Guide to the McKendree Robbins Long Papers

The McKendree Robbins Long Papers, 1898-1977, bulk 1920s-1960s, document Long's life as a pastor, evangelist, hymnologist, poet, writer, and artist. In addition to written and printed materials, the collection includes original drawings, sketches, and illustrations; a folder of photographs; and seven sermons recorded on Duodisc electric transcription discs. Long embellished a portion of his handwritten work with imaginative illustrations and/or illumination, making this collection, and Long, particularly unique.

The collection is divided into two series: "Creative works, 1900, 1916-1972" and "Personal materials, 1898-1977."

The "Creative works" series is divided into five subseries: "Sermon materials, 1922-1927, 1935, 1940, 1959, 1964-1965;" "Hymns, 1900, 1929-1935, 1947-1972;" "Poetry, 1916-1920, 1930-1972;" "Other writings, 1929-circa 1949, 1959-1972;" and "Artwork, 1923-1960s."

The "Sermon materials" subseries includes sermons, sermon notebooks, sermon outlines, revival addresses, meditations, and sayings that are representative of Long's life as a pastor and evangelist. Some of the handwritten materials (particularly the unbound and undated sermon outlines) are illustrated and/or decoratively embellished with calligraphic writing or similar artistry. Bound sermon materials from his ministerial work in both Statesville, North Carolina, and Macon, Georgia, are included. Additional sermon materials include seven undated Duodisc electric transcription discs of sermons recorded by Long. His "Interleaved" Bible contains outlines, references, and notes from special evangelistic sermons.

The remaining four subseries, "Hymns," "Poetry," "Other writings," and "Artwork" are representative of Long's life as a writer and artist. The collection contains several hundred of Long's hymns, dating from his first hymn composed in January 1900 at eleven years of age to 1972 at age eighty-four. He composed his hymns without music. There are also several hundred of Long's poems dating from 1916 to 1972 and undated. Both the hymns and the poems are arranged chronologically and are not individually identified and dated in the box inventory section of this guide. Long's other writings include several genres such as a drama, a farce, and an allegory. A number of his narrative manuscripts are more than one hundred to over four hundred pages in length. His writings and drawings of a secular nature address a variety of topics, events, and people from the classical age to the modern era. The majority of his secular works produced between the 1930s and 1950s are signed with the pseudonym "Michael Long."

Many of Long's artistic works feature religious and biblical themes. Three items in the collection are of particular note. Two oversize pieces of visual art--"I Will, Be Thou Clean" and "There is Never a Drought in the Spirit"--showcase Long's penchant for fusing his evangelistic impulse with his artistic skill. These monochromatic illustrations represent Sunday School lessons or sermons at Front Street Presbyterian Church in Statesville, North Carolina during Long's pastorate. Long's 1944 drawing of a horseman from the vision of the sixth angel is an early example of his visionary art form depicting a scene from the Book of Revelation.

The "Personal materials, 1898-1977" series contains material relating to or created by Long as well as other family members. The series includes a small quantity of correspondence from and to Long; clippings, ephemera, and other materials in reference to Long; his ordination and baptism records; and several drawings by young Long family members.