The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-28
SAY BISHOP
IS WRONG
Americanizing Church
Proper.
|ANCL|CANS FAVOR STEP
Defense and Extension Association
Attack Episcopal
Argun ents.

Bishop Willis, head of the Anglican
Church in Hawaii, has not all the Angli
cans here on his side in the controversy
now waging over the Amer.canizing of
the church. The majority of the mem
bers here want alliance with the Episco
pal Church of the United States, but the
Bishop, they say, thrusts Obstacles in the
way that seem insurmountable to him,
but easy of overcoming to them. In the
Anglican Chronicles last issue Bishop
Willis devotes considerable space to the
presentation of his argument. The mat
ter has reached climax now on account
of notice served by the English Mission
airy Society that it has withdrawn all help
for the Hawaiian church from June 30
last. Bishop Willis, in the Chronicle, ad-
dressing the secretary of the English So
ciety for the Propa gation of the Gospel,
said:
your letter of May 4th is before me. 1t
informs me that after June Both of the
present year this diocese, created by the
Church of England as the advanced post
I of the Anglican communion. in the Pa
cific ocean, knitting together East and
West, will cease to receive any aid from
the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel. The opening of the bicentenary
year of the S. P. G. is to be marked by
! the Diocese of Honolulu being abandon
ed as beelaguered city.
Neither in the e,,er of the Bishop of
| New York, to which you refer. nor In
any communication that has reached me
during the last two years, has a word
been written containing or even implying
an assurance that the church in the u
s. A. Is prepared to assume at present
any of the financial responsibility to-
wards the diocese hitherto borne by the
Society. All tLat IS offered until Octo
Der. 1901, is Episcopal oversight
1.-THE readiness of the Bishop and Syn
cd of the Anglican Church in Hawaii t
take the necessary steps for bringing tn,
diocese under the constitution and can
ons Of Nhe church In the United States
cannot be more plainly stated. All tina
is asked in return by those offering t
hand over their valuable property to tn
church in the United States is that tn
church will respect the integrity of tn
church in Hawaii on receiving 1t into un
ion with itself, a request which admits o
no other Interpretation than that the Sc
of Honolulu be preserved unimpaired."
| The Bishops opponents say that his ar
guments are straw and that he must no
interrupt the natural alliance with tn
American Church of the Hawaiian Angli
cans. The following is a communicated
to the Advertiser on the subject:
Editor Advertiser: Touching upon tn
letter of the Ri. Rev. the Bishop of Flo
nolulu to the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel, re the transfer of this dio
cese to the American Church, publishes
in the Diocesan Magazine and largely re
produced in a recent issue of the Adver
tiser, WI you permit us to say that W
consider this letter to be of very seriou
import not only to tho Anglican Churc
in Hawaii. but also to the Protestan
Episcopal Church of the United States
since it shows that the Bishop defnitel
considers It to be his duty to block til
transfer of this diocese to the America.
Church, except upon his own terms an
conditions, which are not universally ac
eeptable. We naturally ask, can tn
Bishop do this?
The English grants are now withdraw
from this diocese, and the prospects ar
that in three months all the Angelica
churches in Hawa.. win be vacant wit
the exception of Honolulu and Hamakua
while it appears that the church in Amer
lea rs quite ready to step in and TAX
charge of the work. relieving the churc
in England of all Responsibility.
The Bishop makes the assertion tina
the property of the Anglican Church i
Hawaii IS held in solemn trust under
Government charter for the sole use O
, the Anglican Church in Hawaii. and tina
1t cannot be alienated without the actio
of the Diocesan Synod; that it is no
competent at this moment for tn
American church to take charge of thi
diocese, or to use the American Praye
Book in our churches, until in pursuanc
of an enabling act of the Diocesan Syno
of the Anglican Church of Hawaii; an
further he warns the church of the par
amount Importance of attending strict
to the terms of legal instruments 70
the peace of the church." which latte
A sentiment we heartily endorse.
In the first place. it is very question
able whether any legal trust exists a
: all-whether the cnarter will bear tn
!, construction of the creation of an in
q alienable trust.s What has been taken fo
trust created, would appear to be MOI
J, a Limitation of aut.4ority, restricting til
}, powers of the trustees to the holding
}. property for one special purpose only.
the charter creates an inalienable trus
why give authority to hold property i
fee simple, and also to convey to other
and provide that all deeds given shall /
signed by the president the secretary an
treasurer. Referring to the Cathedrs
Church I'm Honolulu, the Bishop say
The Bishop and the Synod would be III
faithful to their trust if they admit q
terations in their trust deed. etc" Thei
is no trust deed of the Cathedral churcl
This property is heidi the trustees, an
under the original ueed by Kamehameh
i ". to the Synod of the Reformed Cath
= Ollie Church; it is held by virtue of il
charter and is in fee simple and uncor
ditional. The Diocesan Synod has
voice in the matter. 1t is the trustee
y of the Anglican Church in Hawaii ths
u hold the charter and the property: M
the Synod. There Is not a canon or sta
ute in the diocese which prohibits til
transfer of this property by the Board {
Trustees to whomsoever 1t will or whic
requires the sanction or consent of Syno
= to such transfer. The trustees of tt
Anglican Church" Is a lawfully charte
ed corporation, In which is vested mo-
of our church property, and according
the terms of its charter and the const
tuition of the diocese, IL is competent
this moment to lawfully transfer to II
American Church all diocesan propert
held by It, without reference to the Di'
cesar Synod. The Diocesan Synod, c
4 nj ar- o,,1 l., ;.f., 4.