Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-12-07
rhe Protestant Episcopal Conven-
ItON.


the request OF an esteemed correspond
emit from Brandon, and copy from the
Vermont Journal the following COM
munication.
DEAR Mr.. EDIr% IL see In your
issue of Oct. 2Sth an article headed,
episcopal Convention" which purports
to describe the work Of the General
(TriennlaD Convention of the Protest.
ant Episcopal Church, on the ninth and
eleventh days Of its three weeks session.
As my name Is mentioned in the arti-
Gle In question, ask your leave to give
the story in brief and To correct the
strange and untoward misapprehension
which / find have prevailed in various
quarters in regard TO this affair.
1t will be recolected that tl0eHty-Sir
dioceses were represented In that Con-
vention, and that every diocese sends
for clerical and four lay delegates. The
Vermont delegation consisted of Rev.
Messrs. Buel, Douglass, Shelton and
Smith, OF the clergy. The lay delega-
ton consisted of Messrs. Keith, Richard
son, Higgins, and Chapman,--one of
whom voted aye at one time or another
during the action upon these resolutions,
and another declared that he would
have done the same had he been present.
On the eighth day of the session,
message was received by the lowerHouse
from the House of Bishope, as follows
Resoleed, That the House of Bishops, in
consideration of the return of Peace TO
the country and Unity To the Church.
propose To devote Tuesday the 18th inst,
as day of Thanksgiving and Prayer to
Almighty God for these, His inestimable
benefits; and that an appropriate SER
vice be prepared, under the directions of
the five senior Bishops, to be held in st.
Luke's Church.
Resolpsd, That the Bishops atiectionate-
~ request the House of Clerical and Lay
Deputies to join in with them in the OBJ
Thanksgiving.
To this the House unanimously respond
ed with the following
Resolced, That this House, recognizing
with profound gratitude the goodness of
Almighty God manifested in the return
of National Peace and Union, will cordi-
ally unite in the Thanksgiving services
appointed by the House of Bishops on
Tuesday next.
Now, on the day after this, Mr.. Binney
offered the following resolution:
Resoiped, That this House &c, &c,
most respectfully express to the House
OF Bishops its earnest desire that, IL the
religious services to be appointed for
that day, especial thanks be offered to
Almighty God for the re-establishment
of the national authority over our whole
country, and for the removal Of the
great occasion of national dissension
and estrangement to which our late
troubles are due.
This resolution, ignoring the previous
days action of the Convention, was
tabled by heavy vote. The motion to
reconsider that vote was also laid on
the table. This last vote was "by do
ceses and orders" The clergy vote of
twenty dioceses was yea, against the
clergy vote Of six dioceses, nag and the
lay vote of fifteen dioceses, yea, against
the lay vote Of seven dioceses, nag.
On the eleventh day of the session.
being the day appointed, the House of
Bishops, with the House of Clerical and
Lay Delegates, and an immense con-
gregation, gathered in St. Lukes Church
and Joined in that solemn and impressive
service, "in which there was not jar
ring note Gom first to last The col
lection taken at this service was deyot-
ed to the Church Freedman's Commits
sion.
On the retarn of the lower House to
business, in the course of that same
afternoon, Mr.. Binney offered the series
of fo's resolutions, of which you printed
t,c0 The first twO, in the face of the SOL
emu act Of Thanksgiving in which the
Convention had joined in the morning,
assume that Thanksgiving had not been
offered. The third and fourth resolutions
ass1nni that an address of sympathy from
the Synod of the Canadian Church had
DECLARED slavery to be the cause of our
late troubles, and ask for distinct act
OF thanksgiving on account Of it's re-
moval.
The vote which tabled these resolu-
tions Yasas follows the clerical vote
OF eighteen dioceses, ars of five dloCeses,
no, and ofthree dioceses, dtVided. The
lay vote OF VOurteen dioceses, aye, of six
dioceses, no, and of two diOceses, diVidea.
Now the CeCision of the Convention
upon these resolutions, and its Thanks
giving serviceAhas been by various rel-
giobs and secular newspapers tortured
into neglect to thank God for His
great mercies oIhe Church and the Ma
ton, or else intoln act of disloyalty .
Let as see. b the first place, Mr..
Binney's first resolution was thought by
the great body of be Convention to be
Though, OF course not intended to be)
practically dscourtous to the House of
Bishops, whose invistion had been &C
ocepted unanimously, and to whom the
preparation of such natter is always
committed. And it WIS regarded, also
as ignoring altogether he action of the
lower House, which hat the day before
expressed an answer il fitting terms.
specifying "the Restoration of National
Peace and Union" And Mr.. Btnpey's
second series of resolutions were regard
ed more intensely in the SINE light, as
they hastily assumed moe than the
wording OF the letter from tn Canadian
Synod seemed to justify; and especially
as the House had just returnd from a
most solemn and real act of Thnksgiv-
ing Gas we all felt it to be) forthe res
toration of Peace and Union to the