New Orleans Republican

PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY

It is a matter of sincere congratulation that Bishop Scott, on his recent visit to Houston, in attendance at the annual conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was received with hospitable respect by the clergy and congregations of the Methodist Church South. The Bishop was accompanied by the Rev. L. C. Matlack, the eloquent and estimable presiding elder of the New Orleans district, and when they arrived in Houston they were met by an invitation from the leading members of the Southern Methodist Church to accept of the hospitality that would have been extended by these Texas Methodists to their own brethren under similar circumstances.

As a matter of course this little mark will kindle a conflagration if it is properly promoted. The leading part in this act of Christian duty and of fraternal kindness, is attributed to the Rev. Mr. Webb, editor of the Houston Telegraph, who is in all things a wise man, a good citizen, and a practical Christian of the Methodist persuasion. His constant object has been to soothe the bitterness of that controversy which has existed between the two bodies of Methodism in the United States, and the fraternal meeting at Houston is of the first fruits.

And, when it is appreciated how strong and progressive the Methodist Church is when it is fully united, this first step toward a genuine reconciliation will gratify all those who desire to promote the growth of every possible moral agency.