Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-10-10

San Francisco, CAL, Oct. 4.--The .
House of Bishops OF the Episcopal
Triennial Convention has, by vote of
the committee appointed at the last
convention to report on the marginal
readings that may be substituted for
the present readings OF the scripture.
With the concurrence Of the House of
Deputies, the action OF the bishops will
become canon OF the Church of
America From the attitude of the
bishops on this matter, IL Is supposed
that majority of the highest house Is
inclined to he liberal aud less orthodox
as opposed to the desires Of those
churchmeu OF both clergy and laity who
desire high church forms and observ-
auoes and the changing Of the name
from Protestant Episcopal Church to
the Catholic Church of America.
The Right Rev. DIR. Clarke of Rhode
Island, who, on account Of seniority Of
conservation and ordination, Is the pre-
siding bishop of the Protestant Episco-
pal Church, has in his triennial report
| suggested that it would be to the
4 interests OF the church il there were
some other mode of selecting pre-
\ siding bishop Under the present law,
. hub hbuiDt bichop ptooi1Sct oha III bhto
instance the bishop is 80 years of age.
His age prevents him from giving the
attention to the duties Of his exalted
office, and, appreciating his inability,
he suggests the appointment OF
younger or more active prelate. His
suggestion will be acted on at thu
present session of the House of Bishops.
The attitude of the Protestant Epis-
copal Church iu America toward divorce
and the remarriage of divorced persons
il sure TO give rise TO much debate
during the present convention. A
majority report prepared by some OF
the most learned bishops, clerical and
lay deputies, will come up for action,
recommending that the church adopt
canon IL, preventing minister OF the
church from 'solemnizing a marriage
between any two persons unless or until
by inquiry he shall satisfy himself that
neither person has been or is husband
or the wife of any other person then
living"
This is a sweeping law, rot reoog-
nizing even infidelity as oarse for
r divorce, and not permitting Episcopal
olergymen to solemDize the marriage
, of an innocent party in divorce. The
action taken by the 'rigorists, as
those taking this extreme stand are
, called, is based on the ground that the
J church ia called upon to register its
' protest against the laxity on the sub
/ ject of divorce that prevails In the
United States. AS stated by one oil
. the signers OF the report, there seems
8 no way in which the church can avoid
3 completely in divorces Of the most
0 scandalous character except in SO far al
c 1t may refuse to assume any color Of
: responsibility for any divorce by for
a bidding the clergy to solemnize tbt
8 marriage of divorced persons In on,
case whatever.
n One of the dilemmas in which thu
o church's Legislators find themselves, So!
g the rigorists, is that they must put thu
O ban on all divorces, innocent and guilty
a without distinction, Us "there 10 n,
|. judicial system, civil or ecclesiastical
Q that will enable us to discover the Inno
l. cent party in divorce cases. =" There
o fore, they argue, they must forbid tn
3 clergy to solemnize the marriage of an
n divorced person. This extreme stan'
d Is a departure from the precedent estab
lished by the church iu 1903, when
l. resolution was adopted authorizing tn
la solemnization of the marriage of a
ID innocent PARTY to divorce where th
" cause was intidelity.
., The opponents Of the radical ide
o. assert their position is based on tn
A. words of Christ as given in Matthe'
e. 10th. They oppose the rigorists on tn
" further ground that such refusal
d solemnize marriage would put stigm
In ON marriages which are honorable an
or lawful; that it would create two kind
le of matrimony, holy and unholy in til
so sight of the church; that 1t woul
III ALLEVIATE church members who have bee
D. taught to believe that innocent partit
l in divorce are entitled to reniarry; this
as it will weaken the influence of tn
as church with the American people, VIII
may conclude that the church is wedde
TO medieval ideas and attempting to h
ed strioter than the head Of the ohurc
3. itself, and that such church legislatio
- would in effect be reputation OF tn
10 teachings of the Master.
|