The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-10-14
protestant Episcopal Traennf
General Conventionl
.n,r MnRNING'S PRoCEEnlNG

esruVEWt
,,xn,y MORNINGS PROCEEDINGS.
~. convention met this moraing at
iuS The Rev. James Craik, ID. D.,
GcI. ."clv, as president, called the ConyeIS
ton S, Committee on New Dioceses reported
i asor of dividing the diocese of Mary.
u; The report Of the committee was
.' suited BY the Convention.
$'I sin Alfred Stubbs, Of New Jersey, pre-
20 memorial for the increase of the
nv Of the clergy.
T nember asked that it be referred to the
,.-.m;ttee on the State of the Church.
VViD' member objected to referring it to q
..sr;ttee composed exclusively of clergy
@a- and said If it was referred to com.
- lite it should be to one composed Of lay
Mr., :. B. Ruggles, of New York, adv
.,.e3 some action such as would establisf
eater uniformity in the value Of t
n,anrv paid IS salary to the clergy. III
member thought it would be expedieM
:, ask the action Of the House of Bishu
~ this matter. After some debate the m MI
Ter was referred to committee of FIVE ls
men. #s
4 memorial presented on federal cous
,;,s was referred to the Committee on (3
mons. I
Mr.. John n. Conyngham, of PennsylTEs ~
Ma presented memorial as follows: #
That uniformity in the manner Of VIC
shipping Almighty God is one Of the ohaa
reasons for the use of Liturgy, and is II
itself most desirable:
That it was the object Of the Church o.
England, and afterward of the Protestar
Episcopal Church in the United States o
america, as appears by the preface to theil
establish form Of worship which might
most tend to the preservation Of peace and
unity in the Church, the procuring of rever-
ence, and the exciting of piety and devo-
t;op in the worship of God, and, finally,
the cutting off occasion, from them that
sask occasion, of cavil or quarrel against
her Liturgy y:
That in order to attain these ends the
Protestant Episcopal Church in these United
States made, at its organization in this
copntrv. many important alterations and
amendments in the English Book of Com
mon PRAYER, all tending TO simplify her
Worship and TO promulgste Christianity and
the truths of the Gospel to mankind sin
the cearest, plainest, most affecting, and
naiestic manner
That of late many ministers, forgetful of
Tho objects of the fathers of said Church
in this country, have introduced various
changes in the previously long established
manner Of conducting divine worship
therein, and of performing her rites and
ceremonies, novel to our people and not
contemplated by the Book of Common
PRAYER and the Canons Of the Church, and
which do not "tend to the preservation Of
pcace and unity in this Church," DOR to
1.-THE procuring of reverence and the excl
ting o. piety and devotion in the worship
Of God, and especially not to the "cutting
Of occasion, from them that seek occasion,
Of cayil or quarrel against her Liturgy "
That By reason of the said changes the
worship in the churches in this diocese and
of other dioceses is no longer uniform, and
great scandal and dissension have been pro-
noted thereby;
That your memorialists deplore the in
reduction of said changes in the manner
Of worshipping God, by whatever ancient
practice in any other Church the same may
have been recognized, and whatever their
intrinsic merit, and express the ferVent
hope that the same may cease from among
US:
That, leaving your honorable body to par
ticularize the practices to which we allude,
YOUR memorialists respectfully express their
disapproval of all deyiations (manifestly
on the increase) from the prescribed ritual
Of our Church, and Of all acts, Intentional
pastures, unaccustomed minis erial gar
ments, and personal or church decorations,
and all Conduct in the celebration of Divine
worship which tend to make the same re-
semble in outward seeming that OF the
Church Of Rome;
That in our judgment, charity and the
interests of this Church, as well as good
taste, REQUIRE the abandonment by indlvl-
iuals even Of acts not forbidden, if inju-
rious to its peace or likely to be misunder-
stood by Protestant Christians;
Wherefore We respectfully pray that ca
mons may be passed which shall establish
aud enforce uniformity in divine worship
in all our churches, and tend to renew and
preserve that simplicity and absence OF I'M
necessary ceremonial which the early Pro-
tesiant Episcopal Church in this country
sought 10 attain.
The new canon, which accompanied this
memorial, is aimed directly at the ritual
isiiC tendencies Of certain churches. 1t is
entitled canon for conducting divine SER
vices. 1t fOrbids as unlawful the use OF
crucifxes and candlesticks on super affairs
$50 called) made of wood or metal, stand
lug or hanging over any communion table
as part of the decorations thereof, etc.
1t also forbids the elevation of the ele-
neDts, bowling at the name Of Jesus except
where it it occurs in the creed, bowling to
the communion table, etc.
The Offering Of this memorial started a
score Of delegates to their feet, but further
debate was arrested by the arrival Of the
hour for recess.