The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-29

lulu Episcopal Jurisdiction over all
churchmen in this mission, it certainly
could not confer upon him an Episcopal
status that would, on any ecclesiastical
principle, forbid the entrance of another
Bishop to administer the Episcopal rites
to those persons who declined the offices
OF the Bishop of Honolulu. To do this
would be practically, to invest him with
coercive authority, since he would then
have the power of depriving people of
their Church privileges
The observance of primitive usage and
precedent may be, and is, most useful in
the solving of difficult questions in other
dioceses, where such limitations of Epis-
copal authority have been unknown, hut
it is not reasonable to suppose that they
can be of equal force in this mission, If
at all applicable
The Bishop of Honolulu certainly
should not complain if the Church in
England or America deal with him and
this mission without reference to primi-
tive usage or precedent, since he himself
has ever ignored both primitive usage and
precedent in his dealings with his clergy
and people, and has refused to recognize
the existence of the authority, on which
he now seeks to build claim to the rec
ognitfon by the American Church, Of
what he considers to be his inherent
rights"
tasteful to the Bishop. Does he remen-
Der how often he has applied these words
and this action to his clergy?
Inherent rights and primitive usage are
equally applicable to the three orders of
the ministry
The Bishop will not question the justice
of those words, with what measure we
mete, it shall be measured to you again"
1t is quite clear, too, that if the Bishop
of Honolulu has any power as a mission
airy Bishop of the Church of England,
acting under it's authority, to treat for
the transfer of this mission, he, and the
Synod, can only deal with the interests
of those persons over whom the Church
of England has given him authority.
| The Bishop of Honolulu states that the
Church of England does not own foot
of land in the Islands; legally speaking,
this is true, but it should not be forgotten
that the cathedral property and three of
the main outlying missions on the other
Islands, We're given, in Bishop Staley'
time, to the joint mission of the churches
in America and England, unuer the name
i of the Reformed Catholic Church."
which name covered both branches of the
church. Bishop Willis had it's charter
amended, the effect of which was to
transfer this property from the joint trust
to the Anglican Church of Hawaii there
by excluding American interests. Morally
speaking, the church both in England and
America should have an interest in this
property.
The question, then, is this: Are the
Bishops rights in this mission, and his
status as its Bishop, of such a nature
that the American church would feel il
incumbent upon it. under existing circum-
stances, to treat with the Bishop as to
the terms of the admission of this mis-
/ sion into the American Church, or to re-
iceive this mission in its integrity, or to
perpetuate this See, or to decline placing
those who desire it, under the jurisdic-
ton of an American Bishop?
Can this mission be regarded as an in.
dependent church, or as an ordinary do
cese, and entitled to the rights enjoyed
! by such?
| We are today in dilemma The great
majority of the people are dissatisfied
with the Episcopal administration. AS 9
Territory of the United States they seeh
admission into the American Church up.
der the administration of an American
Bishop. The growth of the mission il
spiritual life and membership has, fol
five and twenty years, been abnormaliy
small, if there has been growth at all. 1
is generally conceded that a great reac
ton would follow a change of admins
tration which is very generally desired
On the other hand, the Bishop of 10
nolulu claims the right of negotiating
with the American Church as to thu
terms on which this Diocese shall be ad
mitted into that organization, one condi
ton being that he be received with 1t a
its Bishop He insinuates that otherwis
the status of his church shall not b.
changed, that his position here is one o
which the American Church has not tn
power to deprive him, and which he doe
not mean to resign.
1t would seem to resolve itself into tn
question of the well-being and extension
!. of the church at the expense of the Bish
, OPP, or the well-being and qualification o
the Bishop at the expense of lie church
This would seem to be the dilemma.
The American Church, on receiving
transfer of authority from the Churc
: of England, will, no doubt, deal with thi
difficulty in a calm, just and dignifie
way, weighing well it's merits with a du
} consideration to all rights invested in tn
, premises; yet as the builders and guar
dams of a great church, with the on
great aim in view, that of the honor an
i glory of Almighty God, the well-being G
3 His church and the building up G
: Christ's kingdom.
ANGLICAN CHURCHMAN
|