The Indianapolis journal., 1885-07-29
THE COLORED BROTHER.
He Becomes Bone of Contention in the Prot
estant Episcopal Church.
Washington Special.

Washington Special.
A very interesting controversy. involving the
social standing of the colored brother, has origi
mated in the Protestant Episcopal Church of
South Carolina. The convention of the diocese
met in Columbia in May last Two colored
clereymen presented themselves for recog-
milton, and their names were found upon the
bishops list of the clergy. The canons provide
that this fact shall be ''presumptive evidence of
the privileges of clergymen in the convention" 1t
is further provided that if question be made, the
rights of any clergyman shall be determined,
according to the provisions of the Constitution
by the convention ITSELF whether his name be
inserted in the list aforesaid or not"
Mr. Bennett, lay delegate, introduced res
olution calling in question the right of the two
colored men to seats in the convention and
proposing to strike their names from the list
The convention debated the question for nearly
two days, and at length rejected the resolution
thus declaring the right of the colored clergy
men to seats. The opposition came chiefly from
the lay delegates. The clergy, to their honor
for the greater part recognized the truth that as
Christians they could not exclude any race Of
from the church.
But the old notification spirit is not yet dead
in South Carolina. Secession as been given up
as impracticable. But the reserved right to
declare Objectionable laws null and void remains
Among the duties of the diocesan convention is
the choice of a standing committee, which is to
have charge of church affairs when the conven-
tion is not in session. Such a committee was
formed or chosen. But at recent meeting of
the committee it treated the convention as if
illegally constituted. and choose members to fill
vacancies which did not exist. The movers in
this revolutionary programme deny that their
action has anything to do with the status of the
two colored clergymen, while their opponents
charge that such was the purpose. And. at any
rate, if the legality of the convention be over
turned, 1t is obvious that the decision in favor of
the right of the coored clergymen to seats will
be overturned with it,
1t seems that the opponents of the colored
representation in the convention had the infiu-
ence in that body to secure the admission of
lay delegate, who was appointed by his pas
tor, and who was not elected according to the
canon law This delegate voted to exclude the
coiored men who were regularly on the Bishops
list The pretenSa is now set up that the ad
mission of this lay delegate to "A seat invalidat
ed the whole work Of the convention, and the
pretence is set up by those who secured his ad
mission Such tricks unworthy of revolu-
tionists, who should never hesitate about cutting
the Gordian knot, whenever it comes in the
way,
In North Carolina colored clergvmen are
admitted to seats in the Diocesan conventions
and the Church Messenger the organ of the two
dioceses advocates their rights in the church.
Practlcally, no inconvenience results from this
course. CClOred congregations will, as a rule
call colored cergymen, and white congregations
will invariably call white clergymen. The
official contact between the races is only occa-
sional, IN public conventions or convocations
while the social contact will always be merely
voluntary. 1t is said that there are dozen or
more colored clergymen in the dioceses of North
Carolina. If they were excluded, the alternative
would be, their part compulsory schism-
two Protestant Episcopal churches in the same
c+0,a %of toko &c a1E
anomalous which would do violence to the con-
science of the whole Church.