The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-08

Society for the Propagation OF the Faith
in foreign parts did great deal o
strengthen the church In Americn, rtt
only by rendering financial aid. but by its
influence upon the clergy and the awaken
ing of the people 10 sense of their re-
sponsibility.
Next was traued the chronological view
showing that when the church was estsb-
lished I'm Pennsylvania in l70l there were
county parishes. yet IL finally became so
that the parishes were in the cities and
large communities In Pennsylvania the
church received many accessions from the
Quakers aud the Swedish church was very
friendly, and the influence OF prominent
laymen in the early history OF the country
was referred 10 as well rs the sermon OF
Rev. Mr.. Shift, which was one OF the best
statements OF the casa OF the colonlstS
made before the Revolution.
In New England Rev. Mr.. Locke said, the
church had not made much progress until
about n quarter OF q century Before the
colonies were merged into states. In 1IO5
a.party of men had gone into Connecticut
and almost at the point OF the bayonet
esta ablished church. The place selected
was Stafford and they took three clergy
men with them. Here within year four
adults were baptized and soon Rev.
Timothy Culyer, prominent Congrega-
tional minister afterwerd president Of
Yale College, and six other ministers or
the same denomination joined the church.
In Massachusetts, in the colonial period
there were parishes in Boston, Cam bridge.
Braintree and other places. Here. as in
other places church WAS established In
towns There was at this time an impress
sion that the Church OF England stood for
something besides the Gospel OF Christ.
We are not the Anglican Church. and
we can criticise it, and we are not re-
sponsible for its failings What was TO be
the. American Church aid not appeal to
many in those days.
Judge Stiness in introducing the next
| speaker said that many OF the early
cler2ymen came from Ireland, for that
place was not n comfortable one FOR q
Protestant. and they would not naturally
receive many appointments In England,
so in this state five Of the early clerRymen
were lrishmen and the secretary of the
Irish Historical Society had consented TO
give an account or these. This was not
| the first time the club had welcomed one
Of the Roman brethren, but he would be-
speak for the secretary q kindly welcome
| and he then introduced Thomas Hamilton
Murray Of Pawtucket.
Mr. Murray began his remarks by n
pleasant reference to the easy transition
! from newspaper work To the study OF his.
torical facts and said thai the trials and
temptations Of the five men of whom be
| would speak was part OF the history OF
| the church Of the members Of the club,
| and while he would not presume to in
| struct them in the history of this church
| yet in tho history Of Rhode Island, as in
| the history of their church, there were
many chapters he had devoted himself 10.
| The names of the five prominent leaders
| of the Church of England, who were Irish
men, were Bishop Berkeley, Rev. DR.. Nc
Sparren, Rev. DIR. Brown. Rev. Monmouth
| Brown and Arthur Brown.
Berkeley and McSparren were great
| intellectual force in the colonies Berkeley
was brilliant meteor and McSparren u
| steady brilliant light In our early history.
| The Browns. father, SOB, and grandson.
| were three notable men. Rev. Dr. Brown
| was at Kings Chapel. Newport for six
| years, and then at Portsmouth, n. H., for
| 81 years. He was a native Of Droheda.
| Rev. Monmouth Brown was at Trinity
| Church, Newport and did service OF great
| value to education in that community,
and Rev. Arthur Brown, though born in
Newport, went TO Ireland where be was
| resident OF Dublin. at one time holding
| the vicarship OF Kildare, becoming a
mein Der Of parliament before the act of
| union, which measure he first opposed,
| hut afterward supported. He was also n
| senior fellow of Trinity College, which
| he represented in the Irish parliament
and left valuable legal works.
Mr.. Murray spoke In eloquent terms of
| Bishop Berkeleys devotion to Ireland,
| how when there was vacancy in the
| primncy of Ireland be felt he could not
| have the position, because hs was an
Irishman. and that afterward when he
| was made Bishop Of Cloyne he was iso-
| lated from copgenial society, yet he had
| been described as the greatest and best OF
| Irishinen. There wero many Irish teachers
! in the colony, and among them WAS Rev.
| DIR. McSparren. one Ut whose pupils,
| Thomas Pratt became president of Yalo
| College. lie could speak Irish rs we'll AS
| English and was n man of wide charity.
| and in a letter OF his to a friend In Ireland,
| uttered fervent prayer against the union
| of that country with England, and
| prophssied direful things should take
| place. Later he had experienced great
desire to go back TO Ireland but placed
| the matter willingly In Gods hands.
While Berkeley bad been called the greatest
OF lrishmcn, IL seemed that Rev. DIR. Nc
| Sparren was one Of the noblest and kind
| est of the Irish race.
| the conclusion of his remarks and Judge
Stiness said that one of>the hest qualified
| clergymen of the diocese, Rev. Mr.. Good
win, of East Green wich, had prepared the
| diary Of DR. McSparren, but 10 was found
| jmposs BILE tn select from it's many gems
| something TO read, but the work would be-
| published with the aDnotations of the
| Rev Mr. Goodwin.
| The last speaker was Rev. Daniel ID Ad
| olson OF Brookline, Mass, and he read "a
| very careful and eloquent paper on tho
| relation Of the churches OF Massachusetts
| and Rhode leland. First, showing that
| the first clerRymon OF the church In the
| two colonies frequently held conferences,