The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-13
LIVE CHURCH NEWS
 0F WHOLE WORLD
World Methodist Headquar-
 ters in Heart of London
FEARS FOR THE LATINS
Cuban Mission Worker Will Regret American Interference in Mexico. l. Poor Helping the Salvation
 Army Training School

Sir Robert Perks, the foremost Meth odist layman of the world, has so far attained his great ambition as to be able to open the Methodist church house In London This house occupies | the site of the old London Aquarium, and is the center for world Methodism. Much emphasis Is laid by Methodists upon the fact that it is close neighbor to Westminster Abbey and Westmin- ster church house, the world center of the Anglican communion. In some re- spects Methodists surpass both Alp ley and church house, while dissenters have headquarters as advantageous as the best It was Sir Robert well known to American Methodists, who made this great Methodist world center possible. Fresh from his success at raising 1,0o0,- 900 guineas from 100000 Wesleyans, or to be more evact about 750,000 Methodists, he proposed this church house. The English Wesleyans were aghast not merely at the expense to be incurred but also at the boldness Of a nonconformist body venturtng into Westminster's exclusive preserves. The widest followers of John Wesley never dared before to breath such hope. Sir Robert, out of his private resources, put up s1,00o,0Q0 for the site and then appealed to Wesleyans of England to come to his support. He also appealed | to Methodists in America to do the | same.
 Ac In
 succeeded. The balance of the pur- chase money for the site, another $1,- l 0oC, ,OO0 was raised and Methodists
 owned the most strategic site in the
 world for such headquarters. Houses | of parliament are a stones throw dis tant. It Is the center of the world of political. religious and literary affairs, as the small square in front of the mansion house, some miles east is the
 center of the worlds financial affairs. | Sir Robert, in America on business, re- 1 ported the outcome to American Meth | odists with tremendous zest and bade | them enter into the heritage that had | cost them next to nothing.
 During the past decade and half l English Wesleyans have projected and put into successful operations series
 
 in Birmingham, Manchester and some
 other principal provincial cities, and
 are Wesleyan headquarters from which 1 Methodism Is helped. They are build | ings containing primarily great meet | ing places, but also headquarters for
 women's work, for mems work, for social work for the poor. and in these several centers great clubs have been | organized. Especially influential are the 1 clubs of Methodist women. These clubs
 take up not merely Christian but social,
 political prison and other reform, and
 more and more are influential through | out the Kingdom.
 | Carrying out the ideas of Sir Robert, 1 the London hall is the greatest of the English Methodist halls. The women's l headquarters in 1t, designed and built l by English Wesleyan women, are for | the Methodist women of the world. | Social features such as Christian wom- l en of America have not yet ventured l on are incorporated in the new Meth l odist headquarters in Westminster.
 The house itself is not fully completed although just now opened. The hall, | It's central feature. Is the part now ded-
 icated. The cost Is s2,Oo0,0 much of
 which sum has been raised by pop
 ular subscription. American women are | especially invited to make use of the
 accommodations when visiting Eng land.
 Not content with conquests in Eng | land, Sir Robert has repeatedly visited
 America and urged upon Ameriacn Methodists some of his ideas. He wants
 a similar Methodist headquarters Tn
 New York, cooperating with the one l in England, and he desires American I Methodists to have part in his broth
 erhood by which Methodists of the
 world help each other, in whatever Hand they are. He desires Methodists | of all principal American cities to take up the system of lay preachers so suc- cessful in England and Methodists here have given the matter some at tention. The new hall in London, the
 neighbor of Westminster Abbey, Is constructed of stone in Tudor period architecture and compares with the best traditions of England in all re- | spects.
 CoIoyot;ox Arrry Trasu;uu School