Bridgeton pioneer., 1916-07-13

principles of Bishop James Osgood
Andrew, whose father had been
ranger during the Revolutionary war
and minister himself. Bishop An
drew began preaching at the age of
20 and later had pastorate at impor-
tant cities in North Carolina and
Georgia.
A Bishop and His Slaves
Mrs. Leonora Greenwood, his sec
ond wife, whom he married in 1874.
owned several slaves. Under the law
he had rights in her property, but he
renounced the rights Immediately af-
ter the wedding A negro woman.
however, had been previously left Gin
his charge" by deceased member of
his congregation. The will gave the
woman the option of going to Liberia
or Of remaining with Bishop Andrew.
She choose to stay In Georgia and
was a member of the Andrew house
hold.
A negro boy, the property of his
first wife, had also been inherited by
the bishop. At the general confer
ence of the Methodist Church, held in
Philadelphia, in 1914, vigorous dis
cuss1on occurred over the fact that
Bishop Andrew was a Shareholder. A
resolution was adopted by a vote of
III to SO, denouncing that he cease
performing the functions of his office
so long as he owned slaves.
Andrew meant to resign his office,
ut the Southern delegates to the
convention formally asked him not to
do So The delegates represented 13
conferences. They disputed the au-
thority of the general conference to
nuddle with the episcopacy, or the
government of the church by its
bishops, and avoided all discussion OF
the slavery question. To them the
action of the general conference was
illegal and one that ground alone
they made their contest.
There was belief" Bishop Gran
ston said to the present interviewer
that the division of 1914 in the Meth
odlst Church actually led to the di-
vision of the States In 1861, but l have
never thought so.'
The Methodist Episcopal Church.
Southu, was organized in 1S45. An
aW was promptly elected senior
bishop and held that office until his
death in 1871. Attempts were made
soon after the civil war to reunite the
denomination. There were meetings
of the bishops and friendly commun-
ications' back and forth, but no ac-
ton was taken.
Feeling ran high, and the South.
beaten on the field of battle, was
broken In property and was being
ruled by "carpet-baggers. The North
ern Church did not recognize the
Southern Church officially until
1872. Up to that year the Southern
Church was merely looked upon as
a secessionist. The publishing house
Of the denomination, founded at the
close of the eighteenth century with
$500 that had been borrowed had de-
veloped into valuable property.
A Lawsuit Over Property
The Southern Church. on its SEN
aration from the Church at the North
asked for its share of the assets of
the publishing house. A rebel. it was
decided, had no rights in the Church
it had tried to destroy, nor, logically,
In its property. The United States
Supreme Court, however, took a con.
trary view of the case and an equit-
able partition was ordered. In the
end, cash settlement was made.
During the last A years the church
of the North has regarded the Church
of the South as a free and independ-
ent body, and in 1876, four years af-
ter this recognition, commissioners
representing both branches of Meth
odism met at Cape May and unani-
mously agreed to what they called a
Declaration and Basis of Fraternity"
Each of the Churches, it was as
serted, his legitimate branch of
Episcopal Methodism in the United
States, having common origin In
the Methodist Episcopal Church Or
ganized in 1884.
|since the organization Of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South,
was consummated in 1S45", read the
declaration and basis, "by the volun-
tary exercise of the right of the
Southern Annual Conference, minis
ters and members, to adhere to that
communion, it has been an evangel-
ino1