Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1877-05-22
VIRGINIA EPISCOPAL COUNCIL.

Wednesday last. The opening sermon was
preached by Rev. W. L. Hyland. Of Parkers-
burg.
During the afternoon conference Of clergy
and laity of the proposed new diocese OF West
| Virginia was held, presided over by Rev. Mr..
Hyland. 1t closed after long discussion,
confined to the financial question, by the
adoption of a resolution stating that 1T had
| been ascertained that the sum of twenty-five
hundred dollars was pledged to pay the salary
of the proposed bishop, and that the sum
could be increased, and asking the council to
erect the new diocese. The resolution was
adopted by the following vote: Clergy, ayes
IL, nays laity, ayes IL, nays 8.
At the same time conference was held in
the chapel of the church of the clergy and
| lsity of the diocese located on the south side
i 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 new diocese out OF that
| portion lying south of it, and also requesting
Bishop White, of the diocese, if erected, to
select it for his own residence. The vote on
| the resolution was clergy, ayes 10, nays D;
laity, ayes Is, nays ID.
Bisbon. White in his annual address said
that during the year he had confirmed nine
| hundred persons He said he had addressed
brief pastoral to the diocese on the subject
of intemperance. It was a subject in which
the Church of England, some other churches,
and thousands of our countrymeu of no church
| at all. but actuated merely by worldly mo-
tives, had taken action. He hoped the coun-
Gil would devise some practical and effectual
means of dealing with the evil. In any
| event, every one who named tho name OF
Christ ought for the Lords sake and for the
sake of the Church abstain from using liquor
as beverage.
The bishop says the spirit Of worldliness
and irreligion is seen conspicuously in the
| musical performances in some OF our churches
where the praises of God are converted into
what might be called Sunday opera" Other
unworthy means are used to raise money.
The attendance of COMMITMENTS and vestry>
men at theatres and other forbidden places OF
amusement are other evidences of the growth
| of this spirit, and the bishop said he must
insist upon obedience to the rubric of the
communion aud the nineteenth canon of this
diocese on the part of the laity, and the
clergy must enforce it. He severely repre>
hepded the introduction of flowers into the
churches and the altar cloths for different
church seasons as part of system of doctrine
and practice not sanctioned by tho Word of
God, which was utterly repudiated by our
| Church at the reformation, and which is held
in adherence by q large majority of the clergy
and laity of this diocese.
The question of the erection OF the diocese
of West Virginia came up on Thursday, on
resolution for the creation OF diocese to
be bounded by the State lines OF West
Virginia.
Mp. Andrews, lay man. of Shepherdstown
offered resolution in effect leaving Jefferson
IL Ill 10 caIH
the people in those counties were opposed to
the change. Three of the only seven self
sustaining parishes in the proposed new do
cese were Smithfeld, Shepherdstown and
Martinsburg, and oil had protested against
being separated from the diocese of Virginia
Rev. w. H. Meade, of Chnrlestown,
urged the adoption of the State lines as for
tho interest of the whole Church, and also
did Rev. R. H. Mason, of Vest Virginia.
Rev. DR.. Peterkin advocated having no
division of the diocese of Virginia, and IA
vored instead of division the plan of hav-
ing one bishop, with suffragan bishops under
his control.
Judge Parker, of Winchester, said he did
not favor throwing Jefferson and berkeley
off if they had informed US they wanted to
remain in the diocese. Rev. MIR. Hubbard
offered an amendment making the Allegany
mountains the dividing line of the new dio>
cese. Rev. Mr.. Hyland, of W. Va, advo-
Gated the State line as the dividing line; any
other division, he said, would BIO equal to
none at all. Mr. Taylor Berry thought there
was no constitutional provision for the d.
vision of this diocese. An amendment offered
by Judge Parker, giving parishes option in
| the matter of diocese, was ruled out of order.
An amendmen. excepting Jefferson and
| Rerk elav was defeated
TAT meeting held on Monday, the l4th
inst, the congregation of Zion church in
this town passed resolutions concurrlng in
the opinion expressed at the Petersburg
conference as TO the advantages likely accrue
to the Church in West Virginia by the ereo-
ton of this State into separate and inde-
pendent Diocese. Also authorizing the deli
egate to the Council now sitting in Staunton
to support the proposition to erect said diocese,
if the proper guarantees for the support OF the
Episcopate were made, and authorizing the
vestry of the Church to pledge, in addition
to the contingent fund ms at present paid by
the congregation, the sum of $500, for FIVE
years, liz aid of said support.l
The Council, on Friday, decided by large
majority to recommend to the General Con-
yention which meets in Boston in October, to
set apart the State of West Virginia as q
separate and independent diocese. After a
protracted and exciting discussion a resolu-
ton to divide the diocese of Virginia by the
line of James river was defeated by large
majority.
The Rev. W. II. Meade, pastor, and N. s.