For Home & Country: Austin Seminary during World War I
Chronicling Austin Seminary during World War I, this exhibit describes the effects of the conflict on Seminary operations, faculty, and students.
Featured are letters, photographs, pamphlets, maps, and other ephemera from the following Austin Seminary Archives collections: the Austin Seminary records, the Cecil H. Lang papers, and the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
This online exhibit is based on the 2018 physical exhibit of the same name, "For Home & Country: Austin Seminary during World War I."
For Home & Country: Austin Seminary during World War I
Austin Seminary
In June of 1917, as the first American Expeditionary Forces were landing in France and most Americans were preoccupied with events related to America’s entry into World War I, Austin Seminary found itself mired in financial woes. Ultimately, a combination of financial problems and a diminishing student body—as young men joined the war effort—led Austin Seminary to accept the resignations of its faculty members and cease teaching regular classes in May of 1918. The Seminary grounds and buildings were leased out to The University of Texas at Austin (and later to the Scottish Rite), with the exception of the faculty home of Thomas White Currie. Currie, who had been secretary of the University of Texas Y.M.C.A. since 1911 in addition to his duties at the Seminary, was called to oversee the Seminary’s interests during the war, and he continued to teach a Bible class for students at the University of Texas at Austin at the Y.M.C.A. located at 22nd and Guadalupe.
Austin Seminary
While the University was leasing the Seminary property, it was used by the Army as an R.O.T.C. encampment with the dormitory being used as a barracks and tents pitched throughout the grounds.
The majority of the students and faculty who left the Seminary in May of 1918 joined the war effort. Professor Robert Gribble became the student secretary of the State Y.M.C.A. and the other faculty members who resigned in 1918 (William Angus McLeod and Robert L. Jetton) went overseas as Y.M.C.A. secretaries. (During the war, the Y.M.C.A. provided spiritual care, rest-and-recreation programs, canteens, and other welfare support for soldiers both domestically and overseas.) Board members like Arthur Gray Jones served soldiers on the home front through the War Work Council and his home congregation at First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio. Students and recent graduates like Cecil H. Lang, E. B. Paisley, and Eugene McLaurin served as chaplains overseas.
From the Austin Seminary Records.
Austin Seminary
After the Armistice was signed, Currie and the Board of Trustees led an aggressive fundraising campaign to shore up Austin Seminary’s endowment. With donations from local congregations and supporters of the Seminary, and with the new energy of the Spanish Speaking Program supported by the Texas-Mexican Presbytery and the Executive Committee of Home Missions, Austin Seminary re-opened for classes in the fall of 1921. Since the Seminary property was still being leased out, classes were initially held at the University Y.M.C.A. It wasn’t until 1925, after all lease agreements had ended, that Austin Seminary completely moved back onto its historic campus.
From the Austin Seminary Records.
Edward Bland Paisley
Edward Bland Paisley (1890-1968) was a 1916 graduate of Austin Seminary. Upon graduation, he went to serve with the Y.M.C.A. at Camp Travis in San Antonio. This picture of him in his uniform was taken in 1916.
From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Letter from E.B. Paisley to A.G. Jones
Edward Bland Paisley writes to Rev. Arthur Gray Jones at the First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio to tell him of his appointment as chaplain in the United States Army.
From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Announcement of courses for the year 1917-1918
This Catalogue describes the final year of classes at Austin Seminary before the school closed in May 1918. The Seminary began teaching classes again in the fall of 1921.
From the Austin Seminary records.
The Condition and Needs of Austin Seminary
In the years leading up to the U.S. entry into the war, Austin Seminary was experiencing severe financial hardship. This statement from the Board lays out the Seminary’s financial position and makes the case for increased support in order to continue the work of the school.
From the Austin Seminary records.
Arthur Gray Jones
Arthur Gray Jones (1868-1929) was pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio, Texas, from 1895-1921, a member of the Austin Seminary Board of Trustees from 1899-1920 (chair from 1907-1920), and professor of systematic theology from 1921-1927. During World War I, Jones ministered to the soldiers at the base in San Antonio and worked with the War Work Council.
Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 19, 1868. He earned a BA from Arkansas College in 1888, then attended Union Theological Seminary of Virginia from 1888-1890. He was ordained in Arkansas Presbytery in 1890, and served as a pastor in Batesville while he earned his MA at Arkansas College (1892) and also taught at Arkansas College. In 1895 Jones moved to San Antonio where he became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio, a post he held until 1921 when he moved to Austin to teach at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (1921-1927). Jones became ill in 1927, moved back to San Antonio, and died there on May 1, 1929.
From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Arthur Gray Jones papers
Letter from Arthur Gray Jones to J. I. Vance, 1917
In this letter, Rev. Jones gives an update on his day-to-day work with the men stationed in San Antonio. He describes Bible classes, social events, musical performances, and dinners hosted by the church. Challenges of the work include coordinating the work of multiple denominations, a large number of requests for speaking engagements, and letters from mothers across the country asking him to check on their “boys,” as well as restrictions on religious activity in the camps. From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Arthur Gray Jones papers
1918 Calendar card from the American Y.M.C.A.
Rev. Jones received many cards and souvenirs from soldiers with whom he worked at Camp Travis and his congregation. This card has a 1918 calendar printed on the back (in English and French) and is signed “Best Wishes from John B. Bartlett, Somewhere in France, December 1917.” From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Arthur Gray Jones papers
Letterhead from the General War Work Council of the Presbyterian church in the United States, 1917
This map shows the locations of Army and National Guard camps in the south where young men were trained before being sent overseas, including Camp Travis in San Antonio. The General War Work Council used letterhead like this to raise money for their ministry to the troops on the home front during the war. From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Arthur Gray Jones papers
"The Girl I Left Behind Me," poem, 1918
This heartfelt poem was handwritten by a soldier, Pat George Bright, of Merritt, New Jersey, to his girlfriend. It found its way into Rev. Jones “soldier file,” perhaps because it was left behind in the church or sent to Jones for safekeeping. From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Arthur Gray Jones papers
Letter from G. Berndt Chidester, Secretary, The Community House for Soldier and Civilian, to Arthur Gray Jones, 1918
The Community House was a recreational club for soldiers stationed in San Antonio. It was run by War Camp Community Service and directed by the Playground and Recreation Association of America, a part of the War and Navy Departments’ Commission on Training Camp Activities. In this letter, they ask Rev. Jones to lead his congregation in singing the first verse of the Star Spangled Banner at the conclusion of each service in June in preparation for San Antonio becoming the first city in the United States with its entire population singing the national anthem together on the fourth of July. From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Arthur Gray Jones papers
Arthur Gray Jones to Herbert R. Green, 1918
Here Rev. Jones writes to one of his parishioners on behalf of his wife, who is concerned that she hasn’t heard from him in several months. Jones reminds Green of their connection, gives some news from home, and exhorts him to write to his wife as soon as possible. While Jones spent considerable time serving the men who were temporarily stationed in San Antonio, his work with his home congregation (both those sent overseas and those who remained in San Antonio) was central to his ministry during the war. From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Arthur Gray Jones papers
Christmas greeting, 1918
A Christmas greeting to Rev. Jones in poem form from a soldier on the Western front. From the Arthur Gray Jones papers.
Cecil H. Lang
Cecil Herbert Lang (1891-1974) was a 1916 graduate of Austin Seminary, a US Army Chaplain in World War I and World War II, and a Presbyterian minister in the south. During the world wars Lang served in Europe, domestically in camps in San Antonio and on the east coast, and on ships which brought troops and supplies to and from Europe. From 1917-1918 Lang served as a Religious Work Director for the National War Work Council of the YMCA and went on to serve with various regiments from 1917-1919.
During and after World War II, he served with the XIII Corps in 1942 until 1947, when he asked to be discharged in order to serve as the Executive Secretary of the Dallas Presbytery, an office he held until 1958. In 1945 Lang, a colonel, was awarded a Bronze Metal Star for meritorious service in Europe. Lang received a Doctor of Divinity from Austin College in 1937. Lang married twice and had a son and a daughter from his first marriage. His father and son served also as pastors. Lang retired from the ministry in 1966 after serving in churches in Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, and South Carolina. He died on July 9, 1974.
Cecil H. Lang collection
Cecil H. Lang to "Dearest Folks at Home," 1917
The first of many letters Rev. Lang wrote home to his family during his service, this one during his work with the Y.M.C.A. Lang discusses his work organizing Bible classes in the barracks and helping soldiers to write and read letters from home. He also describes his lodgings and mentions that he is starting to learn French, in preparation for his deployment overseas. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Cecil H. Lang collection
Y.M.C.A. pamphlet for the National Army Cantonment, Ninetieth Division, Camp Travis, San Antonio, Texas, circa 1917
This pamphlet features a map of Camp Travis in San Antonio showing the locations of Y.M.C.A. offices. Lang served as a Religious Work Director for the National War Work Council of the Y.M.C.A. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Cecil H. Lang collection
Christmas postcard from Cecil H. Lang, December 1917
Printed Christmas postcard from Cecil H. Lang, December 1917. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Cecil H. Lang collection
Cecil H. Lang's certification card, August 1, 1918
Lang’s certification card from the Training School for Chaplains and Approved Chaplain Candidates at Camp Zachary Taylor, August 1, 1918. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Cecil H. Lang collection
"Interesting Letter from Chaplain Cecil H. Lang," newspaper clipping, November 1918
Rev. Lang wrote to the paper in Fort Stockton from Camp Merritt in New Jersey giving an update on his deployment, which was cancelled due to the Armistice. Lang would continue to serve as chaplain to soldiers (including injured soldiers) coming home. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Cecil H. Lang collection
Rev. Lang was an amateur photographer who kept a scrapbook of his service during World War I, both with the Y.M.C.A. and as an army chaplain at camps in the United States and overseas. Here he photographed entertainment for the troops at Camp Travis in San Antonio. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Cecil H. Lang collection
Rev. Lang traveled through New Orleans on his way to Camp Taylor in Kentucky and took photographs of people and sights in the French Quarter. In the center of the page is a photograph of Lang, “The Rookie.” From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Cecil H. Lang collection
Scrapbook pages: "U.S.S. Harrisburg," 1918
Soldiers look out from the deck of the U.S.S. Harrisburg as they return from service overseas. Lang poses on deck in his uniform. From the Cecil H. Lang papers.
Cecil H. Lang collection
The final page in Rev. Lang’s scrapbook for World War One. Lang poses on the deck of a ship at the end of the war. From the Cecil H. Lang papers
Eugene McLaurin
Eugene William McLaurin (1888-1978) was a Presbyterian minister and educator in Texas. He was a 1916 graduate of Austin Seminary who left his parish in Edna, Texas, to serve on the Western front during World War I. He served as a private with the American Expeditionary Forces with the 315th Supply Train of the 90th Division. He worked as the assistant to the battalion chaplain, and during his service, McLaurin buried several hundred American soldiers with brief funeral services. He would often write to the families of the men he buried and continued to keep in touch with many of them after the end of the war.
Eugene McLaurin
McLaurin grew up and attended college in Mississippi before coming to Texas to further his studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the University of Texas. Licensed and ordained in 1916, McLaurin held pastorates at Edna (1916-1920), Sweetwater (1920-1923), and Ballinger (1923-1936), Texas. While serving as pastor in Ballinger, McLaurin received a Doctor of Divinity from Daniel Baker College in 1932. He moved to Houston to act as superintendent of home missions for the Brazos Presbytery from 1936-1938. He returned to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a professor of systematic theology and New Testament language and exegesis from 1938-1958. After his service in World War I, McLaurin married his sweetheart, Myrtle Alice Arthur, and they had one son, Lauchlin Arthur McLaurin. McLaurin retired honorably to the small east Texas town of Waskom in 1958 and passed away in 1978.
In addition to his work as a pastor and educator, McLaurin served on the Ad Interim Committee on Changes in Confession of Faith and Catechisms of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. in 1941. He also served as moderator for the Synod of Texas in 1949.