USA > Virginia > City of Staunton > City of Staunton > The First Presbyterian Church, Staunton, Virginia > Part 5
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
As a pastor, Dr. McFarland was a model of wisdom, tact, and fidelity. He was affable, untiring, self-denying; in touch with high and low, rich and poor, the recognized friend of all ; suffering that others might rejoice; a benediction in the house of affliction; the blessed comforter at the couch of the sick and dying, and the grave of the dead. And so, regardless of the remonstrances of friendship, the appeals of his suffering body, and the wishes of an affectionate and fearful people, he went about doing good, pouring out a feeble and waning life in countless channels of blessing, till at last, under the burden of a great and felt responsibility, and worn down by the chafings of a soul which could never rest as long as anything remained to be done, like a hero-as he was-with the banner of his Master in his hand, he fell prostrate in the house of God. And then through the succeeding months of decline and suffering, during all which, however thick earth's damps, it was to him "always daylight towards the Father's face," he waited patiently for the final summons, and that last day, which was no doubt to him a bright day-
"The bridal of the earth and sky."
"Is it any wonder that his stricken people asked the privilege of being the guardians of his dust in this city where his character and life have already builded for him a monument more lasting than marble or brass.
Servant of God, well done ! Rest from thy loved employ ; The battle fought, the victory won, Enter thy Master's joy.'
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CHAPTER VII THE REV. D. W. SHANKS, D. D.
BY REV. A. M. FRASER, D. D.
T HAT period in the experience of the First Church which was covered by the ministry of the Rev. Dr. D. W. Shanks will never be forgotten by any one who was present. Dr. Shanks was not the pastor of the church, but acted as stated supply for two years. He began at the time when Dr. McFarland's failing health compelled him to suspend his labors, and continued after the dissolution of the pastoral relation and until another pastor arrived. During that time the hearts of the people were tender with sympathy and anxiety for the greatly loved pastor, whose health was steadily declining and whose sufferings were intense. They needed consolation and were, to an unusual degree, susceptible to the ministrations of religion. Dr. Shanks, by his poise and dignity, his cheerful, genial and affectionate disposition, and his strong, bright, hope- ful preaching, proved the very minister to supply their needs. Not only our own congregation but the whole com- munity was drawn to him.
It is therefore proper that this book should contain some account of his life. The following sketch has been culled from obituary and memorial tributes and newspaper articles appearing at the time of his death.
David William Shanks was born in Fincastle, Botetourt County, Virginia, December 11, 1830. His parents were devout members of the Episcopal Church, but as his mother died when he was eighteen months old, he was reared by his father's sister, Mrs. John T. Anderson, the wife of a Presbyterian elder. She gave him a mother's love and
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
watchful care till he was sixteen years of age, when he left her home for his education. It was years afterwards, however, before the godly training bore fruit and the prayers were answered in an impressive conversion.
He was educated at New London Academy, in Bedford County, Virginia, and at Washington College, now Wash- ington and Lee University. He studied law at the Uni- versity of Virginia, under Prof. John B. Minor. Not finding the profession congenial, he abandoned it within a few months and went into merchandizing in Memphis, Tennes- see, and was very successful. In 1859 a remarkable revival of religion swept over Memphis and he was converted, his conversion occurring in an obscure Methodist church. He did not join the church until he could decide which of the existing denominations appealed to him as being nearest the Bible model. He did, however, begin active Christian work at once by holding prayer meetings in destitute parts of the city. It was not long before he joined the Presby- terian Church, and soon recognized his call to the ministry. He attended Union Theological Seminary and completed the course there in two years. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Montgomery, April 27, 1861. The next fall he took charge of the church at. Amelia Court House which he served successively as supply and pastor for six years. He was then called to be the pastor of Falling Spring Church to which he ministered for sixteen years. Here he continually grew upon the love and con- fidence of the people and in the esteem of his brethren in the ministry. While here he received from Washington and Lee University the degree of Doctor of Divinity. When his health became impaired his people still clung to him and to the hope of his restoration. Only after every recourse was exhausted did they reluctantly consent to release him from the pastoral tie. He was never able to
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resume pastoral duties. He spent the remainder of his life in Lexington, Virginia, and was usually engaged in supplying vacant churches.
Allusion has already been made to the peculiar condi- tions under which he came to supply the First Church, Staunton, and to the gracious adaptation of his presence and ministry to the needs of the congregation at this time. His last sermon as supply is worthy of special mention. The occasion itself was eloquent, Dr. McFarland had been buried two days before. On the next Sabbath another pastor was to take charge. A new era, with tremendous issues and uncertain results, was about to open. Dr. Shanks appreciated the full significance of the critical moment and justly portrayed it in his sermon. The Staunton. Spectator said of it: "His morning sermon was unusually solemn and excellent. The subject was the qualifications of a minister of the gospel and his need of the support and prayers of his people. At the close he became truly eloquent, 'on Friday last,' said he, 'the remains of your late pastor were laid by loving hands in Thornrose Cemetery, and on next Sunday your new pastor will occupy this pulpit. I stand between the living and the dead. Oh, that the mantle of McFarland may fall upon his successor !' The whole sermon was excellent, and there is a general desire for its publication."
Only once more did he appear in our pulpit. At the request of the Presbytery of Lexington (of which he was not a member) he took part in the installation of the new pastor, March 21, 1903. A few months after this he began to supply the church at Danville, Virginia. While serving that church he was overtaken by his last illness. The kind, Christian home of Mr. W. B. Brooks, an elder of the church, was opened to him and there he received from the family and whole congregation every attention that Christian love and open-hearted liberality could devise. His illness was
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of two weeks duration and was full of suffering. He died just after midnight in the morning of March 4, 1894, in the 64th year of his age. A telegram announcing his death reached this city that evening while the First Church was engaged in worship. Just after the bendiction had been pronounced and the congregation had turned to leave the house, a signal from the pulpit arrested them, while the pastor read the telegram. "Immediately a death-like hush fell upon the Congregation, and it silently filed out with a silence and awe that was eloquent with deep feeling."
The body was taken to Lexington for burial. A sim- ple service was held in the Presbyterian Church there, participated in by the Rev. T. L. Preston, D. D., the Rev. J. A. Quarles, D. D., and the Rev. D. C. Irwin. The fu- neral was attended by the following delegation from Staunton, appointed by the Session of the Church : J. N. McFarland, Henry L. Hoover, Charles Grattan, J. Howard Wayt, J. A. Templeton and William A. Burke. A number of others from Staunton, ladies and gentlemen, young and old, from within the church and without, also attended out of personal respect and affection for the deceased man of God.
Dr. Shanks was twice married, first to Miss Niles, of Holly Springs, Mississippi, and after her death to Miss Juliet Irvine, of Bedford County, Virginia. His second wife still survives. She was his loving and efficient co- laborer in the years of his sound health and vigorous ministry and, by her faith and courage, his solace and inspiration through the long period of his ill health and his trials.
One who knew him well wrote of him thus : "Dr. Shanks was a man of fine presence. Somewhat above the average height, he carried himself with ease and dignity. His face was of a kind to arrest attention and attract con- fidence, intelligent, manly, genial. Few men were more generally welcome in the social circle than he. Wherever
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he entered he carried sunshine with him. He had the happy art of drawing to him the young and the old, the poor and the rich. Firm in his convictions, inflexible in his maintenance of them, he nevertheless knew how to treat with proper consideration and courtesy those who differed from him.
"As a preacher, Dr. Shanks was fortunate in that he commanded the admiration not only of the pews, but also of his ministerial brethren as well. He ranked easily among the foremost preachers of our Church. He was specially happy in the use of illustrations. His were always judiciously introduced and never permitted to usurp an undue prominence or to divert the attention from the subject in hand. Withal there was an element of native, irrepressible humor in the man which would from time to time assert itself in his preaching with the happiest effect. It was kept well in hand and never allowed to approach levity.
" He was gifted as a presbyter as well as preacher, a ready and able debater, a wise counsellor, and with a modest and genial nature that made his presence greatly valued by his brethren.
"The most beautiful and attractive aspects of his noble character were seen only in his home. He was gentle and patient towards all around him, lenient towards their faults and appreciative of their excellencies. He was most unselfish, seeking ever to forget his own trials by ministering to the happiness of those around him. He was called to undergo pains and trials such as fall to the lot of few men, and these sufferings were enhanced by anxieties for a large and dependent family and by the disappoint- ment of cherished hopes, but his faith was equal to the task. He was not broken nor soured by the discipline, but only matured by it. Of him it can be truly said his was
'A winter faith which braved the Northern blast,
And blossomed in the rigor of its fate.' "
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CHAPTER VIII REV. ABEL MCIVER FRASER, D. D.
(A sketch copied with some changes from Men of Mark in Virginia)
F RASER, ABEL MCIVER, D. D., minister of the Pres- byterian Church, was born in Sumter county, South Carolina, June 14, 1856, and his parents were Judge Thomas Boone Fraser and Sarah Margaret McIver. His earliest known ancestor was Andrew Moore, who came from County Antrim, Ireland, to Sadsbury, Pennsylvania, in 1723; another was John Fraser who came from Scot- land to Georgetown, South Carolina, 1745; and still an- other was Roderick McIver, who came from Scotland to Welsh Neck settlement, Darlington county, South Caro- lina, previous to 1761. Probably his most distinguished ancestor was Col. Andrew Love, who fought on the Amer- ican side in the battle of King's Mountain. Evander Mc- Iver was a soldier on the same side in the War of the Revolution.
In childhood and youth the subject of our sketch was well and strong. His home was in a town of about four thousand inhabitants, but he made frequent and extended visits to the country. At the age of seven years he lost his mother, and when the war closed he was only nine years old. His experience in the trying times following the war taught him never to be ashamed of any honest work and to respect every man who works.
He had no difficulty in obtaining an education beyond that inherent in the task and the trouble of weak eyes. He was prepared for college by Thomas P. McQueen in Sumter county, South Corolina, and having attended Davidson College, North Carolina, for the usual time he
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received, in 1876, the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Hav- ing, from his earliest years, felt the call to preach, he at- tended the Columbia Theological Seminary, South Carolina, for three years, was graduated in 1880, and during the same year he began the active work of life at Frank- fort, Kentucky. From 1881 to 1893 he was pastor of Mt. Horeb Church in Fayette county, Kentucky, and for a part of that time Walnut Hill and Bethel churches in the same county were grouped with Mt. Horeb under his care. From March, 1893, to the present (1908) time he has been pas- tor of the First Presbyterian Church of Staunton, Virginia. He was moderator of the Presbytery of West Lexington in September, 1881; of the Presbytery of Lexington in October, 1894 ; and of the Synod of Virginia in October, 1903. He was also a member of the Southern Presby- terian General Assembly at Atlanta in 1882, and in New Orleans in 1898. In 1904 he was elected co-ordinate secre- tary of foreign missions for the Southern Presbyterian Church, but declined the honor. In 1896, he was given the degree of Doctor of Divinity by his alma mater, David- son College, North Carolina and from Central University of Kentucky the same year.
In 1901 Dr. Fraser, received an invitation to the pas- torate of the First Church of Macon, Georgia, but declined the call in deference to the wishes of his friends in Staun- ton. The following is an extract from an article which ap- peared in the "Staunton Daily News," January 20, 1901 : "Dr. Fraser has served the First Church (of Staunton) about eight years, having been called here from Kentucky, succeeding the late Rev. Dr. D. K. McFarland. Coming into the Lexington Presbytery and the Synod of Virginia as a stranger he has gradually come to be one of the most influential ministers in those bodies. His progress has not been made by any self-seeking on his part, for it would be difficult to find a man of greater modesty and humility, but it has been due to his simple and lovable ways, coupled
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with marked ability as a man and preacher. Presby- terians have found him a clear expounder of the Scriptures of the old Scotch Covenanter type, who has himself found in them consolation and been able to bring it to others without seeking new interpretations or casting aside the old doctrines. His influence in the community in bring- ing all denominations into close fellowship, whilst quietly and unostentatiously exercised, has been very great. In his own congregation this quiet force has produced results for good that are incalculable and will prove lasting. In the county also affection for Dr. Fraser is deep-rooted, and many tender expressions came from county Presbyterians yesterday, who heard of the call."
Dr. Fraser is chaplain of the Sons of Confederate Vet- erans of Staunton, Virginia. His favorite relaxation is walking and quiet home games.
In reply to the question what books he had found most helpful in fitting him for his work in life, he answers : "I read the Bible through when I was thirteen years old. That impressed me more than any other read- ing I ever did. Next to that in effect upon me was Pil- grim's Progress. While studying geometry, logic, and the evidences of Christianty, I felt an expansion of mind such as I have never undergone at any other time."
Asked to state any lesson from partial failures for the sake of helping young people, Dr. Fraser says ; "A closer application to study in my college days would have enabled me to attain greater success. I have very often been unable to avail myself of opportunities for the lack of what I might easily have acquired at college. Subse- quent application has never satisfactorily restored what I then lost." He has much that is valuable to say of the best means of promoting sound ideals in American life : "Belief in a personal God : a conviction of man's fall from a primative state of holiness and the possibility of restor- ation through those divine arrangements known as The
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Plan of Salvation ; a sense of stewardship to God in all possessions (property, position, influence, friendship, endowments of mind and body, etc.) ; and appreciation of the illimitable opportunities for personal development and service afforded by voluntary surrender of one's self to God and anticipation of the heavenly glory, supply a motive power in human life with which nothing else can compare."
Among the influences which have shaped his life he reckons the influences of home as supreme-the home of his childhood and that of his married life. The effect of early companionship was partly bad, but for the most part negative. Hardly any difference existed in the force of the influences of school, private study and contact with men in active life-all of which were distinct and strong.
On July 14, 1881, he married Octavia Blanding, a daughter of Col. James D. Blanding, who was an officer in the Mexican War, and commanded a regiment in the Con- federate army. Six children were born to them of whom five survive at the present writing.
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CHAPTER IX
A MISSIONARY CHURCH.
T HE present pastor is the Rev. A. M. Fraser, D. D., who was installed May 21, 1893. A native of South Carolina, he was at the time of his call to Staunton, pastor of Mt. Horeb and Bethel Churches in Kentucky. Following two learned, eloquent and much beloved pastors, he naturally had a difficult task to perform to please his new congregation ; but the warmth of the welcome he re- ceived has grown into a steady flame of devotion as the years have gone by, the relation of pastor and flock having be- come a very close and tender one. Dr. Fraser holds to the simple faith of the old Scotch Church, and preaches it with a sincerity and a fervor that have carried conviction to many hearts. He is no less loved and honored by the church at large in Virginia than by his home people, and best of all, is beloved by all the people of this community, regardless of creed and station.
Since Dr. Fraser has been pastor of the First Church, the membership of the church has increased, and it has become more and more a Missionary Church. Missionary societies have multiplied, and the church has more con- tributors to all causes than ever before. The offerings for Home and Foreign Missions now exceed the amount contributed by the church in the lifetime of Miss Mary Julia Baldwin whose contributions to these causes made up forty to sixty per cent. of the whole amount con- tributed by the church. There are single contributors who are quite liberal, but no one contributor has taken Miss Baldwin's place, her mantle and blessing having fal-
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len on numbers of small contributors. Dr. Fraser's earn- est appeals to carry the Gospel to all parts of the world have not fallen on deaf ears.
SOCIETY FOR WOMAN'S WORK.
When Dr. McFarland organized the Society for Woman's Work one of its Committees was the Missions Committee. Before this the women of the church gave at the church collections but there was no systematic and distinctive mission work done by them.
After several years it was found that one committee could not attend to all that was desired for Home and Foreign Missions and two committees were established to work for these objects respectively. They continued as committees until the formation in 1905 of the "Women's Missionary Union of Lexington Presbytery," in order to join the union the Mission Committees separated from the society for Woman's Work and organized as societies.
The Home Missions Committee for years under the efficient leadership of Mrs. Davis Kayser was an important factor in the work at Olivet, and by sending boxes and other contributions, aid was given to weak churches in the Home Mission field. This was continued after the death of Mrs. Kayser.
On the appointment of Mrs. Peale as chairman, she made a house to house canvass of the congregation and greatly increased the membership and interest in this Society.
Miss Mattoon succeeded as leader and with her assis- tants the work is carried on with enthusiasm-The Society gives statedly to Synod's Home Missions, and to that of Lexington Presbytery and to Olivet.
Miss Nellie Van Lear, before going as a missionary of the China Inland Mission, organized a Young Ladies' Foreign Missionary Society. These ladies uniting with
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the members of the Foreign Mission's Committee now form the Woman's Foreign Mission Society.
The object of this society is to study systematically the subject of missions and to contribute regularly to the cause .- It gives to the support of "Our Foreign Mission- ary" and also to other needs as they are presented.
Mrs. Dubose, one of our missionaries to China, spent a winter in Staunton and formed a society among the little girls. This has grown into the Young Ladies' Mis- sionary Society. They aid in the support of "Our Foreign Missionary," give to other causes in both the home and foreign field and make a regular study of missions.
A Children's Missionary Society has been organized to interest the little ones in missions.
In ah enumeration of the mission work of the societies of the church, we should not omit that done by "The Covenanters" who though not called a Mission Society con- tribute liberally to both Home and Foreign Missions.
Almost all the societies donate smaller or larger sums to Home Missions.
The Ladies' Aid has for years been an important con- tributor to Olivet and has aided by boxes as they heard of special cases of need, and there is also a Junior Aid Society engaged in similar work.
The Woman's Work also besides its work for our own church, contributes to Olivet, and when possible to special appeals.
The following paper copied from the Central Presby- terian of June 14, 1905, was read at a meeting of the Women's Missionary Union of Lexington Presbytery by Mrs. Joseph A. Waddell :
WHAT THE WOMEN OF LEXINGTON PRESBYTERY CAN DO FOR MISSIONS
In The Missionary was found at one time the diagram of a clock with the hands pointing to the hour of noon. This indicated that in the mission rooms of the various societies at that hour daily,
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prayer is made for the spread of the gospel and for God's blessing upon those laboring to carry the glad tidings to all people. It seems appropriate that as the sun travels from land to land flooding the earth with his noontide glory, at that hour, in every Christian nation, earnest prayers are ascending that the Sun of Righteousness will illumine all the dark places of the earth, until moral night shall be no more.
I speak to busy women who may not be able to use that emblem- atic hour ; but the lesson of a set season for daily prayer remains. Should every Christian woman in Lexington Presbytery set aside a few moments daily for earnest, definite prayer for the coming of the kingdom, can we doubt the Pentecostal blessing that would follow ?
The gifts of women are prominent in the gospel records. It was a widow who was commended by the Master. She cast two mites into the treasury. Women ministered to him of their substance. A woman anointed his feet with costly ointment, and bathed them with her tears. Another broke the alabaster box of precious ointment upon his person, filling the house with its odor and the world ever since with the perfume of her love and gratitude, for wherever "this gospel is preached shall this be told for a memorial of her."
Is it not for our instruction that the extremes are recorded-the gift of poverty and that of the alabaster vase deemed an offering worthy of a king's acceptance ? The Lord looked at the love, and where that is found the offering will be of good measure.
Whatever be the method of bringing our gifts-whether a penny a day, a thank offering for each constantly recurring mercy, or a proportion of what God has given let it be a systematic and commen- surate offering to the Lord.
Lexington Presbytery has given to the missionary work many sons and daughters. In every country where our church has established missions, there have been or are missionaries from the Presbytery. If in the future, as in the past, the Holy Spirit whispers to some woman in our midst, "Carry the good news to those who have not heard the glad tidings in our own land, or in foreign countries," let her not be disobedient to the heavenly call. We cannot all go, but thank God we can serve the cause of missions in our churches.
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