The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-28

| the difficulty OF arriving at any coffeoo
idea of what the convention has zone;
must have been evident. Justly proud OF
its work insthe successful completion OF
the revision of the Book of Common
| Prayer, the convention of 1892 appointed
| Joint committee of it's two houses to bring
before this convention of '95 a repor1
embodying the changes that seemeu
desirable to be made in the constitution
and eanons of the church. The report
was made in pamphlet of eighty-nve
pages and recommended such important
| changes in the matter under revision that
it was at once seen that it's discussion
could not be completed at this session OIL
the assembly of the church. Much aGten.
ton has been called to this revision OF
the constitution. and by many persons
unacquainted with the true position OF
the church, it havingeseemed as though
| the constitution of the church ITSELF was
under discussion and that the effort was
being made in these days OF changing
cresds and differing opinions to adopt
the church to the progressive thought Of
the times This would be to rank her
with the various sects of Christians
which have sprung up in the last two or
three hundred years and to ascribe to her
the authority to set forth changed creed
| as well as a revised constitution
Ambiguity if 1t really existed in this
matter has been removed by the adoption
at the very critical days of the discussion
Oh revision of the words constitution
for construction. The former term re-
ferring without question to the articles
required for the proper government OF the
church and leaving the words 'consitu-
ton" as applied to the church to be
applied exclusively to the order for the
church's government and organization
given by our Divine Lord and found
transcribed in the pas. esof the New Testa--
ment. In other words the constitution OF
the church is of Divine origin and there
| fore Interchangeable. The constitutions OF
the church are of human appointment
and are therefore capabls of revision as
occasion may require
Debate waxed hot ever the rejection of
some of the old terms, which it was
claimed had done good service III tnis
church for over a hundred years. The
word "Primus'' suggested by the COM
mission in place of presiding bishop
underwent all the varying fortunes OF
war; Changed to Primate it appeared
victorious for time, having passed the
House of Deputies by viva yoce and be-
ing concurred in by tho House OF Bishops.
| On the vote, however, by dloceses and
orders it ceased to prevail, and was there
fore unable to preserve itself from final
defeat. presiding bishop, for a time hope
fully supported by it's old friends
eventually shared the fate of prlmate,
while archbishop as inappropriate to the
/
province and 'presidentbishop, - as border
| ing upon the absurd, had both but very
| short life and were followed to the grave
by but very few devoted adherents The
senior bishop of this church robbed OF his
old title and deserving that of still greater
authority and dignity is now left without
name. other than that of presiding
officer of the House of Bishops. Synod
proposed by the commission and council,
approved of by the bishops were con-
sidered by the House of Deputies as too
| foreign in their original Titles for the
Legislative assembly of the American
church. " and was by that house of
deputies voted down by large majority.
Council was primitive in its origin
and incorporated into the special prayer
of the church for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit in all such dellberatiye
assemblies, though supported and recon-
mended by the bishops, met with little
| favor at the hands of conservative laity
and was by their vote consigned to speedy
death. On the final vote general conyen-
ton" gained the day.
Men eloquent in the use of language
and imagining themselves we'll versed in
constitutional law, spent many an hour
amendments. No powers of oratory were
able to prevent the ignominious defeat of
| a proposition to insert in the first art of
the constitution the words Protestant
Episcopal as the title of the church.
Omitted by large majority from the
constitution these words again came up
for discussion in message from bishops,
in which they gave notice of their action
| in emitting them from the title page of
the Book of Common Prayer.
But the convention which had
previously voted for the omission argued
| that it would, to a certain exent be as a
| breach of faith to reopen the question of
the revision of the prayer book, which
was generally conceded to have finally
| closed in 1892 and therefore refused to
concur with the bishops on this point.
| The discussion on this question, however.
revealed the fact that the representatives
of the church in this convention are by
no means welded to the indefinite title
which is now used to describe this branch
| of the church Catholic, and that both
bishops, clergy and laity are ready to
bring into greater prominence her
Catholic heritage, and to call her by some
positive and denifite title even if SO
ponderous as "that branch of the Holy
Catholic church, known in law as the
Protestant Episcopal church in the
| United States. 1t is a good sign of the
progress Of church thought when the
mind of a large gathering like that
assembled at Minneapolis, expressed it's
desire for some term which more accurate
| " defined the true character of the
church, than that which was forced upon
| her by the peculiar circumstances of her
| position one hundred years ago Men
! who Il few years ago were ready on every
occasion to emphasize their professionalism
to-day use frequently in their writings
and speeches the terms Catholic and
Catholicity, which they formerly
abhorred They have got rid of much of
the narrowness and bigot ny which made
them such earnest partisans and are glad
to be able to use language which truly
describes the breadth and liberality Of
the church of Christ and truthfully
declares her to be universal and ready to
include within her fold all the nations of
the world
Before arriving at another subject
which promised to be most fruitful in
debate, viz: the provincial system, the
convention had come to the conclusion
that further discussion of the proposed
revision would so far hinder the work be-
fore it that other important matters
would be deprived of their proper con-
sideration. 1t was therefore resolved to
putEthe whole matter in the hands of a
committee, to be reported on again at
the next general convention, with this