Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-03
THE EPlSC0PALlANS.
Opening Of the General Convention Of
The Church at Minneapolis.
IMPRESSIVE
SERVICE.
4 Number of Men OF National Repu-
tatiOn In Attendance on the Gath
eripg as DcIegates-RevisiOn Sub
1ect Promptly BrOached.


The celebration of the holy commun-
ion. with which the triennial con-
vention OF the Episcopal Church was
ushered in this morning, was the most
imposing ever witnessed In church OF
that denomination on this continent.
Sixty bishops, attired In vestments OF
snowy white. with hoods OF scarlet. pur-
ple. and blue occupied the chancel OF
st. Gethsemane, which was brilliantly
illuminated with candles and fragrant
with floral offerings. and eight hundred
clerical and lay deputies and local
churchmen occupied pews in the body
Of the church, while the front seats OF
the temporary galleries were filled with
the wives and daughters Of the visit
ors.
Admission to the church was by ticket.
and crowd of several thousand gath
cred on the outside to witness the
arrival Of the distinguished participants.
At the opening notes OF the procession
al hymn Forward BE Our Watch
word" the head Of the procession moved
from Knickerbocker Hall. and, crossing
the lawn, entered the edifice through the
main aisle The bishops Of Kansas and
Indiana, as the juniors of the Episcopal
lords, led the column. and the senior
bishops brought up the rear the dele
gates from Canada being given po-
stion of honor between Bishops Whipple
and Coke, the two seniors in attendance.
The regular order Of Common Prayer
and Litany had been said at the
o'clock service. and when the bishops
had taken their place. the communion
service was begun by the reading OF the
Epistle by Bishop Neely. Of Maine. The
Gospel was read by the Archbishop OF
Rupert's Land. and the aims were re-
ceived by Bishop Gilbert. or
Minnesota. in golden bowl, valued at
several thousand dollars, which was
brought from England many years ago.
Bishop Whpple was the cele0faht oi
the Holy Communion, and every bishop
and delegate approached the Lord 8 taDie.
The service was fully choral the
chants and hymns being rendered by
supplied male chcir of fifty voices. Aiter
the reading of the Gospel. the annual
sermon was delivered by Rav. Bishop
coz. Of the Diocese of Central New
York.
The service commenced at II O'Clock
and il was after / when Bishop Tuttie'
OF Missouri pronounced the benedlcuoh'
The House Of Bishops and the House
OF Clerical and Lay Deputies met lot
organization at 3 o'clock.
I pjerpont Morgan. with a large party
Of delegates and visitors to the cohVeh-
ton. arrived on special train TINS morn
ing. in time 10 participate in the organi-
zation ceremonies.
CALL TO ARMS.
Within fifteen minutes after the for
ma, organization of tho House Of Depu-
ties had been effected the call to arms
for the prospective great battle ever the
revision Of the Constitution and Canons
Of the Protestant Episcopal Church In
the United States was sounded. Rising
from beside J. PierpOnt Morgan. the
New York financier. DR.. Eugene \. HoiI-
man. Of the same city. made announce
ment that the committee appointed by
the General Convention Of 1889 had com
pleted it's task, and that a certified copy
OF its report had been laid upon the
secretary's table. There was note OF
defiance If not OF challenge in his tone
as he proceeded TO move formal res
olution that the report be made special
order for Thursday morning, and that it
continue in the same status day by day.
until final disposition had been made of
II.
Apparently taken off its guard the OPP
position was about TO let the resolution
go through without comment when
delegate in the rear of the church made
inquiry as to whether any substantial
change had been made in the report as
printed and circulated.
To this DR.. Hoffman gave positive
negative. What alterations had been
made he said were purely verbal.
Then DIR. Fulton, Of Philadelphia, edi-
tor of the Church Standard. desired to
know explicitly whether, in adopting the
resolution, the convention would commit
itself to full and detailed discussion OF
the report or whether tomorrow or any
day II could do with the document as
il saw fit
Upon this the ruling was made by
Chairman Morgan Dix that, once the re-
port was made a special order for a
fixed time, the convention could either
proceed to its consideration or dispose
Of it by any parliamentary order. This
was satisfactory to the opposition. and
the resolution was unanimously approved
Tomorrow, according to the present
programme. a determined effort will be
made to pigeon-hole the report by re-
ferring IL to the general convention OF
1898: and some feryid oratory pro and
con may be expected.
Outside Of this episode, the proceedings
OF the session were of purely routine
nature. W Hen tne. roll was called by
Secretary Hutchins, of Hartford, Conn.
between 800 and COO clerical and Law dele
gates answered to their names: ans there
was a craning of necks on the part OF
both delegates and visitors, as Mr.. Nor
gan: ex-senator Edmunds. Of Vermont;
Charles Treat Paine, OF Boston,. Cort-
landt Parker, of New Jersey; w. Bayard
Cutting. Of New York; c. Stuart Patter-
son. and DR.. McVickar. of Philadelphia;
Columbus Delano. of Ohio: Ex-Governor
Bradford l.. Prince, of New Mexico. and
others Of national reputation, gave as
surance of their presence.
DIR. DIX AGAIN PRESIDENT.
BY unanimous vote. Rev. DR.. Dix. OF
New York, was elected president OF the
convention, and as the eminent divine.
who has presided over every conven-
tion commencing with that of 1866. was
escorted TO the platform, by Dr. Letting
WELL of Quincy. and the Rev. John
a. King, of Long Island, the deputies
rose 10 their feet. In tones broken by
emotion. Dr. Dix thanked his associates
for the honor once again conferred upon
him. Matters of great Importance, he
said, were to be considered. Some of
their work brstled with difficulties. and
would. occasion great divisions of
opinion. Besides the revision issue, the
question of mission work and the causa