The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-15
ORDINATION OF DR.. BRIGGS
THE SERVICES TAKE PLICE WITH
OUT INTERRUPTION.

Those That Expected Sensation Dis
Protest FiIed-The Candidate Nervous
A Crucial Moment-Bi Potter
EXPLAINS His Position In n Letter.
New York, May 14-In the small
though pretty pro-cathedral on stan
ton street, in the downtown district
this morning Rev. Charles Briggs, Who
was found guilty of heresy by the Pres
byterian assembly, was ordained a
priest of the Episcopal church. He was
ordained together with the Rev. Charles
A. Snedecker, and the ordination cere-
monies were conducted by Bishop Pot
ter. The little church was crowded
with people and the ceremonies were
notable for the quietness that prevailed.
Those who expected, from the great out
cry of the past three or four weeks,
pointed. There was no scene, no ex-
citement and no protest was filed either
at the beginning, during or at the close
of the ordination. One would imagine
that 1t was the ordination of two aver
age priests. There was nothing notable
in the sermon preached by the Rev. DR..
George Douglas to attract attention.
The most radical statement in the whole
sermon was mild such as intellectual
paralysis is not an attribute OF the
church of God, but intellectual faith is.
Rev. DR.. Douglas discoursed on "Au-
thority," taking his text from the twen-
ty-first chapter of st. Mathew, twenty
third verse. His line Of thought was
that one, in order to be an authority.
must live up to the word Of God as well
as to preach 1t.
The ceremonies were very long, COM
mencing at 10:30 o'clock and continuing
until late in the afternoon. II anything
the services were hurried a little but
general communion, which followed the
communion of the postuants or candi-
dates, tended to extend the time. Bish-
op Potter drove to the church with the
candidates for admission Rev. Dr.
Charles A. Briggs and Rev. DR.. Charles
r. Smith, who was to present DIR. Briggs
and who is emeritus rector of st. James
church. and the Rev. DR.. George P. Mel
son, who was to present Rev. DR.. Sned-
ecker and who is one of the assistant
| secretaries of the diocese, arrived later.
| With them was Rev. DR.. Osborne or
| Trinity church, Trenton, N. j. All Of
| these went to the office of the vicar.
Bishop Potter was asked what he had
to say preliminary to the ceremonies.
He said he had no notice of protest and
had received no protest. He smiled at
the thought of any of the objecting
clergymen appearing in the church ana
making a scene. He. however, said that
he had received a letter from layman
protesting against the ordination OF DR..
Briggs, and as this letter was written
under a misrepresentation OF the facts
and law he had answered He did not
desire to give the name of the layman,
who, he said, was high up in the coun-
ellis of the church. Inasmuch as the let
ter he himself had written in answer to
it was general in it's nature and set
| forth his position he had no objection
to making it public. The letter is AS
IolIoWS'
Diocesan House, Lalaye.te io.o,
New YORK May ~ ho'g -,
My Dear Slr:-Your letter Oh 'ne oeN
instant is before me anu nave siNeh VI
matter to whlcn IL reiers my pes' ooi-
sideration. You exassera.e' io"eNei'
my powers, ana are IN resaro ~ 'ner''
under considerable misappieheiis'oi, III
asking me to fefuse 10 orua IL 'iie Nv,
DIR. Briggs ana TO nave the couiase
of my CONVICTIONS you are apparently
under the impression that my ac'io'i III
the matter is wholly Wlthil my oW h" us
erection. Such is not the case. p'sn~
ops powers are constitutiohai' NOV ap-
solute. In the matter OF oruiha tioi' ne
can only act When certain preliminary
action by others mas peen mao pu. When
this is the case, ana candloate for Or
ders stands at the thresholo OF the illlh-
istry. the canons OF ordination declare
that the bishop shall, not may then
proceed to take order FOR the ordinatloh'
of the person who mas met the prelilh-
mary tests in the premises. All these
tests have been applied, IN the case >oi
the person to whom your letter relers
and | have received certlncate TO that
effect, from the standing committee Oh
the diocese which is as follows:
ITO the Rt Rev. Henry Potter ID. D.,
a bishop of New York: