Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-05-26
EPISCOPAL COUN.
GIL.


Episcopal Church in Virginia met at
Stanton, on Wednesday last. The
opening sermon was preached by Rev.
w. l.. Hyland, of Psrkersburg.
During the afternoon a conference of
clergy and laity of the proposed new
diocese of West Virginia was held, pre-
sided over by Rev. Mr.. Hyland 1t
closed after long discussion, confined
to the financial question, by the adop-
ton of resolution stating that it had
been ascertained that the sum of TWEEN
ty-two hundred dollars was pledged to
pay the salary of the proposed bishop,
and that the sum could be increased,
and asked the council to erect the do
cese. The resolution was adopted by
the following vote: Clergy, ayes ii,
nays 2; laitv II, nays 3.
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 the James river. A
resolution was, after long discussion, q
dopted asking the council to make james
river the dividing line of the State, and
erect new diocese ont of that portion
lying south of it, and also requesting
Bishop Whitte, of the diocese, if erect
ed, TO select his own residence. The
vote on the resolution was clergy, ayes
.s, nays d; laity, ayes Is, nays II.
Bishop White in his annual address
said that during the year he had confir-
med nine hundred persons. lie said ne
had addressed brief pastoral to the dI-
Geese on the subject of mtemperance.
| 1t was a subject in which the Church
of England, some other churches, and
thousands of our countrymen OF no
church at all, but actuated merely by
worldly motives, had taken action. He
hoped the council wonld devise some
practical and etfectual means of dealing
with the evil. In any event, every one
who named the name of Christ ought
for the Lords sake and for the sake Of
the Church abstain from using liquor as
a beverage.
The bishop says the spirit of worldli-
ness and irreligion is seen conspicnonsly
in the musical performance in some
eli our churches where the praises OF
God are converted into what might be
called Sunday opera" Other unwor-
thy means are used to raise money. The
attendance of communicates and vestry-
men at theatres and other forbidden
places of amusement are other evidences
of the growth of this spirit, aud the bish
op said he must insist upon obedience
to the ru5ric of the communion and the
nineteenth canon Of this diocese on the
part of the laity, and the clergy must
enforce it. lie severely reprehended
the introduction of flowers into the
churches and the alter cloths for differ
cut church seasons as part of system
of doctrine ond practice not sanctioned
by the Word OF God, which was utter
ly repudiated by our Church at the
reformation, and which is held in abhor-
ance by 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 the resolution for the cree
ton Of a diocese to be bound by the
State lines of West Virginia.
NJ. p Andrews, layman, Of Shep-
herdstown, offered resolution in effect
leaving Jefferson and Belkely with old
Virginia. lie said the people in those
counties were opposed to the change.
! Three of the only seven selt-sustaning
parishes in the proposed new diocese
were Smithficld, Shepherdstown and
Martnsburg, and all had protested
against being separated from the do
crse of Virginia.
| Rev w. II. Meade, of Charlestown,
urged the adoption of the State lines as
for the interest Of the whole Church,
and also did Rev. Il. II. Mason, CT
West Virginia.
Rev. DR.. Peterkin advocated having
no division Of the diocese of Virginia,
and favored instead of 4 division the
plan Of having one bishop, with sutfra-
gan 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. Mr.. Hubbard offered an amend
ment making the Alleganey mountains
the dividing line of the new diocese.
Rev. Mr.. Hylaud, of w. Va, advocat-
ed the State lire as the dividing line;
any other division, he said, would be
equal to none at ALL Mr.. Taylor Ber
ry thought there was no constitutional
provision for the division OF this diocese.
An amendment offered by Judge Park
er, giving parishes option in the matter
of diocese, was ruled out of order. An
amendment excepting Jefferson and
Berkeley was defeated.
The Council, on Friday by q large
majority decided to recommend to the
General Convention which meets in
Boston in October, to set apart the State
of West Virginia as separate and in
dependent diocese. After protracted
and exciting discussion resolution to
divide the diocese of Virginia by the
line of James river, was defeated by
large majority.
The funny doinps at the Keyser,