This Week in Texas Methodist History  June 18

Methodists Acquire Building for Publishing House and Book Depository in Galveston 1858

Before the Civil War Methodists owned two types of properties beyond the local church:  schools and publishing houses which also served as book depositories.  Acquiring a publishing house in 1858 in Galveston was a huge step forward.  One can imagine the pride that accompanied the announcement that Methodists had acquired a 3-story building on the Strand as a publishing house/depository.  It was 32 feet wide and 110 feet deep---more than enough space for the two newspapers whose editorial and printing facilities it would contain --one English and one German language newspaper.  The English language Advocate had a circulation of 4,000.  The German language newspaper required a $500 per year subsidy from the Mission Board.  

The building was made available at very generous terms by the developer/speculator David Ayres who had moved to Galveston in 1848 when his projected Methodist town of Centre Hill lost the Austin County seat election to Bellville. The terms were interest only on a loan of $12,000.  Ayres would wait for principal payments until the conference was in good financial shape.  It was hoped that renting out part of the building would cover the annual interest payment.  The cost would be less than the rent they were now paying.  Since Ayres was also the business manager for the newspaper, he had a strong personal involvement in the enterprise.  

The Publishing House suspended publication during the Civil War.  It tried to relocate to the interior of Texas, but the Union blockade prevented the delivery of newsprint.  At the Texas Annual Conference of 1863 General John B. Magruder authorized the conference to trade cotton for newsprint---if they could get it through or around the Union blockade, but they couldn't.  Publication resumed after the Civil War with editors including Clayton C. Gillespie, I. G. John, and G. W. Briggs.  All three of these men had interesting lives which I have discussed in previous posts.  Use the search function to access them.  

The publishing interests moved to Dallas in 1887 in a move similar to way the secular newspaper that later became the Dallas Morning News did in the same era.  The German language newspaper was suspended when the editor, Peter Moelling, went to New York when the Civil War began.  

What about the function of a depository?  Of course, it was a warehouse, but it was something more.  Every cubic inch of ship's cargo hold was important, so it was common to ship the unbound pages of books by sea and have them bound when they reached their destination, so the depository was also a bindery and bookbinding was a fairly common occupation one saw in city directories.  

 This Week in Texas Methodist History  June 11

President Selecman Launches Campaign for $500,000 for Theological Education at SMU  1026

Rev. C. C. Selecman was named the third president of SMU in 1923 after three years as pastor of  First Methodist Church (South) of Dallas in 1920.  He remained president of SMU untiln1938 when he was elected bishop of the MECS.  He continued in that role with the creation of the MC in 1939.  When he took the presidency, there were 2 buildings at SMU.  When he left, there were 7.  He was rightly known as fundraiser and builder rather than an academic.  His tenure as president coincided with a huge increase in wealth in Texas with the discovery of some of the largest petroleum deposits in the world within a few hundred miles of Dallas.

One of the many financial campaigns President Selecman conducted was one for theological education in 1926.   The goal was $529,000 to be used for scholarships, an endowment and a dormitory for married students expected to cost $150,000.  A striking feature of the campaign was that it would not be limited to Texas.  Remember that the jurisdictions did not yet exist, but Selecman targeted Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas, states that would later be in the in the South Central Jurisdiction, in the appeal.  He also targeted California.  He had served in Los Angles (except for World War I Red Cross work) before coming to Dallas in 1920.

The campaign committee included the "usual suspects"  Dean Kilgore, Bishops Moore, Boaz, and Hay, and also prominent pastors, one of whom would later be elected bishop, Ivan Holt, then of St. Louis.  Two pastors on the committee would later become Dean of Theology at SMU:  Paul Quillian of Camden, Arkansas, and Eugene Hawk of Fort Worth.  Other prominent Texas Methodist pastors included J. W. Mills of Beaumont and Frank Richardson of Wichita Falls.  Wealthy lay men such as W. W. Fondren and R. H. Kirby were joined by about a dozen other laity from Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.   

One will recognize both the Fondren and Kirby names as buildings at SMU still bear their names.  This campaign of 1926 represented only a small part of their philanthropy to SMU and other Methodist causes.  I have written a great deal about Fondren, but not so much about Kirby in past blogs.  Kirby was born in Hempstead (then Austin County, now Waller County) in 1851.  He attended Texas Military Institute, New Business College, Vanderbilt, and the University of Texas where his mother was dean of women.  He entered business and had interests in agriculture, oil, timber, land development, and city rental property.  Besides the Methodist Church, his passion was the Dry Cause.  He was state chair of the organization fighting for prohibition and donated at least $100,00 to that cause and travelled at least 50,000 miles on speaking trips.  It is estimated that he donated $2,000,000 to philanthropy during his life and left an estate of $1,00,000 when the died.   Unfortunately, he died only 2 years after this campaign in 1928 at the age of 67.  By that time he had already given gifts to SMU of $100,000 for Kirby Hall, $10,000 for loan fund for theological students, $1,000 for Virginia Hall for women, $5,000 to help found the university, and 800 acres of land between Houston and Galveston.  His body was laid to rest in Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.

 This Week in Texas Methodist History  June 4

New Orleans Advocate Publishes Sermon Preached by Rev. Elias Dibble of Houston   1866

One of the greatest Methodist preachers of 19th century Texas was David Elias Dibble (1811-1885) who was at the center of Houston's civic and religious life during the years immediately after the Civil War.   Dibble was born into bondage in Georgia and brought to Texas in 1837.  He taught himself to read and write and became part of the Methodist community in the Bayou City.   His prefacing skills were obvious, and he was licensed to preach while still in bondage.  Upon emancipation he continued to preach, now as a member of the MEC, He is honored as the founder of Trinity Methodist, the oldest African American Methodist congregation in Houston.  He also was trustee of a school, and member of a fraternal association, a founder of Olivewood Cemetery, and an early organizer of Juneteenth celebrations in Houston.  That celebration eventually led to the purchase of land for Emancipation Park---one of the most important African American historic sites in Texas.  

I was surprised when I ran across the full text of a sermon Elias Dibble preached in March, 1866, printed in the New Orleans Advocate.  Why was I surprised?  Because very few sermons of the era were printed, and those that were usually had a connection to someone in one of the publishing ventures of the church.   To have the full text of a sermon from someone who had so recently been in bondage is a rare treat.  

The sermon text is Luke 5:31    They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  

The sermon repeats several themes common in 19th century sermons and shows that Dibble had knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments as well as Methodist theology.  His sermon development is clear and progresses logically to the conclusions We need not be astonished if the Christian shouts, for he has had his feet taken from the mire and clay and placed upon the rock;  and new songs have been put in his mouth, even praise to God.  This is the privilege of all, and in the name of our master, we invite you to flee from refuge to the hope set before you in the Gospel.  

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