Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-10-11


Episcopal Church. Besides the thirty-three
Bishops in attendance. and some two hundred
or more clerical and lay delegates. all Of
whom are being entertained at the private
residences of our bospitable citizens, all of
our hotels and boarding houses are crowded
| with persons attracted by curiosity and
| higher motives TO witness the proceedings
and debates of the Convention. II 4
| We do not recollect ever to have seen a
larger number of strange faces in our streets
than at present crowd them. We pass every
moment in the principal tho.ou ghfares rep
| r. sentatatives ofsal1 sections of the Union
| The conservative, national character of this
| Convention presents much to admire and
cheer the friends of fraienal. national feeling
between The free and slave States.
Mr.. Calhoun. our readers will remember,
in the last address hich be delivered in the
Senate of the United States, a1verted to the
fact that slavery agiation-that bane and
curse of our countrywide severed the bonds
| OF fraternal union of three of the four princi-
| pal religious denominations of this country
OF these denominations the Episcopal Church.
patriotic aud conservative. alone remains I'M
disturbed by that fanatical rage and insane
fury which has forced the faithful and loyal
! Southern members of other denominations to
sever all connection with those who in the
better days of the Republic were their friends
and brethren. The General Conventions of
| the Episcopal Church have never been dis
turbed 10y discussion OF sectional and political
questions. Crowded as our city is with bish-
ops. clergy-men, and lay delegates. repre-
seDiing every section of the Union, the most
| impulsive Southern man fails to hear one
word offensive to his prejudices and opinions
The delegates to the Convention all seem
| impressed with the conviction that they are
here to faithfully represent thu sacred inter
eas OF great and conservative religious de-
nomination. The presence, therefore. of
| these able, pious, patriotic representatives of
one of the Oldest, most intelligent and pa
triOtic religious denominations of the Repub-
lie is source of unalloyed qualification to
our citizens. who daily fill to overlooking the
1 spacious and beautiful edifce in which the
sessions of the Convention are held
| Whilst all the members of the House of
Bishops are men of eminent piety and the
biological attainments, many OF them also en-
joy a natiosal reputation for literary ac-
qurements of the highest order.
The educational works of Bishop Potter,
of Pennsylvania, have tended greatly to pro
mote the cause of popular instruction in the
| Middle and Northern States Bishop Hon.
| kins' admirable book, THE American Citi-
| Gen." is not only one of the most patriotic
but also one of the most powerfully written
books of the present century. The antigua
rian researches into the early Church Histo-
|
| collected aud published in two large vol
umes, form two OF the most curious and val
liable volumes of early colonial history ex-
| tant.
| Whilst all of the Bishops are able. clear
and fOrcible preachers, several of them rank
among the most eloquent pulpit orators of
this country. Bishop Mcllwaine of Ohio,
| Bishop Johns of Virginia, and Bishop Elliott
| of Georgia are men of rare talents. In the
1 - n 4 ~
names of many of the most distinguished and
| eloquent ministers OF the United States.
Among them is DR.. Francis l.. Hawkes. of
New York, not only famous a most eff
cient pulpit orator. but still more widely
known for his historical, literary and anti
| quaran writings. DIR. Vinton of New York.
| il also a man OF national reputation. Massa-
chusetts sends among her clerical delegates
DIR. Nicholson. formerly of Ohio, who we re-
gard a. one Of the most forcible and eloquent
| ministers in the United States.
| Among the lay delegates are many gentle
men whose names are as familiar as house
hold words men long distinguished as jurists
| and statesmen. New York is as ably repre-
sented in her lay in her clerical delegates.
| Ex Governors Horatio Seymour and WASH
ington Hunt, the representative men of two
of the great political parties of New York,
men eminent for their patriotism and ability,
and high upon the list of probable Presi-
dents" for the first time in th,ir lives meet
amicably in the same Convention. 10
Mr.. Robert c.. Winthrop, for many years n
Distinguished member of Congress. and a
scholar and statesman of the rank of Choate
and Webster, is one of the lay delegates from
Massachusetts. Sonth Carolina is ably repre-
sentented by Hon. e. G. Memminger, perhaps
the aalest and most distinguished lawyer of
that State. California. our distant sister of
the Paicic. sends as one OF her lay delegates,
The Hon. Edward Stanley, Who WIS some
dozen years ago a dashing, hre-eating number
of Congress from North Carolina. He is
now successful lawyer in California, and
takes the world more quietly than he did
when politician. Among the lay delegates
from Virginia we can recall the name OF but
one. aud that is Judge John Taylor Lomax,
the Story OF the South AS a jurist, aud
a valuable contributor to our legal lItera-
ture.
As it has always been the policy of the
Protestant Episcopal Church to select the
clerical and lay delegates from among the
most distinguished men Of the Church, the
Convention now in session contains much OF
the bert talent of the United States. The
Convention. withal, represents the educated
talent of the land. and glance at this dis
linguished body shows that its members are
as remarkable for gentlt manly urbanity
and refinement. as they for piety and
conservative patriotism. The debates of this
body will no doubt be deely interesting, not
only TO those connected with the Episcopal
Church. but to the public at large.
The session of the General Convention of
the Episcopal Church continues generally
from three tn four weeks. The last Conven-
Iiou Was held in Philadelphia in 1856. II
commenced its deliberations Gu the lst dav
of October, and continued in session eighteen
days, frequently holding All evening. as well
a. morning session. Some idea of the
amount of work done may be iOrmd from
the fact that the journal Of the Convention
fills a closely printec volume of nearly five
hundred ages.
In CHANGING over the pages Of this journal,
we are enabled TO ascertain the character,
magnitude. and variety OF the lubors per-
formed by the two houses, into which the
General Convention is devided. viz: the
House OF Bishops" and the House of ''Cler-
ical and Lay Delegates" Representing, as
these august bodies do. the Episcopal Church
OF every State and Territory in the United
States, It's labors embrace multitude Of diff
ferent subjects. The business OF the Conven-
ton. like that OF livery well regulated DELHI
erative body, is assigned 10 a number OF stan
ding Committees. The most important Of
these committees OF the House of Clerical
and Lay Delegates. are required TO examine
and report upon the following subjects: L. On
the state of the Church. 2. The Theological
Seminaries OF the Church. g. On the For
eigu aud Domestic Missionary Society. 4.
On the New Diocrscs. 5. On the Consecra-
ton of Bishops 6. On the Canous OF Church.
J. On Ell elton ofClercal and Lay Delegates.
s. On Expenses. 8. On the Prayer Book.
10. On the Unfinished Business. In addition
to these committees the following are appoin-
ted TO sit during the recess of the General
| Convention:
Committee of the House OF Deputies on a
Stand ard Bible. On Typographical Errors
| in the Standard Bible. To prepare a Digest
| Of the Canons OF the Church. Trustees OF
| Missionary Bishops Fund. On Friendly in