Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-05
CHURCHMAN'S LEAGUE
Reviewing the Work of the Minneapolis
General Convention.
Interesting Discussion Of Topics Of
Present Interest In Church Adj
ministratiOn.


mans League of the District was held last
Church. and there was a large attendance Of
the members. more than a hundred in num-
Der, including many of the most prominent
men in the work of the Episcopal Church of
this city. Nearly all of the Episcopal clergy
men were present. The meeting proved to
be a most important one, and the action Of
the recent general convention held in Min
neapolis was the subject of the discussion,
as was also the efforts which the league is
making to secure better laws for Sunday OBJ
servance in the District of Columbia.
Commissioner Truesdell presided over the
meeting. and the executive committee re-
ported that arrangements had been made
for series Of lectures to be delivered before
the league on the first Thursday in Lent
and the five following Tuesdays. The sub
jects Of the lectures are the relation of the
church to the nation. papacy, Christian
forces of the republic, Christian unity, the
labor question and Christian evolution.
Among those who have been invited to speak
are several men Of prominence, but as they
have not all been heard from, their names
were not made public.
Spirit of Americanism.
The work of the general convention Of the
Epicopal Church at Minneapolis was the
subject Of a comprehensive address by Rev.
]. H. Elliot, rector of the Church of the AS
cension. He said that the methods and re-
suits of the convention were strong evidence
of the way in which the church Is clinging
to the principles laid down at the formation
of the church in America. For more than a
century 1t has held off from the English
church, and the truest spirit of Americanism
was as evident in Minneapolis as 1t was at
the first convention. 1t was always a con-
sentative body, he said, and this was par
ticularly true of the convention at its last
session. Notwithstanding the fact that
there were number of influences which
might have led the church to strike out on
new lines. the convention. however, had
shown its deliberate purpose of sticking to a
conservative policy. At the convention he
said. he and DR.. McKim, the two delegates
sent from the District. were asked by the
committee on the next meeting If the con-
vention should be invited to Washington,
and, upon their extending an invitation, it
was cordially accepted.
Mr.. Skipwith Wilmer of Baltimore a Law
delegate to the convention spoke at some
length of that body and it's methods. He
said that he had gone to the convention
with some trepidation lest there might be q
departure from the doctrine which was the
foundation of the church. and it was with
real pleasure. now that the convention was
over. that he realized that there had been
no attempt at innovations. The proposition
to create twelve archbishops was looked
upon as too English, and found little favor
This was true of the suggestion that the
presiding bishop Of the house of bishops
should be made primate If the change
was one of name only, then it vas thought
the old one was good enough, and if it was
a change of duties, the general sentiment
was that the present duties were quite suf-
fcfent to meet the demands of the church
in this country.
Sunday Laws.
Rev. DR.. Elliot made a report of the eff
forts made by the league committees since
mo 70
Sunday laws in the District. The commit
the situation and found that the laws at
present are quite inadequate. They found
that there was a Sunday law in force from
1864 to 1887 that was fairly satisfactory
discovered, after the law had been in force
for more than twenty years, that the may
or had never signed it, and it was conse-
quently invalid. In this law the word Sun
day was used, and in this as we'll as in
other important Details the committee had
followed that law pretty closely in drawing
up the one which it was intended to urge
upon Congress.
A general disc ussiou followed The con-
mittee's report, and among those who
spoke on various phases of tine question
were Col Cecil Clay, Rev. G. F. Williams
and Rev. DR.. Charles Z. Buck
Text of the Statute.
The text Of the law as drawn up by the
committee of the league is as follows:
1t shall not be lawful for any person to
keep open any place of business or maintain
stand for the sale of any article or ar.i-
cles of profit during Sunday, excepting
apothecaries for the dispensing of meai-
cines and undertakers for the purpose of
providing for the dead, or others for the
purpose of charity or necessity; nor shall
any public playing at foot ball or base ball
or any other kind of playing sports pas
times. or diversions disturbing the peace
and quiet of the day be practiced by any
person or persons within the District of Co.
lumbia on Sunday, and for any violation of
this act the person offending shall for each
offense be liable to a fine of not less than
s. nor more than $50"
The league adopted a resolution intro
duced by Mr.. William P. Young authoriz.
ing the executive committee of the league
to call meeting of the ministers of all the
churches in the city who are interested in a
better observance of Sunday. The minis.
tiers will be invited from all denominations
and asked to bring at least two laymen
with them. The time and place of the
meeting will be set by the executive COM