The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-24
Tie Episcopal C0nvcn,ipv

"a rural rector speaks what is doubt
less in the minds of many who are inter-
ested in the Episcopal church, in an arti-
Gle in the Christian Union on the coming
convention. The writer refers to the ork
of the last convention. and shows that. al
though it appeared to have settled some
questions, it really left the issues to be
more actively agtated than before. He
recalls the disgraceful contest overthe Wis
consin bishopric, and refers to the Cum
minis movement as an event of greater i'm
portance than most churchmen are inclined
to give it. Under the head OF "what the
occasion demands" he says: =
The crisis is serious and the prospects are
threatening but, Notwithstanding, it is pro-
ballc that in the coming convention the
fusion will be as complete as it was three
years ago. Men will "strive after the things
which make for peace" There is not like
ly to be much legislation over these ques-
tions; little is desirable perhaps the less
the better. The evil of the past has been
too hasty legislation. The last two convcn-
tions passed canons bearing against low
churchmen under the excitement of special
provOcation, which some who voted for
them have already seen reason TO regret.
They only aggravated evils which would
have cured themselves. The Cumnnns
movement is fairly chargeable to the un
wise acts of those conventions. 1.-THE pres
ent convention should repeal those often
sive canons thus hastily passed, it would
strike death blow to the Cummins move
mcnt, and with one or two other trlning
concessions it would completely heal the
schism and unite low churchmen in cordial
devotion to the church. With reference to
ritualism the convention has nothing to I'M
do, but it needs to be careful what it does.
To frame a canon upon ritual in the pres.
ent excitement would be to repeat the err
rors Of the past. In the main, ritual is n
question of taste, and nothing can he more
absurd than TO lcgislae upon taste and
make man an offender for fancy. Ii
would be about as ridiculous ms for Con
gress to pass law torbidding Bloomer cos
tunes or defining the cut of party dress
To declare what is lawful and what is I'M
lawful in church dress and forms would
offend both by what it permits and by what
it forbids, and It would plunge the church
into the kind of warfare which j. affecting
the church OF England Equally unwise
would be the policy which the archh shop
OF Canterbury has proposed in l. lghnl, TO
put plwer into the hands Of the bishops to
deal summnriy with those whom they con-
sidei offenders in ritual practice Episco-
pal censorship is foreign to the Anne lean
spirit, and whatever is likely to multiply
ecclesiastical trials ought by all means to
be avoided. Hitherto the weapon used in
this controversy has been. the well-worn
phrase warning against "exccss ordeftct of
ritual" Excess of ritual" has no definite
meaning, and 'defect of ritual" is n switch
which the present generation lays upon the
venerable fathers of the chu ch for not com.
ing up to latter-day notions of churchly di,
nifty and ritual propriety. Something moe
than that is needed. and the need wonld be
supplied by plain, straightforward d,clar.
alton Of the convention against innovations
in the worship of the congregation, and q
frank disavowal of any doctrine of the altar
which can be acted in or acted out or acted
before or symbolzed in dress or ornament
or posture. With this much on the part OF
the convention, relying on the cody coun-
sci OF the bishops, the loyal spirit of the
clergy, and the good sense of the laity, the
Episcopal Zion may be trusted to go on as
a city at unity in ITSELF