New-York daily tribune., 1865-09-23
THE CHURCH RECONsTRUCTHON
QUESTION.


T6. Church Inteiligencer of Charlotte, N. c.,
which is the " accredited organ Of the Bishops
of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee
and Arkansas" urges in its number OF Sept IA
an immediate return of all the seeded dioceses
to the Episcopal Church Of the United States,
and the sending of delegates to the General
Convention which is to meet at Philadelphia on
the 4th of October. Only one or two weeks
ago this paper recommended, in accordance
with the plan proposed by Bishop Elliot OF
Georgia, not to take any decisive steps toward
the reunion until the meeting Of the General
Council of the Protestant Episcopal Church in
the Confederate States" which was ap-
pointed to meet in November Now it
has changed its mind, and to the
question, When shall we rcturn' it gives the
emphatic reply, "At the forthcoming Conven-
tion to assemble in October" 1t discovers at
present general yearning for reunion, and
therefore deems it necessary to "strike while
the iron S hot" because three years hence, by
the time of the next General Convention OF the
Church, the hearts of the churchmen, North
and South, might possibly be "alienated from
each other by wrongs, real or ideal" Finally,
it expects, if the reunion be made now, that
"the Church will prosper, especially in the
South, to a degree that is not now dreamed OF,
even by the most sanguine of her children"
This hope of large increase of the Episcopal
Church, in case of reunion, is founded upon the
well.known determination of the ultra pro-
Slavery portion in the other religious denomi-
nations, under no condition to assent to q re-
union with their anti-Slayery brethren of the
anne faith in the North; but IN case OF pre-
dominance Of the Union tendencies, rather to
seek refuge in the Protestant Episcopal Church,
which alone they respect as being free from the
suspicion Of anti-Slavery.
Thus we have learned, from trustworthy au-
thority, that when, some months ago, severai
of the Southern Methodist Bishops, including
even Bishop Andrew (of Georgia., were ready
for q reunion with the Northern Methodsts, a
prominent minister of Georgia threatened, in
such case, TO carry over the Methodists OF
Georgia to the Protestant Episcopal Church.
There are many other indications that the hope
of the Southern Episcopalians to receive, in
case of reunion, large access0ns from the other
Southern communons, will be realized.
According to the organization of the Prot
. estant Episcopal Church, those Of the freed
men who are members OF that church will, in
case Of a reunion, be under the absolute juris-
diction Of the Southern Bishops, and unless the
opinions of these shall greatly change, the
colored Episcopalians will long remain without
those rights in church ard school which the fol-
lowers ofother persuasions have it in their power
to obtain as soon as they choose.
The Southern Methodists, in accordance with
the recent pastoral letter Of their bishops, will
not entertain for moment the idea of a reunion
with Church which declares Slavery to be an
evil and excludes shareholders from communion.
The last number of The Episcopal Methodist
of Richmond, announces hat the Church will
soon change her name (Methodist Episcopal
Church South) into one not Objectionable to
their pro-Slavery friends in the North Gas, for
instance, Wesleyan Episcopal church,, and
then establish missions in all the Northern
States. In the meanwhile, however, the South
ern Church is rapidly being reduced 10 smaller
dimensions. The negroes, who constitute more
than one-third of the entire membership, arc
leaving them as rapidly as they can secure the
services of either Northern or colored ministers.
And as regards the white membership, the exam
pie of the loyal East Tcnnesseeans, who in June,
to the number of 5000, separated from the Rebel
church, and constituted the IIolston Annual
Conference of the NJ. T.. Church, has just been
followed by the loyal Kentuckians. The Union
ministers Of the Kentucky Conference, at the
recent conference at Coyington, when the re-
union resolutions offered by them were voted
down, gave in their resignation, and fifteen of
them at once joined the NJ. L. Church. AL.
ready two of the largest congregations, one at
Newport and the other at Lexington, have re-
fused to receive tho ministers selected for them
| by the Southern Bishops, and followed the loyal
ministers into the NJ. +. Church. 1t is expected
that within q few weeks large number Of other
congregations will follow this example.
| Western North Carolina does not remain be.
hind East Tennessee and East Kentucky
The KnoHrWe Uhig says that six ministers and
eight local preachers have recently joined the
lioston Conference Of the NJ. T.. Church, aud
that the movement is likely to extend.
IL t,I Ia,