New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-31
THE EPISCOPAL GENERAL CONVENTION

y
The work doLe by the GereraI Convention of the
Fp -cOpal Church which closed its sessions IN CHI
caGo on Thursday. was chiefly negative. The at
tempt to change the name Of the church was de-
feafed, but the vote in favor Of the change was 50
large that the question may be regarded still he
fore rhe church. Indeed the advocates of this
measure openly boast OF their rapid growth. and
announce their determination to bring II up before
! thc next General Convention three years hence.
! The extreme High Church party which desires The
change Is well organized and is very strong in the
| West ana Southwest 1t believes Thoroughly III
its principles, an Is unceaSing III It's efforts to con-
vert the Church to its views. 1t has been fortu-
nate in meeting with little or no Organized opposl-
ton from the other parties during the last few
years. The Low Church party as IA party is dead
and buried BROAD Cburchmen are roo hazy IN Their
views to form an effective party organization be-
sides which their love Of individuality and per-
sonal liberty makes it impossible for them to act
as a Parry on any question whatever. Ii will be
seen therefore. that the advanced High Church
men have had things pretty much their own way,
and Their well-dlrected work begins to tell on the
opinion of the Church.
Another thing that has helped this party is the
fact that 1T has largely ceased drawing the fire of
It's opponents in the great cities by snowy cereEo-
nIals and is quietly concentrating its strength in
its voting power NAV be felt During rhe last ten
years people have heard little of Rltuallsm" in
tho cities and may have concluded that it - dead
or dying. This Is far from being the case, as this
last General Convention proves. Rtua.ism as an
aesthetic aud sentimental movement has indeed had
its day; 1t is longer an issue, because whatever
OF good there was in 1t has been adopted by the
church az Large, to the great improvement of Its
services and the tone of It's life
But back of the iesthe ic side of Rii ualsm there
is something far more serious aud i'm .ortant and
the present leaders of the movement, VINO are
among the most sagacious in the Episcopal
Church keep that fact c,eIrly III view. strongly
as they dlsavow the word protestant" in Its
ordinary sense they are themselves Protestants
of the most intense kind in another
sense. They protest against much that was
accomplished by the Reformation aud would If
they co uld undo bat work, with the single excep
that they refuse to acknowledge the supremacy of
the pope of Rome. 1t follows also from TINS that
they protest against much OF the so-caed progress
Oh which this prides itself because th at prog
Tess ignores the sacerdotal claims of the Church,
and disputes It's Divine right control the opinions
of mankind. Here then party with clearly de- |
fined views, a compact organization, an elective |
machinery for propagandiSm and unboundcd |
enthusia 'm, burrrwng Its way in the sparselv set
teddIstrics of the cOuutrywIth the ultimate idea of
dominating enough doceses TO make itself IrresIsI
bic In the General Convention OF the Church. 1t
may be true was said by many deDutIea IN this
last convention that these dioceses do not now.
and will not in the future, represent the nun bers
wealth. intelligence and progressive spirit of the
Episcopal Church. But the "CatholIcs," to cal
them by the name which they love, are altogether
too earnest to be affected by SUCH arguments as
hese. o them there is no divinity III a majority
and no significance IN any progress that fails TO
recognize their ideal of Catholic truth II numbers
md Intelligence are against them, so were they
against Chlist and his Apostles; but truth shall
conquer in the end his is t1eIr argument, and i'll
Is logical compactuess and almost terrific earnest
less tells with great force against the easy gong
lIiletantism of average members of the Episcopal
;hurch.