THE KING’S BUSINESS 459 unusual, gifts for evangelistic work, and having been used very largely as an evangelist even while a pastor, he became a member of the Chapman evangelistic party and was with Dr. Chapman in many of his largest campaigns, including Brooklyn,^ Philadelphia, and other of the larger cities of the country. The meetings in the section of the city assigned to him were always among those that were largest in permanent results in accessions to the churches of the various denominations. A great deal of his time has been given to meetings in Pittsburgh and other United Presbyterian centers with the United Presby terian Churches. After some years in evangelistic work he was called to the pastorate of the First United Presbyterian Church of Seattle, Wash. In taking the church he expected to remain but a comparatively short time, but his work was so greatly blessed that the church there persuaded him to remain with them seven years, and under his pastorate United Presbyterianism became known as aggressive evangelistic force in Seattle as never before. The church took its place as one of the leading Christian bodies of that city, winning the love, respect and good will of the sister churches. The growth of the church was steady and sure, and when he closed his work with that church and took up evangelistic work again the church was stronger financially than at any other period of its existence. There were no mortgages and no debts to drag it down. There had been a net increase in the membership of the church of nearly one hundred per cent. There had been no divisions, strifes'or petty quarrels in the church. During his pastorate of that church he had been urged time and again to give his whole time to the work of an evangelist, but he had repeat edly refused, finding opportunities for the exercise of his evangelistic gifts by devoting what time he could to the Ministers’ Federation of the city, being at the head of their evangelistic enterprises. For over five years he was chairman of the department of evangelism of the Seattle Ministers’ Federation, of which he is at the present time first vice president. Under his administration Gypsy Smith and other large evangelistic campaigns were brought to the city. Every year during the Lenten season, under the auspices of the Ministers’ Federation, he has organized and conducted noon day theatre meetings. The series, held ,in April, 1917, was the greatest religious noon-day gatherings ever held in Seattle. Over 2,000 gathered daily, and on certain days standing room was at a premium. In 1912 at Dr. Atkinson’s earnest invitation, which he went to Washington, D. C., to carry, the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church met in Seattle. This was the second time in the history of that denomination that the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church was held on the Pacific Coast. Several times every year also, three or four months in each year, he helped pastors in other communities. Upon his urgent request for a sev ering of his relations as pastor of that church, on Thursday evening, September 30, 1915, the church unanimously passed very commendatory resolutions upon his seven years service, with the church, saying among other things, “The said Dr. Ralph Atkinson did accept the invitation, and Presbytery did in the month of March, 1909, regularly install him as pastor of the First United Presbyterian Church of Seattle, Washington; and the relation of pastor and people has con tinued from that date, during which period there has existed the most harmoni ous spirit and hearty co-operation on the part of all; and throughout the period of the pastorate our Church has taken an active part in the larger religious activities of the city and has experienced a, steady and gradual internal growth toward the best conditions in its history—best from standpoints of numbers, finance and general efficiency.” His relations with the Seattle church were sev-
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