The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-17
CLERICALS BEATEN
An Exciting Incident Yes
terday at The ?. E. Con-
Vention at Orange.
CoRTLANDT PARKER OFFENDED
Canon Changes Affecting the Laity
Denounced as "Procrustean in
Character"

The clergy anu lalty ran a tHO yesterday
| afternoon in the annual convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Newark,
held In Grace Church, Orange, and the
clerical members were for the first time
beaten. 1t was the annual fight over the
anon prescribing the qualifications of vot-
ers at parochial elections.
In the early part of Tuesdays session the
Committee on Constitution and Canons
recommended a change in article 5 Of para
graph 9, of canon 6, Of title of the code to
the effect that voters must be male COM
municants of full age, not under suspension,
who have besn worshippers in the church
for six months prior to the election; who
lave given notice of their intention to vote
six months before the election, and who lave
for the same period subscribed to the church.
The laity shifted at the propositions and
Church, Jersey City, did not like them.
They were not broad enough and he formal
iy objected. This, according to the rules,
was sufficient to delay their discussion,
which by the way was just what a large
body of the lay members, to whom the limi-
tations were Objectionable, wanted.
But the chairman of the Canon Com
mittee the Rev. William Richmond, per-
ceiving the move, managed to drag the
recommendationsagain before the conven-
tion yesterday afternoon by moving their
adoption. Mr.. Cortlandt Parker, who, by
the way, is an authority on Canon law,
started in to denounce the proposed change
as unnecessary, and, said he, what is I'M
necessary is undesirable. The new canon Is
too exclusive; it Sits too closely, and for the
life of him he could not see why it had been
framed. He criticized that part of the
-L---~ L or,I %I-A kL4 ~a .1 1,,r n-I
vestrymen would prescribe how the church
man should pay bis subscription and added
sarcastically that all through tbs rubric he
could only find that the wRrden's duty vas
to collect the offerings. As for the vestry-
men. he said they merely look after the
church building and do not interfere with
the religious duties of the rector. The
change is Procrustean in character.
what then" he asked, ''does the commit
tee mean by putting up these useless bar
riers2'
ONE FOR THE RECTOR.
Mr.. Parker's analysis of Ethe canon didn't
suit the Rev. William Richmond, who,
catching the Bishops eye, began
TT gentleman who has just spoken his
piece" He didn't get any further when
Mr.. Parker, who was returning to his seat,
wheeled quickly round and said
whats that you said, STRIP
II said you had spoken your piece" re-
DllGu Iu0 Ilof. Flill1ll
take that back sir" snapped the lawyer.
you surely don't mean TO be unkind and
insult me-"
well, I don't understand what other
words l could use,' said the Rector of All
Saints, Orange, appealtngly.
you don'tgn shouted Mr.. Parker. 'Then,
sir, you don't understand the English Ian
guage.n
The rector, a little confused, began again,
but said nothing more about speaking
pieces"
Mr.. Richmond defended the changes, and
denied they were Procrustean, as Mr..
Parker charged.
It was no go, though, for the laymen were
aroused, and being reinforced by the Rev.
DIR. Bennibt and two other ~clergymen, laid
the whole question on the table for another
twelve months. The vote was 65 to 90.
THE BISHOPS DILEMMA 4
sim in a fix, brethren" said Bishop
Starkey, after the above matter was set
tied, and | want to unbosom myself to you
aud / ask you for advice"
Then, without any more preliminaries, be
said that the mission stations at Belv1dere
and P~hillipsburg were making no progress.
Indeed, they are a tax on the diocese. In
twelve years the pumber of c-ommunicants
in tho Belvidere Church has only increased
by one. There are now twenty members.
"Your pardon, Bishop" interrupted Rev.
Charles Douglas, there's a decrease of five
during that time [~Laughter.l
"Well, well" returned Bishop Starkey,
ssamid such conflicting testimony don't
know how to decide. One man tells me
there is an increase Of one, while you say a
decrease of five. Anyhow, that means a
decrease of two and a half SOULS Laugh
ter.
Resuming, the Bishop said he did not like
to close up these churches, yet something
must be done. Only q day or two ago a
cinrOyv1arl in q rnrnata ya riah rnId him Tint
his church was one hundred years old and
there had only been an increase during that,
time of five communicates.
II did not thank God when he told me
that, but ! just took courage for Belyidere,"
said the Bishop amid much laughter.
To help out the Bishop, Archdeacon Walker
Of Newark suggested the appointment of an
itinerary missionary who would 60 from
parish to parish like another Peter the
Hermit, to stir up the people to the import
ance of the work. Th suggestion ON the
Rev. DR.. Bennitt's motion was referred to
the Missionary Board of which he is presi-
dent.
COMMITTEE ELECTEDs
Having cleared away a lot of routine mat
tiers, the convention set about baliotting for
the allimportant Standing Committee, with
the result that these will act thereon for
Rev. w. w. Holley, ID. D., the Rev. Will
Henry Hayes, Frederick W. Stevens, Edwin
A.. Stevens and Alfred Mills.
The Missionary Board elected is:-The Rev.
George s. Bennitt, President, Jersey City;
the Rev. A Mann, Secretary; the Rev. B.
Brewster, the Rev. F. B. Reazor, the Rev.
r. w. Nickerson. Jr., the Rev. +. B. Carter,
Messrs. De Lancy Cleveland, G. s. Wylie,
G.. g. Frelinghuysen, James NJ. Erskine OF
Hoboken, Z. A. Stevens of Hoboken and r.
A. Hewitt.
Auditing Committee for 1Sg45 will be
Messrs. D. G. Wightman and j. j. $. Rutan.
Mr.. Henry Hayes and Mr.. D. Smith Wood
were respectively elected Treasurer and
Registrar of the diocese.
APPORTIoHMENp FOR MISSIONS.
One more thing remained to be 'dope be-
fore final adjournment and was to settle the
yeaata questio Of appropriations for 1895, for
the Missionary Fund. Rev. Vim. Richmond
moved and his motion was carried that the
Mission Board shall as accurately as possible
make an a-pportionment for each parish in
the diocese on the $1,000 basis, and the
clergy and iaity of each parish when notih-
ed OF the sum expected from them will con-
slider it q matter Of honor to make up that
sum whatever it may be. By these means 1t
is hoped that In future the Mission Board
will no longer come before the annual con-
-x-<tl~ .-,f@o.s@-- d-a-s - --1~s- 49,