The Washington weekly post., 1900-11-20
THOSE PROPOSED NEW CiNONS.
Is fhe Episcopal Church Nearing n Set
dement, Of the Divorce Question.

From the Hartford Courant.
Queerly enough. there seems TO be a
widespread notion that they are already
adopted or as good as adopted. Nothing
could be farther from the truth Their
fate will not be settled until next October.
IL then. That is the time fixed for the
meeting Of the general convention The
general convention is the supreme legislq-
ture Of the Protestant Episcopal Church
II alone has the power to change the
church's law. II will receive the report of
its committee and then take such action
thereupon as il sees fit. That action,
whatever it may be, will be binding on ey-
erybody concerned until some future gen.
eral convention reverses it or modifies it.
One point in favor of the proposed new
canOns is the distinguished ability of the
committee recommending them. Its head.
DR.. Morgan Dix. has sat again and again
in tho chair of the house of deputies.
There are bishops who have not 1.-THE OF
his influence. Another point not to be lost
sight of is the fact that the committees
report is unanimous. Possibly the cor
eessions made in eXempting a large class
of divorced persons from the rigors of the
proposed new canons and in providing for
episcopal dspensations may account for
the unanimity.
But it's very safe prediction that next
years general convention viii be anything
but unanimous. This matter of change
in the church's law relating TO divorce tas
been in agitation and discussion for good
many years Hitherto the efforts of its
advocates have been unable to overcome
the Wis iner,iae OF highly conservative
body, distrustful Of novelties. They have
mad against .hem the militant Protestant
ism that Is up In arms against anything
coming from the general direction Of the
Seven Hills. 1t must be remembered. tee.
that good many gray-haired judges and
lawyers sit and vcte in the house of depu-
ties
The kind OF opposition these proposed
new eanOns viii encounter next October Is
foreshadowed In a leading article which
appeared in the Brooklyn Eagle. Dr. St
Clair McKelway's paper. Thursday even
ing. The writer OF that article says:
"Generically and constituently the Epis-
ccpal Church is a church Of order, uni
f0rmity, system, and justice In this land
IL takes and wears the name OF PrOtes-
tant. IL has repeatedly refused to drop
that for either Catholic or Anglican.
though often asked to do so by influences
within IL which sustain close relations 10
fashion and 10 wealth. Those influences
are united in this effort to ROmanlze
Protestant Episcopacy on marriage mat
ters, Ia the scarcely veiled hope Of Ro.
manizing II on other or all matters They
have been spurred 10 this movement to-
ward Rome, on marriage matters, BY the
offenses Of prominent laymen and lay w0-
men in their membership against their
marriage vows. and BY the undiminished
social or religious consequence to those
fragrant violators of the laws Of God and
Of man within their parishes. nOtwlth-
standing their transgressiOns. Ar
entire denomination will hardly part with
its history or reverse It's poiity because OF
the conspicuous and contributory negll-
gence Of sundry bishops and other clergy
in a matter OF plain duty TO the law Of
God and OF man IN the eases Of altOgethes
too Well-knOwn offenders within their juF-
isdicti0n.