The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-11-18
CONGRESS
Seventeenth Annual Session Of the Body
In America Convenes In Norfolk.
TWO SESSIONS WERE HELD YESTERDAY
Impressive Opening Services nt Christ
Church-Sermon by Bishop Satter.
iee-Large Audience ut tho Acad.
envy Last Night = Bishop Ran.
dolph's Inaugural Address.

The seventeenth annual session of the
Congress of the Protestant Episcopal
Church In the United States, convened
In Christ Church, this city. at IL
O'Clock yesterday. There was n large
audience present. including, besides la
dies and gentlemen from this city, Il
large number of Delegates from various
sections of the country. The church was
beautifully decorated, and the dimness
OF the Interior was dispeiled by many
gas Jets. beneath which the bright-hued
MOWERS presented Il beautiful spectacle.
The following clergymen were seated
within the chanel and took part in the
services: Right Rev. Bishop Satterlee,
or Washington, d. c.; Right Rev. Bish-
oD Randolph, OF Southern Virginia;
Right Rev. Bishop Newton, of Virginia;
Archdeacon TIFFANY. of New York; Rev
DIR. Kramer, OF New York; Rev. Ralph
n. baldwin. chaplain to the Bishop of
New York; Rev. o. S. Barten, D. D.. of
Christ Church. Norfolk
Preceding the sermon was the beau
ttful ritualistic service of the Episcopal
Church. A most pleasing feature of this
service was the excellent music by the
large choir present.
The opening sermon was prca by
Rev. Bishop Satterlee, OF Washington,
ID. {. The theme of his address was.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy mind, all thy heart and all THY
soul"
The sermon particularly accentuated
me necessity of loving God with all
ones mind, and the Bishop reached to
lofty eloQuence in impressing the duty of
man to consecrate the powers of his
intellect 20 THE service OF God.
Perhaps with especial reference to the
broad latitude given discussions in the
congress, and the exceeding iiber alfty of
thought encouraged IN it's debates,
Bishop Satterlee impressed upon his au-
dience that truth is interchangeable and
eternal saying:
Amid all the advancing thought this
old truth continues the same. The love
or God Is our highest privilege and duty.
II demands a complete conservation of
all our faculties. There is to be no sepa-
rat.on ofthe love of the heart and of the
mind The heart, soul and mind are fire.
quently spoken of as different functions,
out the line between them is only ina
ginary To separate them would destroy
ne personality itself. The wisdom of
the spiritually minded Is broader than
tile wisdom of The world, taking in facts
oil existence besides those seen by the
reason alone.
1t is hopeless to attempt TO make
men see as Christians see until they
accept spiritual facts. The facts OF
Chrlst's inca rnaltion. resurrection, &c.
are Just as true as the facts of nature
Spiritual facts disclose both the spiritual
and natural, while natural facts only
disclose the natural. Christ is the light
or the eye, of the soul and of the reason.
EVERY one who would know the truth
and do the truth must listen to the
words of Christ St. Paul,s idea was TO
bring into captivity every thought of
Christ: though. outside of Christ Is
wasted thought. intellectual subordi-
nation to Christ Is no degradation of the
intellect. but glory. Better ten thou-
sand times be rs fools and be in Christ
than to have the uttermost conceivable
wisdom apart from Him.
At the conclusion of the sermon the
HOLY communion was administered, an
exceedingly impressive service Al Its
conclusion. the Congress adjourned II
meet at the Academy of Music ut s
o'clock y. III.
EVENING SESSION.
AT night the Academy of Music was
packed with an audience reml rEablc
for Its culture. 1t seemed that the in
%ell!Eence of the city had turned oiit
en- masse TO hear discussed the topic of
How Can Social Unity be Best At
tained?"
Right Rev. y. NJ. Randolph, Bishop of
Virginia, was introduced by DR.. Tiffany.
the General Secretary. The Bishop de
livered the inaugural address, as fol-
lows:
BISHOP RANDOLPH'S ADDRESS
III TAKING the cnalr or the presiding
officer am discharging a duty required
of me by the law and the custom of the
Congress, and, therefore, to speak MS
one who had been elected to the pnsition
would be Inappropriate but It is appro-
pirate and true TO express the gratiica-
ton of our churches and OF all our peo-
pie, mat TINS city was chosen for the
meeting of the Congress, the pleasure
and interest we have taken in making
the preparations that were nccc,narv
ana the sincerity OF our welcome and
the sense of our privilege of having tho
our own church. and believe to mem
hers of all other churches. it is an occa-
sion of no ordinary interest when teach
rrs and thinkers who have earned dis
tnction in church and state come to
discuss before us social and religious
questions bearing upon our lives and
living problems of our time, and com
handing the intellectual sympathy of
every educated person. The Congress Il;
voluntary association; it has no rem
resentative power, but it does seek tn
represent in It's speakers and its papers
the different schools OF thought upou
the questions that are brought before II
1t mas no legislative function and there
fore, can take no legislative action. lis
debates are not processes through which
laws are enacted, and ii is, therefore
Tree from the pressure of that respon-
sibiiity but its freedom in that resnect
gives it power in other directions. ana
the exercise of that power Is perhaps
in the general beneflcent, and If is Ger
tainly necessary.
MODERN POLITICS DISCJSsED