Evening star., 1895-10-25
DELEGATES TO BE CHOSEN
DR.. Elliot's View Of the Approaching Dio-
cesan Convention.
The Work of the General Convention
-Americanism of the Episco-
PAL Church.

DR.. Elliot who has been examining church
law and procedure, that the several par
| ishes of the new Episcopal diocese o1
Washington must elect new lay delegates
| to the oming diocesan convention. This
corrects the impression heretofore preva
| lent that the lay delegates to the last dio
| cesan convention will be delegates to the
coming one. 1t will be necessary, there
fore, to hold elections by vestrymen in eacf
parish, and the question of the choice OF
! bishop will be raised in these meetings.
Rev. DIR. Elliot was one of the delegates
from Washington to the recent genera
convention of the Episcopal Church at Min
| neapolis. He returned to the city yester'
day, and in conversation with Star re-
porter today talked Interestingly of the
work of the convention.
"The convention showed its determination
to keep thoroughly in harmony with Ameri.
can institutions and American IDEAS" said
DR.. Elliot. When the constitution of the
original general convention was formed
persons were at work upon 1t who also
took part in framing the federal Constitu-
ton, and in many respects there Is strik-
ing analogy between the two. Great pains
were then taken to exclude from the Epis'
copal Church everything that seemed to
initiate the aristocratic or monarchlcal
features of the English Episcopate, and the
following preamble was adopted to one OF
the resolutions of 1875: Whereas, the bish-
ops of the church will not be entitled to
any of such temporal honors as are due to
the archbishop and bishops Of the parent
church in quality of lords of parliament
and whereas the reputation and usefulness
of our bishops will depend in their taking
no higher title or style than will be due to
their spiritual employment &C.
The convention as whole remained
true to this principle and the house OF
deputies, which is the truly representative
body of the Episcopal Church, rejected the
word primate and adhered to the word
convention, in accordance with American
usage. The prevailing idea is to stand
inflexibly by the faith and order of the
primitive church, and in all else to be
gladly flexible to modern and American life
In general a conservative temper control
led the convention, and that, too, IN the
face of strong temptation. report made
in part by some of the most eminent Dish
ops of the church was opposed, and by the
house of deputies referred to committee
to report three years hence, because of the
many changes recommended in the report.
At the same time the convention was thor
oughly ready for any change which prom.
ised real progress. and by the division of
the dioceses and erection of missionary
jurisdictions adapted itself for more and
better work in great and growing re-
public.
The Diocesan Convention.
Bishop Paret has stated he would con-
vene the primary convention early in De-
will be held in the parishes and congre-
cations for lay delegates to this convention,
as was done when Easton was erected into
a new diocese. This election will be made
by the vestries under the same laws and
regulations as elections in the diocese OF
Maryland, because the new diocese begins
its life subject to the constitution and
canons of the diocese of Maryland and
remains under such canonS and constitu-
tions until they are altered by the con-
vention of the new diocese.
The portion to be erected into the new
diocese continues for the present under the
jurisdiction of the bishop of Maryland
1t has been supposed the general conven-
ton creates a new diocese, but the general
convention gives its consent to the erection
and promise of admission into union when
the diocese is created and organized by
its primary convention, but it is that pri-
mary convention which brings the new
diocese into existence, the moment OF its
creation occurring in an early stage of its
proceedings