The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-14
COLORED METHODISTS
Thirty-Sixth Annual Conference Be-
 gins Its Sessions Here


 Denouncing the saloon as "school of the nation and crucifying the Savior every day of the year, the Rev. Alfred smith, D. D., of Wilmington, Del, assistant field secretary of the Temperance society of the Methodist Episcopal church, delivered strong and forceful address, last night at the initial service of the Central Ala bama conference of that church, which began it's thirty-sxth annual session here yesterday
 The conference, which is composed of colored communicants, is being held in St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal church, of which the Rev. J. W. Wilson Is pas- tor. The Temperance society held it's an- niversary last night, and besides an in troduetory address by pr. w. w. Lucas of Meridian, field secretary of the Home Mission society, who presided over the meeting Dr. Smith was the only speaker. The church was filled with delegates, min isterial and lay, who have reached the city for the first days work.
 The conference sessions proper will be- gin this morning with the administration of the holy sacrament by Bishop J. w.. Smith of Portland Ore, who will pre- side. Welcome address will be delivered by Dr. w. H. Nelson, and the response by Bishop Smith, after which the sta tisticai session will begin. More than 600 ministers and lay delegates are attending the two sessions, the conference and the lay electoral college, at which the lay rI,i pI, is to be held in Minneapolis next May will be elected.
 Considerable interest among the laymen has already been aroused in the contest for seats in the general conference. Prof. w. J. Echols, the well known local negro business man, is a prominent candidate, as well as Prof S. E. Moses, principal of the colored public schools of Anniston. The lay electoral college will formally convene and organize Friday, the sessions being held in the First Congregational church, corner Fifteenth street and Sev- entn avenue, north.
 The greater part of the day yester- day was taken up by the conference board of examiners of which Rev. D. M Jones of Montgomery, field secre- tary of the Sunday school board, Is chairman. Rev. A. D. Camphor, pres ident of Central Alabama Academy, is registrar of the board.
 To guarantee the admission of com petent and intelligent young ministers into the conference this board through it's several committees take the appli- cants through rigid examinations. A class of 10 young men went before the committee on application yesterday and went through an examination for ad mission to the conference. Of this com mittee Rev O. Nelson of Union Springs is chairman. In this examination S5 per cent must be made before the ap- plicant is eligible to membership to the conference.
 "In this way and by carrying the applicants through rigid examinations we are each year getting in a better set of young men. for the ministry said Dr. Nelson. "The time has come when the negro minister must be as we'll prepared as any other profession al man in the race"
 In calling the board of examiners to- gether, pr. F. M. Jones, chairman, de- clared that since the ministers were re- garded as the real leaders of the ne- gro people, it was highly important that they should be prepared to lead in truth.
 large number of prominent white and colored officials In the church, who rep resent the various connectional boards. Among those already on the ground are: w. w. Lucas, field secretary Of missions, Meridian, Miss; Dr. I. L. Thomas, field secretary of the church extension board, Baltimore, Md; Dr. M C B. Mason, senior secretary of the Freedman Aid society, Cincinnati; Dr. E. NJ. Jones, field secretary of the Sun day school board, Montgomery; M $. Davage, business manager the South western Christian Advocate, New Or leans, La; pr I. Garland Penn, as- sistant general secretary of the Ep- worth league, Atlanta, Ga.; Dr. J. P. Wragg, field secretary American Bible society, Atlanta, Ga, and others.
 Among the men who have to do most with the success of the church work in Alabama are the six district su- perntendents, occupying the office known in other Methodist churches as presiding elders. They are: Anniston district, Rev. S. J. Jordan; Birmingham district, J. W. Thomas; Huntsville dis trict, A. w. Mckinney; Marion dis trict, J. W. Martin; Montgomery die trict, J. S. Coins, and Opelika district, l.. S. Price. The conference will be in session until Sunday night.