Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-05-22
EPISCOPAL COUNCIL.
EIGHTY-sEcoND ANNUAL COUNCIL OF THE EPIs-
COPAL CHURCH OF VIhGINIA.


COPAL CHURCH OF Virginia.
The Send annual session of the Episcopal
Council of Virginia began on Wednesday morn
ing the 10th inst. The attendance ofdelegates,
clergy and laity, is larger than.it has been for
many years. 1t is fine looking body of men
and among the laity are a number of gentlemen
of wide reputation in their professions. The
proceedings of the Council were of great interest
and importance and the session was attended
daily by a largo number of our citizens and
visiting strangers. Though frequently the dis
cussions were warm and animated the whole
proceedings were marked with unusual good
order and quietness.
The Right Rev. F. NJ. Whittle, ID. D., Ii. D.,
presided, and Rev. 7. G. Dashiell of st. Mark s
Church, Richmond, was Secretary, assisted by
Rev. Thos Spencer of Grace Church, Peters
burg.
The pages to whom the thanks of the Coun-
ell and reporters are due for politeness and
marked attentiveness were masters Henderson
Bell, Eddie Taylor, Willie Hardy, Charlie Cat.
lett, Roger Atkinson, and Stuart Baldwin.
The opening sermon was preached by Rev. w.
L. uyland, of Parkersburg, and after the ad-
ADMINISTRATION of the holy communion by Bishop
Whittle, the Council adjourned till Wednesday
morning ut o o'clock.
During the afternoon a conference Of clergy
and laity of the proposed new diocese of West
Virginia was held, presided over by Rev. Mr..
IIyland. 1t closed after long discussion. con-
fined to the financial question, by the adoption
of resolution stating that it had been ascer-
tanned that the sum of twenty-five hundred dol
lars was pledged to pay the salary of the pro-
posed bishop, and that the sum could be in
| creased, and asking the council to erect the Kew
diocese. The resolution was adopted by the fol-
lowing vote: Clergy, ayes II, nays 2; laity, ayes
u, nayg3.
At the same time conference was held in the
chapel of the church of the clergy and laity OF
| the diocese located on the south side Of James
| river A resolution was, after long discussion,
adopted asking the council to make James river
the dividing line of the State, and erect a new
diocese out of that portion lying south of it, and
also requesting Bishop Whittle, of the diocese
if erected to select it for his own residence The
vote on the resolution was clergy. ayes is, nays
6; laity, ayes 10, nays Ii.
SECOND DAYS PROCEEDINGS.
| The Council met o'clock. Journal of yes
terday was read and approved.
| Bishop Whittle read his annual report, giving
a statistical account of his labors during the
| past year, in which time he had visited ono
| hundred and thirty places and had confirmed
| 800 persons.
| The Bishop said he had addressed brief pas
toral to the Diocese on the subject OF intemper-
ance, leaving to his brethren of the ministry to
preach a sermon on this evil, than which none
more terrible exists in the world, and one on
which the Church of England, some other
churches and tens of thousands OF our coun-
| trymen, of no church at all, but actuated by
merely worldly motives, have taken action
He hoped the Council would devise some means
of dealing with this matter And in any event
not only should the laity consider the evil ten
denotes to themselves OF social drinking, es-
pecally in public places, and the consequences
resulting to others from the influence of thei1
example; but every one who named the name
of Christ ought, in these times, for the Lords
sake and the Church's sake, and the sake Of
the world, tat least to abstain from all intoxi-
eating drinks US Il beverage.
| The Bishop says he feels it his duty to raise
his voice against the spirit of worldliness and
irreligion which is increasing among us more
now. perhaps, than ever within his knowledge
The sentiments. and fashions and customs, and
pleasures ofthe world; its shows, and frivolities
and designations have come int the church like
a flood. This is seen conspicuously in the
where the praises of God are converted into
fairs, and shows, and plays, and other unworthy
means, which are used toraise money and in the
attendance ofcommunicants andvestry men up
on theatres and other forbidden places of amuse
ment. There is no means of grace more needed
to be used than that OF Cody discipline land ,
said the Bishop. 81 must insist that obedienc,
to the Iubric of the Communion Office, and tt
the 10Th Canon of this Diocese ON the part o
the aity, and the enforcement of that obedlenc
by the clergy is as binding as any other law o
this church"
His predecessor had warned them against tn
Introduction of flowers into the churches, blu
that warning had in q number of instances
been dsregarded, and the evil from a small be
ginning has. In few years, grown to such pro
portions ON some occasions to involve sinftl
and wasteful expense, and to make our Father
house q place for floral exhibition, to pleas
the eye and crafty sensuous taste, causin
some minds it is feared, to change the truth Q
God into q lie, and worship and serve the Great
ure more than the Creator And now, in ad
! dition to these flowers, we begin to see wha
are called altar cloths and cloths of dfferen
colors for the different church seasons on som.
OF our reading desks and pulpits. These things
J unimpOrtant in themselves, are part of sys
tenn Of doctrine and practice, not sanctioned b,
the word of God. which was utterly repudiate
by our Church at the Reformation, and whicl
is held in adherence by large majority of tn
ministers and people of this Diocese Tines
things are novelty in Virginia, not havin
been known at time within the memory G
the youngest of us, and are seriously threaten
ing the peace and unity of some of our congre
he Ricbp iyor tbo
and vestries of the Diocese not to allow the in
trod uction of these things into the churches
At the close of the Bishops address, the Coun
ell adjourned for Divine service.
Afterwards, the Council having resumed it
session, invitations from the authorities of tn
Western Lunatic Asylum, the Institution 70
the Deaf, Dumb & Blind, the Virginia Femal
; Institute, and the.Young Mems Christian AS
sociation were read and thanks returned 70
the courtesy extended.
The standing committee and the Trustees
the Theological Seminary made their reports
The Diocesan Missionary Society reporte
that the balance on hand at the beginning {
the year war S7O5.36; receipts during the veal
81 ,667 %; appropriations and expenditures, s.
G3S.46; leaving balance on hand of S736.42
There have been 2s missionaries in the fiel
, during the year, and fully One-fourth of tn
clergy have received aid from the Society.
The Trustees of the Episcopal Residence a
Richmond reported that they had sold tn
house for 1000 and had purchased one NOR
suitable for $4,000 Report was referred to Fl
, nance committee.
Dirision of the Diocese.
The committee on the division of the Dioces
and appointment of assistant Bishop reported
p The report was unanimously in favor of tn
formation Of a new Diocese of West Va, bu
, was not unanimous as to the proposed South
side Diocese, though a majority of the commit
h tee favored its formation. A majority Wa
4 against the appointmentof an assistant Bishop
, Objections to the report were raised, and
was moved that the report of the committee /
c ommitted-members of the committee oil
jecting because all the members had not signe
Il the report and that the proceedings of the con
mittee had not been embodied in the report
o the chairman had been directed to do.
:, After considerable discussion, Uhe objection
s only going to the report so far as it referred
the Southsde0 the chairman consented to il
corporate in this report the minutes of the Or,
=, ceedings In the committee-room as publishe
d in the Chln'chn}a1.
e Several motions were made and discussed an