The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-17
NEGRO METHOD|STS
 STILL IN SESSION The Doctrine of Self Help Preached By Presiding
 Bishops Yesterday

The doctrine of self help was preached to the negroes of Birming- ham and vicinity yesterday in the two ! Methodist conferences. Sound advice was given to people by the presiding bishops of the north Alabama confer ence of the African Methodist Epis- copal church and the north Alabama conference of the Colored Methodist
 Episcopal church. Committees will be
 appointed and greetings exchanged to-
 day.
 A. M. E. Conference
 "I desire to call the attention of the
 conference to certain conditions which
 obtain in this country today" said
 Bishop H. Blanton Parks, D. D., in
 calling to order the second days ses- sion of the African Methodist Epis-
 copal conference yesterday morning,
 and that Is this divorce evil. Possibly
 at no time in the history of American
 civilization has there been any one evil
 so prevalent as the divorce. and ihts
 country grants more divorces and l
 think 1t time to call halt.
 "As ministers of the gospel, you are
 the moral leaders of the people and
 you must lead them in the right di-
 rection. You should preach against inn
 morality of every kind, and if you do not then you are not discharing your
 duty, and you are not carrying out the
 mission to which you have been set apart. First. you should preach by example. The preacher with two liv- ing wives is unfit to preach and he shall never receive an appointment at my hands. I am anxious that the ne- gro shall be lifted up and 1t is up to you. People who disregard the mar riage VOW have no conception of mor- als. The family altar is as old as civ ilization, 1t Is the protection to the home. and without it a nation Is un- safe"
 Following the remarks' of Bishop ing his position and thanking him for the timely advice. Conference opened with impressive song and prayer serv- ice by Revs. c. G. Hatcher and A. Jones The journal was read and approved. F. Sidney Jones, representing the Louisville and Nashville Railroad com pany was introduced to the conference and delivered a short address in which he congratulated the bishop and mem
 bers of the conference on the good work they were doing for their people He was given an ovation.
 The pastors who failed to report on the first day were called, which took up much time of the conference bus mess and then followed the calling of the roll for the collection of money from the preachers for missions and education.
 Bishop Wesley J. Gaines, D. D., of At | lanta, was presented to the conference and was given an ovation. He said that | it was a pleasure to him to come into l Birmingham and to note the wonderful | progress being made by the people of the I city. "I call this the southern New York;" he said, and you are to be con- graduated upon your wonderful progress l note the skyscrapers, the improved con | dition of your streets, and then see that my people are keeping pace They are contributing their part You have great 1 opportunities before you. You must not | sit down and think that the white mar ! is going to carry your burdens, but you must carry your own burdens. The man | who helps himself is the man the world | honors today"
 | Ira T. Bryant of Nashville. secretary oi | the Afrcian Methodist Episcopal Sunday l School union, was introduced and deliv. cred an address telling about the worl | being done in Nashville. He told how the Sunday school literature was printed the improvements made in the plant, ana
 how he had purchased $20.0OO worth of inn provements, and would go to the genera ] conference free of debt and all paid fol
 out fthe business of the concern. 'Th,
 negro must look for results in this coun