The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-04
NO CLEAVAGE ALONG
SECTIONAL LINES IN
JOINT Commission
Rev. DR.. Asbury Christian, Back from
Baltimore. Says Published Reports
Were Incorrect and Unjust.
SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS
MADE IN UNION WORK
Spirit Of Harmony Manifest In Entire
Commission and No Obstacles OF
Tnsupcrablc Nature Encountered to
Prevent Methodist Union.

Rev. Or. Asbury Christian returned
yesterday from Baltimore. where he
had been attending the meeting of the
Commission on Unification of Episco-
pal Methodism. DR.. Christian is very
much interested in the subject OF
unification. which has been endorsed
by the general conferences, the law
making bodies. OF the church North
and the church South.
ut is very unfortunate" said Dr.
Christian. that an erroneous report
should have been published In an
evening paper in Baltimore and tele-
graphed to other papers throughout
the country. That report says: With
out effecting a plan for uniting the
Episcopal Methodisms. and with the
Southern commission split wide open
on the negro question. the Commits
sion on Unification of the Methodist
Episcopal Church and the Methodist
Episcopal Church. South. finally ad-
journed their Baltimore conference
this afternoon. II is understood that
some twenty OF the Southern COM
missioners. led by Bishop Warren
Gambler, of Atlanta, Ga. and Bishop
Collins Denny. of Richmond, Va.
have set themselves uncompromising-
ly against any plan of unification that
will give to negroes the right of mem
bership in the proposed united church
The other Southern commissioners
about thirty In number. are said 10
be willing to make concessions on
the question, though even in their
proposals tho color line would be
drawn sharply
This statement, which Is a pure
invention and untrue, is unjust both
70 hn tcs =
Bishops Gambler and Denny. In the
first place. there are only twenty-five
commissioners from the Southern
Church, and In the second place. there
was no split whatever. but rather ar
unlocked for agreement concerning
the vital issues. The Fundamental
questions to be settled are: The gen.
eral conference and its powers: the
jurisdictionaI conference and its pow.
ers. and the status OF the colered
membership of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church in the reorganized
church. 1t was not expected that
questions vitality affecting six or ten
millions of people could have been
settled in three or four days: 1t will
be the work of months and even Of
years. Substantial progress was made
at the Baltimore meeting. and when
one recalls the brotherly feeling and
1uTlSIlke spirit winch peENdueu every
I session, he cannot but hope for the
largest and best results. In the de-
bates. which were OF an exceptionally
high order. not harsh nor an UNI
kind word was spoken by anyone
Neither did Ii appear that anyone was
there to insist upon his own precon-
ceived ideas, or to urge his own plans
and certainly no one even intimated
a desire to take any advantage OF
his brother. or to put anything upon
them. rather did they appear to be
devoted men facing great problems
and earnestly desiring and prayine
that they might be able to solve these
problems for the Son of God and the
highest good of all at interest. Not
only was there no split in either the
Northern nor the Southern commits.
sion, nor In the joint commission. put
| it may be truthfulIy said that there
was no line OF cleavage marked by
sectional influence: men on both sides
offered plans looking to the solution
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