The Portland daily press., 1894-06-11
DEAN srLLs.
He Was Installed at st. LIKES Cathe-
dral Vest erday.

He Is the Only Dean in New England-The
Only Other Dean in the Country is at
Albany-In this Country the Dean is
Simply the Senior Canon.
AT st. Luke's Cathedral yesterday there
was larger attendance than usual because
of the special nature of the services. Can
onsSills was installed as Dean of the Ca
thedal. After the singing Of the choir and
the responses, Bishop Neatly addressed his
congregations He read letter. from on.
of the wardens and others, written last
March, Requesting the appointment of Cam
on Stills to be dean of the Cathedral. It
would have gratified him to make the ap-
pointment at the time, and he was now
very glad to do SO, after several months of
consideration.
In regard to any 5disapproval of this
course, that am about to consider he
said THAT lit was due to a misconception;
first in regard to the function and duties
of the dean, and second in regard to his
tenure of office. He explained that the
meaning of terms in the Episcopal church
are different in this country and Europe.
The dean here is not the same as the dean
there. He would never have consented to
the appointment of dean whose powers
were like those of England. He believed
that the Bishop should be the head of his
own cathedral. There are many so-calIed
cathedrals in this country, but each has its
own constitution.
He here read from the constitution of St.
Luke's to show that the appointment and
tenure of office of a dean governed by the
same regulations as that of other Offices of
the church,@and that the vestry. as well as
the chapter have voice insthe.matter.
The appointment of Dean Stills means,
simply, that lit gives him the rank of sem
ior Canon
There have. been three deans in the ca
thedral at Albany, N. Y.
Dean Sill's duties involve simply the SUI
perintendency of services and pastoral du-
ties. Since he.had performed -these duties
with eminent ability and entire satisfac-
ton to the Bishop. for the last ten years the
appointment was
NO MORE THAN A SIMPLE ACT OF JUS
TICE.
The Bishop concluded his address by say
ing that he thought that he had the. hearty
approval of all who are disposed to be rea-
sonable, and those only would he consider
in this matter.
The installation services followed. The
dean was led to the altar by the Bishop and
made the following promise:
II, Charles Morton Sills, appointed dean
of the Cathedral Church of st. Luke, Port
Ind, Me-, will faithfully perform the duties
of that office as.they are or shall be present.
ed or intimated in the constitution and
statutes of said Cathedral. So help me
God.'' II i
Bishop Neatly then read his letter of in
stallation' after which he said, 'Our Faith
err and several collects.
Then the Bishop with few appropriate
words, presented to the dean the Bible, the
Book of Common Prayer and books of the
general and diocesan eanons.
The deansknelt at the altar and presented
his supplications to the Deity for strength
and guidance. He was then conducted to
his stall on the south side of the chair, by
the Bishop and installed with appropriate
words. vi
He here offered prayer and then pro-
ceeded with the communion service. The
sermon was then. delivered by Bishop Nealy.
He preached from the text. There are
more who are of Paul, or of Appolos or of
Cephas,'' and dwelt forcibly upon the
evil:of schsims in church and the necessity
of yielding to the direction of those in au-
thority. A dean is new thing in New Eng
land. There is not even another Episcopal
Cathedral in Massachusetts,, or Rhode Is
land. Possibly them Bishop of Vermont
has styled his own church a cathedral.
There is no cathedral in New York
city. or in Philadelphia, but there
is in Chicago. The dean Of an English Ca
thedral is at the head OF the chapter of can
onsa:and has entire authority over the Cathe-
dral even to the exclusion of the Bishop,
from conducting the services. as Dean
Stanley of Westminster, excluded all
bishops, at the time of the Pan Anglican
conference.
The only other dean in this country isl
at the Cathedral at Albany, N. Y.