The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-30

VERMONT'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Rev. W. H. Collins, in obedience to the
bishops request, delivered an historical
sketch of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in Vermont to his congregation
at st. Michaers Episcopal church in
Bratteboro.
The history of the Episcopal Church in
the diocese of Vermont naturally di-
vides itself into three district periods:
The first comprising the time from its or
ganizatiOn in 1880 to the year 1882, when
Vermont, separating itself from its con-
nection with the eastern diocese, became
an independent diocese and chose Rt.
Rev. ]. II. Hopkins, d. D., for the its
first bishop; the second covering the
duration of his Episcopate from 1882 to
1868; the third from 1868, when the late
Rt. Rev. VIII. A. Bissell, DID, became its
second bishop to the present year, when
he entered Paradise. The Eastern
Diocese, so called, was formed in 1909.
1t consisted of confederation of the
States of Massachusetts,, New Hamp
shire, Rhode Island and Vermont, for
the purpose of securing Episcopal oyer
sight. Rev. DR.. Griswold was elected as
its bishop in 1911, and continued to exer-
else Jurisdiction over Vermont until 1882,
when, as has been mentioned, Bishop
Hopkins assumed sole charge of the
diocese. Among the interesting facts to
be found relating TO the early history of
the Church in Vermont are those per-
tanning to litigations arising to the be-
quests of the English ''society for propa-
eating the gospel in foreign parts" by
which certain lands were given to the
Church 10 Vermont chiefly for the sup
port and maintenance of its clergy.
Among the sources of information con-
corning the history of the Church none
are more valuable than the work en-
titled, "The Documentary History of the
Church in Vermont" The preparation
and publication of this volume were q
labor of love on the part of three of our
diocesan clergy. Through their patient
research, documents have been brought
to light, which not only supply the
many defects of our early journals, but
as it is expressed in the preface, ''serve
to illustrate the character of the men
who figured in those early days in the
history of the Church in this country, so
that the vast amount of information to
be found in the work is by no means Of
| interest only to Vermont church men
but to all church men throughout the
United States"
When Bishop Hopkins was cJnse-
Grated in 1882 there were 13 presbyters,
IA church buildings, "a organized par
ishes and LIP communicates. At the
Bishops conservation in 1868, there were
| 81 church edifices, IL rectories, the Yer
mont Episcopal Institute and trust
funds, all aggregating over $4,000. In
| 1890 when the Centennial convention
| took place, there were so church edifices,
% rectories, the Institute and Bishop
Hopkins Hall, the Episcopal residence in
Burlington, trust funds and lands,
amounting in all to about 5000, 900; and
since the year 1890, there have been pro-
poTtional gains. In the year 1868 there
were 40 parishes and missions, "a clergy,
1868 families, comprising 6,27S individu-
ais; with 1881 communicates and $3.50
Sunday school pupils and teachers;
while the offerings or that year, exclu-
sive of salaries, were over S., 900. In
1890 there wese SO parishes and missions,
"a clergy, over 1000 families with over
5000 individuals, 1000 COMMITMENTS,
over 1000 Sunday school pupils and
teachers, while the offerings for that
year amounted to over $4,000, exclusive
of salaries.
1t is by comparing the statistics given
| dOONO, WHlCn WClO ny OhO Vi
our clergy three years since, and there
fore are in reality an underestimate OF
our present strength, with the meager
facts obtainable for the year 1882, that
we gain some idea of the growth of the
Church in Vermont during the last &C
years. But in no other equal period OF
time has such progress been made as
during the past 25 years, which covers
the period of our late Bishops Episco-
pate; and while the growth and pros
perity OF individual parishes may seem
small to us, we have every reason to
thank God, and take courage for what
has been accomplished through His
blessing, when we view the work of the
Church in this diocese as a whole.
ReY. Collins closed by recalling the ar
duous labors of the predecessors, the
manifold difficulties of their tasks, their
personal sacrifices and all they endured
for Christ's sake.-Reformer