The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-08-12
EPISCOPAL COENE\TIoN.

Episcopalians are looking forward with
much interest to the meeting of the Gen
cral Convention, which assemblies i'll Wash
ington on October 9Th. Notwithstanding
, the fact that the meeting of the convention
does not take place for nearly two months,
churchmen are already discussing the i'm
portant questions which will come before
the convention for action, and the dcnomi-
national journals are dcvoting columns to
arguments pro and con relative to the pro-
posed legislation.
The General Convention, which is the
chief lcgislating body of the Protestant
Episcopal Church, meets tricnnialiy, and
this year the session will be held in Wash
ington for the first time the Church of the
Epiphany being utilized for the meetings.
1t is expected that about eighty bishops
and some AGO clerical and lay delegates
will attend the convention.
The bishops compose W hat is known as
the House of Bishops, while the clerical
and lay deputies form the House Of Dep
uties. Each Of the fifty CHIT dioceses of
the church sends eight deputies, divided
equally between the clergy and la 'ty, to
the convention. The joint action of the
two houses is requisite on all resolutions
and matters of legislation before they can
become operative.
The committee on the revision of the
constitution and canons, which was ap
pointed at the last convention, held in
Minneapolis in 1895, will report to the
General Convention on several matters of
great moment to the church. The first in
point of interest undoubtedly will be the
committees report on the proposed canon
on marriage and divorce. The preliminary
report of the committee has already been
issued, in which it is recommended that
the church enact legislation forbidding the
clergy to solemnizc the marriage of any
divorced person while the other party to
the divorce is living.
At the present time the Episcopal
church, by its canoGs, recognizes only one
cause as being sufficient for a divorce, and
permits its clergy to remarry the innocent
party, but now the committee advocates
abol;shing this exception so as to follow
the practice of the Catholic Church, which
is not to marry divorced person while
the other party to the divorce is living.
Naturally, so radical a change in the
practice Of the Episcopal Church is calling
forth vehement protests from many quar-
tiers, and the opposition to Tie proposed
new canon has assumed such proportions
that it is doubtful whether the cai.on passes
the convention. The Low and Broad
Church elements bitterly oppose the tight
cning of canonical bands on the marriage
and divorce questions, while the High and
Anglo Catholic churchmen almost unani-
mously favor the new canon. There is,
therefore, sure to be a prolonged debate
on this question, with strong probability
that the whole matter will be referred to
new committee, with instructions to re-
port at the convention of 1901.
Other matters of interest which will
come before the convention Will be the
question of a new constitution for the
church and the proposed adoption of the
provincial system. The subject of the re-
vision of the constitution has been before
the church for several years, and doubt
less will engross the attention of succeed
ing general conventions for some time.
The provincial system is intended to join
contiguous doceses into groups, each
group of diocescs to have an archbishop
and provincial council for transacting
certain business now done only by the
General Convention. This plan has many
opponents.
copal church was brought before the last
convention, but the plan failed to mate
rialize, as the deputies thought the pro-
posed primatc, or archbishop, tended in
the direction of papacy, or at least to-
ward too much Capitalization, and so the
matter rests. The subject of a primate
may, however, be brought before the con-
vention again in October Possibly if a
new canon should be laid before the House
of Deputies embodying the idea of a pri
mate, but using the designation president
or moderator in place of primate or arch
bishop, the deputies would pass the meas
ure, but the titles primate and archbishop
seem to be stumbling blocks to the deputies.
Another matter of much interest to claim
the conventions attention will be the sub
iect Of the use of the revised version of
the Scriptures in the services of the Epis-
copal church, only that known as the King
James Tersion being authorized at present.
-Ne1c York Tribune.