The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-01

taken of some of our honorable alumni lawyers, doctors, teachers. ministers, with present glee club singers and football players-a sturdy bunch not clad in cradle clothes, but sporting the well padded habiliments for hitting mans line hard--the cradle days are done away.
 Beginning as far back as 1892 and continuing for a dozen years or more, it used to be that with the coming of an annual conference occasion In north Alabama, 1t was regular Johnny get your gun ruction." And some Of us licked and some of us got licked. But that day is passed; happily passed! And now, to all intents and purposes, we are all original new college men even those of us who "stirred the animals" on the other side, we are all solemnly asserting that the founding of that college was the sanest idea ever, and the consummation Of wisest "conference politics" Selah. We are all on the band wagon now. With three cheers and a tiger for Birmingham col lege and President Simpson, his faculty and his boys.
 The Woman's College of Alabama
 With the Alabama conference north Alabama Is interested in the joint own ership of the Woman's college Of Ala bama, in the capital city of the state However euphonious and otherwise that name may be, there should be no question. it is a titlement having sound to it, and sense. too. And the claim Is that 1t lives up alike to the sense. the sound and the euphony. It is an "A grade" institution and doing finely, thank you. Dr. w E. Martin is the distinguished president And some folks do say that he did mighty fine days work when he fastened to the faculty With platform privileges) that fine young north Alabama minister, Rev. MT. Bowen-and none the less MT. Bowen's mighty fine young wife (nee Miss Nellie Sloss of Birmingham).
 But speaking of fine things. The Ala hama conference can be counted gen erally to do some exceedingly fine things. When they faced advisability or desir- ability for clearing out from classic Tus- kegee with their conference college Tor young ladies. they put some fine wit to work and, with a fine plan" came with proposal to north Alabama, Come, thou, and go with us in this lovely un- dertaking-let us build jointly" North Alabama was flattered by contemplation of so promising a compact. heard with charmed attention conditions of the al- liance gladly and thankfully needed and promised to put up the conditional ducats and still holds on. Well, there ought to be glory for all--and enough girls, too.
 Missions
 While the conference is awake to the importance of Christian propaganda in foreign fields, and in that behalf does something worth while, there Is not lack of attention to the needy sections at home Fifty pastorates of the conference, with total of 1SS churches, receive as- eiGtanCp from the confaranrp mission board. Of these churches, no less than 25 are urban. Upwards of s160o0 went last year to this cause.
 The missionary affairs of the conference are administered by a board of repre- sentative laymen and minister's with Rev. J. D. Simpson as president, and Rev. R. M. Archibald as secretary. To all practical purposes, Dr. Archibald is the executive branch of the board He is supposed to be possessed of all lore pos sibly pertinent to the broad field of mis- sions. For several years, the mission board has had connected with 1t, and at least technically under it's direction, as conference evangelists, Messrs. J. O. Hanes. J. A. Bowen and J. A. May; to this number is this year added Rev. J. w. Akin. As to the work of the first three, the board reported to the last con- ference that these three evangelists to- gether-witnessed 5000 conversions and 2360 additions to our church." As the board was discussing home affairs, the implica- ton seems, that these additions were to home churches; in which case, these three evangelists did the prodgious thing of bringing into the church in north Ala bama almost half the total additions re- ported for 1913 by 262 pastors surely a praiseworthy result for the evangelists. But some doubt is entertained as to the pertinency of these figures to north Ala bama alone.
 The Women's Missionary society has compact organization in the conference bounds, with highly creditable results raising last year and administering above $45,o00
 Church Extension
 MT. J. H. Wilson of Lincoln is chair man of the conference board of church extension. having in hand, as a sort of essential auxiliary to the mission enterprises, the matter of affording aid to communities struggling to se- cure proper church edifices Through this board the conference undertook some years ago important aid in build ing at Montevallo such a house of wor- ship as would meet the needs incident to the presence there of the great Ala oama Polytechnic Institute for Girls.
 Orphanage
 Tn connection with the Alabama con-
 l in the ownership and administration Of the Alabama Methodist orphanar re at Selma. Rev. J. c. Craig, a member or this conference. is in charge. The orphanage has a creditable record.
 Sylacauga
 Sylacauga. where the conference is to meet. Is at the crossing of the Gen. tral Of Georgia and Louisville and Nashville railroads: beautiful, for sit- uation. In fertile valley of vast pos- sihilities; about 1t are the famous mar ble deposits, already a fine commercial asset and destined to become immense ly more so: there are three cotton mills. giving employment to increasing num- ters. and swelling the volume of busi- ness; 1t Is the seat of the Fourth Dis trict Agricultural schoo It's church edifices and public buildings are in keeping with the thrift and develop ment which for several years have been notable characteristic of the place: and the public spirit of It's citizens sets off agreeably the natural and ac- quired advantages of the locality.
 The Methodist pastor at Sylacauga is the Rev. l.. F. Parrish, who at the end of his third year. is under the