The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-15

lar period in the history of the two terms the power and progfess of these two religious bodies in their separate organizations. When they shall come together, if the present movement shall be successful, the size, religious en- thusiasm, enterprise and financial abil- ity of this body may well command the attention of the world.
 These two churches have for several years discussed the feasibility and prac- ticability of a union. There have been serious objections offered in both bodies to every plan heretofore suggested. These objections have risen on account of the different attitudes of the two churches concerning questions which have been considered vital. One of the chief questions or disturbances has been the difference in attitude of the two churches toward what is known as the race problem or the problem of prop erly relating the white and colored pee ple in their church activity. The Southern Methodist church has held to the theory that the colored people un- der all existing circumstances would be happier and more prosperous if they worshipped and functioned in an organ ization composed of their own race and color, and therefore by common agree ment, all the colored people adhering to the Southern Methodist church were in 1870 set off in distinct church to themselves called the "Colored Metho- dist Episcopal church" and one mill lion five hundred thousand dollars worth of property was transferred to this church. The Northern church, partly because heretofore there have been so few colored people in the north that in many sections it was not possible for them t have church of their own and their presence scat tered here and there in their c0ngre- gation was scarcely noticeable, held to the position of inter-race relations in church membership. Since so many colored people have recently gone north and since the problem which fora long time was sectional has now become na- tional, the two churches are coming closer and closer together in their ideas concerning this question and this makes>a union of the two churches more feasible. ss.
 Another, element of disagreement has been the different attitudes of the two churches toward the relations and activities of women in church work. The Southern church has followed more closely the conservative policy followed by most of the religious denominations ordaining only men for the ministry of the Word and using men largely in the important church offices and, duties. The Northern Methodist church has been more radical in it's dealings with this question, having at its last con ference ordained women to the ministry The recent legislations throughout the world giving to women the rights of full citizenship including the right to vote. and to hold office the changing customs of the country under which women are now functioning in all de partments of business, in professions and politics the constantly widening policy of all the religious denominations in the use of women in official boards, conferences, in the Sunday school and in all the modern organizations of church work has brought all the churches & little closer together in regard to woman and her call tC God to function in various departments of both secular and religious work.
 Another item of disagreement is the claim that there is a greater tendency in the Northern church to open the gates on, the side of worIdiness and more of what is known as Modern. ism" It is loosely reported here and there that the Northern Methodist church at its last general conference annulled the laws restricting dancing and other worldly amusements. As q matter of fact, what the Northern Meth. odist general conference did was to strike out a paragraph in their disci