The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-11
BLACK ROBES OR WHITE.
SPLIT THREATENED IN THE RE
roRMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH.


..,, Inc eurplice susEests saeerdetsIisn.
ana 10 some the Genevn eewn Recalls tho
na-,,,r., Preaeners-Biseirr Are IN .
..,or,,, npa Inclins 20 Forhid the ~surptice.
~.o.ro-a, Council of the Reformed Episco-
nal Church got tangled up yesterday In a discus
-, 81 the question whether clergymen shall
sN Tho black Geneva gown or the white sur
VT. and whether the Bishops shall wear robes.
~. adherents Of the black gown are violently
ianosod N robing the Bishops, while the fol-
,rp ~ n, tho ~surplice are in favor Of It. The
.arrc;l debated the subject hotly for four hours
s..tsrdav. A number OF efforts at compromise
-. vain, and the council adjourned until
,hts n,orninR to cool down before taking n vote.
Tho question has been argued for twenty
,h-oe Years In the General Councils and In the
.ry,ns OF the church, q settlement being
syoided for fear OF a disruption Of the church.
IN. opponents Of the white surphce have al
cav, been in, the majority, but the others have
sss,tated to press the matter to an issue. Now,
,orever. they appear determined to settle 1t
80, for nil. no matter what the consequences.
yssterday's battle was precipitated by the In
seduction by the Rev. DR.. Ashurst OF Philadel-
rhta Of a resolution requiring that no official
AS other than the blnck academic gown
.hould be used by the clergy except in parishes
vhere the white surplice Is already in use, and
-hs-e bishops have previously been wearing
pishops' robes. Tho Rev. DR.. Tracey's motion to
,,hle the resolution was voted down by 43 to 19.
The strength OF the BLACKS" over the
.Whites " being thus shown, the council began
to look solemn. The venerable Bishop Latane.
pronounced white" arose.
FOR one" he said, rather than disrupt this
,nprrb. I would have this question go over. !
snraest that the resolution be withdrawn
Dr.. Ashurst asked permission to Withdrew the
Ark proceeded to combot its Withdrawal; .,.
For twenty-threc years" he said. this
question ,, has 81 been sSs let St,s Ii01 os tb IL is es a thing that Is
EsietiOns Of the members, The day Of settlements
iia nj II that there is any question before
us which we cannot settle. It is, intimated
ISss should prS It do sol II there is disruption
the responsibility will rest. not on those who
vote in favor OF this resolution. but on those
cured BY doing nothing. We must vote and say
what the law OF the church is to be. Then only
t hat i is 5 feared. should still cast my vote with a
clear conscience in favor OF this resolution. 1t
isunworthy Of our manhood not to settle it be-
The Rev. DR.. sabine thought so. too. "The
Erplice question has been a source Of unending
evil" he declared. 1T has been irritating and
! sxasperating the minds OF hundreds in the
church. The surpliee is In the line Of rttualism.
Church Of Rome
The vote was against allowing the withdrawal
substitute prohibiting the wearing OF all eccle,
~siastical garments save those now in use, and
considered symbolical or sacerdotal in charac.
ter. while declaring that personally he favored
\ DISASTROUS but positively criminal to vote to
allow only Its use. In Canada. where. some of
the churches were composed entirely OF Orange;
Romanism that to appear in church with it on
This substitute called forth another storm.
The Rev. DR.. Dagger of Philadelphia character
lied it as a subterfuge.
cried. ie sYea t can' gu esanRe 9 a tSi mHe Sy giving Il +; h IL
smother name. II a rattlesnake were to como
up this aisle with a tag on it DECLARING that it
make" "N 'I
The most vehement speech of the day was
He mounted the platform and bitterly denounced
for half an hour the Roman Catholic Church.
street r%h I ssudse ! Ps ss g piE.sssd OF IL { is s the e ON 1ss
Of persecution and superstition and black is
has weighed me down until ! tremhled, because
Ibelt It 70 be the emblem Of the Catholic Church.
Rsspsct for personal liberty demands that you
coercion to refuse 1t, and coercion opens the way
to persecution
Al this time q tall, slender man had been idget-
ing In one of the back seats allotted to the dep
uties, Now he jumped to his feet as though he
S S2m ! : stand an R II no l0@nspsE r,,1 The hs Chair sbTn se,s@sni1ed
Away with this childishness," no shouted
Ma God forgive you all for this discussion.
Are we trying to find out how we may best get
Presbyterians or Protestant Episcopalians into
this church. or are we trying to build 1t up by
doing the Lords work. This La q question which
should be settled, and settled now. but without
all this talk"
But the talk kept up until after 8 o'clock. when
a.. adjournment was taken until $50 O'Clock
this morning. The evening session was omitted
because. as Bishop Cheney said when he made
the motion, Of the great strain the deputies had
been under all day,
The Committee on Canons and Constitution
reported in the morning against seating the
woman deputy elected from st. Johns Church
IN chillicothe and the report was approved with
put argument. The action Of Bishop Fallows in
helping TO ordAin Ballington Booth Of the Amer
tan Volunteers as o minister was approved
and q resolution commanding Queen Victoria
was unanimously passed.