Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-05
EPISCOPAL CONVENTION.
GOVERNOR cULBeRSoN EuLoGlzE
The Fureign Mission Question Absorbed all
the Time Of the Two Houses Sit
ting Together.

the new conStltulon. the pending gu StiOn
at the hour of adjournment last evening
being the enactment Of the CLAUSE putting
in legal effect all legislation enacted by
the house, and to which the bishops had
failed to demur or omitted to concur
within three days This proviso, which
does not appear in the new constitution,
is mainly intended to prevent the bishops
pigeon-holing or indefinitely side track
ing matters emanating from the lower
house to which they might be opposed,
but 10 which, from policy, they might
not care to demur. Under the RUSS gov
erning the general convention however,
the third day of each triennial meeting
is set apart for joint meeting of the
bishops and deputies as board of mis-
sions. This fact most of the delegates
had overlooked until the announcement
was made that the bishops were ready to
be usheredd in. In the opening hour a
number of resolutions and memorials of
deceased members were read and re-
ferred. Following the action of the
house of bishops on yesterday, Rev DR..
Roberts of New Hampshire submitted
a resolution thanking the governor and
legislature of Texas for it's prompt action
in preventing the Fitzsmmons
mill.
Objection to immediate consideration
was made by Lay Delegates ]. S. Biddle
of Philadelphia and George r. Fairbanks
of Florida, and under the rules it went
tory to majority, and when ex-Gov-
ernor Prince of New Mexico moved that
the resolution be taken from the calen-
dar for Immediate consideration, more
than two-thirds voted in the affirmative.
Roars of laughter were provoked by the
earneset declaration of Delegate Biddle
that he did not know what had been
done by the Texas governor and legisla-
ture and had not the remotest idea of
what was intended by the resolution
Frank nf Tpxac npdar-
took to enighten him by briefly narrating
how far the preliminaries for the mill
had gone when Governor Culberson in
terfered. He eulogized the young exec
utive for preserving decency and good
order in his commonwealth.
Delegate Fairbanks again objected that
1t was an irrevelent subject for such
body to consider and opened the door to
grave departures from established prece-
dent 1t was explained by DR.. Roberts
that the resolution was submitted in be-
half of the entire delegation from New
Hampshire without consultation with the
brethren from Texas, and on being put
to vote it was carried by an overwhelm-
ing majority. This matter disposed of
the bishops were received and the two
houses resolved themselves into the
board of missions. Bishop Whipple pre-
sided, and in his opening address re-
viewed the progress of the mission move
ment for half century. AS he resumed
his seat he said with emphasis that the
apostolic church had something greater
to do than the passing of cannons. and
this pointed rap at the one absorbing idea
of the reVisionists created q momentary
buzz, signifying either surprise or APP
proval. The remainder of the morning
session was occupied with mission mat
tiers.
Money for missions was the all day
theme Of the two houses of the Episcopal
convention sitting together as the gen.
eral board of sessions Some of the mar
rations were pathetic; others were plead
ing. but the majority byistled with crti.-
clsm of the failure Of the Americaf,
church to adequa tely hold up tie hands of
its representatives in other lands. The
meetings drew an audience that over
flowed the church, and the galleries were
crowded with women from all over the
country identified with the woman's ma
tional auxiliary.
After the adoption of the resolutions
commendatory of Governor Culberson
and the Texas legislature two vol
luminous printed reports of foreign and
domestic missions were presented in be-
half of the board of managers. 1t show
ed that the gross receipts of the board
for the year were, including the balance
of last year and personal loan of $685.
900 from George Bliss, S7S4,S2 and the
disbursements s716,278 leaving a balance
of $68,551 on hand on September l. The
loan from Mr.. Bliss had been returned.
The report of the woman's auxiliary
showed that it collected 1857 SAB for the
fiscal year, of which 800, 1913 had been dis
bursed without coming into the central
treasury
The report was referred to committe s
and then the missionary bishops were
presented in regular order. Bishop Fer
guson of Africa protested against the
disposition of the people to put the lives
sacrificed and the money contributed in
one side OF the scale, the number of con-
verts in the other and then declare that
the African work was but an experiment
and unsatisfactory at that.
The real question was whether the
church had done it's duty in regard to
the foreign missions. Had it fully
equipped the African bishops for that
work? 1t had not.
Bishop Graves of China was next pre-
scented. His diocese, he said, had a pop
ulation of 60000,00O souls, ministered to
by one bishop and six laymen, while the
church of England had six dioceses in
the same territory. f5 -r-ae
Bishop McKim of Japan said that in
his diocese, with population of 16 O00-
900. there were three dioceses of the
church of England and he had united
with them in forming the Holy church
of Christ in japan.
The work of the colored commissioner
was presented by Bishop Nelson Of Geor-
gia. He said that his diocese was 80 per
cent missionary, and yet the total moneys
received last year for the building up of
the Jurisdiction only averaged TX cents
head for the people reached.
Bishop Brooke Of Oklahoma spoke
briefly for the Indians in New Mexico
and Arizona.
Reports on the mission fields of Mexico
and Brazil were made by Bishop Nc
Laren DR.. Forester of Mexico City and
others. the fact being mentioned that in
Rio de Janeiro copies of the Holy Scrip
lures cost from SIS to $50 EACH
In speaking of the work of the church
missions in this country Bishop White of
Indiana said that in his diocese, with a
population of 100000, only one out of
every 900 was a church man.
The order of the day was suspended at
this point and in an eloquent address
Bishop Dudley of Kentucky submitted |
this resolution:
Resolved. That upon the first assem- |
bling of the board of missions since the |
recent massacre of Armenian Christians |
this board would place on record its sense |
of horror at the atrocities which have been |
perpetrated upon the Armenians and its |
sympathy with all those who have suf- |