The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-08-22
The Episcopal Church.

The most important General Conven-
ton Of the Protestant Episcopal Church
will, without doubt, be that which as
semL'Cs in New York in October next.
For months, says the New York Tines,
public expectation, both in and out Of the
Church, has been looking forward to the
coming council with an interest which no
similar event in late years has awakened
The Causes Of this widespread feeling arc
not new. Tho larger portion Of them have
been developing Tor years, and even gen.
erations. 1t is true that recent events
have TO large extent added 10 the popu.
lar interest. The Cummins movement
and the Dc KoVen controversy over the
Wisconsin Bishopric have each in turn
contributed their share. Add to these the
endless differences on the subject of Rit-
uallsm, differences which q not inConsid-
cradle portion Of the Church declare to be
threatening to its existence, and the
reason for this feeling is perfectly clear,
at the present moment the Church
may be said 10 number four distinct
scholastic "High," the "Ritualistic,"
the Low" and the Conservative, or
what in England would be called the
Broad Church school. The former CON-
prises the whole Of that class which enter.
Iains an exalted opinion Of the rights and
privileges oil the Church, and views with
alarm any attempt to sink her exclusive
claims to the level Of other Protestant
bodies. With them the "Church" is
something more than q mere religious or.
ganizltion; 1t is the sacred and ex.
pressed institution Of its founder, possess
ing, through the grace OF Divine right
and the Apostolical succession, an exclu-
sive claim on the affection and obedience
OF her children. Trinity is agOod speci-
men Of this class. Ritualism Is several
grades higher than the highest OF the
High, and as is well known, approximstes
more nearly 10 Roman Catholicism than
10 the protestant Church, 10 which It's
psrtisans profess to belong. Oh pro-
uounCGd Rltualist churches there are less
than q dozen in this country-St. Adams,
st. lgnatius, and st. Mary the Virgins,
and ST. Clements, in Philadelphia, being
prominent examples.
Low" churchmAnship, or the opposite
OF Rilualism, presents much broader
range, and includes many OF the most i'm.
portant church centres in tho country.
Philadelphia and Boston are its CHIEF
strougholdS. Finally, the Conservative,
or Broad Church, which shuns either OK.
treme, and inclines to the widest possible
federation, may be said to comrose the
working majority Of the Church at large,
In fact, there is no religious body in The
world, certainly in America, more COM
prehensiye than the Protestant Episcopal
Church From the most advanced" Of
quasi Romanists down TO the extreme
forms Of Professionalism, 1t is the boast OF
the Anglican Communion that 1t embodles
more diverse schools and admits oil wider
extremes Of belief than any other similar
body in history. "In essentials, unity; In
non essentials, liberty" has been It's
motto, and while TO some extent produc-
tive OF the clash Of opinions, there is lit
Tic doubt that this system has greatly &C
celebrated its progress In both countries.
The question which, above all others,
engrosses the Church at the present time
Ia the question oil Ritualism. This has
been the case, more or less, with each
convention during the past decade. Be-
ginning in 1888 with the Tractarian
movement, that cloud hardly as big as q
mans hand, Rltuaiism has latterly grown
to be tho overshadowing topic among
churchmen on both sides Of the Atlantic.
At each American Convention during the
past decade the question Of It's legality has
been broached, but without decisive re-
suit. The Convention OF 1868 In New
York referred the whole matter to the
Bishops, who issued pastoral letters def
ming their views upon the subject. In the
session Of 1871, at Baltimore, substantially
the same mannuvres were gone through
with, the pressure in each case being In
favor Of the Low Church against Ritual.
ism. On both oil these occasions the ex-
listing causes were Of much less magni.
tude than thoSt which now operate.
The secession Of Bishop Cummins and
the orparization Of the Reformed EpiS-
copsl Church, small as It is in numbers,
has effected two large sections Of church:
dom, though in an opposite manner. On |
The High Church party II has produced q |
10 rigidly maintain the |
which they assert are tho only |
barriers against further movements Of a |
ike character, while TO the "Low" breth.
ZEN 1t has demonstrated the necessity ior
/ removal Of those stumbling blocks that |
have already proved 90 fatal, and which
hey claim continually threaten the peace |
md quiet Of the church. Soon after the