feature about that dispute: the nine persons
who decided alike, quoted not a single authority in support of their
position. I do not know when I have seen trained disputants do the like
of that before. The nine merely furnished their own opinions, founded
upon--nothing at all. In the other dispute ("Did Jesus anywhere claim to
be God?") the same kind of men--trained and learned clergymen--backed up
their arguments with chapter and verse. On both sides. Plenty of verses.
Were no reinforcing verses to be found in the present case? It looks
that way.

The opinion of the nine seems strange to me, for it is unsupported
by authority, while there was at least constructive authority for the
opposite view.

It is hair-splitting differences of opinion over disputed text-meanings
that have divided into many sects a once united Church. One may
infer from some of the names in the following list that some of
the differences are very slight--so slight as to be not distinctly
important, perhaps--yet they have moved groups to withdraw from
communions to which they belonged and set up a sect of their own. The
list--accompanied by various Church statistics for 1902, compiled by
Rev. Dr. H. K. Carroll--was published, January 8, 1903, in the New York
Christian Advocate:

Adventists (6 bodies), Baptists (13 bodies), Brethren (Plymouth) (4
bodies), Brethren (River) (3 bodies), Catholics (8 bodies), Catholic
Apostolic, Christadelphians, Christian Connection, Christian Catholics,
Christian Missionary Association, Christian Scientists, Church of God
(Wine-brennarian), Church of the New Jerusalem, Congregationalists,
Disciples of Christ, Dunkards (4 bodies), Evangelical (2 bodies),
Friends (4 bodies), Friends of the Temple, German Evangelical
Protestant, German Evangelical Synod, Independent congregations, Jews (2
bodies), Latter-day Saints (2 bodies), Lutherans (22 bodies), Mennonites
(12 bodies), Methodists (17 bodies), Moravians, Presbyterians (12
bodies), Protestant Episcopal (2 bodies), Reformed (3 bodies),
Schwenkfeldians, Social Brethren, Spiritualists, Swedish Evangelical
Miss. Covenant (Waldenstromians), Unitarians, United Brethren (2
bodies), Universalists.

Total of sects and splits--139.

In the present month (February), Mr. E. I. Lindh, A.M., has communicated
to the Boston Transcript a hopeful article on the solution of the
problem of the "divided church." Divided is not too violent a term.
Subdivided could have been permitted