The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-03
The Protestant Episcopal Church.

The Protestant Episcopal Church.
The General, OF triennial, Convention
of the Episcopal Church, which began
its sessions yesterday at San Francisco,
has special significance, in tho first place.
because OF its meeting on h Pacific
coast. Never before has IL gone west OF
Minneapolis. The centre Of the strength
of the Church has always been far 10 the
eastward OF the Mississippi River, and
in the large towns moro particularly.
The selection OF San Francisco As the
place OF meeting OF the present General
Convention Is an indication both OF
growth TO the westward and OF n policy
20 secure a still greater hold on the
consideration of the and rapidly
increasing communities OF the West.
We speak Of this Church "a the Prot
estant Episcopal because that - It's
official designation, but there is a large
party in IL which resents its inclusion
in the Protestant ranks, even nomi-
nally. and. doubtless, that party wsl
renew In the present convention efforts
10 omit the words " Protestant Episco-
pal I" from its title, and substitute Amer
lean Catholic" or some other des-
ignation which dinerentiates it from
Professionalism. Extreme members OF
this party, tho so-called Ritualists, are
scarcely distinguishRble from Roman
Catholics in doctrine and practice,
except in their rejection OF the Papal
supremacy, or tho " Roman Obedience"
as they describe il. On h other hand,
there is a largo party as close TO
the Calvinistic system Of theology as
they are TO the Roman Catholic,
Still another, including very many OF
the most intellectual OF the clergy. Is
the Broad Church party, some Of whom
90 TO a latitudinarian extreme. How
far that departure In from the old theol-
ogy was shown in the exposition OF tho
&" New Theology" by n Of its cham
pions. the Rev. HEBRR NEWTON. which
we gave recently in The Sun. The Rev.
QUINCY EwISo Of Mississippi. whose
powerful sermon against lynching proved
him TO be a man Of marked intellectual
ability, is assailed by n Of our CORE
spondents as belonging 20 that school.
The probability that n motion at San
Francisco 90 change the title OF tho
Episcopal Church to sustain the position
of the Anglican Catholics will be
successful does not seem TO be great.
A far moro important subject OF dis
cussion will be brought up by the report
Of new canons on marriage and divorce.
III - A. 80, mo q. tha axtrapna faaRhaai
by the Ritualist and High Church school,
for they stop short Of making marriage
a sacrament and therefore i~ndissoluble.
They merely forbid a minister 10 solem-
nize a marriage without having " salts
fed himself that neither person has
been or is the husband or wife OF an
other person still living unless tho
| former marriage was annulled by n
/ decree OF some civil court OF competent
! jurisdiction for cause existing before
such marriage" That Is. he is pro-
hibited from marrying those divorced
for any u arising after the mar
riace. Moreover, persons so divorced
and marrying again are excluded from
baptism, confirmation and the Com
munion: but with this significant pro-
viso: " but this canon shall not apply
to the innocent party to a divorce for
the cause OF adultery" Practically,
therefore, the present situation is un-
changed essentially. With the canons
"a they now are. marriage Is allowed
the innocent party in a suit for adultery.
Under the proposed law such a divorced
person who marrics again il exempted
from the penalty Of excommunica-
ton, and therefore divorce for that
cause Is indirectly sanctioned; only
the innocent party will have TO get
married again by some authority other
than an Episcopal clergyman.
This cannot be satisfactory TO the
High Church sticklers for the sscra-
mental character Of marriage. hut they
NAV take II on tho Theory that hall a
loaf is better thar no bread. after max
ing clear their contempt for II A. a tenn
PORTING compromise.
Other questions will come mp before
this General Convention, but a. touching
fundamental doctrine they will b.
relatively unimportAnt The ritualistic
movement. which proverbs 80 passion
a,ely both here and IN England, presents
the only grave issue and It Is likely 20
make itself felt morc profoundly than
ever before It, discussion viii ~ M
trcduc~d in Au debate GA the mArnare
and divorce qursiion and also would -
broash, up bf.an effort 10 change the