ever to have more churches
in these synods that is, if we hope to grow we must have
more ministers.

Like the prophets, ministers do not live forever. They
are men, and, like men, they die. If the pulpits vacated
by death are not to remain vacant, there must be other min-
isters to fill them. Further, ministers not only die, but,
while yet in the body, they move. Removal by choice leaves
vacancies as real as those created by death. The question
of ministerial supply, therefore, is always with us, and
always urgent.

The foregoing statements are, of course, truisms. Be it
so; they certainly prove that for our synods the question,
Where can we look for a supply of ministers ? is tantamount
to the question, Where is our hope of growth?

Theoretical Sources of Supply.

Theoretically, each of our four synods may draw upon
any and all of our five excellent seminaries to supply their
churches with pastors and their mission fields with evangel-
ists. Theoretically, also, they may draw upon the candidates
of any and all their sister synods for ministers. Not only
so, but theoretically they can draw upon Princeton, Auburn,
McCormick, and other institutions. Why not? The fact
that a candidate gets his seminary training, let us say at
Princeton, or let us say at Auburn, constitutes no reason
why he may not serve a church in Georgia or Alabama. Of

3

course it does not. Provided there are candidates available,
it matters nothing from what synods they come or to what
seminaries they are sent for their training theoretically it
matters nothing.

Actual Sources of Supply.

But despite theory, what are the facts? Perhaps the
following tables will be the best answer :

TABLE No. 1

Our own Seminary our main source of supply.

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Settled in

SEMINARY

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Union

91

4

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Columbia..-

26

12

4

3

Louisville

47

1

2

TABLE No. 2

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South Carolina

5

5

4

2

2

Georgia _ _ _

3

4

1

3

1

2

Alabama _ _.

3

1

2

1

1

Florida

1

1

Tntal

11

6

7

2

5

8

3

5

5

TABLE No. 3

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Virginia -

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North Carolina

5

2

3

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4

Total -

6

2

4

4

5

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4

4

SEND AWAY CANDIDATES, SEND AWAY MINISTERS
Each of these tables says: All theories to the contrary not-
withstanding, when we send our candidates away from our
borders for their theological training we send away the minis-
ters needed to supply the Churches within our borders.

TABLE No. 4

We must looK to ourselves for our ministers

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CANDIDATES
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Virginia ...

39

35

1

North Carolina

20

21

5

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South Carolina

5

12

11

Georgia _

3

4

5

4

Alabama _

3

1

1

3

Florida "

1

This table shows

1. That Virginia and North Carolina sent 59 candidates to
Union Seminary and settled 56 of the graduates of the Semi-
nary within their own bounds.

2. That the total surplus from this large number of candi-
dates available for service in other Synods was j ust 3.

3. That if the Synods of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama
and Florida, need ministers for their fields, they can not reason-
ably hope to get them from the candidates of the Synods of
Virginia and North Carolina. And for the simple reason that
large as is the number of candidates in these two great Synods,
they are practically all of them needed and taKen by the
Synods themselves.

4. That the Synods sending the largest number of candi-
dates to their respective Seminaries get the largest number of
graduates as ministers for their Churches. Virginia got 35 out
of 39 ; South Carolina 11 out of 12.

The Library How It Was Created.

In 1854 the library contained about 5,310 volumes.
These were obtained partly by gifts from friends of the
seminary, and partly by purchase, small sums of money
having been given from time to time for the express purpose
of purchasing books for the library. The matter of pur-
chasing the library of Dr. Thomas Smyth, of Charleston,
had previously been broached, and a strong desire had
grown up to make this purchase. At that time Dr. Smyth
was offering 10,000 volumes at an average of $1.50 per
volume, making a total of $15,000. The Synod of South
Carolina appointed Drs. Howe and Palmer to confer further
with Dr. Smyth about the matter.

When the synod met next year and took up the considera-
tion of increasing the library, it expressed the judgment
that, inasmuch as the fund contemplated to be raised for
that purpose had not been completed, it would be premature
to take any action on the subject for the present. Negotia-
tions with Dr. Smyth were, nevertheless, continued. He
was induced to come down in his price, and so the board of
directors of the seminary, without waiting for any specific
authorization by the synod, purchased 11,000 volumes, at
$1.25 per volume, upon a credit of five years, with seven per
cent, interest from and after January 1, 1857.

A Creditable Collection.

This swelled the library to over 16,000 volumes, and
made it one of the best theological libraries in the whole
country. At that date the library of Andover Seminary
contained 22,000 volumes; that of Union Seminary, N. Y.,
19,000; that of Princeton about 10,000, and that of Bangor
Seminary 8,000' volumes. From this it appears that
Columbia Seminary, as far back as 1856, stood far to the
front in respect to the size of its library ; and it could chal-
lenge comparison with any other seminary as to the value
of its collection, so far as English theology was concerned.

Another Forward Step.

In the winter of 1858 Dr. Thornwell went to New Orleans
in the interest of the seminary. Writing from that city,
on the 12th of January, he says : "My aim is to get New
Orleans to shoulder the debt for Dr. Smyth's library ; that
is, to guarantee to us fifteen thousand dollars principal, and
the interest, until it is all paid. I think they will all do it ;
and if they do, I shall feel that I have been enabled, by the
blessing of God, to accomplish a most important work here."
On the 20th of January he wrote, saying : "My mission was
quite successful. The people have determined to raise in
New Orleans fifteen thousand dollars certainly, and perhaps
more."

A Wise and Generous Bequest.

In recognition of the liberal terms on which Dr. Smyth
sold his books to the seminary, by recommendation of the
board of directors, they were placed in separate apartments
and named the "Smyth Library." The whole library is
generally known by this name, and very properly; for, in
addition to the liberality already mentioned, Dr. Smyth left
a bequest of money to the library. This bequest was to
become available when, by accumulated interest, it should
amount to $10,000. Within the last two years this condi-

tion has been fulfilled, and now it yields an annual interest
of six or seven hundred dollars, which can be used for the
purchase of books.

Later Additions.

Since the splendid addition, made by the purchase of Dr.
Smyth's books, the library has been greatly enriched and
enlarged by receiving the larger parts of the libraries of
Rev. John Douglas, Rev. George Howe, D. D., and Rev.
S. Beach Jones, D. D. New books have also been purchased
from year to year. So that at present the library contains
over 24,000 well selected volumes, making it, perhaps, the
best collection of theological literature to be found in the
Southern States.

How It Was Housed.

In 1853 the board of directors, when they had under con-
sideration the librarian's report, said : "One thing very much
to be regretted is the unfitness of the room at present occu-
pied by the library. There is not space in it for the books."
After the lapse of fifty-six years that same complaint is still
in order. In 1855 the Synod of South Carolina resolved :
"That in view of the present and prospective increase of the
library, this synod considers that a new building is desirable,
and should be provided as soon as practicable, and would,
therefore, commend this object to the liberality of benevo-
lent individuals and churches." The synod of 1856 repeated
this resolve ipsissima verba. It would have been eminently
appropriate for every synod, during the fifty-three years
that have elapsed since that date, to have iterated and reiter-
ated it. In the year 1857 we find the second story of the
center building appropriated for the library, and the board
testifies that "it is the best possible substitute for the future
accommodation of the library in the building which we hope
may soon be erected." The second story of the center
building is still serving as a substitute for that building

8

which has not yet been erected. Every year the space is
becoming more crowded, and very soon the utmost limit of
accommodation will be reached.

A Worthy Resolution Not Put Into Effect.

We find an interesting entry in the minutes of the Synod
of South Carolina for the year 1853. It is as follows:
"Whereas, the liberality and the enterprise of other portions
of the Church have made it essential to the character of a
complete theological seminary to have a library and chapel
building, four professors, and a full library, it is resolved
that this synod will aim, as speedily as possible, to secure
these buildings, to endow with whatever funds are now in
hand a fourth professorship, and to provide for the present
and prospective enlargement of the library." Here is the
ideal, furnished by other portions of the Church, which the
synod resolved to set about realizing at once. It was not
long in realizing all except the library and chapel buildings.
For some reason the efforts of the synod stopped short of
these, and, so far as we know, were never resumed. The
present arrangement of using the upper rooms of the center
building for library, and the stable for chapel, was quietly
acquiesced in, and so abides to this day.

An Opportunity.

Has not the time fully arrived to complete the long-
delayed realization of the ideal? Surely it has. The
library should be housed in a fire-proof building, with all
modern equipments for shelving and cataloging the books.
In this building there should be a nicely furnished reading
room, the walls of which might be adorned with the valuable
pictures already on hand of the great and venerated men
who in days gone by imparted such honor to the institution.