The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-03
Call to Arms for the Battle on
Changes in Canons and
=; Constitution.
CONVENTION OF THE BISHOPS.
Imposing Celebration of the Holy
Communion opens the
Session.

celebration or holy communion, with
which the triennial convention of the
Episcopal church was ushered in this
morning, was the most imposing ever wit
messed in a church of that denomination
on this continent. Sixty Bishops, attired
in vestments of snowy white, over these
the black chemire, and over this again
their hoods of scarlet, purple and blue, oc-
cupied the chancel of st. Gethsemane,
which:was brilliantly Illuminated by can
dies and fragrant with floral offerings.
Eight hundred clerical and lay delegates
and local churchmen occupied the pews in
the body of the church, while the tempo
rary- galleries were filed with the wives
and daughters of the visitors, and who in
toilets rich, although subdued in color,
furnished an appropriate background to
the picture.
Admission to the church was by ticket,
and crowd of several thousand gathered
on the outside to witness the arrival OF the
distinguished participants. At the open
ing notes of the professional hymn, For
ward Be Our Watchword, " the head OF the
procession moved from knckerbocker
Hail. and crossing the lawn reached the
editice 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 delegates from Canada be-
ing given a position of honor between
Bishops Whipple and Coke, the two sem
iors in attendance.
The regular service of common prayer
and the Iitany had been said at the
o'clock service, and when the Bishops had
xaly ba;r ,,lo
was begun by the reading of the epistle by
Bishop Nicely of Maine. The gospel was
read by the Archbishop of Rupertsland,
and the aims were received by Assistant
Bishop Gilbert of Minnesota in golden
bowl, valued at several thousand dollars,
and which was brought from England
many years ago.
- Bishop Whipple was celebrant of holy
communion, and every Bishop and dele
gate approached the Lords table. The
service was fully choral, the chants and
hymns being rendered by surpliced male
choir of fifty voices. After the reading of
the gospel, the annual sermon was deliv-
cred by Right. Rev. Bishop Coke of the
diocese of Central New York. The service
commenced at II O'Clock, and it was after
L when Bishop Tuttle of Missouri pro-
nounced the benediction.
Within fifteen minutes after the formal
organization of the House of Deputies had
been effected this afternoon, the call to
armsfor the prospective great battle over
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 and head of the
recent bond syndicate, DR.. Eugene A. Hoff-
man OF the same city made the announce
ment that the commission appointed by
the general convention of 1892 had COM
pleted its task, and that certified copy Of
its report had been laid upon the secreta-
rvs table. There was note of defiance
If not challenge, in his voice as he pro-
ceeded TO move q formal resolution that
the report be made a special order Ior
Thursday morning, and that it continue
in the same status, day by day, until final
disposition had been made of it.
Apparently taken off its guard the oppo-
sition was about TO let the resolution go
through without comment, when dele
gate in the rear of the church made in
curry as to whether any substantial change
had been made in the report as printed
and-circnlated. To this DR.. Hoffman gave
positive negative. What alterations had
been made, he said, were purely verbal.
Then DR.. Fulton of Philadelphia, editor
of the Church Standard, desired to know
explicitly whether, in adopting the resolu-
ton, the convention bound or committed
itself to full and detailed discussion of
the report, or whether tomorrow or any
other day it could do with the document
as it saw fit.
Upon this the ruling was made by Cha ir-
man Morgan. Dix that only the report
was made special order for fixed time;
the convention could either proceed to its
. consideration or dispose of it by any par
hamentary method. 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 pigeonhole the report by referr-
. ing it to the general convention of 1898,
aud some fervid oratory pro and con may
be expected.
Outside OF this episode the proceedings
OF the session were of purely routine
nature. When the roll was called by
Secretary Hutchins of Hartford, Conn. be-
tween five and six hundred clerical and
lay delegates answered TO their names. and
there was 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, Cortland
Parker of New Jersey, w. Bayard Cutting
OF New York, C. Stuart Patterson and DR..
"McVicar of Philadelphia, Columbus De-
.lano of Ohio, Ex-Governor Bradford l..
Prince of Mexico and others of National
reputation gave assent of their presence.
BY unanimous vote Rev. DR.. Morgan
Dix of New York was elected chairman of
the board, and as the eminent divine. who
has presided over every general conven-
ton. commencing with that of 1885, was
escorted to the platform by DR.. Letting.
well of Quincy and John A. King of Long
Island the deputies arose to 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 con-
sidered and some of their work bristled
with difficulties and would occasion great
divisions OF opinion. Besides the revision
issue the question of mission work and