The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-04
CHURCH NEEDS MORE BISHOPS
PROBLEMS BEFORE EPISCOPAL
GENERAL CONVENTION.

DiOceses to Re FILLED - The Mar
ringe and Divorce CanOns 10 Be
Considered Many Matters of In
terest 10 EpiscODalians to BE Con-
sIdered.
The general convention of the Episcopal
Church will meet in Washington the first
week In October The convention is an
anomalous body. Il legislates for the
whole church. There is no such body in
the Church Of England. IN the Church Of
England in Canada or in the Anglican
communion anywhere else in the world.
This general convention is peculiarly an
American idea, and it is modelled in its
House Of Bishops, a continuing body, and
its House of Deputies a recurring body,
after political congress.
The delegates 10 the convention from
Georgia are Rev. c. II. Strong ana Col.
j. II. Estil of Savannah Rev. F.
F. Reese of Macon, Rev. \. w. Knight,
Mr.. z. D Harrison, Mr.. F. H. Miller. Mr..
r. B. Bullock. The late Rev. A. C. P.
Dodge was also delegate.
The convention will be in session about
three weeks. There are sixty-six dioceses
in the United States. All the bishops will
be present and there will be 1888 clerical
and 1873 lay delegates The general con-
vention is held every three yeaEs.
For some years the general convention
has been revising The Book of Common
Prayer That task is now done, and the
coming convention viii undertake the re-
vision of its constitutions and canons. 1t is
in the course of this revision that the
canon on marriage and divorce will come
up.
For various causes several dioceses are
TO be divided. Indiana is one of them.
West Virginia finds itself too large for
one diocese, and moi desirable as two, will
ask for an assistant bishop or rather per-
mission 70 elect one Iowa may do the
same and for the same reason.
Political annexation of Hawaii compels
action concerning the diocese of Honolulu.
1t is an Independent jurisdiction, and the
bishop Right Rev. DIR. Alfred Willis, was
nominated to the place by the Archbishop
of Canterbury. As there can hardly be an
independent see in American territory, the
diocese will undoubtedly be taken into
the American system. The interesting
question is the disposition of Bishop Willis
He is a gentleman of the old fashioned
English school, high church and narrow,
thought little of the United States until
ne saw the inevitable coming, and per
sistently opposed annexation.
He confirmed the deposed Queen, who
changed from Congrega tionalist to Angli-
can while in prison. The whole outlook
of affairs indicates that while the diocese
win be accepted, the diocesan will not
Bishop Willis will, it is said, return emp
ty," as the expression is, to England and
an American priest be elected Bishop of
Honolulu in his stead
Brazil Epfscopalians want to set up as a
foreign church. The clergy there are
Americans, and an Amere an bishop, the
Rt. Rev. DIR. Peterkin, of West Virginia,
is at the head of the American house
of bishops committee, in charge of them
1t is understo TODD that there is a DISPOSE
ton not to create any more missionary
! Jurisdictions like those c f Japan and China
and so Brazil comes forward independents
! ly, and has sent a commissioner to at
| tend the convention and enter into a con-
! cordat with the Anne rican church. Great
| ing Protestant Episcopal Church in the
| United States of Brazil.
The Brazil conyo cation has nominated
| the Rev. Lueien Lee Kinsloving and asks
| the American House of Bishops to conse-
| crate him the first Bishop of Brazil This,
| if done, will be an historic occasion, com
/ parable to the conservation of the first
American bishop.
! At least three bishops will be required to
/ act as consecrat ors, and il is this number
/ which causes The Brazil convocation to
mention III the proposed concordat that
when there she Il have been consecrated, In
the future three native bishops, the Epls-
| copal Church an Brazil shall become indie
! pendent Of the Episcopal Church in the
United States.
| The Brazilian request will undoubtedly
be granted, 50 that one of the Incidents OF
the convention will probably be the conse-
| Grafton of the first prelate of a new churc!
/ in the new wocld. with almost the fur
membership of the United States House OF
Bishops acting as conseerators. If apos-
| tolic succession be of prime Importance
there can be no lack of 1t in the case al
the Episcopal Church in Brazil.
There has been heard much about the
revision OF the canons of marriage and di-
! vorce, ana there viii be heard a great dea
| more. Stripped of all the argumentati1t
formulas, it may be explained that the
| question is on the cauonical right of Epis.
copal clergy to employ the church's ser
| vice and marry to another any person whC
has been married previously and been dt
vorced. Tho present canon law is that
/ they may join in Wedlock the innocent
party but not the guilty one, save where
the same two persons, having become rec
| oncile, remarry.
There is a set of men, called the rigorou;
party, having Bisnop Doane of Albany al
its head, VINO favor a change in the canor
| 10 make II unlawful TO marry a divorced
person to another, whether innocent o.
guilty; TO make all marriage laws fal
more stringent than now. Those who be
long TO the rigorous party belong alsC
to the high church party, though by nt
means do all high church people belong
to the rigorous party. The question is
the one that win provoke perhaps the mos
heated discussions of the whole cohven
ton, but il Is not now thought likely Z
prevail.
Episcopal.
In Christ Church. the thirteenth Sunda,
after Trinity. being the first Sunday il
the month, the holy communion wi7 b.