Thui
sdHV. July 19, 1917.
RALEIGH CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE
.1.- ir'flR.ionrv nf the Countrv
trease uie v.., - -
Church.
Rev. V. A. Cade Elements of a
Live Kpworth League.
Pev. E. L. Stack How to Secure
the ttendance of the Sunday-school
m-holars on the Preaching Service.
- Rev. J. L. Cuninggim Some Mod
ern Methods of the Sunday-school.
Friday morning was set apart as
Laymen's Day and it was conceded
to be the best session of the Confer
ence. Addresses were delivered by
Y. T. Ormond The New Laymen
tor the New Times; W. I. Halstead,
Service in Every Church Every
Sunday; C. R. Pugh, The Call of the
Hour to Men.
The following addressed the Con
ference on Education: Prof. P. S. Al
dridge, Headmaster of Trinity Park
School; Dr. W. P. Few, President
of Trinity College; Mrs. R. B. John.
Dean of Carolina College, and Dr. S.
B. Turrentine, President of Greens
boro College for Women.
C. W. Morgan, C. R. Pugh, R. R.
Taylor and H. T. Davenport were
elected delegates to the Annual Con
ference. Mann's Harbor was selected as the
place for holding the next District
Conference.
C. R. Pugh was elected District
Lay Leader.
Eugene Chesson and Duard Jugur
'ha Spruill were licensed to preach.
On recommendation of the Examin
ing Committee the Conference voted
unanimously to render these young
men such financial aid as would be
necessary for them to pursue their
studies at Trinity Park and Trinity
College.
John Alford Farrow was also li
censed to preach.
William Robert Hardesty was rec
ommended to the Annual Conference
for admission on trial into the trav
eling connection.
J. B. Lugh, L. E. Old and P. H.
Williams were appointed as trustees
of the district parsonage.
The report of the Woman's Mis
sionary Activities in the district was
read by Mrs. C. W. Smith, of Pan
tego. Revs. J. L. Cuninggim, C. B. Cul
I'reth, E. L. Stack and Rufus Bradley
were appointed as ad interim Exam
ining Committee.
Revs. J. H. Miller and T. M. Grant
were introduced to the Conference as
visitors.
Reports on Evangelism and Lay
Activities were ordered to the pub
ished in the Raleigh Christian Chris
tian Advocate.
The morning prayer and testimony
viee at 6:30, conducted by Revs.
v- A. Ftoyall and W. A. Cade proved
" be a veritable dynamo for generat
es spiritual power.
We were royally entertained by
JJe good people of Hertford. Not a
thlng was left undone to make our
:tay Peasant. We make our best
bw to Rev. J. M. Ormond, pastor,
his people for their delightful
hospitality.
RUFUS BRADLEY,
Secretary.
WASHINGTON DISTRICT CONFER
ENCE. The District Conference of the
Washington District met in annual
ession in Ayden on the evening of
'ulv 3, and continued through the
eng of the fifth.
ejv- L. S. Massey, Editor of the Ral-
Sn Christian Advocate, preached
opening sermon on Tuesday night
m Genesis 4:9, "Am I my broth-
tv8 eePer?" The speaker stated
at hQ was afraid that we had nQt
(i(se1 to ask this question. Our
dear. Ours is a social relig-
bas'p i itS S00ial exPression must be
' u n the purity of the individ-
I I : : : :
-
Page Seven
UNIFICATION OF AMERIC AN METHODISM.
Oflicial Statement of the Joint Commission.
To the Ministers and Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South-
The members of the Joint Commission on Unification of the
Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church.
South, in closing the labors of their second session, held at Traverse
City Michigan, June 27-July 3, 1917, send greetings to the people
of the two branches of the one Church which they represent.
First of all, we give thanks to God the Father, through our
Lord Jesus Christ for the full measure of grace which has been
vouchsafed us in our labors, and for the evident tokens of the
presence of the Holy Spirit in our assemblings, sweetening our
fellowship, deepening our sense of oneness in Christ and strength
ening our hope of a united Methodism throughout the reaches of
our common country.
We do not seek in this message to diminish the general under
standing of the difficulties which have attended our efforts to meet
fully the task committed to our hands; but we have rejoiced greatly
in Christ our divine Leader to see how many of these difficulties
have dissolved away as we have approached them in a spirit of
prayer and dedication to the end which the Church has set us to
achieve. The results of our labors are not yet complete, but they
are substantial and reassuring; and it is part of the purpose of this
commission to inform the Connnections which we represent of the
fact that we have the unfinished details of our task under prayer
ful consideration and treatment, and it is our earnest desire to be
able to make to our respective General Conferences a happy re
port upon the whole matter of unification.
That our people may have the means of determining for them
selves the extent to which we have progressed, we beg to sub
mit the following statement touching the conclusions reached at
this sitting of the Commission:
The Joint Commission has reached tentative agreements upon
the following matters:
1. The Church Conference.
The Quarterly Conference.
The Annual Conference, including lay representation therein.
4. The composition and powers of the white Regional Confer
ences.
5. The area boundaries and powers of the Missionary Regional
Conferences.
6. The basis of representation in the General Conference and
the powers of the same.
7. The method of election, assignment, and retirement of Bish
ops, together with a Constitutional provision for the defin
ing and fixing the privileges, powers, and duties of the
Episcopacy.
The foregoing tentative agreements are subject to further con
sideration and revision if necessary and their final approval and
adoption is contingent upon agreement on the matters that are yet
to be considered.
F. M. THOMAS,
Secretary, Comission on Unification, Methodist
Episcopal Church, South.
A. W. HARRIS,
Secretary, Commission on Unification, Methodist,
Episcopal Church.
2.
3.
ual life. As is usual Dr. Massey was
heard with pleasure and profit.
On Wednesday morning after the
devotional exercises conducted by
Rev. S. T. Moyle, of Farmville, the
conference was called to order by
Rev. C. L. Read, Presiding Elder
of the district. The roll was called
and matters pertaining to the organi
zation of the conference received at
tention. The regular business of the
conference was then taken up until
the eleven o'clock hour which was
the order each day. President W.
P. Few, of Trinity College, addressed
the conference at eleven o'clock. It
was a stirring message emphasizing
especially two thoughts, the impor
tance of maintaining the Christian
ideal in education and the duty of
preparing our young people for the
great period of world reconstruction
which is to follow the present war.
The afternoon sessions were also
devoted to the business phase of
the conference, the devotional exer
cises being conducted by Rev. W. J.
Covington, of Vanceboro, and Rev.
B. B. Slaughter, of Rocky Mt. The
reports from the Presiding Elder and
the several charges on the district
showed that we have had a year of
progress and that the outlook is
good.
This day of the conference was
closed with a patriotic address by
Col. J. F. Bruton, of Wilson. In his
own way he held his audience with
the theme of the patriotic duty of
conservation. It was a clear call,
masterfully presented and by one
whose own heart was astir with the
message.
On Thursday morning after devo
tional exercises conducted by Rev. R.
C. Craven, of Rocky Mount, the regu
lar business of the conference was
resumed. At eleven o'clock Rev. J
M. Daniel, of Greenville, preached a
strong sermon from Isaiah G:S,
"Here am I, send me." At the af
ternoon session Col. J. F. Bruton,
Capt. W. H. Newell, Supt. S. B. Un
derwood and Mr. J. Raymond Turn
age were elected delegates to the An
nual Conference and E. R. Mixon
and J. T. Thorne alternates. The
conference came to a close with the
evening service which was conducted
by Rev. W. A. Stanbury of Wilson.
He brought to the conference a most
stimulating and helpful message on
the very appropriate theme of conse
cration, based on 2nd Corinthians
8:5.
The following were visitors at the
conference and represented their re
spective interests; Rev. F. S. Love,
Louisburg College, Dr. S. B. Tur
rentine, Greensboro College for Wo
men, Mrs. R. B. John, Carolina Col
lege, Rev. F. S. Aldridge, Trinity
Park School, Rev. H. E. Spence, the
Sunday-school Work of the Xort.li
Carolina Conference, Rev. A. S.
Earnest, Supt. of the Methodist Or
phanage at Raleigh, Rev. R. L. Da
vis, of the Ai ti-Saloon League, and
Dr. L. S. Massey, Editor of the Ral
egh Christian Advocate.
The conference was splendidly en
tertained and we are under many
ohl'gations to the good people of this
thriving little town and to our gen
ial host. Rev. Daniel Lane, Jr., for
their unfailing attentions and many
courtesies.
The next session of the confer
ence will be held at Spring Hope.
MISSION BOARDS AMI COLLIDES
IN PERIL.
Thre is good authority for the
statement that the Senate Finance
Committee is opposed to the so
called Hollis Amendment to the War
Revenue Bill which provides that
deductions shall he made from tax
able income for gifts and contribu
tions for charitable, educational and
religious purposes. The committee
is understood also to be opposed to
the Myers Amendment which pro
vides that legacies and bequests for
charitable, educational and religious
purposes shall be exempt from the
Fed era'. Estate Tax, which is an in
heritance tax.
The failure of these two amend
ments, which, it has been widely as
sumed, would pass without question,
may bring serious consequences to
: elisions, educational and charitable
causes. Large givers are already de
laying making their annual gifts or
pledges because of uncertainty as to
the operation of the Xew War Reve
nue measures.
The maintenance of religious, edu
cational, philanthropic and scientific,
work is even more ini port sin t. during
the war than in normal times. The
needs are greater, the costs are high
er and the resources from which
gifts come are smaller.
The friends of all such causes
should use their utmost endeavors to
secure the adoption of the two
amendments. Hon. F. M. Simmons
is Chairman of the Finance Commit
tee, lion. Claude Kitchen is Chair
man of the Ways and Means Com
mittee of the House. Stronir rep
resentations should be made to these
two chairmen by all interested indi
viduals and agencies and also to ot ti
er senators and representatives by
their constituents.
The situation is critical. Tele
grams are urgently suggested.
Dr. Samuel McCune Lindsay, of
Columbia University, is chairman or
the Committee on War Charity and
Social Work which is urging the
adoption of the Hollis and Myers
Amendment. His address is Con
necticut Avenue and 8th Street, N.
W., Washington, I). C.
Among agencies which have taken
action in favor of such tax exemp
tions is the Federal Council of the
Churches of Christ in America,
which at its special Washington
meeting, May 8 and !, concluded its
action relating to War Finance with
the following:
"We believe it to be just, when
ever necesary, that income and prof
its should be taxed to the furthest
possible point without checking pro
duction. We also believe it to be
just and necessary to exempt that
surplus income which is now dedi
cated to the maintenance of relig
ious and social agencies, in order
that the higher activities of civiliza
tion may not be impoverished."
k.li:k;h district coxfki:-
EXCE.
The Fifty-first Session of the Ral
eigh District Conference convened in
Elizabeth Church, on the Four Oaks
Circuit on Wednesday morning, July
11. Rev. J. L. Underwork, pre-
( Continued on page 10.)