The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-28
LIVE CHURCH NEWS
 OF WHOLE WORLD New Head of Astor Family
 Is Churchman BAPTIST BOARD DEBT Much Unrest Evident in Methodism
BAPTIST BOARD DEBT
Much Unrest Evident in Methodism Over Financial Methods-Uni0n Seminary Again Attacked.
 New Cardinals Likely

William Vincent Astor. now head of the American branch of the Astor fam fly, and coming into control of s150,- 0O0,000, Is not yet of age. He takes a keen interest, it Is said by his rec ter, in Christian work and has done so for some years. Often of late years his father, Col. John Jacob Astor, who went down with the Titanic, attended church on Sundays through the infiu- ence of his son Vincent The father was a vestryman of the Church of Messiah, Rhinebeck on the Hudson,s a church which he built almost entire Vincent's grandmother. the late Mrs Astor, owned pew sin St. Thomas Epis- copal church, New York, and Colonel Astor retained 1t. He also owned a pow in Trinity chapel, New York.
 Colonel Astor was for some years trustee of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, and gave s10O,- 900 toward its building fund of $3,50O,- 900. He Is now declared to have given much more money to charities even to missions. than was generally supposed, and his fellow vestrymen in Rhinebeck speak in much higher terms of him so- cially than have men of New York in late years with whom he has had bus mess dealings. It is said the former really knew the man. the latter did >fiot.
 It is fact not generally known that after Cornelius Vanderbilt died, and AL fred Gwynne Vanderbilt came to be head of the family with nearly the same amount of money in control as now has Vincent Astor. some Christian fnen of New York, ministers and lay rlen, sought an interview with him, and obtained it.. They reminded young Vanderbilt that the Vanderbilt name de- inanded that reasonable number of memberships on missionary, charitable and perhaps church boards be held, end that regular if not always large gifts ought to be made. They remind ed the young man also that they spoke not so much for gifts, as they did to be of real assistance in helping him to maintain the traditions of a wealthy and honorable family name.
 Half dozen versions of what actual ly took place at the interview have been given out. None are of much import Gnce beyond the fact that little ap- pieciatfon of the purport of the visit was thought to have been expressed by the young man waited upon. Moth Ing to speak of came of the interview and the offer. Alfred Gwynne Wander bilt is not known to have given much money to charity and less to Christian causes, if some gifts to Yale are ex- cepted, and he has not taken time to serve on any mission boards as his father did
 Vincent Astor promises rather moro The Astors are Episeopalians for gen erations although the original Astor was German, and Vincent is doubly reinforced in Christian ancestry, and Episcopal as we'll through his mother The Wfllings of Philadelphia were long active and liberal Episcopalians. Vim cent Astor has been confirmed and Is reported to go, when a home in Rhine beck, to celebrations of the holy com munion with regularity. He has had iltte or no church life in New York city, having lived most of each year at Newport or Rhnebec1x, but he is said at Cambridge to have entered to some extent into the life which eenters in Phillips Brooks house, the religious headquarters of Harvard university. Older men will make, at the propar time, the same offer to Astor that tbex. 1lade 10 Vanderbilt, and with the same helpful intention behind it.