The record-union., 1899-10-18

otherwise neglectful, and thereby clouded
the title to property
In view of the dangers constantly arls-
ing from these causes, | have taken steps
to become q corporation sole. Ihe can
ons which / have adopted for the district.
gathered mostly from the canon law OF
the Diocese of CalifoT MIA, require me to
become Sucn corporation They are now
In legal hands for revision. As soon as
the process is completed | shall look Tor
the transfer of all church property in the
district to the Bishop corporation SOLE
thereby lnSuring continuous cndln OF
title. vested in a single trustee with regu-
| lar successors according to canon law
This chain of title cannot be interrupted
| by death even, and saves the church from
the risk which threatens her property
where the same is held by struggling mis-
SionS, guilds, societies, local trustees,
| feeble corporations and constantly chang
! ing custodians. When these transfers are
made to me, I shall look to the church
officers to supply me also with an abstract
| of title to every piece of church property
! in the district
THE DIOCESAN PAPER.
! We have been unusually fortunate this
| year in having a diocesan paper, at trif-
! ling cost, three times as large as the Off
cial papers of the dioceses of Oregon, Los
Angeles and neighboring districts, full of
| useful church reading, spreading before
us the news of the Pacific Coast well
as of our own particular field, and we
have not carried one dollar of responsible
| ity for it. This was possible through the
enterprise of the Pacific Churchman
| whose manager allowed us to take this
able, valuable paper, twice every month,
| and make it our own organ, at the cost
4 of 80 cents for a years subscription. On
| the day of my conservation the clergy
| in conference with me unanimously adopt
ed it our official paper. The following
/ is the number of the subscriptions taken
in our field: Auburn Is, Benecia 81, Car
son l3, Chico 16, Cloverdale 5, Colfax 2,
! Colusa s, Eureka 20, Ferndale 10, Folsom 8,
| Fortuna 6, Fort Jones H. Grass Valley g.,
Healdsburg 4, lone 3, Jackson 6, Loomis
1 A Tnp Ia NToyN Naxvo do itxvO
Petaluma 13. Red Bluff II, Reddng 2,
| Reno 49, Rumsey 2, Sacramento Z, St
| Helena s, Santa Rosa II. Suisun 13. Sutter
Creek 8, Ukiah 9. Vacaville s, Vallejo II,
! Wadsworth 10, Winters g. Woodland 4,
Virginia City ., Yreka Z, miscellaneous "a;
| total, 397
| unifying, inspiriting influence of a paper
going into every parish and mission and
| into the homes of the isolated, is of great
value in our work. Diocesan papers are
numerous. They are being promoted and
suspending all the time. We cannot get
on without one The sole question for
our own, or shall we unite to make use
of one already going? Unless we can get
! stable basis of advertising, to run our
| own will require capital, as we'll as con-
stant attention and expense Advertisers
| in general regard what they pay for the
| use of such small papers as money given
| blackmail.
i believe that our best course is to con-
! centrate the strength of the Pacific Coast
| on one church paper, making that a
worthy one. 1t is impossible for the
| publisher to continue the paper to us at
| 80 cents. After the first year the cost
is TO be 81. This was the understanding
from the start and 81 is little, very little
for the Pacific Churchman" for a year.
| | ask the clergy to do all in their power
to have the present subscribers continue
at 81, and to secure as many new sub
| scrptions as possible. I would also ask
| you to consider the advisabiity of elect
ing a clergyman Of the district to receive
and edit and arrange news matter and
| COMMUNICATIONS intended for publication
in our department of the paper
] THE RESCUE OF THE OFFERTORY
have had little to say of spiritual
| things and much of funds and offerings
in this my first address. Yet it is impos-
| sible to separate one from the other If
we deepen and enrich on a spiritual life,
we are certain to have larger returns in
gifts and offerings. | have made careful
| observation of the financial methods in
vogue, as l have gone in and out among
| you, and before these methods can be
improved or supplanted there must come
the rescue of the offertory. Let me i'm
press upon you the difference in principle
between pew rents or parish support and
the Sunday offertories | believe much
| OF the poverty amid plenty which is no
IuceaDle throughout our American church.
results from the confusion of two prin-
| ciples, viz: paying our debts and giving
| TO God. Most of our city parishes paw
pew rents. Most of our country parishes
1 SuOSrfiT-
| tons These are encouraged to use the
| o1ertory for the payment of these obliga
| tlons When appeals are made for dioce-
san institutions, general missions or aged
| clergy, and the days appointed for these
most important collections is at hand
the response is meager because the plates
are are piled high with envelopes, subscrp-
| tlons, pledges and pew rents, and there
Is little room left for gifts of love
our people must be taught that there is
| no more char1ty in paying pew rent or
n ma yiplCr
or taxes or gas or grocery bills. 1t is a
business matter pure and simple. They
get value received for what they pay The
ch9rch baptises your children, seals you
and them with marvellous gifts in con-
ilrmaton, establishes your families in
| holy, blessed marriage breaks to YOU the
Dread OF life in preaching, in reading of
! the word in the Lords Supper She brings
Christ to your sickbed, comforts you in
sorrow, ana lays away your beloved dead
in the hope of a joyful resurrection. You
cannot measure the value OF these things
IN, IN money But for that your pew rent or
subscription stands. There is a quid pro
| quo. When you pay these pledges you
pay pay your debts and you are honest
nothing more. If you fail to pay them
| being able so to do, you are dtshonest2
| nothing less,
Now the offertory is a formal gathering
| to present them with sacred pomp upon
the altar OF God. 1t is an act of wor-
ship; performed by vested priests at the
mead of congregation rising and par
| ucipation in the solemn act of Offering
| 1t is set in framework of devotion nre-
! faced by Scripture sentence and accom-
! panied with a tide of melody expressive
OF grateful alteration. / contend that we
| have no right or authority to use the
OmertOry as a mere convenience for coll
fecting bills. / submit that it comes
perilously near to sacrilege to employ the
offertory, which is part of the eucharistic
office, as a means of saving the expense
of a collector. Let all pew rents and
| pledges be paid and collected outside of
church, as all other bills are paid Let
yYiyr fIe,e
act attention to this business of collec-
/ tions s is given to it by banks and mer-
chants and secular corporations, keeping
bills and receipts and duns and the whole
machinery of the counting house out of
the house of God. Then the Sunday of
fertory will be left free for weekly relig-
ious. systematic giving. 1t will then be-
come possible TO introduce a plan of pro
portionate, systematic Offering by which
provision in abundance may be made for
/ the dlocese ana its institutions, works
1of charity and benevolence and the grand
onward, conquering march of the church
of God
The rescue of the offertory-T commend
it to your prayers and to your wise states
| manship, in securing the desired end as
speedily ana harmoniously as local stua-
uons will admit. Doubtless there are
scattered mission fields where it will be
difficult to carry out this plan. But as
far as possible, let us separate paying our
| debts from giving to God teaching our
people that as Christians they are called
upon TO pay for their religion, equally
with the roof over their heads and the
food upon their tables, and only when
this is done may they give to God offer
ing to Him pure oblations and sacrifices
of love, worthy to be taken to God s
house, on Gods day and laid upon God S
altar, and set apart religiously each week,
by rule and system, according as God has
And now, dearly beloved, | commend
you to Him who is able TO do exceeding
al6unIdantly tlaI above all that we ask or
eth in us, through Jesus Christ to whom