, 1874-02-14
TIE DISPUTE ABOUT CANDLES.

TIE DISPUTE ABOUT CANDLES.
The most sensible and the only really impor
| tant result arrived at by the Wisconsin Epis
| copal Convention Was it's adjournment sine die
II it had remained in session = day or two longer
it might hnye been necessary for the City O
Milwaukee to interfere in order to preserve til,
+! public peace. The Convention was fast resoly
| ing itself into 3 turbulent caucus, whose pas
sions had reached such pitch thnt discussion
OF sacred topics degeneEated iuto personal abust
and the Interchange OF uuscemly epithets. Til.
tactics adopted by the friends Of rival canddato
we're the tactics Of \ political nominating con
vention. There were rings within rings ane
wheels within wheels, and tho Convention
was apparently packed and ropacked in the
interests OF the two principal candidates
It is fortunate that the Convention had enough
reason left to adjourn sine die, before it broke
up in disorder or wet into fragments.
It is rather remarkable in this day OF progress
aud liberal thought that the entering wedge
which Brought about this Babel WAS the candle
question; and as between now and June the
Episcopal Diocese Of Wisconsin will probably
wrangle over candles, and the diocescs of all the
other States will join IN more or less, it may be
interesting to inquire into the history Of those
useful but contentious articles. The first use OF
candles or cand}estcks was by Moses, who con-
trived an elaborate arrangement for the taber-
nacle, with si1 branches and centre-piece,
having bowls like a1mond1 anu knops
aud flowers besides tongs and snuff dishes, ali Of
pure gold, and manufactured by Beza1eel, tho
samo which Zcchariah afterwards saw in vision.
The significance OF seven candlesticks is e1-
planned in Revelation Of John to mean the seven
churches OF Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thya~
tira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicca. In the
New Testament, the candle is rarely mentioned
IN . ritualistic sense, the lamp having taken its
place. notable instance Of this being the ten
foolish virgins with their untrimmed lamps,
which is somewhat apropos to tho condition Of
the Milwaukee Convention. There is nothing,
however, in the Biblical significance OF either
lamp or candle which applies to the Wisconsin
difficulty, the seven churches being as remote
in time and place ns tallow-dip in Milwaukee
is from tho moon.
Coming down to more modern times, ne are
still left in the dark as to the reason Why Wis
consin Episcopalians should spend two or throe
days disputing over candles. In the primitive
days OF Christianity, when tho Chr:stians were
prescribed class aud their meetings for worship
we're prohibited, and, If discovered, subjected
all participating to death, the Christians were
accustomed to meet in the catacombs, wants,
pits, caves, and other places where the use Of
artificial light was essential Later, when the
Church Was triumphant, she prescribed tho use
Of lighted candies during service as a commemo-
ration of the trials Of the early Christians. The
Romans also were in the habit Of burning
candles on the I'd Of February (now Candlemas
Day) to the goddess Fobrua, and Pope
Sergius turned it to Christian account by enjoin-
ing similar offering Of candles to the Virgin,
which were supposed to have the efrec: Of fright
ening tho devil away from the person who car
riod them, and from the houses in which they
we1o placed. Candlemas LAY is also the time
when, according to the practice Of the Roman
Catholic Church, the candles arc blessed. The
use OF candles, or nowadays OF gas supplied
through long white candlesticks, is one OF the
most common features Of Roman Catholic wor-
ship, and sometimes the most impressive, as in
the Miserere services in the Sistine Chapel on
Good Fridays, which Mende1ssohn and Mozart
have described 90 glowingly in their letters. It's
use peculiarly belongs to the Roman Catholic
service. and Why, therefore, Episcopa1lans
should wrangle over an a11air which docs
not concern them, which only typi6es Roman
Catholic observauces and traditions, and which
is used By no other sect except the Chinese ioss-
bu1ners, who are sort Of mongrel Buddhists,
Fill puzzle ordinary people to find out.
Pending this quarrel over candles, what are
The members ct this denomination going to do
about perishing human souls in Wisconsin Z
This ought to be IN important consideration. |
As the Convention haa adjourned, how
,ver, and time may be had before the |
le1t meeting to cool off, it is possible |
bat the cause Of Christ may be considered Of IS |
much consequence as tallow or stearine. There |
an allusion to candlesticKs in the Sczp.uras |
Ehicb has some force in this connection, and |
which is just as applicable to the Church in Wis., |
onsin as it wns to the Church at Ephesus:
Remember. therefore, from whence thou art /
allen, and repent, aud do the first .vorks Or
1se will como unto thee quickly and will re- |
move thy ca,1dlestick ont Of his place, except |
hou repent"
Judge Loughridge, Of the House Committee
n Appropriations, has been Investigating
indian Affairs in connection with the Indian
appropriation bill, and finds that the number Of