The Portland daily press., 1898-11-14
a HOPEFUL TENDENCY.
Rev. DR.. Dal. on's Comment ON Recent
Episcopal General Conference.

At the forenoon service at st. Stephen 8
church yesterday, Rev. DR.. Asa Dalton,
the venerable pastor, devoted half hour
to an address in ref erence to the doings
of the recent general conference Of the
Episcopal denomination.
He said that the tone of this convention
differed materially from that of former
years, in that the will of the house of
bishops was in measure subordinate
to that of the lower house. The active
participation of the lay delegates showed
that they were no longer content to re-
main in their seats and leave everything
to the clergy. This tendency, DR.. Dalton
declared TO be a most hopeful one, and he
considered the recent convention the most
satisfactory one that has been. held in
twenty years.
He recalled the opposition of the high
chnrchmen to Rev. Phillips Brooks in
the early part of his administration al
bishop and said they not only were de-
feoted in their object, but they brought
about reaction that is still manifest In
this church.
The defeat of the movement to change
the name of the Episcopal church. and
the rejection in the lower houss OF the
proposition against the marriage of any
person who has been divorced were re.
ferred to as showing the strength OF
united laity. He expressed the hope that
the laity will take heart from the lesson
of this convention, and not be talked out
of what is obvious to them.
Reference was made to an energetic lay
worker In this diocese who took ex-
ceptions to certain methods introduced by
the rector of the parish in which he was
worshipper. One day he asked the REQ
tor il he was not leading his parish to-
ward Romanism. The rector's reply was
in the negative, whereupon the parishioner
remarked that several changes had lately
been introduced in the form of worship
in that church, and every change seemed
to him to be m ore and more in conforml-
ty with forms IN vogue in the Roman
Catholic church. The parishioner there
upon left his church and has since wor-
shipped elsewhere.
DIR. Dalton added that he did not advise
the laity to leave the church under such
circum stances, but if the laity will assert
themselves, these things must stop. Inc
clergy's bread and butter depend upon the
laity, and the clergy will be apt to readily
recognize the laity's demands.
Speaking Of the Maine diocess, he said
that prior to, thirty years ago the 1Episco-
pal church had enjuyed rapid growth,
it's mem bership being doubled every nine
years, but Of late there has been practical
" no growth He said it is true that
many missions have been established
throughout the state, but few of them are
self-supporting. The old view was that
it was not wise to establish a mission un-
less there was evidence that it would
within a reasonable time become self-sup-
porting. But that view has been changed
in the last thirty years. and now if few
establishment of q mission their desire ia
fulfilled and often these missions become
charges upon the diocese for their nlainte-
nance. The clergymsn placed over new
missions are usually very high in their
views, on sacramental and other aues-
tions, and are more apt to drive away
than to attr ao5 new parishioners.
he slow growth of the Episcopal
church in this state is often explained as
being due to the emigrating tendency of
Maine people. But the emigrating for
which the state became noted was more
general thirty years and more ago. Since