The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-10-02
ROBBED BISHOPS.
Dignitaries of the Protestant
Episcopal Church
Unite in Procession Through
San Francisco Streets.
CLERGY AND LAITY.
Assemble in Triennial ConVen-
ton of That Body.
C0nvocatiOn Sermon by Bishop
Morris of Oregon.

San Francisco, Oct. 2.-The triennial
convention of Episcopal bishops. clergy
and laity was inaugurated at 1870 a. m
with the celebration of Holy Com
munion in all the local Episcopal
churches. At IL a. the general con-
vention was formally opened at Trinity
church with solemn religious exercises.
Seventyfive bishops assembled in the
guild room of the church and put on
their robes. They then formed in pro-
cession, and leaving the guild room,
marched up Bush street to the main
entrance of the church, continuing up
the center aisle.
The procession was headed by Rev.
+. w. Clampett, rector of Trinity
church. Then came Secretary Hart, of
the house of bishops, and Rev. Charles
L. Hutchins, secretary of the house of
deputies. Following were the junior
bishops and then the older prelates in
the order of seniority of conservation,
Bishop Benjamin Wistar Morris, the
bishop of Oregon, coming last. When
the head OF the procession reached the
vided into two lines to allow the senior
bishops to pass and enter the sanctu-
airy in the reversed order of entering
the church. The choir sang the process
sional hymn while the bishops moved
along. and the introit of the service
was intoned. Communion followed the
preparatory prayers, and the religious
offices concluded with the occasional
The convoca.Gon sermon was
preached by Bishop Morris, of Oregon,
the senior attending bishop
In the afternoon the house of bishops
and the delegates of the house Of dep
uties met and organized for business.
BISHOP MORRIS SERMON.
The sermon by the venerable Bishop
Morris strong missionary plea
from the text Launch out into the
deep and let down your nets for a
draught." and JOshua's words to the
children of Israel. How long are ye
slack to go to possess the land?"
He declared that the mission of the
church of Jesus Christ was to all ma
lions. ranks and conditions. She is to
launch out and cast her nets into the
deeps Of ignorance, poverty, unthrift
sorrow, shame and crushing grief, the
deeps of avarice, too, as well as besot-
ted worldliness and stOlid, stupid indif-
ference. 1t was for furtherance of this
work by the work of the best means
that the members of the convention
were gathered here in this-to the most
of them-far off part of the country
AS resident of this Pacific coast for
80 years he felt that he could speak
as one who knew it's needs and its
promises and was aware of the slack
ness of the church in coming out to
possess this good land.
The bishop quoted from a speech late
" delivered by President Roosevelt at
Denver in which the then vice president
showed how slow the statesmen of the
earlier days of our country's history
were to realize that the great west was
to become an inhabited and civilized
land within any reasonable period.
This ignorance was reflected in the
church. Opportunities were neglected
because of it and the consequent loss
to the church is irreparable. Speaking
of the suggestion from some quarters
that the missionary organization needs
reconstruction the bishop placed himself
on record as an unbeliever in the neces-
sity of radical reorganization. He said
he did not believe the church ever had
a more efficient missionary administra-
ton than at present 1T is the old
story" he added, ''of seeking some
one else on whom to lay the blame in
stead of taking it home to ourselves.
If all the clergy, bishops and laity had
done as we'll as a few have done there
would have been no occasion for this
cry for the reconstruction of our mis-
sionary system.