a new
corporation to be known as the United Church Limited or by some similar
name. All the present mortgagees will be converted into unified
bondholders, the pew rents will be capitalized into preferred stock and
the common stock, drawing its dividend from the offertory, will be
distributed among all members in standing. Skinyer says that it is
really an ideal form of church union, one that he thinks is likely to
be widely adopted. It has the advantage of removing all questions of
religion, which he says are practically the only remaining obstacle to
a union of all the churches. In fact it puts the churches once and for
all on a business basis."

"But what about the question of doctrine, of belief?" asked Mr.
Newberry.

"Skinyer says he can settle it," answered Mr. Furlong.

* * * * *

About a week after the above conversation the united trustees of St.
Asaph's and St. Osoph's were gathered about a huge egg-shaped table in
the board room of the Mausoleum Club. They were seated in intermingled
fashion after the precedent of the recent Tin Pot Amalgamation and were
smoking huge black cigars specially kept by the club for the promotion
of companies and chargeable to expenses of organization at fifty cents
a cigar. There was an air of deep peace brooding over the assembly, as
among men who have accomplished a difficult and meritorious task.

"Well, then," said Mr. Skinyer, who was in the chair, with a pile of
documents in front of him, "I think that our general basis of financial
union may be viewed as settled."

A murmur of assent went round the meeting. "The terms are set forth in
the memorandum before us, which you have already signed. Only one other
point--a minor one--remains to be considered. I refer to the doctrines
or the religious belief of the new amalgamation."

"Is it necessary to go into that?" asked Mr. Boulder.

"Not entirely, perhaps," said Mr. Skinyer. "Still there have been, as
you all know, certain points--I won't say of disagreement--but let us
say of friendly argument--between the members of the different
churches--such things for example," here he consulted his papers, "as
the theory of the creation, the salvation of the soul, and so forth,
have been mentioned in this connection. I have a memorandum of them
here, though the points escape me for the moment. These, you may say,
are not matters of first importance, especially as compared with the
intricate financial questio