Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-15
THE EPISCOPALlANS.
A p,scussIoN OF CHURCH GROWTH
IN MISSIONARY LANDS.
Tho Question as to the Neca OF 'fO
vinoiar system Debaied-A D'n'r-
enoe OF Opinion.


Tho attendance at the sessions OF the
Thirteenth Church Congress Oh ane
Protestant Episcopal Church in fhlia-
delpbia Thursday was larger than on any
of the previous days.
The evening session was neiu III A'S0
citation Hall.
The topic of the evening was Oon-
d;tions Of Church Growth in Missionary
Lands" and the discussion was partici-
pated in by Bishop Coleman, OF pela-
ware Bishop Talbot, OF Wyom1ng
Rev. DR.. McKim, Of Washington new
DR. Brooks, of Boston, and Rev. d.
Kirkus, OF Baltimore.
Rev. DIR. McKim said that IN recent
times the walls that surrounded heatheh
lands had been thrown down TO the sol
diers of the cross. He strongly advo,
Gated native evangelists, who understand
the manners and customs OF their TEL
iow.beings. These, he said, could be
ordained soon after their conversion.
The missionaries who 60 out to CHINA
and japan should be prepared 70 UNI
derstand the life and character OF those
people. -,
BISHOP COLENfAN'S VIEWS
Bishop Coleman, of Delaware, was the
next heard from. Among other things
he said: "The work with which we
have to deal at present is Church growth.
Tho Gospel of Christ is not properly ex-
hibited without a society OF those 10
whom it has been heralded.
"In every religion there arc some
GOOD ideas. and it would be q mistake TO
strive TO obliterate them IN the first ell
fort OF conversion. The missionary
should be well versed in the language OF
those to whom he wishes to preach the
Gospel and study their manner and Gus
toms, and also interest himself IN their
secular affairs. II il q mistake TO send
only one man TO represent US in cities OF
hundreds of thousands OF inhabitants.
We should have among them even COL
leges and other sources of learning.
1.-THE most vital and most important
work in connection with the missionary
life is the teaching Of the children who
afterwards are to be the men and women
OF those lands, and exerting their lntlu-
ence over other races with whom they
come in contact
Rev. DR.. Brooks spoke on the advan-
tapes and disadvantages the missionary
meets with. He referred to the quail
ties tho true missionary should possess:
He should be man OF learning, filled
with simplicity and the love of God. 1t
is essential to the welfare of the Church
abroad that she nc in communion with
other Christian denominations who are
laboring in the same cause.
THE SIMPLE TRUTH NEEDED.
Rev. DR.. Kirkus, Of Baltimore, held
that the great work of tho missionary
was to teach the truth OF religion in its
form TO tell the heather how
God loves him and how Christ redeemed
him. alt is all nonsense" he con-
tinued, "to tell them about the thirty
nine articles of religion, the period Of
the Reformation, or the conflicting his
tory between Professionalism and the
Church of Rome.
"There are many OF your domestic
concluded DR.. Kirkus, "who
DO not understand these things"
The last speaker was Bishop Talbot.
He advocated doing oil that was possible
with other religious bodies, while at the
same time recognizing the precious de-
nositOries OF the EpiscoDal Church.
THE PROVINCIAL SYSTEM.
The topic of the morning was "Do
We Need Provincial System ?" Rev.
J. H, Egar, d. D., of Rome, n. Y,
argued that such system would be most
and advantageous to the
Church. The first step taken in such a
direction was the canon adopted by the
General Convention authorizing such
system under the name of q federal coun-
ell in States where there are more than
one diocese. The canon should be, how
ever, amended so that there should De at
least three bishops in each State. The
union of the dioceses in States can better
be preserved by a provincial system.
Rev. DIR. ]. II. Elliott, OF Washing
ton, took the opposite ground. EX-
he said, "does not warrant
the establishments of provincial system,
for it would he creating hierarchy. We
cannot afford to have the Church turned
into a'museum Of antiquities. We can
not afford to follow ancient Roman or
medieval England"
Rev. Joseph Carey, D. D., of Sara
togn, N. Y, strongly advocated such q
system.
While Rev. DR.. Z. Boggs, of Newark,
was opposed to the plan and could not
see what good would come from it, Rev.
f. Marion McAlister, Of Elizabeth, n.
j.. brother of Ward McAllister, of New
York, said that this proposition was an
evidence of Anglomania, and he was
glad as an Englishman to speak against
it. He said that reforms often came
from the minority and not from the ma
iority.