Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-11-11
THE CHALlcE MUST STAY.
Views of bishop Nicholson on tho Indivld-
ual Communion Service.

WI communion SerNiCc.
Right Rev. Isaac Ia. Nicholson. Bishop
of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese OF
Milwaukee. who is well known In Balti-
more, believes that the use of individual
challces In churches of his faith will
never be successful, nor even deemed
worthy of consideration by the Church.
III | were to learn" said Bishop Mich
olson, that one OF my priests used other
than the chalice, | would unhesitatingly
discipline him. All this talk of the
chalice as a factor in the spread OF con-
| tagious diseases liz nonsense and the work
OF faddists. / call them fadllsts. though
| know many physicians who would use
harsher terms. You will always find these
people to be anti-religious.
THE agitation. SO far as I can per-
ceive. pertains mainly TO the Baptist
and Methodist churches. There they do
not use the chalice as we do. In our
Church We concentrate in the challce.
while they use large fagons. In our
Church the sacrament is administered
while kneeing, and mere contact with
| the sacred contents Is all that T. ne
cessary. \ drop on the lips viii suffice,
and the priest never releases the chalice.
I'm many of the Protestant churches
| the sacrament Is administered while the
people are sitting. and when the chalice
Is emptled 1t Is filled again from the
| flagOn without a second conservation. In
such cases there may be some danger
as some people may take whole mouth
ful and drink well into the chalice But
! there Is no danger In our Church As
| said before. the agitation Is the work OF
fadlists-men who are constantly an
| tagonizing the Church. IL was always so.
1t began nineteen centuries ago, and has
been kept up continually. | have proml-
nent physicians in my church. who do
not hesitate to pronounce the cry utter
| nonsense. They have told me so.
"Why. You might as well say that the
shake OF the hand of a diseased person
would communicate the disease. Why is
not the cry raised with regard to the
| drnklng-cups at the public fountains.
where so many children drink daily?
II seems to me that there Is much more
danger there.
mo, Il has not, cannot, and viii not
affect our Church. The chalice Is as
much a part Of the church as the front
door. 1t Is always the chalice. When I
consecrate a church / say, Bring forth
the ornaments The cross is presented.
and then the challce, 80 You see we could
not possibly change IL we wanted 70.
Nor can there ever be change In tho
tablets to the people. the priests drinking
from the chalice. l never pay the
slightest attention to the criticisms AMI
! do not care 10 reau thern, knowing the
source from which they come. To church
men they appear ridiculous. and IL you
show them 10 the clergymen, they Will
laugh at you whether they are high
churchmen. low churcnmen, or broad
churchmen."
In many Of the Eastern churches. In
Guiding Congregational, Baptist. Metho-
dist. and Lutheran, the chalice has been
displaced by chalices. each member OF
the congregation having an individual
cup. The objection 10 the chalice IL en-
tertalned by some physicians who have
experimental with wine that was left in
the chalice after the communion service.
In many instances bacilli have been
found. No examination has ever been
made of the contents of an Episcopal
chalice.
Individual cups were used for the first
time Sunday at the cOmmun!On-servicc
at the Bedford-Avenue Baptist church In
Brooklyn. For long time the members
Of this congregation and the pastor, the
Rev. j. II. Cunning have been discuss-
Ing the advisability OF adopting the In
dividua! cup, and a month ago IL was de-
cllel 10 stVp uSlnS lhc DiS SlHeE boDicI
which has done service In the church for
50 many years. The designs for the
cups were left entirely to the members
OF the congregation. ard they. after long
debating, settled on small, siiver-plated
goblet, holding about a teaspo0nful or
wine. The pastor informed his flock that
this style Of cup would cost 80 cents
each, while an eminently satisfactory
goblet OF glass could be purchased for
cents. The cups, about dozen of them
on a tray. were passed around. and each
member. after slipping the wine. laid the
cup back on the tray.