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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 15 FORMER METHODIST MINISTER (Continued from Page 3) me to do likewise. But she thought I should wait until I was older and could appreciate better the signifi cance of such an action. This is easily understood when one considers how many Protestants regard Baptism only as a sign, and in no wise necessary for salvation. But I did not want to delay, and I finally obtained permission to join the Methodist Church. I began my first studies at six years of age, in a private school, and continued to attend private schools until I was about eleven or twelve years old; then I entered the public grammar school. I was of a timid, sensitive nature, and had a tender conscience, conse quently I was filled with horror many times at the profanity and obscenity of the boys. My mother’s injunction, not to remain in company with boys whose conversations and actions were bad, together with a fear of offending God, won for me many a taunt and mockery, and made me feel even at that age how narrow and lonely is the way of righteousness. But God’s grace was with me, and the moral battles and victories of those days were the formation and strengthening of the soul for greater difficulties later on. During this time I was faithful to my Christian duties, such as constant at tendance at Church, Sunday School, reading the Holy Scriptures, daily prayers, etc.; besides I was a mem ber of the Juvenile Missionary Society. My father being well-off desired to give me a good education; so at fifteen or sixteen years of age, I began to study at Emory College, only two miles distance from Cov ington. I continued there until I had completed the required course and received my diploma of B.Ph. degree. The college being a Methodist institution its general tone was religious, and there were in both faculty and student body many earnest Christians. Dr. Warren Candler was then president, and was con secrated Bishop of the Methodist Church in 1898, the year of my graduation. His lectures and sermons, with those of Dr. Dickey, certainly had a strong for mative influence upon my intellectual and religious life. It was during my student days at Emory, while in the junior class, that there came to me a deepening of my religious ideas and a formal and definite deci sion concerning life’s work. What a vast difference between a youth of twelve and a young man of nine teen! Those intervening years had been passed in a manner faithful and true to God, according to the light I had; but the time was now at hand when I should see all things in a greater light, and should make decisions which have been my stay and strength until this present day. It came about in this way: At Covington, in my church, was held a revival meeting, conducted by Rev. E. M. Stanton. The even ing services were addressed particularly to sinners and back-slidden Christians, while those of the morn ing were directed principally to deepen the life of prayer and personal piety of the more faithful Chris tians. As I had always been identified with every thing which promoted religion and the interests of my church, I soon threw myself heartily into this re vival, helping by prayer and personal work. God abundantly blessed me, and it was especially in the services conducted for professed Christians that 1 began to see my need of being all for Jesus and the great responsibility of my soul s welfare, as well as that of my fellowmen. So after the close of the re vival there remained impressed upon my heart and mind some great truths which transformed my whole life, and from which, by the grace of God, I have never receded. As I have said above, I was then in the junior class at college, and it was most natural for my father to expect that I should begin to have some definite ideas about a profession in life, and he from time to time spoke of it. Finally I decided to become an architect, and as there was then at Emory a course embracing some of the more elementary principles of architec tural drawing, I added it to my other studies. But all this had been done without considering whether God wished it or not—done more or less because my father wanted me to have some profession and be cause it was time to be planning something, as col lege days would soon be over. (To be continued next month.) THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. (Continued from Page 13) to know and to follow that which is right and true. Yours co rdially, W. R. HERVEY. From all evidences, the alleged K. of C. Oath was composed either by the editor of The Menace, an anti- Catholic paper, or by a member of its staff. As to the Catholics pledging themselves to the Pope in politics, the man who occupies the Vatican has no more to do with the politics and ambitions of Macon Catholics, and of any others that we know, than Mr. Harding has with the politics of Democratic Catholics. These are facts that can be easily proven. The court records of Philadelphia, Pa., where Charles Megonegal, a printer, on February 20, 1913, pleaded guilty to printing libelous matter (the alleged Oath) ; the court records of Waterville, Minn., July 24, 1914; those of St. John, Newfoundland, February 18, 1913; the findings of the Protestant committee of Seattle, Wash., September 1, 1912; the result of the Ontario investigation all these stamp the alleged Oath and similar matter as being false documents composed out side of Catholic organizations by a man or men not acquainted with the methods of the Knights of Columbus. The Macon Telegraph is in no way connected with Catholics. It is simply a matter of duty that prompts us to make statements in the interest of sanity and justice. There will be no religious dissension in the city of Macon in this regard—for such would be as strongly put down as would any other undesirable thing. And we do not believe that the selfish political maneuvers of men who are this year attacking the Catholic Church in Georgia will delude the sanely thinking people of the State nor affect in the least the excellent relations that exist between Georgia Catholics and people of other faiths.