The Portland daily press., 1898-10-26
THE EPISCOPAL COUNCIL.

| THE EPISCOPAL COUNCIL.
Three Weeks Session Came to End Yes
| terday.
Washington, October 25.-After ses-
sion of three weeks the Episcopalian tri-
ennial council of 1893 came to an END To-
night. Probably never before at one con-
yention has the council transacted more
business than at this meeting or SO muoh
of vital Importance to the church. line
work accomplished included compie'e
revision of thelconstitution with many I'M
portant am endments also the adoption OF
a number of amendments. most OF them
of minor character, to the canons.
The new constitution will have TO De
ratified by the next succeeding CONVEX,
ton, three years hence, before IL Decolnes
operative. A matter which has receiVeo
the earnest attention of the councli nas
been the question of church unity, upon
which an amendment to the constitution
was adopted. A REIMBURSEMENT has Deem
made of the boundary lines OF the mis-
sionary districts in the western ana
northwestern parts of the United STATES,
new diocese in Indiana has been
created, six missionary bishops elected,
one for the church in Brazil and discus.
sions having bearing on the extension OF
the church work in Cuba, Porto Rico
and the Philippines The failure of the
new proposed canon on marriage and
| divorce caused considerable surprise but
| this has been left to committee OF thlr-
teen members to prepare report to be
made public nine months before the next
convention.
| The resolutions of the English confer
encegand the invitation of the Archbishop
| of Canterbury for the appointment OF two
| bishops by the American church as MEM
| bers of the proposed consultative body 20
consider questions of Importance to the
English and American churches was
made the subject of a report by Rev. Dr.
Lucus Waterman of New Hampshire,
| from the committee having charge OF the
matter The committee expressed the
opinion that in view of the fact that the
Lambeth conference was voluntary
meeting of the representatives of the
English church and those In her own
communion, it could not recommend any
formal action on the invitation. 1t led
| to considerable discussion and urgent APP
peals were made by several OF the dele
expression of opinion indicating the APP
probation of the American church OF the
courteous action of the Archbishop of
Canterbury Whilelnot being able to accept
his invitation. seq
The opponents of any official reoogni-
ton argued that to agree to the appoint
ment of delegates to the proposed CON-
sultative body would be giving official
sanction to something not having an
official character in itself-reoOgnizing
something which no other organized body
has done. The committee was discharged
from further consi Iteration of the matter
and the whole subject laid on the table.
| The deputies then proceeded to the con-
sideration Of resolutions Oh the calendar.
| A resolution proposing memorial
chapel at Jamestown, Va, where the f1rst
| Episcopal church in this country was
located, was adopted after being modified
by giving the appreciation of the council
to the idea with view to the future
ere otion of the chapel.
| The deputies then took a recess.
The bishops completed the consideration
of the pastoral letter. The bishops of
Springfield, Central Pennsylvania, New
Mexico, Ohio and Louisiana, were ap-
pointed members of the joint committee
TO consider the question of permanent
| place of meeting.
Both houses of the council finished their
| business this afternoon and then recessed
until night, when they met in joint ses-
| sion, pursuant TO final adjournment. In
each house, resolutions of thanks to the
presiding officers and secretaries for the
(. satisfactory manner in which they had
performed their duties, were adopted.
| In the house of deputies a special COM
mlttee was appointed to examine and re-
port on resolutions pertaining to marriage
and divorce and prepare and print the
same nine months before the meeting of
| the general convention.
| In the house of bishops committee was
appointed whose duty it will be to CON
| slider the question of q memorial to Bis
hop Thomas ]. Clagett. He was the first
| Episcopal bishop consecrated In this
| country.
Tonight the two houses, sitting in joint
session, brought the convention to
close with devotional exercise and the
reading of the pastoral letter. The SER
vice was most impressive one. tae DIS
hops appearing in,their full robes OF Office
Rev Morgan Dix of New York read the
opening service, Bishop Gailor the pas
| toral, Bishop Doane made the closing
prayer and Bishop Whipple pronounced
| the benediction.
| The pastoral recounts briefly the work
done by the council. asks that next
Whitsunday, the seventh emi-oentennial
anniversary of the book of common
prayer be observed in the churches, halls
| with satisfaction the wonderful harmony
with which this general convention, by
| the adoption of an amendment to our con-
stitution, has, without weakening the use
or lowering the value of the prayer BOOK,
opened the way towards training congre-
cations of Christians unused to our
| liturgical forms, to accustom themselves
by processes of education TO approach ana
desire them, says that ''we are glad, that
while insisting upon the Importance OF
keeping the public school system OF edu'
cation free from political intrigue or de-
nominational. intrusion, to urge all the
more, that it must be complemented ana
consecrated by the more careful and dell
mite training in religious truth in the
| family and in the Sunday schools, in
church schools and colleges and in the
careful teaching of the clergy of the
church, recognizes the earnest and effec,.
tive work of the various organizations OF
the church and calls attention to the fact
that the list of communicates has grown
ten per cent in the last three years and
that the contributions during that time
exceeded those of like preceding period
by $1,150, 1Ol. "While this record is encour.
asing on the one hand, YETI the pastoral
says, sit leaves us impressed almost, We
say oppressI d, with the sense of duties
90