The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-02-16
GheGtteItiaenreK.
~ THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
DYING OIT?
RcnlarkabIe Address by Rev. DF.
ThOmpNOu...'LhG Episcopal ana
InIlNliC Churches (OnlFlSLeu.

The church Conference Wine" "'eels !"
New York in the church, corner OF Aladi
.on avenue and Thiity.iifth street ia q
organization eui Protestant EpiFaP'l
cleryymen, who meet Tor the pnrpoStfO
exchanging views and listening to tn
rpa,lingot papers interesting to the clergy
The twcnty.third conference occurrc,
last week, aud on motion Of Rev, n, I
Cornwall, Secretary, Rev, DR., Adams wa
called to the chair. There were prescn
about ten clcrgymcn, az many lNymen
and half a dozen ladies'.
The proceedings were opcncd viii
prayer by Rev. DR.. Adams, after which
pr. Hugh NJ. Thompson, Of Grace Church
made an address upno the DECLINE ~ lhlI
country OF EpiscopaIianism' lie preIared
his remarks with the declaration 'hal le
proposed to utter sentiments that would
PERHAPS, be disputed by mem9ora Present
but tIicy were his own Individual conchl'
Siong, arrived at after careful inyestiga'
ton, lie declared that he did not believe
that the Protestant Episcopal Church for
The past ten years had made my progress
in this country, He meant by progress
Of course, relative progress, but he wa
willing to cOncede Mat che had IpaIlG ~.
.olutG progress, BY this declaration he
wished 10 be understood that
THE CHURCH HAD NOT ADVANCED
in this country with the increase Of pop.
ulation. Ii wcCxamincd The subject We
would find that the Church had not only
not increased relatively, but had decreased
largely in the last ten years, sensation.)
lie cited tho reports Of the Church work
in Kansas and elsewhere, and asserted
that tho Church had decreased in the
number Of persons taking holy orders, in
contributions, in membership Ne. Tho
reverend gentleman proceeded 10 account
for this decrease. The first Taylson he
assigned was the distrust Of lhal hurphD
II its upds, aims and purposes, that had
taken possession Of the AMERICAN people,
The cause Of this distrIlSt was the belief
that tho .at4a. l..I" iN.
TENDENCIES OF THIS BODY
were toward ultramontanism, II not RI.
manism. The man who docs not know
this, the learned doctor declared, does not
know the sentiments OF the people. lie
admitted that tho Church had grown Al
some seasons In this country; then there
was distrllst, That was after the RevO-
lutiOnary war, On account Of tho lislOy-
atty that was believed to pCryadc the
church. This was ~ IN Virginia, where
the Church was destroyed. When 1t be-
came understood that Il was loyal to TIC
Republic our Church stood high IN lhG
confidence VI the community That .Mas
"A time when our Church grew rapidly
when Hobart and Others ChamplOned hCr
After this her growth was checked by tho
Tractarian movement, out Of which, how.
ever, there came good. She ougrrw that
and my own deliberate conviction is thai
the form Of Worship started in ~. Alban''
Church came 10 disturb H.. Mr.. ThOmp
san referred to the high church rites Il,
praGliccd IN 81, Adams and other congre
cations, which tended toward RomonisnI
and assigned ~ another cause for tn
lack Of growth
THE DIVISIONS NTIIE CIuEcI,
We might be united, he said, To max,
orr Church move i!tbgRrl a pnrtiO'llaI
toward lsulncs ifSyOu pleate- sfoI
then W. could defend our position, hui
wc are divided, and permit liberation il
our forms Of Worship. lie referred Il
the locratinn which permits any ehnrcI
tosnit It's own forms u worship TO til,
tastes Of the pastor aud congregation
which permits antagOnism within III,
Church Onyitl points, such ~ one. clnrGl
declaring one thing false pnl another
church lie same thingitrIle. He coII
pared Il with The Church Of Rome, til,
system Of which Is strictly logical. Thu
ltomanisll system il u welded chain with
out II flaw, and the man who attempts Il
break II will find himself engaged in
difficult work. The Church Of Englan'
Is indirect opposition to lEomanism, ant
the QucstiOn occurs, can these tw,
churches rxist2 We nre brought to III,
issue that the two systems are opposed |,
each other. II the Episcopal Church i
finished, fenced in, the gnteS hung, nc
Our liberation permits that you may ar
range anything inside the walls. II ism
b0dy's business except the rrcIOr,A AM
congregations, somebody will say, Il the
have worship like the Romans. II hi
man wants candles, another man
PUNCH ANDJ JUDY SNOW on GOOD FRIDAY
whose business isit? DR.. Thompson herr
stated that he had lIUen informed that ii
one church Mrs. JaleyS. wat works hat
been exhibited. Dr.. Thompson decINret
that the church Is not dear to Episc0pa
lians 10 much for what she Is Ms what Sh'
il to be, for We look to the future. w
believe she belongs 10 time--tAeCllihk TIL
daughter Of the age. We hold her il
trust for the land and the people. w
have no right to keep out Of her the pea
pie, for our Church Is holding II aoleml
trust from God. We are bound in tina
view, to sec whit elect II hts upon III
people arOnnd, IA YOU will find that Oh
division Is the one Thing they dwell upOI
They sec thats here fon one SttcetSb
church declaring one doctrine nndAO
another street close by another churc
denying this doctrine. u tint alIq1gRg
tolGratiuiL he uskrd, calculated 70 CIV
into our church, The one thing in nII
land Il the disturbance among religion
bodies. II il that no two churches te
the same story. Now, Is II adesirabI
thing that the Protestant Episcopt
Church should contain within her sysl0l
that which listnrb4 the masses and cat
ses distrust2 II We had II perfect org
nl1ation like
TitEt Crunch drRoAE ih
we might tolerate differences Of UpiniO
ltis 30 in the Church Of Rome. The
maintain the organization and say, "KeC
that intact and hold what views "
choose" Our differences are lillpr6IC,
involving organization. In this Il
Komish Church has Tie advantage Of II
That brings INC, said The minister, I" Il
decrease Ii the number who take no
orders. Which II man Ia admitted to Il
bar he understands what lie Is 0lLnill'
for. tits 10 get clients. When Il man
admitted to practice medicine lie indc
stands that he istO secure all the patien
lie ran. They can II they fail adopt son
o.lef calling. When h mullit4 dthdIltI
To the Church the ordination by Il
Bishop means that lie Ia turned loose
live us lie may. 1.-The faila nsa mintsl
or becomes hel pless by old age there IL