Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-27

superintendent OF the work of the
church.
"A bishop may be assigned to
administer in any part of the
church, provided that when he is as
signed to administer within the iu.
risdiction other than that by which
he was elected it shall be with the
consent of the majority of the bish-
ops of the jurisdiction involved
Il am not saying anything against
the election of negroes to the office
of bishop in the church north; for
that may be desirable in that branch
Of Methodism since it has several
hundred thousands of negro mem
bers But the negro members of
the Methodist Episcopal church,
south, were, at their request, set up
as an independent church in 1870,
our bishops ordaining bishops for
that church, which is now known as
the 'Colored Methodist Episcopal
church I may remark in passing
that though this church, set up by
us, has not had a great deal of finan.
cial help from us, and has had many
obstacles to overcome, it's member
ship has grown rapidly and now is
nearly as large as the colored mem
bership of the Methodist Episcopal
church, north.
Judicial Council
''C9) Article TX of the plan pro
poses to erect a most extraordinary
i,,Ii iOl ti-v,
may be of both white members and
colored members, and doubtless
would be composed of both, and
whose unreversibe decisions would
be made by a majority of the mem
bers of the council. 1t is not neces-
sarv to remark upon the possible
evils which would arise from the
proceedings of such a council.
100 The plan, as a whole, is
quite dangerous in that it leaves so
many essential things to be determ-
ined after it is adopted. 1t seeks to
get the two churches into the loose
RECONSTRUCTED ecclesia sticism which
it proposes, and leaves for future
discussion and adoption many things
which, if brought forward now,
would meet instant and energetic re-
JSCIlOu. r VI one, l. 90 IlcI WISH "
engage in this dealing in futures
1t is fraught with danger to both
branches of American Methodism.
1T means also the certain impair
ment of Methodism in the southern
states, and very probably its inn
pairment in all the other states. The
degree of injury would vary with
the conditions in the states affected.
but it would be hurtful in all the
states of the Union.
Bishop Neeley's Condemnation
cat least one bishop of the north
ern church considers the proposed
plan defective and dangerous. In
Zion Herald BOston), of May Z
the very day on which the Northern
General conference adopted the
plan with such apparent unanimi-
ty-Bishop Thomas &. Neeley print
ed an article in opposition to the
plan closing his strong condemna-
ton Of it thus:
1.-The separation continues from
bottom to top, and at the top they
Ghe two churches) are not united as
one. but are bound together like
two men tied together with rope
around their threats, so that in their
struggles they are likely to choke
each other, and neither VIII nave
freedom. except TO cry: Who shall
deliver me from the body OF TINS
death?'
"In that stranglehold relation the
two bodies are to fight out their de-
sires and demands with the prob
ability of repeating the experiences
of the historic Kilkenny cats. AL
ready there are serious injuries pro
l,,tx 1f ~.
church. 1t Is the worst scheme ever
invented. 1t is not a unification,
and is something to be Stunned as
a viper
Il would not express my disap-
prevail of the plan in the language
of Bishop Nicely; but L do regard
it as the worst ever proposed, and
he is right when he says 1T is not
unification.' Most certainly 1T is
not unification at all, but rather
case of dangerous bifurcation.