The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-04
The Church and The Convention.

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tomorrow.
The Church and the Convention.
New York Herald.
From the very foundation of the Episco-
pal church in the United States she has been
represented by the foremost laity OF our
country. Washington was an active mem
Der, and Madison also. The latter had a
brother who was an early Bishop of Virginia.
Several of the Presidents were Churchmen,
and the present one belongs to that com
munity. Benjamin Franklin was a member
of Christ Church, and so was Deborah, his
wife. Robert Morris, the great American
~ipaneier in the early days of the republic,
was a leading member, and Francis Hopkin-
son was the volunteer organist of Christ
Church, Philadelphia. OF the eleven MIS-
sionary bishops representing our whole terri
torial area, all are present, and their story of
the increase of the church in their far away
homes and the trials of frontier life will
be told with all the missionary
spirit that aetuates the Episcopal mind.
There are sixty-two bishops, and few are
absent. The presiding Bishop is the Right
Rev. Benjamin Boswell Smith, d. D., Bishop
of Kentucky, but a resident of the city of
New York. He is upward of ninety years of
age, and has held the episcopate longer than
any other prelate of the church, having been
consecrated in 1882. Bishop Alfred Lee, of
Delaware. comes next. and then Bishop
Green, of Mississippi. These two men are
quite aged and have we'll earned a rest. Then
comes the tall. straight, scholarly, dignihed
bachelor bishop, the Right Rev. John Will
liams, of Connecticut. If he ever becomes
the presiding bishop of the church he indeed
will in every sense of the word most worth
lily fill the position. New York is divided
into five dioceseS, viz, New York, with
Bishop Potter as it's diocesan; Western New
York, with Bishop Coze; Central New York,
Bishop Huntington; Albany, Bishop Doane,
and Long Island. with her Garden City eccle-
~siastical surroundings and Bishop Littlejohn
as her prelate. The latest bishop consecrated
was the Right Rev. CORTLAND Whitehead,
of Pittsburg. The Rev. DR.. Knickerbacker,
so long the rector of Gethsemaue Church,
Minneapolis, IS ready to be consecrated dur
ing the coming convention, as Bishop of In
diana. Since the last convention two bishops
nave gone to rest-the Rev. Joseph Cruick-
shanks Talbot, Bishop of Indiana, and the
Right Rev. William Pinckney, of Maryland.
The clerical delegates comprise the leading
priests of the several dioceses. The lay ele-
ment in the convention are of extraordinary
character, and much fine debate on the diff
ferent questions that may come before the
convention may be anticipated. From Ala
bama, Francis B. Clark may be mentioned.
Orlando Meade and Erastus Corning are
from the diocese of Albany; William H.
Boothe, of San Francisco, and Judge Com
stock, of Central New York, will take a tilt at
debate; also John /. Atlee, NJ. D., Ii. D.;
Robert Lamberton. LII, D., and Professor
Henry Coppee, of Central Pennsylvania; ORR
gen Seymour and Benjamin Stark, OF Con-
necticut. Charles G. Jenkins. Lewis N.
White and ex-Mayor John Screven, OF Sa-
vannah, will represent the State of Georgia.
Corning Judd. of Illinois, and William H.
Morrison and Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indi-
ana, will be a strong trio in council. John
w. Stevenson has for years represented
Kentucky. Henry E. Pierrepont and L.
Bradford Prince will go from Long
Island, The army was represented
at the last convention by Colonel
John Hamilton and General Christopher G,
Augur and General Hoffman, and they will
probably lay aside their arms long enough
to meet their many friends at this CONVEX
ton. Robert @. Winthrop, DR.. George c.
Shattuck and Edward II. Bennett will repre-
sent Massachusetts,. Michigan sends Gov
ernor Baldwin, and New York Hamilton
Fish, Judge Emmett and Stephen p. Nash.
Cortlandt Parker will undoubtedly be pres
ent from New Jersey. Ohio sends two rail
road kings, Columbus Delano AVID John IL.
Devereux. George L. Harrison, Lemuel
Coffin and Richard McMurtrie, of Philadel-
phia, welcome their guests with royal kind
ness. Pittsburg sends Hill Burgum and
Malcolm Hay: Rhode Island. Augustus Hop
pin and Thomas P. ]. Goddard. Jacob
Thompson, of Tennessee; and George f. Ed
muuds and Judge Redfeld will be present
from Vermont. Virginia sends Robert E.
Withers, Judge Hugh and w. Shelley. Judge
James NJ. Smith, LII. D., will come from
Western New York.
The Lord Bishop of Rochester has already
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the Archbishop of Canterbury, congratulate
ing the convention on the centenary of the
conservation of Bishop Seabury. He will pre-
sent this letter at the opening of the conven-
ton. The Bishop of Edinburgh will also be
present as a representative of the Church of
Scotia nd, where the first bishop of America
received conservation. Other dignitaries of
the church abroad have signitied their inten-
ton to be here at the centennial jubilee.
During the last year several thousand dol
lars nave been expended in restoring Christ
Church, Philadelphia, to its original appear
ance when the first convention assembled
within its walls. The parish was organized
in 1895, or twelve years after the laying out
of the city of Philadelphia by William Penn,
and during the reign of William III. The
present edifce was built in 1927, and it was
nine years in process of erection. 1t is built
of brick that were brought from England.
1t is copied after old English types of church
artitecture, and was one of the places at
which visitors gathered during the centen-
MA year, 1876. OF course few besides the
bishops and delegates will find admission at
the opening service.
The holy communion was administered on
the morning of the opening of the conven-
ton, and a more solemn service of this char
acter is rarely seen. At least sixty bishops
were present, and 400 clergy and lay dele
gates. The venerable presiding Bishop was
the consecrator, and the communion vessels
used have a most interesting history. There
are seven pieces in all; four of them have no
date, but were undoubtly in use in 1895.
Three of them were presented to Christ
Church in 1908 by Queen Anne, and are
thus inscribed: b