The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-08-24
A Subject That Cannot he ignored.

meeting, WHICH was IOTn1dlly Optutu tntIe
on Tuesday, and will continue until the
close Of August.
On Monday preliminary religious exer-
cises took place and a great multitude
joined in them. The most impressive OF
these ceremonies was a communion service
in the evening, at which as many as twenty
five hundred OF the attendants partook Of
the consecrated bread and wine. Thus they
pledged themselves anew to fidelity to the
faith, and particularly to united and har-
monious efforts for the conversion Of souls
in the camp meeting to begin the next day.
In general they were Methodists, the camp
meeting being under the direction Of that
denomination Of Christians more especially
but included in the number were many
other Professionals Of the Churches described
as evangelical.
This communion service was conducted
after the old and still prevalent method Of
the Protestant Churches. The wine was
distributed in chalices, from which many
slipped, and there was no discoverable indi-
cation that the partakers were mindful Of
the dangers OF the Common cup as pointed
out by medical societies, In accordance with
whose advice two large churches Of Roches.
tOts bhiS cbtlt, suDStiJuJtu tut u u
separate chalice for each communicate
q few months ago. In their religious
exaltation the thoughts of the multitude at
Ocean Grove seemed to be concentrated on
the Significance Of the holy mystery. Nearly
all of them, probably, would have resented
any interference by human science with
the method Of the celebration as a pro-
fame worldly distraction and dissertation.
This feeling evidently is now general
among earnest Protestant believers. As
yet the innovation introduced at Roch-
ester hes been adopted by only a very few
Churches. Important as it is, 1t has been al
most completely ignored by the papers rep
resentative Of the different Protestant de-
nominations. They seem to be afraid to
touch It but their silence has not prevented
its discussion among communicates Of the
Churches to which they belong. The change
at Rochester and the reasons for it have
spread fears Of the common chalice that
must eventually compel the papers to treat
the subject as Of grave Importance.
When a physician writes to a newspaper,
as one wrote to THE SUN the other day, that
he refrained from drinking from the chalice
at a recent celebration of the Eucharist In the
CpiSCOpdl SnuTCn, UcChubS DtIOTt MIN TWO
patients Of his had slipped from the cup, the
one afflicted with an odious and the other
with a destructive communicable disease,
reasonable fears of the danger OF the hal
lowed practice are excited even among the
most devout of communicates; and such
fears, thus justified, ara quickly and widely
difused. Ia IL unlike. then, is It not
probable, that this q IN will become
80 extensive and so greal hat all Churches
whoss doctrines require e. at both elements
shall be administered to the whole body Of
communicates, will be compelled to initiate
the Rochester example, or adopt some other
method devised for the same purpose, in
order to save the communion In both kinds
from p~erilous diseaset
II is true that the multitude of $500 who
partook of the communion at Ocean Grove
on Monday evening were not Influenced by
any such fears. They joined in the Lords
Supper, having faith that the Lord would
protect them from natural dangers while
they were rendering what they regarded as
obligatory obedience to His command in in
stituting the ordinance. In thousands of
Protestant churches in which the holy
communion is celebrated monthly, the
Aot Va thC VI NNaAltC CONTINUES uHulS- |
turbed by the admonitions Of modern science
against 1t, aud 50 far as we have seen, with
out provoking any discussion as to its I'M
questionable dangers from any ecclesiastical
body with authority to modify the existing
practice, or which expresses the general SEN
timent Of any Protestant denomination.
When the medical inventor Of the Rochester
separate chalices undertook to impress
the Importance of the change on the
Baptists In Convention and the Presby-
terisns In General Assembly at Sara
toga last spring, he was successful only
In influencing q few individual ministers.
The subject was ignored by the conventions
as a whole, and there has been since no imi-
tation Of the new practice by particular
churches, TO indicate that he produced
more than a transitOry impression on the
pastors he seemed to have converted
TO his views. The physician who wrote
to us of the liability Of the ommunication
OF odious and fearful diseases by means OF
the common chalice, represents, undoubtsd-
ly, the opinions Of the medical men general
ly who are his fellow communicates OF the
Episcopal Church; but by no authority,
convention, Bishop, or priest OF that
has any Judgment on the sub
ject been expressed, SO far as the
public knows; though it is probable that
there is not a single pastor to whom mis-
as to the existing practice have not
been conhded by some of his parishioners.
from individual communicates In
papers not professionally religious indicate
that the example of this physician in pass
ing by the common chalice untasted is
frequently followed, and this frequency is
sure to increase as the subject is discussed.
1t is a very difficult and delicate matter 10
n we are not surprised that the
are fighting shy of it; but it is
manifest that the time is not far OF when
they will be Obliged to give official attention
o admonitions OF science, which are respected
by their most intelligent members.
He IL Coming Sure.