New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-13
1 NFV EPISCOPAL CONSTITUTION.

The Joint Commission appointed by the last
Protestant Episcopal General Convention TO re-
wise the Constitution Of the Church has finished
IT'S labors. and It's report is now submitted TO the
public for discussion. According 10 the canons
~ the Church. two General Conventions must
ratlfy the proposed Constitution before 1t can
be adopted, and the next meeting OF the
Convention will occur in Minneapolis In octo-
Der the scheme embodied In the report or the
committee cannot become operative. If at all,
until after the General Convention OF lS's.
Compared with the present Constitution,
which was adopted In lis9, the proposed SUD
stitute Is much more comprehensive ana re
fleets far more perfectly the expanding life and
needs OF the Church. II makes the supreme
legislative body OF the Church TO be General
SYNOD 10 meet, Ike the present General Con
vention once in three years. Instead OF Pre-
siding Bishop. rs now. holding office by virtue
OF seniority II conservation, there Is 10 be
PrImus. elected by the General Synod. The
General Synod. by the way, like the present
General Convention. Is 10 consist OF two houses
OF coordinate Jurisdiction, a House Of Bishops
and House Of Clerical and Lay Deputies But
the representation from each diocese IL To be
three clergymen and three laymen, instead Of
four Of each order, now. A new provision Is
that In questions of doctrine an appeal shall
lie 10 the House Of Bishops, from whose de-
cision there shall be no appeal. This is
recognition Of the Episcopate as the CONSERVATION
of the faith, which has long been desired by
Churhmen.
The Commission has made full provision for
the introduction Of the so-callcd Provincial sys
tenn which has been discussed for many years,
and Is measure adopted by the diocese In the
State of Illinois. The Province shall consist Of
five or more contiguous dloceses, the Bishops
of which shall elect one OF their number to be
the Prmae Of the Province. The legislative
body for each Province shall BE- called Il Pro
visiona Synod, and shall legisate on matters
pertaining to the Province. The term assistant
bishop is dropped, and the term coadJutor
bishop substituted for It.
While there are Il number Of other new feat
ures in the report, the interest OF Episcopalians
will centre largely around those mentioned
above. TO an outsider. II would seem as though
the new Constitution would be a great improve
mcnt on the old. But there are already indica-
ions that many OF It's recommendations will be
vigorously opposed For some months past In
the Church papers a fugitive discussion has
been going on over the propriey Of having an
elected Primus instead Of Il Presiding Bishop
On the one side 1t Is held that under the pres
cnt system the Presiding Bishop Is always an
old man. and fr qucnty too feeble to attend
properly to the increasing duties Of the Office,
whereas the General Synod would elect an able
and vigorous man thoroughly equipped for the
position. To this the opponents Of the idea re-
ply that In an election the Bishop OF some big,
influential diocese would almost certainly get
the office, irrespective OF his fitness for it,
Moreover, they say that the Office would de-
stroy that absolute equality among Bishops
which has thus far existed, and which Is best
suited to the genius Of the Republic. In re-
cent interview Bishop Potter emphasized this