The Portland daily press., 1895-06-12
MAINE EPISCOPALIANS.
Annual Meeting of the Diocesan Con.
yention.
Annual Reports of Secretary Ogden and
Treasurer Ellis-Remarks by Bishop
Neely and Others.


Neely and Others.
The annual convention of the Maine
at the Cathedral today.
About % of the clergy are present, only
| five being absent.
Last evening the meeting of the Board
of Missions was held at the Cathedral. :
Canon Charles T. Ogden, the secretary
of the diocese first made his annual re-
port. He spoke of the year just passed,
and of the large field afforded in the dio-
cese: There was a healthy sign in the
more practical nature of the teachings
from the pulpits, dealing as they were
doing with social and economic ques-
tions. Yet t'anxiety for fellow men should
never be allowed to exclude the worship
of the living God. While the diocese
had an interest in all missionary field,
its great work must be done in the Maine
field. When there were only two parish
es, missionaries were at once sent into
the Maine field. These have been main
tanned ever since.
three meetings. one at each of the follow
ing cities: Augusta, Bath, and Saco.
In the summer of 1894 a summer
chapel was consecrated at Grindston
Neck, and later two others, one at Mount
Desert and another at Sorrento. There
are now Episcopal places of worship at
Bar Harbor, N. e. Harbor and Seal Har-
bor This condition shows marked
increase over the situation in 1868, when
the secretary visited Northwest Harbor
and found the only service held in a
| school house.
In September the ST. James church, Old
town, one of the finest in the diocese
was consecrated, and in February the
chapel at Richmond was consecrated.
The actual working force of the dio-
cese has increased. There is slight debt
in the matter of stipends for the mission
aries
1t is proposed to change the Board of
Missions to system of Three Convoca-
tions. and the matter will come up at
the convention. The Board of Missions
is the working body of the Main Episco-
pal Missionary Society. 1t might be wise
to substitute the convocations, making
them the agents of the Missionary Society
instead of the Board of Missions But
the attempt to engraft the convocations
upon the Board would be to multiply
machinery to no good purpose.
Speaking of the need of liberality in
the missionary field, the Esecretary said
that the contributions were not so large
to the Board as they We're in former
years when the diocese was poorer than
now
In 1894 their were 1864 communicates
in the diocese A dollar for each of these
would not be a large contribution. The
people in moderate circumstances, as
well as the rich, should give. The high
ethics Of giving for the mission field
should be inculcated.
During the year, as the treasurer's re-
port would show, the board had expend-
ed more than it had received The
business depression had been felt consid-
erably, but the officers of the board had
not felt like ceasing any of their efforts.
The making good of the small deficit
will be subject for consideration at
the convention.
The report of Treasurer Ellis was next
read by Canon Ogden. 1t showed total
receipts of 81, 365.74, of which $129 33 was
cash on hand, $1699 contributions of va
rious parishes and societies, $527 from
Bishop Neely, ETC.
The expenditures for the various mis-
sionary purposes amounted to $131. 16
more than the receipts
Rev. Mr.. Foster of St Johns, at Ban
gor, then was introduced by Bishop
Neely, and spoke of the identity of the
missionary spirit with the spirit of
Christ
Rev. Mr.. Winkley, rector of Trinity
church, followed. He said he was not
at all in sympathy with the cry, "Give
us more morality and less religion. 2
Rather he would say: "Give us more re-
ligion and the morality will take care of
itself. - The man who had the spirit of
Christ and the church in him could not
help ordering his life better and assist
ing in doing the missionary work of the
church.
AT the conclusion of the work, Bishop
Nicely recalled the help which the diocese
receives from the general board of the
church. The general board contributes
very largely for the support Of this dio-
cese. But in the treasury of the general
board there has grown in the last three
years a deficit of over 500, 600. If this
state of finances should occur it would
be necessary to reduce or cut off the ap-
propriations for this diocese This is a
state of things which comes homes early
to the diocese. Several wealthy men
in New York had contributed about $40,
600 to wipe out this deficiency of 100000,
and the bishop said that he had received
word that the appropriation for the
Maine diocese was to be continued for the
next three months Beyond that all
was indefinite.
Such being the condition of the finan-
ces of the general board of the church,
the bishop hoped that the diocese of
Maine would respond liberally. and he