The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-05-24
THE EPISCOPAL COUNCIL.

THE EPISCOPAL COUNCIL.
BISHOP WHITTLE'S REPORT-HE CENsUREs
TNTEMPERANCE AND WORLDLINEss-oP.
POSES oPERATIC MUSIC AND RITUALIsTIC
J. EMBLEMS IN THE CHURCH-WEST vIR-
GINA MADE A SEPARATE DIoCEsE-EF.
FORT TO DIVIDE VIRGINIA DEFEATED.
Second Day.
The Eighty.second Annual Council of the
Protestant Episcopal Church reassembled in
Trinity church on Thursday morning last,
promptly at 9 o'clock.
After prayer by the Rev. E. Fl. Ingle,
Bishop Whttle read his
ANNUAL REPORT.
The summary of the Bishops work during
the past year is as follows: Churches and
places visited, 1876; baptized adults 6, in
FAINT y, Z; combinations, 900; funerals, l !;
marriages, !; churches consecrated, g.; lay
readers licensed. 10; postulants for holy Or
ders, 10; candidates for priests orders, 30 ;
persons ordained deacons, 16; deacons Or
dained priests, 8; letters dimissory received,
2; letters dimissory given, 10; clergymen
deceased, 5.
After alluding to the great want of all in
creased missionary fund, by which he might
ers into the waste places of the State, he
said that Ire had addressed brief pastoral
to the diocese ON the subject of intemper-
ance, leaving it to his brethren OF the minis
try 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 countrymen, of no church at all, but
actuated merely by worldly motives. have
taken action. He hoped the Council would
devise some means Of dealing with this mat
ter; and in any event, not only should the
laity consider the evil tendencies to them
selves of social drinking, especially in public
places, and the consequences resulting to
others from the influence of their 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, at least to abstain from all lntoxicat-
ing drinks as beverage.
Continuing, he said: Occupying the fear
fully responsible Official position which do,
1 feel it my duty to lift up my voice against
the spirit of worldliness and irreligion which
1 grieve to think is increasing amongst us.
More now, perhaps, than ever before within
our knowledge, the cares of this world and
the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of
other things entering into tho hearts of
Christians, choke the Word and make it un-
fruitful. Worldliness-the spirit and senti-
ments and fashions and customs and pleas
ures and vices of the world-its shows and
frivolties and extrayagancies and dissipa-
tions have come into the Church like flood,
and well-nigh swept away every mark OF
difference between the disciples of Christ
and other people. This is seen conspicu-
ously IN the musical performances in some
of our churches, where the praises Of God
are converted into what might be called
Sunday opera in the fairs and shows and
plays and other unworthy means which are
used to raise money, and in the attendance
of communicates and vestrymen upon shea
ment. We ministers must remember that
we watch for souls, of which we must give
an account; and that if we fail to warn our
fellow-men of the error of their ways, and
| they die in their iniquities, their. blood will
| be required at our hands.
My predecessor has warned you against
the introduction of flowers into churches,
but that warning has, in a number of in
stances, been disregarded, and the evil from
a small beginning has, in few years, grown
to such proportions as on some occasions to
involve sinful and wasteful expense, and to
make our Fathers house place for floral
exhibition, to please the eye and crafty
| sensuous taste. causing some minds, it is
feared, to change the truth Of God into
lie, and worship and serve the creature more
than the Creator.'
| And now, in addition to flowers, we begin
| to see what are called altar-cloths, and cloths
of different colors for the different Church
seasons, on some of our reading-desks and
pulpits. These things, unimportant IN them
| selves, are parts of system-a system of
NSSoAAiAS "hu PAnSuAOO AVv oetuCtlVuCu NY GAC
Word of God. These things are novelty
in Virginia, not having been known at
time within the memory of the youngest Of
| us. Ritualism and Romanism have grown
up little by little. and if we would preserve
the workshop and doctrine of our beloved
Church unchanged, we must resist every in
noyation in the one or the other at its first
appearance.
at the conclusion of the reading of the
Bishops report, the Council took recess for
divine service.
INVITATIONS AND REPORTS.
Immediately upon reassembling, invita-
tons were read from the President of the
Young Mems Christian Association, the SUI
perintendent Of the Lunatic Asylum, the
Principal of the Va. Female Institute, and
the Principal of the D., D. & B. Institution,
extending to the delegates cordial invita-
ton to visit those places. Thanks were re-
turned for the courtesies.
The Committee on Diocesan Missions re-
ported the total amount received for use dur
ing the year as $5,3ee.ss; appropriated and
expended during the year, "a, 63O.4O !; bal.
ance in treasury, $736.42. Twenty
ministers have been at work in different
parts of the Diocese during the year.
DIVISION OF DIOCESE.
DR.. Gibson, from the Committee on Divi-
sion of the Diocese, presented report and
resolution recommending division of the
Diocese by the line Of West Virginia, and
also for the establishment OF new Diocese,
to be composed Of the counties south of the
James River.
Quite an animated discussion ensued be-
tween Drs. Gibson and Norton upon the
oouthside resolution, DR.. N. claiming that
the committee should have presented the
minority report also. After some debate,
the minority report, dissenting from the
opinion OF the majority, was read.
So much of the report as referred to the
Southside was made the order of the day for
noon, Friday, and
THE WEST VIRGINIA DIVISION
was taken up. DIR. Hyland, Of Parkersburg,
presented series OF resolutions adopted at