5. Church Union.

• 4th March.—Leader, "Methodists in Conference," incidentally.
• 5th March.—Leader, "Bible Society Centenary," incidentally.
• 9th April, Leader, 24 inches, "Church Union and Doctrinal Tests." Chiefly historic, defining position of movement. Sympathetic, represents movement as "symptom of widening spirit of charity."
• 16th April.—Letter from Dr. Gibb, dated 12th April, one column (22 inches). "Permit me to thank you for your able and timely article. . . . Your statement of the benefits that would be secured by a union . . could not be bettered." "I am sorry to have to agree with you that the present outlook is not as promising as might be wished."
• 23rd April.—Headed Article, 8 inches, summarising letters from Wanganui and Dunedin in reference to Leader of 9th.
• 20th June.—Leader, 10 inches, "Church Union," the subject before the Methodist Conference. "There is apparently a page 5 somewhat prevalent delusion that the advocates of union are indifferent as to creed, and either reject or ignore the Scriptures as a Divine revelation. So far, not one syllable appears to have been uttered at any religious conference to warrant such an impression. The loyalty of the Methodist unionists to their church is as unimpeachable as that of their Presbyterian brethren, and the actual basis of union is the book which every church holds sacred. The suggestion that the movement is in any way an outcome of 'modern Biblical criticism' is preposterous."
• 3rd August.—Leader, "Dead Hand in Churches," deals also with subject.
• Various Dates.—Meetings of Presbyteries and Kirk sessions in Wellington district, and resolutions passed, have been recorded in Post.