Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1911-03-09
j. M, HALEY ON CHURCH
UNION
IN. 0. Christian AdvocateD

st Church stood in the way Of organic
1nion Of all the Methodisms because
her representatives seemed to be un-
able to shake eff sectional feeling and.
we're afraid of tie negro problem
The sectional feeling forty years ago
would have cut some figure in the
matter, but since a new generation |
has appeared on The stage it seems to
have about died out. But there are
other and more potent reasons why
Southern Methodism should work out
her own destiny in her own way,
without turning aside fof new align
ment. In the first place, Ghis Church
is prosperous, happy and aggressive
{ combination hard to turn down),
and doing a great work in field
geographiCaIly,its own, and has at
tanned to a size 80 large that there has
been talk of cutting down representa-
ton in the general Conference.
Think OF three hundred picked men,
all loaded down to the gudTts with
new IDEAS and useful suggestions
fresh from the fields where these
events are transpiring, with but slim
chance to be heard, and you can
easily see why the General Confer
.ence should be larger Unite all
these MethodNms and theme would
be about fifteen hundred delegates,
which would make it top-heovy and
-unweldy.
The Southern Church, representing
about one-lourth Of the territory,
would be at great disadvantage in
4.acing her best men in prominent
and responsible positions, and why
should she tie herself on to the end
Of anybody's ear, when she can take
care Of herseIEo Look at the two
Presbyterian churches now struggling
in the tolls Of the law. The big
church swallowed the little one and
got its name and property and nearIS
a century of chunGh history, built iron
the ground up, by strong, seIE-sacnlhc
inf preachers who felt that they acre
cutting out new road hall way be
tween Arminianisaa and Calvan'sm
that would be enduring as time ltselt
Ii locked we'll on paper, and sounded
fine an resolutions, bgt after the mar
risae had been celebrated, legal docu
ments signed. property transferred
and everybody expected to be happy
divorce was soon called for, anC
that brought on trouble at once.
# the time ever comes when VI
shall be asked to take up our belong
;nos and 90 to live with rich siste
(no matter how kind she is), | wan
it left to vote of the church mem
hers, ranging in age from L to lO
wears old. SO that it may be done b
the consent Of the governed. AS
the negro problem, we made salts
factory solution of that years age
when we gave them property ordalr
ed Bishops Of their own color. st
them up in business to Ethemselve
and nursed them until they coul
stand alone. Now they and we ar
both doing we'll in the same territor
without any clash Of authority
misunderstanding of any kind. Uni
all these Methodisms and the coIore
L.o,bor would be entitled to a Bishc
presiding over a white Conference
the South. The white brother wou
he conspicuous by his absence. |
nreserve the itinerant system,
Bishop must be able to preside ov
anv Conference in the Church, ar
we claim that our system is the be
in the world, and cannot afford to
ANYTHING that would tend to cast
shadow on this, our strongest relianc
o carry ont the command 90
into all the world and preach Il
(SospeI," If we now, after near
! half a century's experience along tt
line. should do anything to disturb tt
happy solution Of this vexed probIeI
we ought to suffer the consequenc
that would be sure to follow. SOF
DeOule are infatuated with the idea