New-York tribune., 1900-11-25
FOND Dr LAC AND ASDoTER.

FOND DU LAC AND ASDOVER.
The extreme possibilities of ritual in the
Protestant Episcopal Church were striklngly
shown in the recent conservation or the heF.
R. H Weller. jr., as Bishop CoadJutor OF foliu
du Lac. Wis, brief account of which appears
elsewhere, as also picture of the BISHOPS TAX
ing part in the ceremony, among whom were
the Russo-G Greek Bishop of the Aleutian Islands
and Polish Catholic Bishop. of Chicago. whose
ecclesiastical status was not explained IN any
of the accounts Although the conservation was
the official act of Church calling itself Prot
estant it was anything but Protestant in its
ceremonial or in the doctrinal implications of
that ceremonial Indeed. The Churchman'
declares In m article entitled Ritual Anarchy
that the order of service used. which was
printed in a special pamphlet was quite differ
ent from the conservation service in the Episco-
pal Prayer Book. The rubric in the Prayer
Book SAYS that the Gospel shall be read after
the Epistle 'But these gentlemen" says The
Churchman." preferred TO take a walk so they
have a Gradual and a Sequence after the
medieval manner" The Fond du Lac service
also provided for the reading of the Apostolic
Mandate. the amounting of the candidate. the
comforting upon him of the episcopal ring and
the pectoral cross, and, lastly. the giving to
him of the kiss of peace and his giving of the
W
placed on his head and he was conducted to
his throne he led around the church. the
people kneeling to receive his blessing. AS all
these features are utterly unknown to the Epis-
copal Church. The Churchman" accuses the
Bishops taking part in the ceremony of tram
pling on the constitution of the Church And
there is so much prima facie reason for making
this charge that there may possibly be an official
investigation of the incident
Far different from this recrudescence of
nnedisPvalsm was scene enacted this last
week in Andover Theological Seminary when
DR. Edward Young Hincks was instituted as
Abbot professor of Christian theology In 1856
four eminent Congregational ministers accused
five members of the seminary faculty one of
them being this same DR.. Hincks. of teaching
doctrine contrary to the Andover Creed, eSpe-
cially regards probation after death The
accused men were tried. but only Professor
Egbert c. Smyth was found guilty He ap-
peaed to the Supreme Court of Massachusetts,
which quashed the proceedings, and he has
remained at Andover ever since. Even four
teen years ago, this trial showed the old
creed was no longer accepted by many Congre
gationalists, and the drift away from it has
since become so great that the Board of Trus
tees decided not 10 ask DR. Hincks. in accord
ance with the old custom. 70 read and subscribe
to the creed. Moreover. they distinctly stated
that they took this step because the terminology
Of the creed was antiquated and unfamiliar and
because also the act of subscription was likely
to be misunderstood. Thus closes what was
an epoch making controversy in the Congrega-
tional denomination. The old creed, having
ceased any longer 10 reflect the religious con-
sciousness OF the Church is quietly laid on the
shelf.
These inHifPnfS-thp In
the other in Andover-though occurring in diff
ferent religious bodies. are symptomatic of two
counter tendencies which are struggling for the
mastery in modern Christianity Certain men
in every Church. noting the reaction against old
beliefs and traditions. seek to win back the
allegiance Of tho world. not by minimizing but
by magnifying these old beliefs and traditions
In effect, they adopt the tone Of Rehohoam,
King Of Israel. when his subjects became
restive: Whereas my father did lade you
with n heavy yoke. | will add 10 your yoke:
my father hath chastiscd YOU with whips bur
II will chastse you with scorpions And in
pursuance of this policy they ransack the theo-
logical lumber rooms and old clothes closets Of
the Middle Ages in order to Law upon the back
Of the modern Christian n burden against which
even the medieval Christian rchelled The
good motives of these men cannot he questioned
and their pety is updoubted, but their success
thus far in persuading the conscience of Chris
tendon to accept the thought of the past has
not been conspCuously great. Opposed to them
are the men who try To read the signs of the
times. who believe that God is in His world as
truly to-day as in mediTval times and who hold
that tho Church must meet the problems of to-
day by putting itself in sympathetic touch with
the many sided life of today rather than by
galvanzing the dead and outworn ideas of the
past How far they will suCceed in rpcaStinC
the forms and beliefs of Christianity is an open
question. But one thing is certain-they are
not rowing against the stream of tendency as is
the case with those who regard religion as an
arbitrary system once for all given 70 man in
the past and unrelated in any vital way 70 the
life of RI" present,