Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-05-25
TIE EPISCOPAL COUNCIL.

9
gone. 1t is body that carries around
with it the strongest lay representation
that we have ever seen. They make this
sort of thing specially and try and COM
bine brains with piety as far as may be.
There is another thing they make speci-
atty -gentility; you never see more gen.
teel walk and talk, and gloves and boots,
than you do in an Episcopal Council. No
man slaps another on the back, under pen
atty of death; nor does he ever address
him by his first name unless he has insan-
ity in his family, or SATAN has taken com
plete possession of him and already marked
him for his own. Since the writer OF this
saw them at Charlottesville two years ago
the financial panic has pressed heavily on
them, especially the country rectors, and
the winds of poverty have blown the nap |
off many coat that two years ago was OF |
recent vintage, yet not one of the coats but |
what was we'll brushed, and having as
plain as if printed across the back the let
ters GENTILITY. Next to Goodness,
gentility!
But then these genteel brethren have
their troubles, or rather their annual trou-
BILE There is man that follows them
around and every year offers resolution
that the orders of the other churches are
as valid as those of the Episcopal. He
causes great grief, for he calls for the ayes
and noes and get them down in print every
time. His name is PATTON ard he repre-
sents-well it is hard to tell what it is
| good that he does not represent. His fam
| ily has furnished great men and brave men
| to Virginia Some Of their lives went out
| in the last war. They are of the old regime
and people accustomed to die for what
| they believe, and that makes it so hard to
| get rid of him. 81 shall offer this resolu-
tion," said Mr. PATTON Saturday, las
| long as live, "and cold chill ran through
the assembly. The truth is some of the
members have d strawberry mark and they
| don't want to be made to roll up their
sleeves. cit is inquisitorial.' remarked
the Rev. k1NLoCH NELSON. And so
without affirming or denying, they adopt
resolution that sthis Council declines to
roll ND its sleeves at all.'' And so they go
home for another year with Mr.. PATTON
hanging over their heads. and the voice of
the Bishop ringing through their ears in
his annual address saying, that any boy
that is caught with strawberry mark
shall be anathenaa nadrandtI,a.
And this strawberry mark is great
puzzle to the outside world. 1t appears
that this is Glow church" diocese, and
this low church means worshipplng God
in plain earnest, and no ornaments
about it. This form is preserved by the
old style-the arlstocracy Of the Oh urch.
But aristocracy, like everything else, is OF
Two sorts-there is an old and a new. The
new seems to be the aristocracy OF fashion;
It is the arstocracy of flowers and altar
cloths. 1t makes Roadway with the young
people and. with-otter pee pie, and the
Bishops frowns are looked upon pretty
much as young people look upon the frowns
IF what they think are over particular pa
rents. 1t occupies the SINE place as bill
iards in the world.-It is not very bad in
| itself, but looks fast, and as any father OF
| the world trembleS when he sees his son
| in the gas-lighted and cigar-scented Bill
lard room, so does the Episcopalian OF Tie
id school feel a tremor OF. alarm when
10 sees his children toying Will
he flowers and altar cloths and genu-
! lsxions of the new school. There is
TRANCE analogy of pride between the Ole
tristocraLic low churchman and your grim
,elf-satisfed Presbyterian. Neither OF then
in the matter of their own doctrine ant
l DIV al
cept their own. 1t would be wasting tlm'
III argument with them it would save time
20 shoot them-an operation, by-the-by. Il
| which either would cheertIily submit rath
er than give in. Your Cid school Episco
palian looks upon the new-fangled notions
# contempt. How completely he has
he new dispensation under hack is APP
,arent every year. when Mr. PATTON
,bout the end of the session, and with a lit
tie two by four inch slip of paper, with TWEEN
y words on it, rises in his seat, and says
t''Mr President Every brother knows that
his stra berry mark is in danger. The
Southsiue diocese and the West ViTginie
diocese fade into insigniticance compared
with this little slip Of pape, there is a gen
erll affection in mind, body, and estate,
and 1.-THE brethren pray that they may be
delivered from this enemy, and permitted
to live the rest Of their lives in Peace, and
Plety and Gentility.
The two most important events Of the
session were the erection of West Virgin
ia into a separate diocese, and the dsleat
# a similar application from many of the
clergy and few of the lalty on the South
side of James River. The first W as nat ur-
al result of the change OF State govern
ments, but the second was movement,
characterized in a pointed speech from the
Bishop as being led by the clergy in many
cases i'll opposition to their own laty
While the Bishop disclaimed any ilDpua
ton on the motives of the clerical Leaders
| iii this movement the inference, If any at
all Was to be drawn, was unmistakeabe
| that ambition could not be left entirely
| out. The remarks of the Bishop excited
much comment among the mem ers d
| the >ouncil and Gu Sunday night in CTS |
ing, this fearless Episccpant furnished lhis |
hearers additional food for conversation. |
1t man had the money to subscribe to |
four papers lust now he ought to rake the |