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ARCHIBALD JOHNSON, EDITOR J. A. McMILLAN, Associate Editor

'Illl RSDAY, DECE:VIBER

Christmas

By Samuel Judson Porter A rosy radiance trembles on the air Like smiles around a sleeping baby's

mouth; Like summer zephyrs blowing from

the south Faint echoes float as from a distant

choir ; The bleat of little lambs I seem to

hear So soft and soul-like through the

midnight calm. A dream? Nay, more; for me a

healing balm- These signs and sounds-just like a

mother's prayer:

For now the Birthday of our Lord draws nigh

And once again a splendor touches earth,

As when the angel host that sang on high

Proclaimed, to those who watched their lambs, the Birth

Of that pure Lamb who came His life to give

That in Hirn we a fuller life might live.

Washington, D. C.

Page 14 ========================================B=IB=LI==O~A~L R=E=C=O=R=D=E=R=================;====WE===D=N=ElS==D=A==Y,

church, to the cause of Christ. Six of these are on this side still actively engaged In the Lord's work, and six have passed the portals of the grave and joined that vast company of Saints Eternal, still praising and serv­ ing their Lord.

The last to pass to the new life was Samuel Judson Porter, who died in the Capital City of our nation on March 6.

His first contacts with the church here were when he, Junius Millard and Rufus Weaver, preachers in th~ making at Wake Forest, were select­ ed and sent by the col lege to supply the pulpit when pastors were away. He and they gave promise then of the preaching power and inspiring leadership to which they afterwards attained.

After Important and responsible pastorates In his native North Caro­ lina, which he always loved, and In San Antonio, Kansas City, and Okla­ homa City, In December, 1923, he came to the First Baptist Church, of Durham, for a brief but fruitful min­ istry; and then, his work well done went on to the pastorate of the First Baptist Church in the Nation's Capi­ tal.

When Samuel Judson Porter reach­ ed Durham, he round the issue under consideration, but still unsettled as to whether the First Church w~uld build a new, modern plant, or re­ model and remain In its Mangum Street quarters. Among Dr. Porj.ers notable sermons was one on "The Arcllitectural Expression of the Christian Religion." This and other inspiring messages bad much to do with the final decision of the mem­ bership to build a new, beautiful, ade­ quate temple and educational plant. Under his leadership the church be­ came united In the choice of the old parsonage site and adjoining lots on Cleveland Street and made other defi­ nite plans to "arise and build."

This Inspirer and leader of men placed great emphasis on attendance u gon the mid-week meetings and suc­ ceeded in steadl!y bringing up the at­ tendance until it reached more than three hundred. Bible School build­ ing he also stressed and an attend­ ance of a little over' a thousand was reached in that department after sev­ eral months of cooperative and per­ sistent effort.

Thie pure-souled, Christ-spirited idealist always responded to the beautiful, the radiant, the holy. Preacher, poet, author-he made a profound impression on multitudes to whom he ministered.

The going-away of Dr. Porter grieves us and In sincere sympathy we would come close to his family and his large concourse of frtends. This heartfelt expression we wish placed upon the records of the First Baptist Church, Durham, and copies sent to the Biblical Recorder, to the Durham papers, and to his bereaved family in Washington City.

Surely, "They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever."

OBJTµ A.RIES Obituaries, alxty word• long,

are inserted tree of charge. When they exceed thle number, one cent tor each additional word should be paid In ad- L vance.

~""~;mi~iijiW;;~~.....,:i~ MRS. R. A. SEAGRAVES

The Woman's MiBllionary Union of the Holly Springs Baptist Church, of Holly Springs, North Carollua, lost a faithful and esteemed member in the home-going of Sister R. A. Sea­ graves. Our hearts go out' to the hosts of friends and the stricken fam­ ily; yet we should not mourn over the successful triumph that Sister Seagraves has merited by living the life of a true Christian.

COMMITTEE.

MRS. LOUISE UTLEY We, the members of the Womans'

MiBBionary Union of the Holly Springs Baptist Church, wish to ex­ press our deepest sympathy to the entire family In the loss of a loving and faithful mother.

In aer younger days and until she became atllicted, Mrs. Louise Utley was a regular attendant at her church. She was always bright, cheer­ ful, and helpful. She loved young people and, after she became aftl.lcted, greeted all who came Into her home with a smile. May we all strive to emulate her faith and trust in God.

COMM[TTEE.

REV.S.S.McGREGOR Members of Holly Grove Baptist

Church bow with hosts of other friends to pay tribute to Rev. S. S. McGregor, first pastor and organizer of this church. In 19H he preached his first sermon to our people under a bush arbor. In 1916 the arbor had given place to a lllodern building, In which he was ordained as a minister. Mr. McGregor continued to serve the church for five years; then to the re­ gret of his members, he resigned to take up work in a larger field.

It Is hard to appraise In proper degree the life and work of this great leader, whose virtues were Inherited from sturdy Scotch pioneer familleti - be had Intellect, character, and courage to speak what should be spoken. His Ideas ware original, whotesome, and well expressed. HiR company was pleasa.nt and stimulat­ ing. Little did we dream when Brother

McGregor chose his last text In a re­ vival meeting here last fall, "Behold the Lamb of God," that he would so soon enter the raalma of the Lamb. A great man has left us, but his spirit lingers with ennobling and. inspiring memories.

We extend to his family our sym­ pathy, and assure them that their loss Is our loss.

RHODA GRAY STALLINGS, C. M. STALLINGS.

TRIBUTE TO SAMUEL JUDSON PORTER

The First Baptist Church, of Dur­ ham, has through the years boon placed In a position of privilege and opportunity In the high type of men filling Its pulpit. They have, with­ out exception, been strong preachers, able leaders, and devoted pastors.

Going back half a century, we call the roll of these heroes of the faith these immortals In the history and life of the church: Columbus Dur­ ham, George P. Bostick, John L. White, William C. 1'yroo, Charles J. Thompson, J. Wllllam Lynch, John Jeter Hurt, J. Elwood Welsh, Ben­ jamin D. Gaw, Samuel Judson Por­ ter, Cornelius C. Coleman, Ira D. s. Knight. 1'bese have followed Jn sue­ cession, and each of these, stalwart and true, has rendered a distinct con­ t r l buliun tu tho building of t h e

VESTE~A HOSPITAL STORY

He Is fourteen years old, a son of a transient. Hls father is working for a federal rellef agency In New Orleans rocelvlng sufficient food to keep hi~ family of five from starving, and fifty cents In cash each week. The boy, Vester, had an attack of acute appen­ dicitis, but alas! Uncle Sam makes no provlalon for hospitalizing "transients." Not being a Louisianian, Vester was not eligible to enter the State Charity hos­ pital. The father was sore distressed the mother well-nigh frantic. Would their boy have to die because they were unable to pay for surgical and hospital service? Someone told them of the Southern Baptist Hospital ; an appeal was made to us, and Vester came In. He ~s getting well now, and expects to goo hmllP I 11 u fr w (I 11 vs.

Vester's is not an unusual case from a hospital staudpoinL Every hospital bas many such cases. 'l'he nub of my story Is this: 'I'hat family was put into touch with Christianity at work in so­ c~al service; was introduced to a Bap­ tist pastor, invited to attend Baptist religious services, and given an oppor­ tunity to learn of Christ as .Saviour. Now, I believe such a work is worth 1·

while. It is "visiting the sick" in the most practical and fetching way. Hence I the existence or the Southern Baptist j Hospital in New Orleans, and the pub­ lication of this story.-Louis J. Bris-1' tow, Superintendent.

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SAMUEL JUDSON PORTER.

RELIGIOUS HERALD MARCH 21, 1935 8

Tribute by Dr. R. W. Weaver. Phil. 1: 21. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain;

3: 14. I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. 4: 6-8. For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give to· me at that day.

The secret of serenity in the life of Paul is revealed in the simple meaningful words, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain". He spent himself in the cultivation of the consciousness of Christ to the end that in his life he might in all things magnify Christ. All the powers of his magnificent personality were directed toward one goal-that high calling of God which he prized above every­ thing else. From that hour on the Damascus road until his death at iRome an ambition to be well-pleasing to Christ brought every truant desire into a complete subjectio·n to the aseendant purpose to win Christ; to be conformed unto his likeness and to' experience with exultant joy the fellow­ ship of his Saviour's sufferings. As he writes his last letter to his 'beloved child in the Gospel, Timothy he reviews his life: "I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course. I bave kept the faith."

As a sorrowing congregation, we gather to pay tribute to one of Pauline spirit-Samuel Judson Porter. In 1925 he entered this pulpit, and for a decade, in word and in deed, he illustrated the Christian characteristics of the great Apostle to the Gentiles. The secret of his serenity was in the fact that he lived in Chr ist. The powers he possessed were inspired by one aim-e-to ·be well pleasing unto Christ. We who were privileged to enter his sick room bear testimony to the Pauline spirit with which he reviewed his past and faced with inextinguishable joy the prospects of his future in the life of larger activities.

Thousands upon thousands are sharing our sense of be­ reavement. Churches in North Carolina, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma are recalling today with loving appreciation his pulpit ministrations and his tender pastoral care. His co-laborers in the foreign mission enterprise at home and abroad are remem'bering his faithful service in Brazil and his eloquent missionary appeals made in every Southern State. His ministerial associates, north and south, east and west, are calling to mind his generous heartedness, his spiritual emphasis and his Christlike brotherliness. The cattlemen upon j.h e plains, the warm-hearted Brazilians, who, for years, have been reading week by week his sermons translated into the Portuguese, the students in colleges, uni­ versities and seminaries who have been charmed and in­ spired by his beautiful diction in public utterance and in literary form, the humble who have felt the witchery of his words and the profound who have 'been arrested by the depth of his thought-all join with us in praise of this faithful servant of Jesus Christ.

He is ranked as one of the ten foremost Southern Bap­ tist preachers of his generation. His volumes of sermons are unique in modern homiletical literature, and are as warmly appreciated outside of his own denomination as within. His love and use of poetry, his discriminating selection of prose quotation, his deftness in the presenta­ tion of the seemingly commonplace so as to appeal to the most aesthetic taste, his truly marvelous memory linked to a brilliant imagination, his rare ability to discover in the symbolic utterances of Scripture an inspiring spiritual mean­ ing, and his unusual gift of finding in an obscure, rarely used text a wealth of religious truth give to his sermons a quality, a distinction, a value that guarantee to his pub­ lished pulpit utterances a permanent place in American ser­ monic literature. The titles of these volumes of sermons give us a glimpse of the poetic soul of their author: "The Shepherd Heart," "The Twelve Gemmed Crown", "The Gospel of Beauty", "The Romance of Christian Experience", "The Lamps of Gold" and "The Diamond Shield". The

last has been translated into Portuguese. This book rivals, in its treatment of the thirteenth chapter of First Corin­ thians, the popular work of Henry Drummond, who took the same theme in his widely read book, "The Greatest Thing in the World". Through his literary labors, Dr. Porter has won for himself a place of honor among the evangelical ministers of America.

Dr. Porter merits recognition as a scholar. His Com­ mentary on the Book of Hebrews, a work that deserves a place in every minister's library, is finely written and filled with suggestive thought. His Holland lectures given to the students of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1918, and his Gay lectures given to the students of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1922 led to­ a wider recognition of him in the realm of Christian scholar­ ship. William Jewell College conferred upon him in 1906 and Baylor University in 1914 the honorary degree of D. D.,. while Simmons University bestowed upon him a few years. ago the degree of Doctor of Literature.

Now, . let us turn our attention to the man hi:fnself. Samuel Judson Porter, son of Caswell and Margaret Stover Porter, was born near Whiteville, N. C., January 29, 1870. He was educated in the public schools of his county. He and I have been devoted friends since the fall of 1899. We met as freshmen of Wake Forest College, and were classmates until our graduation in 1893. Our fr ien dshtp thus covers a period of more than forty-five years. He was an industrious student, faithful in the performance of every duty assigned him by his instructors. He preached frequently during his college days and, unlike myself, had no time for football and other sports. We belonged to a period when students were not closely restricted as to­ the number of years required for a degree. If any one did the work in a satisfactory way, passed rigid examinations and came recommended by his professors, he could earn the M. A. in four years. Out of a graduating class of twenty­ three, he and I were the only two to win the Master's de­ gree.

Dr. Porter had chosen early in his college course to be­ come a foreign missionary. The Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention approved his appoint­ ment to Brazil. He was ordained to the ministry in 1892. Three weeks after his graduation he married the gracious woman whose love and loyalty has grown with the years. and who has shown, especially during his prolonged illness, a strength and a wifely devotion rarely equalled. Her name was Kate Lee Munn, of fine Scotch Presbyterian stock. How often have I heard her husband praise her. Her children, sons and daughters rise up and call her blessed.

It was during his years in college that Dr. Porter at­ tracted attention because of his remarkable memory. We had an examination in plain geometry. Dr. Porter memo­ rized letter perfect the seven books, and the professor had to give him 100 on that examination.

Illness in 1894 cut short a promising career as a mis­ sionary in the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Porter returned to North Carolina first to be pastor in Morehead City. Soon after he moved to New Bern, where he served the First Baptist Church. After three years, he accepted the cal l of the Baptist Church in Morganton, N. C. In 1900 he was invited by one of the leading churches in the State, the First Baptist church of Fayetteville to­ become its pastor. Here he remained six years. His fame was growing. The Olive Street Baptist church, Kansas City, Missouri, desired his services. He labored here for four years.

The experience of Dr. Porter as a missionary, linked to his gift of eloquent persuasiveness, led the Foreign Mis­ sion Board, Richmond, Va., to insist upon his coming to­ their aid. Dr. R. J. Willingham, the foreign missionary secretary, needed the assistance of a young man, enthusias­ tic for the cause of Foreign Missions and capable of arousing a like enthusiasm in others, especially the laity. Dr. Porter accepted this tender, and served faithfully the Board for three years. During this time he was sent as a special

RELIGIOUS HERALD lVIARCH 21, 1935 9

repr esen tatdve of Southern Baptist to the World Missionary Conference, held in 191 O in Edinburgh, Scotland. The First Baptist church, San Antonio, Texas, is one of the strongest, wealthiest and most spiritually minded churches of our entire denomination. Their invitation in 1910 Dr. Porter could not resist. Here in the prime of his life he did the greatest work of all his pastoral career. For eight long years he served a people whose affection for him increased with each passing season. Hundreds were added to the membership. He often spoken to me about the board of deacons he had in that church. Our work in Oklahoma was developing rapidly. A man of pulpit power was needed in the growing capital of Oklahoma City. The First Baptist church urged Dr. Porter to come to them. He accepted and, under trying and unforeseen difficulties, <lid a good work. In 1923 he was given the opportunity of returning to his native State. There is something almost irresistible in a call to a minister to go back to his old home State. Dr. Porter accepted the pastorate of the First Bap­ tist church, Durham, N. C. A new church building was needed. Dr.' Porter was not made for the drudgery and financial strain incident to church building.

The call to this, the First Baptist church of Washing­ ton, was extended in the winter of 1924, and in January, 1925, he became our pastor. He soon won recognition as one of the foremost pulpit orators in the nation's capital. The strain of over forty years of incessant labors-for his vacations meant only a change of work-began to tell. A serious operation took its toll. He could not learn how to reduce the expenditure of physical energy in the per­ formance of work into which he had put his heart. Three years later a malady, diagnosed as fatal, took him from his pulpit. Then we beheld the man's wonderful powers of resistance. What a strong heart he had! What superb will power did he display! Again and again, undismayed by the diagnoses of the physicians, he came back to this pu lpit. No one knows what he endured. We who saw him in pain bear testimony to his courage and patience. I have never known a man like him in the power of his will to Jive!

the shadows of death, exhorting his brethren to quit them­ selves like men.

We thank God for his ministry. We thank God for the example he left us. His lighted face we see no more, but his spirit moves among us. His parting message is that of one who was and is more than a conqueror: "I have fought a good fight: I have finished the course. I have kept the faith." Triumphant veteran of the cross; Christian saint refined in the fires of affliction, we part for a season. And may a double portion of thy spirit fall upon every one of us. Amen.

ANNUAL MEETING OF RELIEF AND ANNUITY BOARD.

The annual meeting of the Relief and Annuity Board was held in Dallas, Texas, Fej:Jruary 20, 1935.

The auditor's report that the resources of the Board at the close of business December 31, 1934, amounted to $4,212,678.89. There was an excess of income over ex­ penditures of $309,743.63.

The gifts through the Co-Operative Program largely de­ termine the Board's abtlrty to meet the demands upon it for the care. of aged ministers and widows. The receipts from the Co-Operative Program have been steadily de­ ceasing for several years. During 1934 the Relief Fund has extended help to 555 ministers, 542 widows, 5 missionaries and emergency grants to nineteen ministers and widows. This makes a total of 1,121 persons aided.

The outlook for the future development of the Service Annuity Plan is somewhat uncertain at this time. The legislation now pending in both houses of the Congress, known as the Economic Security Act, proposes, in addition to assistance for persons who are already old and needy, to establish a contributory pension system, which is to be financed by an earning's tax on the wages and salaries of all employees. This bill as related to religious bodies in­ cludes all local churches, ministers, assistant ministers, secretaries, janitors, employed musicians, etc.

The effect of such legislation upon our churches and de­ nominational agencies will be far-reaching. The Board, in cooperation with similar agencies of the other denomina­ tions, is keeping close watch upon the progress of the pro­ posed measure, and urges upon the pastors and churches to inform themselves as to what is going on. Secretary Watts has written to the Baptist papers and to the pastors, calling their earnest attention to this matter.

Basing my judgment upon the reports of the auditor as to the financial condition of the Board, and upon a growing personal acquaintance with the members of the Board and the officers of administration, I am glad to give my per­ sonal testimony to the brotherhood as to the efficiency and trustworthiness of this great denominational agency. We ought to do better by our old preachers.

BASIL I. CHAP.MAN.

To the very end of his life he was planning, planning for some service he might render in the extension of his Master's Kingdom. He thought of his afflictions as an open­ ing, as a divine opportunity, to demonstrate how a Christian should manage-that was the word he used-sickness with its pain. We speak of the stewardship of wealth. Dr. Porter thought of the stewardship of sickness. He has left as example, an inspiring and glorious example for every Christian who is called to suffer exquisite pain.

. Sunday after Sunday, during a period of nearly five years, I sat here in the pew listening to Dr. Porter. His sermons possessed a poetic beauty, deep simplicity and a genuine winsomeness, not equalled in any other preacher I have ever heard. Yet the finest period of his ministry came after he retired from this pulpit. The patience with which he bore his suffering, the zeal with which he defended the ways of God, and the evidence he found in hours of intensest anguish of the verity of the Christian faith were even more impressive than any of the sermons he had ever preached. His last days were spent in an effort to as­ semble the precious truths he had learned upon a 'bed of suffering. His was a true, twentieth century saint, full ready for his translation into the life of larger activities.

There are many incidents I might relate, illustrating his growth in grace and his progress daily into the spiritual likeness of his Lord. One day at the hospital, I was talk­ ing with him about some of the acute problems in our Wasll.ington Baptist life, he grasped tightly my arms and said, his words vibrant with emotion, "Tell my brethren, tell my brethren to redouble their efforts to establish the Redeemer's Kingdom. I see now with a clearness I never saw before that every Christian must redouble his efforts. Tell my brethren everywhere that when they come to where. I now am, they will wish that they had redoubled their efforts". In this spirit, this servant of God went down into

HONORING DR. OODY.

· Dear Dr. Pitt.-Last Thursday, March 7, Dr. z. T. Cody went away from us. He will be greatly missed. The funeral was in the Earle Street Baptist church Friday afternoon. Dr. W. L. Ball was in charge, and Dr. J. R. Sampey spoke interestingly of Dr. Cody and his work.

At the next meeting of the Ministers' Conference of the Greenville and North Greenville Baptist Associations we will hold a memorial service for Dr. Cody, at which Dr. E. lVI. Poteat will be the principal speaker.

I am delighted that you are able to carry on the great work in which you are engaged. I enjoy the Herald much and rejoice in your firm and noble stand for truth and righteousness. If it is God's will for you to go on as you are for many years it wd ll be pleasing to many who love, admire and believe in you.

With best wishes,

Greenville, S. C.,

NCCF Durham First Baptist Church YATES

Porter, Samuel J.

One hundred years of service to God and man. Photograph of Samuel J. Porter •

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Mothers' Day Prayer

Lord of the beauteous earth and fairer skies,

On thoughts of motherhood we 11e&k to rise

Ai; o n a shining stair to thoughts of thee,

That from the heights we may the better see

How rich we are in that which thou dost give

And what the ends for which we: ought to Jive.

Thou madest the material heart, a shrine

On earth for that pure Jove which first was thine,

Whence radiates thy kindness ever new-

'For like a mother, I will romfort you."

0 child, whose earthly rest was Mary's bosom

Wherein thou grewest up heaven's perfect Blossom,

Teach us true reverence for mother­ hood-

Mysterious co-creatorship with God.

J W e thank thee for our mothers,

Lord; they taught Us how to magnify thee in our

thought And how to pray, low-kneeling by

the bed With gentle hand laid on a curly

head. By day and night through tireless

ministrations They rayed forth love in glowing

emanations Around our cradles, and on paths

untried Their patient care was like

guide. We think today of those who sweet­

ly sleep- Their faces in our hearts enshr ined

\'10 keep; Their memory is sweeter than the

flowe-s That spring above their graves in

May-day hours, Bright as the sunny beauty of the

hills 'Whcre birds, pour .out their souls in

rn~QW trills.

Sornr-times we see the;;"'in our pleasant dreams,

Imag ining we glimpse the glory gleam•-

. -ot all a dream, 0 Lord, for, hy thy grace

In heaven we shall meet them face to face.

Loni, crown as with the victor's budding wreath

The mothers who, in brood refined, pledge faith

To God's unrolling plan for human­ kind-

Full freedom for 1.he body, son] and mind.

Ve pray for women who in our harsh age

Go forth. by their own strength, to earn a wage-1. and strain

Save them from such exhauating toil As would their souls enslave, their

hearts enchain. We pledge, 0 Christ, by those who

gave us birth, To treat all women right through­

out the earth;

T

f

[

~- death were fiuffless n truth, our life were blind, our And all the whole world's high hopes

sear and rootless If we break down the confidence in

motherhood Which is the prime support in build-

ing brotherhood. Help woman everywhere maintain

the tone Of sweet refinement, that they not

condone The wea k unsettling crudities that

blight The home and turn love's day to. blackest night.

Give answer to a a mother's prayer for one

Who far away in roads of sin has run.

Send healing light to her who goes to lay

The violets on a baby's tomb today. "And this we ask for Jesus' sake.

Amen." -Samuel Judson Porter.

l

(1870-1935)

SAMUEL JUDSON PORTER

PORTER, SAMUEL JUDSON, Morgantown, N. C.---Born, Orton,

N. C.; Stud. Gilead Acad., N. C.; W.F.C., B.A.; M.A., 1893;

Lie. Apr. 7, '88, Oak Dale Ch., N. C.; Ord. Dec. 5, '92,

Wake Forest Ch., N. C.; My. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, '93-94;

P. Morehead Cy., N. C., '94-95; 1st Ch., Newbern, '95-98;

Morganton, '98--; S. Walmer Road Ch., Toronto, Ont., Summer,

'96; Ev.

BAPTIST MINISTERIAL DIRECTORY

G. W. LASHER, EDITOR

Page: 580