Daily Republican., 1883-09-21
centennial Of . Church.

The next General COuVen iOn VI biiS
Protestant Episcopal Church OF the
United States will celebrate in proper
and most interesting way the one
anniversary OF the consecra-
ton of the firstAmerican Bishop. 1t will
assemble in old Christ Church, Phil
adelphia, rhe same place where hand.
full Of clergy and laity met 100 years
ago. Bishops from England
and Scotland will be present. Ii
most appropriately falls to the lot of the
venerable Bishop of New York to preach
the opening sermon, At the cohVell-
ton of 1875 the delegates met as one
body, there being no Bishop IN this
country at that time. i,
Seven States we're then represented
in the convention. namely, New York,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland, Virginia and South Caro-.
lima. Forty.tive delegates, composed
the number of the first conven ion,
while in the last convention, 1850,
there were 62 Bishops, and nearly 400
delegates. The first convention was
in session but five days, the last con.
vention three weeks. The principal
business of the frt convention
was that Of making arrangements
to secure a succession OF the Episco-
pate.
In 1886 permission to that effect was
granted by the Church of England In
1887 Bishops White and Provost return
ed to this country, having been conse'
Grated in Lambeth Palace. Bishop Sea-
bury. of Connecticut, had previously
been consecrated in Scotland. From
1898 till now the church has held her
general convention trienally.
There have teen 81 Of these conven-
tions including two special ones, and
there have been l2S Bishops consecrated
within this century.
At the first conventi.n the Kev.
VIM. White, d. d., OF Philahdelpia,
was President, and the Rev. DAVID
Griffith, of Virginia, Secretary. The
former was Bishop of Pennsy lvania
for 40 years, and the latter was elected
the first Bishop of Virginia, but de-
clined the honor. The present Pre-
siding Bishop, the Right Rev. BenJa--
min y. Smith, is 30 years OF age, anu
has held the Episcopate 81 years.
There are many interesting assocla'
tions connected d with old Christ Church,
where the first regular convention met
in 1875. On the 10th Of July 1111, the
continental Congress Assem- bleI within
its walls for worship, that day having
been sci apart for general liunlila,
ton, fasting and prayer throughout all
the American Provinces. BENJAMIN
Franklin was member of the Nestry
and George Washington was IA commu-
meant, as wei as Robert Morris, the
great American tinancier.
The Hon. Francis HopkinsOn was
volunteer organist at thai time. Bishop
White was baptized, confirmed, and
ordained in this old edltice ; even the
font in which he rec"i, ell his baptism
is still in the o d spot. The Book OF
Common Prayer as arranged for the
American church was ratified here.
Peyton Rudolph, the first President
Of the Continental Congress, appears
on the p,r,h record. -ho parish was
organized iu 1925, u years after the lay
ing ont of the city by William Penn.
In l727 the present edit'ce was con-
struct.d wholly out of bricks that were
brought from England 1t was nine
wears in building. In the tower there
is chime of bells that were brought
from England, aud it is said that
during the time the British held pos.
session of Philadelphia the bells were
sunk in the Delaware river.
In the work of restoration the wooden
floor has been taken up that covered the
original tilng, and here were found IN
the aises several tablets, bearing the
names of the persons buried beneath
Bishop White was buried under the
the chancel of Christ Church, The
pew in which Washington sat wa
removed in 1886 and presented to The
keepers OF Independence Hall, Phil
adel phia. Tue communion service
consists of seven pieces, all OF solit
gold, and was presented in 1875 b.
Qmen Anne.