The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-06-24


(At the request OF number OF
prominent Methodists who are readers
of The News space is given to the
following article by Bishop Ainsworth
on subject that is now prominently
before that church, in both the south
ern and northern branches.)
The Methodist Episcopal Church in
America was divided in 1874, the two
resulting churches being tamiliarly,
known as the Northern Methodist and
Southern Methodist churches. 1t IS
not necessary now to review the CIR
cunstances which led to this division,
The plan of separation was agreed to
bv the delegates from the north and
south in the General Conference OF
the undivided church, less than a
score Of votes being cast against IT,
For eighty years these two independ-
emf church have prosecuted their work
with such success that both are now
among the largest Protestant Dodles
in the world, the northern church nav
ing 100000 members and the south
ern 100000.
For fifty years fraternal exchanges
have taken place between the church
es at regular intervals and for twenty
wears negotiations have been going on
more or less constantly looking to-
their reunion. Joint commissions have
labored long and earnestly to devise
some acceptable plan OF union A plan
was finished and submitted to the
General Conference OF the northern
church four years ago, but was
promptly rejected by it, or rather was
received with such scant favor that it
was never brought to vote Tor adop-
ton or rejection. A new commission
was appointed two years ago, under a
wider grant of authority with the re-
suit that a new plan has now been
recommended to the two churches.
This new plan has lately received the
approval Of the General Conference OF
the northern church and is now await
ing the action Of the Southern General
Conference. which will soon convene
TO consider it. If the plan should be
approved by the Southern General
Conference (by a tWo-thirds vote, 1t
would then be submitted to all the an
nual conferences of both churches. Its
adoption would require twOthlrds OF
all the votes cast in the Northern An
nual Conferences and three-fourths OF
all the votes in the Southern Annual
Conferences, this being the constitu-
tional process in the two churches.
The plan being now before our church
for official action, l wish to submit
some views concerning it. Action
must now be taken, not on the abb
stract question of Christian union, but
on the particular contract for union
that is now proposed.
After long and careful study of the
terms proposed, / am convinced that
ii will not be wise for our church to
go into a union on this basis and for
the following reasons:
l. The plan does not unite, and
gives no assurance that it ever will.
Its heartiest advocates do not claim
that it is any more than step toward
union and without any guarantees of
what sort of compact may finally re-
suit 1t fails to meet the primary de-
mand out of which all desire for uni
hcation comes, i. G., that these two
churches, identical IN doctrine and
substantially the same in polity,
should not build altar against altar
and waste their men and money in
competitive enterprises. 1t does not
stop this. II ordains in the very be-
ginning that the loose union under
name yet to be selected, shall have
two jurisdictions and identical with
the two churches as they now exist.
The northern jurisdiction will cover
the entire United States and the south
ern jurisdiction will be confined to
the south and west, where it now is,
1t must needs be remembered that the
northern church is not confined to the
north, but has penetrated the south
with its work, until it has annual con
ferences in every southern state and,
OF course, with congregations in many
cities and towns throughout the south.
The northern church has 400, 900
white members i'll the south besides
large work among the negroes. The
plan does not do away with single
conference, church or mission that the
northern church has in the south, but
specifically ordains that all such shall
he in the northern jurisdiction which
will penetrate the heart and almost
every part Of the southern jurisdiction.
After the adoption OF this plan there
will still be in Florida a ST. Johns
River Conference of the northern ju-
risdiction and Florida Conference of
the southern jurisdiction with compel
ing churches in many Florida towns.
The situation in Florida will obtain
in Tennessee Kentucky, Oklahoma,