St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-25
THE OPPOSITION TO PHILLIPS
BROOKS.

oAS y 1OoA IA IN IN bnPpRCLo
that the standing committees Of many
of the dioceseS of the Protestant Episco-
pal church are refusing to concur in the
election of PHILLIPS BROOKS to the
Massachusetts, biShopric. In addition
to securing the suffrages of the church
in his W see, the approval of the
other dioceses in the country is needed
to permit his conservation. In several
cases, in the recent history of the
church, this has been refused, notably
when the mann of that brilliant man,
DR.. DEKovEN, of Racine, was awaiting
confirmation, and afterwards when
Bishop SEYMOUR. of Illinois, first came
up for consideration. For the first
b%ishopric to which he was chosen he
was rejected, but, when a few years
afterwards, he WAS elected 70 an-
other one, a change of feeling
in reference to him had come with time
and there were %concurring dioceseS
enough to secure his elevation. Along
with DR.. BROOKS there are pending the
names of a number of other clergymen,
who are being Endorsed without complete
unanimity. The new bishop of Alaska,
the new assistant bishop of Georgia, the
new assistant bishop of Louisiana will
apparently receive no opposition to en-
tering on their work from any quarter.
They are all undoubtedly very reputa-
bic men of learning and upright char
a%cters, but no one outside of a very lin
tied circle has ever heard of them be-
fore. But the standing committee of
the diocese of Newark, of the diocese of
Milwaukee, of the diocese of Missouri,
and of others which perhaps the GLOBE
has not noticed, have already declared
that the II man who stands out in the
church to which he belongs as foremost
in aggressive ability, yigor Of mind and
force of character shall not be rewarded
by advancement in ecclesiastical honors.
Very likely there will not be dis
Senting votes enough to compass
his defeat, but that there should
be any objection to his selection is a
sad commentary on the sodden narrow
mindedileSS of educated people. The
standing committees of the different
Episcopal sees are composed of men of
prominence, culture and position, and
yet from among this class comes this
amazing disapproyaI of the life and
views of this greatest of American di-
vines, and this leader in the army of
ChriSt'S disciples. PHILLIPS BROOKS
belongs to what is known as the broad
church, whose creed is liberation.
DEAN STANLEY, the author of the
greatest work of biography in the Eng
liSh language, was the founder of this
school, and DR.. Brooks is its leading
living exponent. His views are wide
enough to regard with patience the po-
sition Of a HEBER NEWTON, who recog-
nizes no criterion of opinion except his
OWL conception of truth, and that of a
Father lGNATIUS, who recognizes no
criterion except authority. He sees in
the struggles of every honest soul to
lead a high and holy life in the light
of the best guidance it can assim-
late something to encourage and coln-
mend. With the rarest %eloquence and
the power of the nobleSt personality he
counts conduct higher than dogma, and
thinks, as did CHRIST himself, that the
subIlmest spectacle in the world is the
effort of the earnest after truth and
liShbCOuSuOSos CtCIi llOuSn III Ut uldUS
in mistake and failure. He holds out
the right hand of fellowship to all such,
and cheers and welcomes them with his
hearty words of Endorsement, and does
what his W high example can accom-
plish to guide them in the path Of
knowledge. When the Episcopal
church vas considering whether or not
it would adopt the use of the Revised
Version of the Scriptures, and the
timid and bigoted chung to the fetch of
the scholars of hundreds of years ago,
PHILLIPS BROOKS arose in the conven-
ton and said that it was not the future
of the Revised Version which was at
stake in their decision; that was as
sured; but it was the future of the
Episcopal church which was at stake.
Whether DR.. BROOKS is confirmed or
rejected as bishop of Massachusetts,
his standing:.before the world and the viz
tue of his opinions will not suffer. They
are not under debate. 1t is the welfare
of the Protestant Episcopal church
which is at stake.