The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-04-08
TIE HIGH CHURCH QUESTION.

THE HIGH CHURCH QUESTION
T Bishop Howe ON tho Liturgtcai lnno'
vations at tho Church Of tho Holy
Communion.
The announcement that the rite OF comm
nation would be administered by the Rign'
Reverend Bishop Howe, attracted very large
and attentive congregation at the Cnurch Vi
the Holy Communion yesterday morning
Every pew in the spacious and peautltui cur
flee was filed at an early hour, ana II eoon
became necessary to plece double rows VI
chairs through all the aisles. These were also
rapidly filed up, and for some OF tne iater
comers it was only possible to furnish stand
ing room. 1t was an unusually large con-
prepation even for this church, which
has for some weeks past been
crowded at every service By congregat 'ns
attracted partly, no doubt, by the choral re-
sponses by surpliced choir, which have late
" been introduced by the energetic rector,
Rev. A. Toomer Porter. The cause OF the 1n-
creased attendance yesterday was very prooa-
bly, the expectation that Bishop Howe "oulo
take occasion to make some expression OF MS
opinion In regard to these departures from the
established Episcopal usage In this diocese,
for it will be remembered that on Easter Sun
day the rector made statement in regard to
these Innovations, In which he said that they
had received the approval of the late Bishop
Davis, and intimated that they would be touch
ed upon in the discourse OF Bishop Howe after
the rite of confirmation yesterday. Tie pre-
sence Of the Bishop, therefore, was particular
tly significant, and, as will be seen, those OF
the congregation who came prepared to hear
from him upon the subject Of the rector's In
novatfons, were not doomed to disappoint-
ment.' -
The service was conducted as usual by the
rector, and included the full order of morning
prayer and the litany, with the amens and
responses chanted by the choir, the male
members of which, including the twenty boy
singers. were all robed in white surplices. The
Bishop also lent his assistance to the service
by reciting the Commandments, the responses
thereto-ssLord have mercy upon US and In
cline our hearts to keep this law"-were chant
ed with beautiful effect by the tull choir. and
thus. by his participation, gave quasi en-
dorsement of the choral service and the sur.
pliced choir. The rite of confirmation was
then administered by the Bishop to large
class of candidates, and sermon appropriate
to the occasion preached by him from the
Gospel of st. John, l-l6.
At the conclusion of his discourse the Bishop
said that he could not refrain, upon the occa-
sion of his first visitation to the Church OF the
Holy Communion, from expressing his pleas
ure in witnessing the beautiful additions and
improvements in the edifce, and from utter
Ing the hope that The added attractlveness OF
the church might be reflected in the greater
beauty of holiness in thu hearts OF its members
and worshippers. He wished also to testify
to his Individual admiration of the choral &C
compartments to the service which had been
introduced by their devoted aud pious rector.
BE could not fall to be impressed with the
beauty of the service, and to draw compari-
son between the responses they had just heard
and the tame, llstless, liteless responses that
were too common in the other. churches. He
had often felt in his own ministrations, when
listening te languld and feeble responses BY
his congregation, that he would like to call In
the rich voice of the organ to assist In the ser
vice and make 1t, at least, praise God with no
uncertain sound. In this. however, he was
merely expressing his personal taste as an In
dlvidual and a clergyman Of the Episcopal
Church, and he supposed they desired to hear
rather his official Views as Bishop Of the Die
cese. Speaking on1clally. then, ne SAID
that he wished it distinctly to be under
stood that he was not one OF those VINO
looked upon every innovation, and espe-
ciallv every change In ecclesiastical mat
ters, as o calamity, but he also said that ne
would prefer before the choral service became
incorporated into the regular worship 10 any
portion of the diocese that they should be
sure that 1t. was authorized By the canons Oh
the American church. he was not sure that
1t followed because these innovations nad
been adopted in the English church that they
were sanctioned or contemplated by the Amer
lean PRAYER book. He hoped tor an authorl-
tative expression upon this subject from the
next General Conference, and for the present
he proposed to take no action In the matter
until he had called upon the standing commit
tee of the diocese for consultation and advice.
4The rector, Mr.. Porter, then advanced to the
Bishop and begged to give him areneWed as
surancs of the love and devotion of the
Church of the Holy Communion to him and
his eplscopacy, and the assurance that as soon
as he should express his opinion upon this
subject that opinion would be their law and
would receive exact, implicit and cheerful
obedience.
The sacrament Of communion was then par
taken OF, aud, after benediclion by the Bsh-
op, the congregation was dismissed.
TIE SAVANNAH RIFLE CLUB held meeting
in that city, last Saturday evening, to COM
plete arrangements for their visit to this city
to participate In the Schutzenfest. At the
same meeting new uniform for the club was
adopted. The style is gray jacket, or half
sack coat, with cuffs and collar faced with
green; the left breast being ornamented with
rife and horn in gold braid. The cloth Is OF
the finest quality. Black pants and Alpine
hat, with green feather and small cockade.
The uniform is very neat and attractive. The
cluh ia In a very fourishing condition, and