The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-07
TROUBLES OF THE
ANGLICAN CHURCH
The Rev. Mr.. Mackintosh's Views
OF the impending Crisis.


anglican churchuIen have a greater
knack of airing their grievances before
The general public than any other body
reigious. moral or political. By their
peculiar display of their Inward relation
snip, the churchmen of Honolulu have
made the outside world believe that they
are IN parlous state, and now some of
them have come to believe it themselves
The profession of Christianity needs
much outward demonstration, SO that
II II quite natural to expect some inward
grace but it is not altogether sympa-
theuc to expect too much while the
church retains so great an admlxture Of
the human element 1t is not what
churchmen are, it is what they aspire
to be.
The church holds out a lofty ideal for
its members to aspire to. Unfortunate
" ehurchmen have lowered the stand
ard, so that the height is lost, and they
do not reach even their own standard.
Religion, which demands the life, the
soul, the all, of mankind. occupies but
a small space in their life. With the
churchman his. church is only esteemed
/ on a par with any of his other societies.
sometimes not so high. The time he de-
votes to public worship-by which the
| strength of his adherence is noted and
lreckoned-ls the least possible while the
| church demands from him morning and
evening prayer throughout the year. He
does sometimes carry his pocketbook
/ with his prayer-book. but his offerings
i are not always a 1.-THE of all he possess
SEES. Yet he expects his church to be the
best in the land, and talks about it be-
ing asleep, and gives cause to the local
papers to ventilate imaginary troubles,
bordering on disruption. If there are
more than one or two real grievances
in the church. We should very much like
| to know their nature. especially if it is
in our power individually to alleviate or
| remove them.
| We have just returned from a very
minute inspection of matters pertaining
to the church in the great world, and
the only feeling we cherish is relief that
the church in Hawaii is free from so
many of the evils which affiict the
| church abroad. Here there are no re-
lgious troubles though it is not the
| fault of some ill-natured weakened
| Christians that some were not created.
For instance, no precious time is wasted
| on ritual discussions. No parish is dis
laity There is no heartrending heresy d.
viding families The little schism which
exists in the outskirts OF the city of IIo-
nolulu could be healed in five minutes.
| There is no fearful depression for wan.
of funds to carry out works of charity.
! No clergyman goes to bed to dream of
delapidation acts, or wakes Up with a
load of debt on his mind. If there are
any personal enmities now existing, they
are very quiet. The pitiful and silly po-
litical stunning and cutting did disturb
| the church for a time, but the innate
bonhomie of the Honolulu atmosphere
I soon returned. Consequently we think
/ the church in Hawaii can hold it's own,
and has cause to be grateful that God
has. prospered it so much, in spite of
other difficulties which, no doubt, are
good for US, and viii be removed when
no, longer so.
| Not unfrequently we hear of n per-
sons staying away from church on ac-
count of some friend dropping in Just
before the time for starting out, and out
| of spolftenessa he has remained at home
because he lacked courage to say that
he ought to go. Courage would no. he
lacking if the appointment was to trans
act any other business. Our advice Is ull-
der the circumstances to invite the friend
| to accompany You to church.