The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-10
EPISCOPAL MISSIONS.
Annual Meeting Of the Missionary
Board.

Practical Talk Regarding Religion in New
England by Rev. A. B. Papineau.
| The annual meeting Of the Episcopa
Board or Missions was held at this Cattle.
dral church of st. Luke's last evening.
Bishop Nicely presided. He introduced
as the first speaker
REV. G. w. OGDEN,
the secretary of the missionary board.
He spoke OF the three meetings held by
the board during the year. Even if moth
ing more was accomplished than the
bringing together of the clergy of the do
cese for a comparison of needs of the
work. much would be attained, but lay
men as well as clergymen are benefited
by the meetings Of the board. GAS
a rule we are not Il people much given
to enthusiasm, but the progress of the
work if slow, is sure" He spoke of
the work Of the mission and then dis
cussed the various methods adopted in
other section of the country. In New
York, the diocese has for mission purpos-
es been divided into conversations over
which a dean presides, and in Massa-
chusetts the title of the presiding officer
is archdeacon. If the time comes whom
the work demands two centres, no
one will object to either plan.
Another plan is to have q special com
missioner. q man of exceptional ability,
who would go into towns and organize
churches. Personally, Mr.. Odgep said,
he has knowledge of but one place where
q service can be held by an, ordinary
man with a reasonable expectation that
parish will be built up as the result
Of 90 years. work. Missions in ordinary
cases must be financially nursed for
years. 1t is no use to go out and or
ganiza societies composed of those who
run after new thing because it is
new. There would be large attendance
for the first few Sundays and then a
falling off calculated to surprise the arch
deacon, Mr.. Ogden spoke in a very in
teresting way of what one parish, that
at Rockland, has ccomplished.
Bishop Nicely then introduced
REV. A. B. PAPINEAU,
rector Of the, church at Oldtown. He
thought the church should approach the
work of missions in the spirit of the
apostle Paul. He did not wait for an
invitation to go out to preach to the
heathens, he was not wanted perhaps.
but he went. So the heathens of New
England and of this diocese do not desire
us any more than those of the Roman
empire desired the presence of the apostle
There was some degree of good in the
religion of the empire, but ST. Paul did
not hesitate to take an aggressive posi-
ton and to say that there was hut one
true religion. The apostles did not say
"Our way is the best but "It is the
only way, and outside of this church
there is no salvation.
And this is true Of Maine today. Cities
like Belfast and Ellsworth and other
places Of 5000 inhabitants do not want
the church, but IL every inhabitant was
q member OF some of the Protestant
bodies their condition would not be
much better than if they were not At
the best, they would have the sacrament
of baptism and carioature- of
Christianity Men attend the Protestant
preaching houses, and because they can
not accept the teachings of the SO called
evangelical bodies they become indiff-
erent and do not value true Christiani-
ty.
The heathens of New England greatly
need the church. Take a place of 1000
Inhabitants and 500 will be Roman Ca
tholios and make house to house can
vasa and the balance will be found to
be divided up among the different de-
nominations. They have 10 interest in
religious things, and no sacrament ex-
cept baptism, and ms matter of fac E
have no true religion whatever.
The majority of the people Of New
England have no religion. We must go
to the people and tell them that we are
the Catholic church, opposed to Roma u
ism on the one hand and Professionalism
on the other. We must tell them that
outside of this church there ia no saliva
ton.
Bishop Nelly then introduced
REV. MR.. SPARKS
Of Wateryille, as the next speaker. He
said that the mission Of the church is to
all the world. We must go no matter
whether there is or is not call for us
to go. and we must proclaim the truth
evenfif people do not want US to come.
He believed that two pen working to-
gether in given mission field can do
more than when working alone.
REV. MR.. MOODY
of Rookland, was the last speaker. He
made an earnest plea for more interest in
m issions. He said that it is apparently
hard to mako churohmen take interest
in missions, as it is to arouse England
and Russia to the horrors Of Armenia.
He gave an elquent description of the
wsr against slavery and said that Gar
rison and Mrs. Stowe made the people
see what slavery WAS like, and it foil
The churchmen as rule know but little
of missions, and have but little of the
missionary spirit of systematic giving
He spoke strongly of the necessity OF
giving by the clergy.
Bishop Nicely made few closing re-
marks RECOGNIZING the fact that we are