The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-08


 the Tombigbee river. The presiding elder. to visit Bibgee in his rounds" nor did any other elder of that district cross the wilderness to look after the work of sturdy old Matthew Sturdivant Dr. Lovie Pierce was the presiding elder for that district in 1909, and he said, The did not go; that Los Angeles would be neigh borhood place now compared with Tonl- bbecbee then.
 Dr.tWest, commenting on the early work of the church, says that there was not time from the taking in of the first mem- Der in 1909 to 1865 that the Methodist church in Alabama did not under her ministry have slaves as members of her communion.
 Question of Slavery Then Raised.
 The Tennessee, Mississippi and South Carolina conference in 1S19 furnished preachers for Alabama, and when they were to be sent out they were first found to be satisfactory in their views of slavery" their views were to be devel- oped at later date that same year.
 In October (of that year) the Rev. Dudley HargroVes became an historic character by being declined election by at least three votes because he held slaves, and a resolution was passed by the Tennessee conference Ito fix the principle that no man, even in those states where the law does not admit of emancipation shall be admitted on trial etc.--if it is understood that he is the owner of a slave or slaves" A little more than 62 years thereafter his son, the Rev. Robert K. Hargroves, was or dained bishop in the city of Nashville, where his father was by the Tennessee conference refused the order of deacon.
 1819-1a28.
 December, 1S19, Andrew Moore opened school near Browns Spring, which is now in the city of Birmingham, and one of the young men enrolled as a pupil at that time was James McAdory, relative of our historian, Hon. Thomas M. Owen.
 The Tuscumbia Sunday School Union auxiliary, Sunday School Union of the Methodist Episcopal church, was organ ized in 1928. A meeting held for the purpose at Huntsville, April 26, 1929, or ganized the Huntsville Sunday school and the Huntsville Bible Tract society.
 In the Family Visitor and Telegraph ,'' a paper published at Richmond in 1S2S is a letter from some Alabama missionary as follows:
 "The town of Montgomery, situated on the river Alabama, in Alabama, con- tains about 1200 inhabitants, of which five or six only are professors of religion.
 
 not yet finished, though commenced sev- eral years ago. They have no regular preaching, sometimes none at all for five or six weeks together. The Bible is sell dom seen or used by the inhabitants, ex- cept in courts of justice where 1t is used by way of business, as if sight of the holy book would operate as charm to bind the conscience, while it's truths and sanctions are unknown and unheeded As to religion or morality there is little of either in the place. These facts are derived from source on which we may rely with confidence. The condition of this town is an index of the moral state of many places in the south and west. where the people perish because there is no vision."
 Dr. West commenting thereon says:
 rms statement was copied into the Christian Advocate and Journal an1 Aions Herald of September 12 1928. a paper published in the city of New York ana the editor made such comments mon the facts set forth as he deemed proner ana pertinent. whereupon the AIabama. oourhaI' newspaper published at Mont somery. gave the editor of the Christian Advocate a severe castigation, charging nm With entertaining an uneharitable oplnlon of the religious character of the citizens of Montgomery The editor of the Christian Advocate in response to .ne "itteis TOT the Alabama Journal. ana in defense of himself against their castigation and accusation, proposed to them that if they would furnish him a well authenticated statistical account of the religious state of the town of Mont gomery he would publish the account TOT the information of his readers. and do all he could in that way to roll away any reproach which had been innocently brought on the people of Montgomery NO report-statistical, authenticated on. otnerwise-Was ever presented and for the very reason that none could he f,r nished which would be creditable to tbe people Of the place, or that would dis creolt the statements which had been made and published, and under which they writhed and ragged. They writhed and ragged, but they never denied the substantial facts which had been pub- lished.
 The Montgomery Republican, a news paper published at Montgomery, and aft erwards changed in name to the Alabama Journal, announced in its issue of Feb ruary IT, 1921. We are about to begin preparations for erecting a place of pub He worship In the early part of 1923 an address was set forth to the people b.. the Rev. Dr. Moses Andrew, a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church, and at that time living in Mont gomery, and William Sayre, Presby- terian, declaring that Montgomery is becoming conspicuous for it's advantages. and is already respectable for it's size and population and 'there is not a house of worship among us." and setting out a document for subscription with sums attached to be paid for erecting a house of worship at Montgomery, which should be "open to all orthodox min isters." and not "belong exclusively to any denomination of Christians
 July 10, 1923, at citizens meeting framed house 4S feet long by 24 feet wide for religious worship was planned, and in 1925 was completed; and this house and the court house were used for passing or visiting preachers until the latter part of 1929. Of course Montgomery was not without casual preaching by those of the diff ferent denominations. The first preach CT doing organized work there was Methodist by the name of James King organized Methodist society in 1919, before other denomina tfons had done so
 I give more in detail the condition in Montgomery not to expose the early neglects of my home city, but as it may give some idea of the moral status of the country at the time when the first academy and college of the Meth odist church were respectively located on Monte Sano and on LeGrange noun tains. The growth of the church is evidenced by the fact that when the Alabama conference was organized in 1882 there were at work in the state