The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-08
Discussion Before the
Churchmen'S Club.
TWENTY-SEvENTH DINNER
Addresses by Rev. DR.. Locke, Mr..
Murray and Rev. Mr.. Addison.
JUDGE sTlNEss PRESIDED

lne Gun VI Nio
Club at the Trocadero last evening was
we'll attended and proved very pleasant
and instructive affair. President John III.
Stness presided in his usual graceful man.
ner, and his introduction Of the speakers
was one of the most interesting and enter
tanning features Of the evening, for prob
ably no one In this city can bid in more
agreeable way a clubs guest welcome, nor
can so Justly estimate what Is "A proper
preface to u speakers address. He knows
we'll how to indulge in humorous vein
that is always graceful and he seems at
home always in preparing for tho gentle
men, lay or clerical, whom the club has
invited to speak before It, warmer well
come than even the courtesy of the club
might extend.
The dinner included oysters on she'll,
cream OF asparagus, lobster NewpurR,
lamb chops Dreaded, French peas. quail
| on toast, celery salad, olives. Neapolitan
| cream coffee, cakes and Apollinaris. just
about an hour was devoted to the discus
| sion OF the varieties after the Iilltpghast
! formula when the cigars We're lighted and
what Is always the most important thing
at the Churchman'S club meeting. the
| subject for discourse was taken up. IL
| was The Early History Of the Church
| in this Diocese.
The subject proved n most interesting
one, for the speakers gave the ineniber OF
| the club the results of their impartial In
vestigation. history was given as the
| clergy aud laity of the Episcopal church
made IL, and where there seemed To be-
| for a moment a shadow, it soon dissp.
| psared in the story of heroisin, culture
| and devotion OF not only illustrious
names but of quiet byt earnest and
prayerful humber class. Very earnest
| indeed was the attention given by the
! mem bers of the club to the story of the
| the men Of their creed In the earlier
| days.
President Stiness' opening remarks
were a sort of raaume of the subject, not
| that he went over the ground that any
| speaker was expected to follow but he out
lined or rather made the frame for the
! picture that the Others were to paint and
| when the work of the Others was COM
| pleted the evenings subject had been laid
before the interested hearers In such
way as to leave an impression not soon TO
| be forgotten. Judge Stiness referred first
| tn the proper pride In ancestry contrast
| ing IL with false desire TO cover with
| the glory of the dead the unworthy living.
The subject chosen, the early history OF
the church, he thought q most profitable
| one for an evenings consideration, for
then, he said, we may be able to answer
the question why the Church or England
was so late In being established here and
why when first established here It did not
| progress Churchmen would have found
| scant courtesy in Massachusetts, one
! might easily see. but you might think
| a welcome was due them In Rhode Island
| a land of freedom of worship. But Rhode
| Island was chiefly place for those who
were oppressed and driven out OF other
places aud we find for nearly three quar-
| ters of century after the founding of the
| colony only did the church get foothold
al
| centre.
President Stiness then said thnt the
| Quakers for long time seemed TO be the
| only active religious body in Rhode
| Island and n Huguenot, Gabriel Bernon
| who came here was the first man to
secure Church of England priest or
clergyman for the community. This was
| Rev. James Honevman and he was sta.
| toned In Newport. AIR. Bernon after n
| time, went to Wexford, where he bad
| another church established, then came
| Bristol Church. with the organization of
| which Mr.. Bernon had so far rs known
| little to do but he did have great deal
| TO do with the establisbment of the
| church in Providence In 1722. For nearly
| century. until 1916, the speaker said
| these four churches we're the only four
Episcopal churches In the state. Tho rea-
son for this, Judge Stiness said was not
| hard 10 see for there were no bishops aud
| there was the War of the Revolution and
| the feeling which led up To the war Of
| 1872.
Rev. George l.. Locke was introduced
as the fis5 regular speaker and be SAID
| there were mora inspiring themes than
| the history OF the Anglican church In the
| 13 colonies. The Church OF England was
| always at disadvantage In her colonies.
| IL was the policy Of England 10 use her
| influence in the colonies for the church.
| Dlxx.s .sttth
not practical and even in other colonies
the effort did not prove successful The
| clergy were aliens, for the expenses OF 60
| ing to England to no educated were
| greater than could he borne by the class
| from whose ranks the clergy might be
| increased from this country. In the s.rug.
giles between tho colonies and the mother
| country there was lack Of sympathy be-
tween the clergy and their people. Many
OF tho clergy returned 20 England.
| Thomas Elliott Bray, a man who did
great work for the church afterward
| had made an effort to have Maryland de-
clare the Church Of England the church
| of the colony. Gov. Berkeley had made
| the statement that the clergy would be
better IL they prayed more and preached
| less but In the same letter that con-
tained this statement the governor also
thanked God that there vera no free
| schools or printing I'm his colony and he
| hoped there would not be for q hundred
L
| years tt
The first bishop CHOSEN for America
| had decli ned To come on one pretext or
| another. Tne sending Of bishop was
put off and finally the English conven-
| ton refused outright to send one. The
history OF the church miaht be divided
| both geographically ana chronologically.
10 Virginia. Mary ana South Caro-
| lima up ID 100 was the church limited
and In the last state its history might he
recorded I'm few lines.
| The tobacco growing sthtes had
large aristccratic class of people ana thers
were incidental to them all tho advantages
| and disadvantages whsro there IN such
| class Ne ate apt 10 look upon Maryland
as n Roman Catholic comnlunits, lut ~
wears after the Pilgrims had been invited
there bv the liberal Lord baltimore they
had become powerful enough To deprive
the professors of the Roman Catholic
faith of their protection under the laws.
Rev. MIR Locke then told of the great
WORK Rev. Thomas BRAY, who had left
/ MARYLAND for "a wears diu for the church
sending to 10 books for ibrHrics sud iinan-