El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-05
EPISCOPAL
CONVENTION
Rev. M. CabeII Martin Tells
Of the Work 1t &C.
compIished.
THE MODERN SPIRIT

1.-THE MODERN SPIRIT
Gaining Control In the Councils of
the Church.-The Question Of
Marriage of Divorced Persons
Missions In Roman Catholic COun-
tries.-A True Protestant Church.
Rev. M. Cabell Martin, rector of ST.
Clements church, during his recent alb
sence from the city spent a portion of
his time in Washington as delegate
to the Episcopal general convention,
He and Ex-Governor L. Bradford
Prince of New Mexico were delegates
from this district. Rev. Mr. Martin went
as clerical delegate and Gov Prince as
the lay.
This being a missionary district, it
was only entitled to two delegates.
Each diocese is allowed to send four
clerical and four lay delegates.
The convention was composed of two
houses similar to the houses of parlia-
meut-the house of bishops and the
house of deputies. The delegates as
sembled at IL o'clock, Oct 5, st Church
of the Epiphany and it was found that
the attendance was larger than ever
before. The opening sermon was
DroaCQeQ Dy tS6V. .. =. 1utGle, DlSQOp
of Missouri.
Tie convention was in session twenty
days and matters of vital Importance
to the Episcopal church were discus
sed and acted upon.
The womans auxiliary mission So
ciety met at Washington Oct. 6. at
Trinity church, with an attendance of
1900. The united offering of the wo-
men amounted to S81, 900. The Offering
g. ~ &C. $rin nf
beth Kendrick, daughter of Bishop
Kendrick, was the delegate from this
district.
Mr.. Martin says that one of the most
agreeable Incidents of the convention
was the reception rendered the dele
gates by President and Mrs. Mckinley.
Each delegate received e handsomely
engraved invitation and q large num-
Der of them accepted. 1t was but
few minutes after the reception thai
the president and his wife received q
telegram announcing the tragic death
of Mrs. McKinley's brother.
The delegates paid visit to James
town, Va, and examined the ruins of
the first Episcopal church establish
the early settlers who landed in
1907.
The work of the convention, says
Mr.. Martin, was very important, and
he produced an extract from the New
York Tribune which summarized the
most important events of the ses-
sion.
1t is in part as follows:
THE LIBERAL MOVEMENT.
'In forecast of the work of the
Episcopal general convention that ap-
peared on October 2 the Tribune
declared that, in spite OF the strong
drift in the direction of ritualism, the
convention would probably take q
more sympathetic attitude toward
so9 sss bsaa amply TSj' pfsSIf ps
led in it's action on four
very important questions that
have come before it-namely, the
proposed canon on marriage and di-
vorce, the proposition to change the
name of the church, the advisibility of
establishing missions in Roman Catho-
lie countries, and DR.. Huntington's
proposition authorizing bishops to take
under their care alien congregations
not using in full the offices of the pray-
er book, but willing to accept the spir-
itual oversight of the bishop.
THE QUESTION OF DIVORCE.
'F'or many years there has been q
controversy in the church over the
question of making the present canon
relating to marriage more rigid. While
1t prohibits clergymen from solemniz-
ing the marriage of any divorced per-
son whose husband or wife is still liv-
ing, it permits the marriage of the in
nocent party in divorce for the cause
of adultery. It was around this excep-
tion that the battle ragged, the ultra
high churchmen holding with the Ro-
man Catholic church that divorce un-
der any circum stances is unscriptural
and unchristian. Accordingly they
introduced canon embodying that
view of the case; but after most earn
est debate it was loaded with amend
ments that practically defeated it's pur-
pose, and rather than accept it so am
ended its advocates voted it down, pre-
ferring to endure the supposed evils of
the present canon for three years more
It is generally believed, however, that
the temper of the church is opposed to
such a rigid view of divorce, and that
the opposition to the measure will be
even stronger in the next general con-
VentlOn.