, 1874-08-20
Tile DAILY TRIBUNE: THURSDAY. AUGUST ~
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. |
The Coming General Conven-
tion.
Present stato Of tho Chrrch-Phrty
Church and low Church-I8ftRnlisrn
-ancrenso OF tho Eplsoophtc.
From the Nep rort Tin,es, dua. 10.
The approaching General Convention OF the
PROTESTANT Episcopal Church, to bo hold In this
city in October noxt. will, wishont doubt, -bo one
ot tho most, II not tho most, important In tho
history Of that largo and wealthy communion.
For months public expectation. both In and out
OF tho Church. has boon looking forward to tho
coming Council With m intorest Which no STINT
lar oYont III Into ycara has awakened. Tho
cauBos OF this widespread feeling aro not new,
Tho largest portion OF them tayo been develop
ing for years, and evon gonorstions. 1tia truo
to tho popular lntorost, The OunminH moyo-
mont and tho Do Kovon controversy ovor tho
Wisconsin Dial,oprlo havo caeh In trn contribute
cd their aharo. Add to theso tho endless difror-
which not inconsderablo portion Of tho Ohuroh
declare to DO threatening It's existence, aud tho
season for this foeinR Ii perfectly clear,
Al tho prcsent moment tho Church may be
said to number four distinct schoois-tho
"Hgh," tho - "nttua1ietio," tho "Low,n and
tug uonueryetive, Or what ia England would ba
! called tho. Broad" Church school. Tho forncr
comprises tho wholo Of that GLASS which ::ontor-
teins m exalted opinion OF. tho rights and prlv~
| iEgea Of the Church, and views with alarm any
attempt to sink for exclusive claims to tho le!el
Of other Protestant bodioB' With tbom tho
| 1tglona organization, i is tho sacred and OK
| pfoascd institution Of It's founder, posgesg-
! ing, through tho grace Of Divine right
aud tho Apostolical Buocoasion N exclusive
claim on tbe affection and obedencea OF her
this class. Rltualiam is several gTadea higher
than the highest Of the High, and, as Is vol
known, npproximatad moro nearly to Aoman
Catholicism than to the :. .protostant'' Church,
pronounced hitualtatio churches there arc less
than dozen in this oountry-St. Alban's, bt+
lgIatius', and 3. Mary tho Vlrgne, In THIS city,
opposite Of Rltualian,, presents mucd broader
range, and inc]udes many OF tho most important
\ church eontres in tho country. rhiladelphlh and
tle Conservative, or Broad church, vhich,
| ahuns either oxtromo and inolinoa to tho widest
| roasib(o toloratiou, mar bo sntd to compose
tue working majority Of the Church at
| world. certainly In America moro comprehensive
than tho Protestant Episcopal Church. From
tho most advanced Of quaai-RomaniBts down
to tho extreme forms Of protoatanttnm, 1t Is tho
boast OF the Anglican Communion that It en-
bodies more diverse schools and admits Of widor
extromcs Of belief than any other similar body
in history ~, - In esaentisls, unity; in non.
essentials liberty" bus beon its motto, and
while to some extent productive Of tho clash Of
opiniouB, thdro is littlo doubt that this system
haa greatly accelerated its progress in both
countries. Tho question which, above ali
others, engroshos tho Church 1T tho pros-
:ent time is tho question Of, Ri.ualiBm.
This haa boon tho case, more or lsas, with each
Convention during the past decade. beginning
in 1888 with tie Tfactarian n1oTementr that cloud
hardly the bignosa Of a mans hand, nitun1ism
las lattorly grown to he the osershadow,ng topic
/ among churchmen on both sides OF the Atlantic.
At each American Convention during tho pnat
decade tho question Of ita legality has boon
bronchod but without deolalse result. Tho Con-
rotltion OF 1863. in New York, rclcgated tho
whole matter to tho Bishops who issued pas
toral loster defining thoi1 Vows upon tho subject
IN the session Of 1871. ut Baltimore. substantial
y tho same maneuyers wero gono through with,
tle pressure in each case being IN fayor q, the
Low Church against Rituaism. On both Of thoHo
] occasiona tho existing causeB we1o Of much less
| magnitude than those which now operate. Tho
secession Of Bishop Cnmmips and tho organlza-
tion OF tho Reformed Episcopal Church, small
as 1t is in numbers, Inns atreotod two large soo-
i tions OF church1on, though in an opposite man
nor. On tho High Church party 1t hBs produced
. discrimination to rigidiY maintain tho safe~
guards winch they assert are the only barriers
against further movements of . like character,
! while to tho Low " brethren 1t has demonstra-
tod tho necessity for removal Of those Btuu-
bling blooka that have already Proved 80 fatal
and which they claim oontinually threaten tho
peaeo md quiet OF the Church. Soon
| after tho :" 0unning" movement, and es II ex-
pressly orelzindle whatevor auimosity that event
may have awakonod, came the Do Koven contro-
veray over the D|ahoprio OF Wisconsin,. In this
easo tho disturbing eauee was-tho supposed
views Of the rejected candidate upon tho ques-
tlon Of t1ansubstantiation, and which were gen
eselly understood TO appto1imato mare closely
to Romaniam than tho Language Of tho Thirty.
nuo Articles admitted. In fact, tho doctrine Of
the real presence. as hold by the Mtualiste, Is
confaaHed1y similar to that Of Rome. 70 prevent
Rh m the ",S syoFs f o saa np p5so p Of f. hs hs
chiof objects Of The advanced Low. Ohurchmeu.
Another muoh-deHired ''reform " is tho modid-
cation Of tho bapt,smal office, by which the
tnuch-mootea declaration OF baptisznal regonors-
ton may DO rendered optional With the odlciat-
ing clergyman.
TIE CONVENTION AND rra MEMBERS.
The Convention itself meets trieuuially, and is
al tho Diocesan and Missionary bishops, and the
House Of Clerical and Lay Deputies. The last
consists of four clorgYmon aud four lnymen from
each OF the foEty-ono dioceHoB, and arc appolnt-
| by the local conventions OF the same. Tho House
OF Dlahops holda It's sessions Tor the moat past
10 secret, except in tho case Of Dattcra o1 pub
| lo character, whom the doors aro thrown open.
In:this respect 1t resembles tl1e House OF Lords
| in tho British Parliament. The eldest of tho
Disnops IN ppnt Of consocration preaides over it's
deliberations and from tins fact ia terncd the Pro-
aiding Bishop. At prosont tho prolate filing this
| position is the Rt. Nov. Benjamin DQsworth
amlth, D. d. LII, D., Bishop OF Kentucky, con-
seorated IN 1889, Tho Secretary OF tho Upper
House ls the neY. Horny G. potxor, D. D., nac-
tor Of Grace CHURCH, ia this city, and tho AH-
siHtant. Secretary tic Rev. William Tatlocx. Of
Stamford, Conn. Tho Secretary Of the House
Of Clerical and I.ny Deputies is the nov. William
oud Assistant Secretary tho ReY. George s. Nal
lory, Of Hartford, Conn. Tho duties OF The
Convention aro to iegisata for tho Church in the
United Statos, much aftor tho method by which
Congress- makes laws for the government Of tho
country. It's legislation ID RESTRICTED in tho
| eamo manner BY constitution which defines
| tho nature and oxtent Of it's powers, and
| prpyidoB TINT tho Convention can mako 10