The Portland daily press., 1900-01-20
THE BISuOP-ELECT'S ADDRESS TO
TIE CHURCH CLUB.
To the Editor of the Press:

10 the Editor Qf the Press:
II this address hed been suffered to
remain envelopsd In the tobacco smoke
which fell iwed ths sumptuous banquet
at the Falm OF tn on Wednesday evening,
1t would not have required or received
any public notice from the writer. AS,
however, 1t has been given to the general
pull lie, SO large q part OF which lies ont
side of the Episcopal Diooefe Of Maine,
its pretentious claims not only invite,
but demand reply.
First, 1t appears that the new bishop
claims Maine and all the people In 1t as
bis own. ''If come to you," hs says,
al propose to claim as my own, every
man and woman and child In this whole
Stst,."
In rerly world cay, that 10 out of
20 in Maine would deny this claim to any
bishop,-if ooncedsd to any bishop IL
| would to to tie Roman Catholi, bishop,
as representing the Mother Church OF us
all. For the SUPP ort OF this last stats-
nent, I quote the words OF the Rev. Mr..
| blagdon, ths rector of the Church Of st.
John the Evangelist in Boston, who Is, /
bsliove, the son, or uhs grandson, OF the
late DIR. Blagdon, the eminent pastor, for
many years, of the Old South Congrega-
tioDal Church of that oity,-the quota
tion, by the way, will illus trate the fact
that none go 80 fnr in reaotio nary ex-
tremes as the sons Of the Puritans.
These are MIR. Blagdon's words: "And
here We are moved to turn. and look
upon and consider the grand cid Roman
Catholic church, the ancient Mother OF
US all, and behold, and admit. and nd
mjre the fact that she ne.er changes. but
= the magnificent, Gcd-Rppointed and
Christ-foun6ei church, built upon the
ever LISTING Rock Of Ages, and ever pres
senting an impregnabis buiwark to all
the assaults of SRtsr. the powers of dark
ness and OF hell Copy after this Divine
Model, dear Hrchbishops Of the Church OF
England. deaf to the fanatiosl cries and
jeers of the unbelieving and biRoted Ken
sit o rabble. and then you will win back
again Gods APT rowing smile and favor
and tenrdiction, to rest upon your church
and country; and then, too, you will
no. be false to nor stab In the back
the great cause of 'Christian Unity;' and
then, too, it will be impossible for you to
60 lar wrong, III indeed you err at all. p"
The claim of this new bishop of Maine
OF all the people Of Maine as his own has
more show Of Legitimacy II he views his
own church as ore with that Of Rome.
Again, the bishop-eleot goes on to rspu-
diate emotional conversiop," for which
he proposes a regeneration of Baptism,
Casually admiuistsI ed In his church TO un-
conscious infants.
Answer:-If the peorls of Maine must
choose between the two, We doubt not
they will have more faith In emotional
conversion. with all Its attending errors
and shortcomings, than In baptismal re-
generation.
All Cuhans. Spaniards, and Spanish
A mericans and their colonies have re-
ceived this regeneration by baptism and
the American people know very well
what it amounts to.
Once more, the bishop counts on an in
creasihg refinement as preparing us for
reception nto the Episcopal church.
To this we only reply this 10 the first
time we have ever heard that the meIa-
bsrs Of that church were superior per-
sons' In this respect.
Further the bishop-elect claims that the
christianity of the American people Is
to depend on the Episcopal church.
Answer:-Seeing that this church Is the
least of the tribes of our American Israel
We humbIy submit that this 10 what
wonld be called In the wild West. "pretty
tall talk
1hs only other point we care to notice In
this club talk 10 the bishops claim that
his church converted the English spyak-
Ing people to christianity. =
Answer:-If the bishop means the Epis
oopal church. ss now constituted. In
England and the United States. the
claim 10 without any historical basis to
rest on.
Every schoolhoy knows that the An
glo-Saxons were converted by Augustin,
who was sent to England BY Pope Greg
ory the Great. The only sense, there
fore, in which the new bishop can make
any show for this claim II By concsdins