New-York tribune., 1902-01-27
A DISPUTE OVER MISSIONS.
TWO BOARDS IN THE EPISCOPAL
CHURCH LIKELY TO BE
THE RESULT

A charge Of breach Of contract is made by one
general Protestant Episcopal missionary body
against another Episcopal missionary body, both
having headquarters in this city and in con-
sequence leading evangeIicals among Episcopa-
Hans are discussing a new missionary society TO
represent them and those who think with them.
At the General Convention last fall. at San
Francisco, a resolution was passed authorizing
the Episcopal Board Of Missions to apportion its
annual needs among the dioceses. This board
Of missions is the official body. fully under the
control Of the General Convention. In carrying
out this appOrtiOnment plan provision
made for the American Church Missionary So
ciety. This organization is recognized as
auxiliary, and upon is placed the responsibility
for raising $4,000 year. or whereabouts. to sup
port work in Cuba and Brazil, which work is
under the sOCiety's exclusive control Omitted
from the apportionment it asks where it is to
get money TO discharge its responsibility. Mem
bers of the board reply that they simply
carrying out the san Francisco resolution, and
that the society must get It's money wherever
it can. To this the society responds that the
apportionment Is up the limit, that amounts
sent to the society DO not count. and that in
several instances the increase in apportiOned
sums made by the board. is exactly the sum
heretofore sent to the society.
The present Episcopal Board of Missions rep
resentS what may he called the middle or the
road That is. it is one official body, aiming
TO represent everybody. AS a matter of fact
the Catholic" and even the moderate High
Church party. will not and does not contribute
to it, on the other hand, the extreme evan
gelcals decline TO contribute to it. High church
men say it is a Protestant board. Evangeiicals
charge that the leading spirits in it are men
of advanced views, The American Church Mis-
sionary Society started in Civil War times
TO represent the evangelical party. 1t is a vol
untary society. For fifteen or eighteen years II
worked Independently but twenty-five years
ago, when old differences were soothed. 1t be-
came an auxiliary tc the general board Its
special field has been Cuba and ten years ago
it took up Brazil. 1t has also a little work IN
the West. Some have contended that it ought
! to cease separate existence This it has always
! resented The president IS General Wager
! Swayne and the executive committee is made
up for the most part OF Low Church people
! The board of missions found itself SlOO.Go
behind at the end of last August and was able
! To do nothing at San Francisco To make up
| the deficit. Since the General Convention its
| revenues from the churches have fallen month
! by month. Unless matters improve 1t must
| reach next August very much worse on than
! last year.
! The plan now under consideration IS the re-
! organization of the American Church MISSION
! ary Society. A committee named by the Board
| of Missions to look into the appOrtionment mat
| ter is to report at the February meeting. but
| whatever be its action Il is not likely 70 in
! fuenCe the evangelicals TO much extent They
| argue that If they go out from the Church
| Missions HOuse-they have already looked at
| quarters eWherr-eStabliSh voluntary So
! ciety and enter any mission field they please
! they VIII draw on from the Board Of Missions
| at least ona-half Of It's present support, OF
| nearly so. They also argue that with their de-
| VartuTe will come a return to the board Of the
| High Church element. Hence the gain TO mis-
sons in men and money will be considerable
hal fyyo fiaGN Nrin get OaS
! There is intention on the part Of the evan
| geIicals 70 in1ure the cause Of missions. Their
| feeling is that the present friction be abol-
! ished and the amount Of money contributed by
! Epscopalians 10 the cause OF missions increased