Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-11-19
THE EPISCOPAL CONVENTION.

A Resume of the Most Important Features
of Work Accomplished.
The thirty-third general convention Of
the Protestant Episcopal church of the
United States, which has just closed a
three weeks session at Philadelphia, was
a gathering of great importance. both as
regards the number of representative
men in attendance and the amount OF
business transacted. The names oi
George F. Edmunds, Thomas A. Hen.
bricks. Nash, Pierrepont, Memminger-
who was identified with the southern
confederaey-and others of nationa
import we're prominent on its roll. The
house of deputies comprised 200 lay and
and 200 clerical delegates, while the
house of bishops had membership oi
sixty Rev. DR.. Thomas, of st. Paul's
church of this city, has just returned
from the convention, and to him the
Pioneer Press is indebted for infor.
nation in regard to the inner workings
of the assembly and the important bus.
mess transacted. The all-absorbing top.
lc was the revision of the prayer book,
and to this the greater portion Of the
time was devoted. The report of the
committee to whom this matter had been
referred was taken up section by section
and discussed carefully and thoughtfully.
In the service for morning prayer many
changes were effected. bat they were
chiefly verbal and of little importance.
The service for evening prayer was treat
ed in like manner. To this was added
the beatitudes of the gospel, with the
provision for their use in connection
with evening prayer or as separate
service. To the litany service two new
suffrages were added:
That it may please thee With thy pow
er to behold and bless thy servant. the
president of the United States, and to
keep and strengthen him in true right
eousness aud holiness of life.
That it may please thee to bless and
preserve all christian rulers and magis-
trates, giving them grace to execute JUS
tice and to maintain truth.
A large number of especial prayers
ana thanksgivings were added, promi-
nently: For young persons preparing
for continuation; for all dependent on
the public care; for malefactors after
condemnation; for missions; for increase
of ministry: for fruitful seasons; for
blessings upon instruction, and about a
dozen others. The principal change
effected in the Office of holy communion
was the privilege to omit the Decalogue
when the sacrament is celebrated more
than once on the same day. The revi.
sion was perfected through the commu.
nion service; the remainder OF the book
will be acted upon at the next tri-ennial
convention at Chicago in 1886. The
sense of the assembly was to allow the
clergy greater liberty in the way of tlexi
bility in the use of the book of common
prayer. The supposed political reference
in the substitution of the words "these
United States" which being made public
80 nearly contemporaneous with the civl
rights decision gave the newspapers al
opportunity which they did not fail t.
take advantage of-this was entirely al
accident in phraseology. The true his
tory of the matter has not been publish
ed. 1t is given now for the first time
After the Independence of the colonie
had been established, . slight change il
the prayer book became necessary, ant
in the prayer for the ruler of the natiol
the words 1.-THE president" were substi
tuted for "the queen" This expression
has given dissatisfaction for long TIM
to thinking men in the church, from th
fact that GU account of the widely vary
ing systems of political economy, til
two expressions are not synonymous il
the different countries. Although tn
queen represents the entire country, tn
president does not. At the late conven
ton, Rev. Phillips Brooks of Bostor
failing to see, as he expressed. the ne
cessity of praying for the president NOR
than for any other individual, moved t
amend the prayer by substituting fo
"the president" the words the nation
Robert q. Winthrop, also of Boston. fo
lowed with very pointed speech in fave
of the change. At this q number {
southern members, recognizing the fac
that both speakers were from Massachr
setts, scented political meaning in th
. change, aud opposed It hotly. DIR. Hun
} inHton, another bay state delegate, sue
gested ''the people of these Unite
States" in place Of the obnoxious e,
precision. This was still more unsati
J factory to the men of the north, who r,
membered that the war had settled Il
i question Of thu number of the nanp