The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-18
EPIsCOPALIAN CONGRESS.
The Seventeenth Annual Session
Opened Mt Norfolk

Opened ut Norfolk.
Norfolk, Va, Nov. 1.-THE seventeenth
session of the congress of the Protestant
Episcopal Church of the United States
was convened in this city this morning at
IL o'clock with the opening sermon and
communion service at Christ church
There was n large congregation present,
including a great many visitors of promi-
nence from all sections of the country.
The beautiful ritualistic service of the
church preceded the sermon, a feature of
which was the excellent music by the
large choir present.
The opening sermon was by Right Rev.
Bishop Satteree of Washington, his
thy God, with all thy mind, all thy heart,
and all thy SOUL" particularly empha-
sizing love of the mind.
The night session of the Episcopal con-
gress was called to order by it's president,
Right Rev. Alfred McGill Randolph, ID. D.,
bishop of Southern Virginia, at the Acade-
my of Music, which was crowded to it's
utmost capacity by an intelligent and fash
ionable audience Bishop Randolph de-
livered an impressive inaugural address in
which he cordially welcomed the dele
gates to the city and the citizens to the
congress.
The topic for discussion tonight was
How Can Social Unity Be Best Obtain
ed?' The writers and speakers upon this
subject were all men of national reputa-
ton embracing the clergy, the press and
the bar Those who participated were
Rev. Frederick Freese of Macon, Ga; Rev.
William S. Rainsford d. D., of New York;
Rev. Prof. Ezra Gould, d. D., LID, of
Philadelphia; Hon. Edward Lawrence Cod
kin, editor of the Evening Post. New York,
and the Hon. George w. Pepper of Phila-
delphia.
The consensus of opinion, although I'M
der the rules of the congress no vote could
be taken, was that the church should fur
nsh men of such character that they
would carry out the social reforms COM
patible with Christian justice, but that
the church itself should enter the realm
of social science.
In the course of the discussion such
evils of modern conditions as monopolies
and trusts came in for a large share of
attention, although the debate was at all
times conservative and never bordering
on the sensational. The most startling
portions of the discussion was inaugural
ed by Prof. Gould, the third speaker, who
in his reference to the degeneracy of pub
| lie conscience, said: 'And amid this ma
terial civilization sits the church compla-
cent, serene, a part of it, bone of its bone,
| sinew of its sinew, instead of being its
mortal foe. 1t is because within the
church there are men whose operations
| in business are not compatible with their
| professions. One of the most gigantic
| trusts whose fraudulent operations aston
| ished and shocked the country, has on its
| board of directors two Sunday school Su-
perintendents and other high men in the
| councils of the church." He denominated
| trusts as the elimination of selfshness,
| born of civilization essentially selfish,
and said that before social unity could
ever be attained men must be taught to
be unselfish. This, he said was the
church's work toward accomplishing
social unity.
DR.. Rainsforth followed In spirited
address, along the same lines, pointing
out in addition other evils in the social
system as embodied in legal abuses of
the power of injunction, right of appeal,
etc.
Mr.. Pepper concluded the discussion
with a brilliant summing up, reaching
conclusion that social evolution was the
logical result of all efforts and the only
means toward the end for which the
church is striving.