The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-14

memorial service will be held at St. Johns in honor of the deceased bishop The Right Rev Ellison Capers of South Carolina, who preached the sermon on the occasion of Bishop Barnwells consecra- tioDea will deliver the memorial discourse The offering will be applied to fund for the purchase of a home for the family of the late bishop. In relation to this of fering the standing committee has issued a circular letter which reads in rart as follows:
 An Earnest Appeal.
 Our beloved bishops widow and child ren are without a home, or the means to secure one. Of the insurance upon his life, not ono dollar will remain after all just obligations are discharged As priest and bishop. he virtually gave all the years of his life to this diocese. Ills loved ones are now committed to our care as a sacred turst To that trust we know, will no man. woman or child connected with the church in Alabama, ever prove recreant- That the pressing obligation of the present in connection with 1t may be properly discharged, we suggest and request D that in every parish, mission and Sunday school in the diocese, an offering be taken for the pur- pose of purchasing a home for Bishop Barnwelrs widow and children; @ that, while each clergyman, or layman, may determine for himself the most favorable time to receive such offering from the congregations and Sunday schools under his charge, the time be not later than f 4r,o 4ar--A after trinity-and that wherever practi- cable, this said Sunday be the appointed date; and (S) that all such offerings be brought to the meeting of the special council to convene in Montgomery, Octo- Der 8, next, there to be placed upon Gods altar at the memorial service to be held at that time. If any offering cannot conveniently be brought, then let it be previously sent to the Rev. Stew , art Mcqueen, secretary of the standing committee, Montgomery, and he will see that 1t is properly placed upon the aims l basin.
 Thus honoring the memory of him who is gone, in caring for his loved cnes in this practical. poious way. and presenting l to God for His blessing upon it. the pledge of that honor, we can surely the more confidently petition the presence of the Holy Ghost to lead us to a wise choice of him who Is to follow after.
 well gre we aware that no exhortation | is necessary in connection with this con- municaticn. All will esteent it a supreme privilege to be allowed to share in such a noble undertaking. We may be par ha one need withhold because he cannot con- trlbute large sum. One dollar from each parishoner able to contribute the same will constitute a goodly sum. and ability in this matter should, and, we are sure will mean performance, and that too in every case, whether .t be the concribu- tion of enc dollar, one hundred CT five hundred dollars.
 Faithfully yours in Christ and His church,
 JOHN G. MURRAY, STEWART MCQUEEN, ''R. H. COBBS, 'W. w. SCREWS,
 "A. H. SHEPHERD,
 "W. K. P. WILSON,
 "Stan6ing Committee Diocese of Ala
 bama."
 Organization of Council.
 Immediately after the memorial serv- ices the council will be called to order by the Rev. John G. Murray, chairman of the standing committee, and the body will be organized by the election of a presiding officer. When there is no bishop or coadjutor the clergyman senior 1 in point of ordination Is usually chosen l to preside.
 The election of bishop will be the only business of importance to come before the council.
 The clergy, of which there are thirty six in the diocese entitled to vote, will meet in executive session and proceed to nominate a candidate for bishop. A blind ballot, that is. ballot without any names before the meeting, Is first taken, and if on this ballot any clergyman de- velopes considerably strength, his name is usually, among others, proposed as a candidate. When the clergymen shall have agreed by ballot upon a man his name is presntd to the council which is composed of both lay and clerical dele gates. A ballot is taken, and If ma- jority of the lay delegates favor the nomination, the name which was pre- sented is declared the choice of the coun-
 
 nomination of the clergy, another execu- tive session is held and another name is presented to the council, and so on until the lay branch is satisfied.
 There are exactly fifty parishes in Ala bama each entitled to five lay delegates and fifteen missions entitled each to one lay delegate in the council.
 No Certainty.
 Several clergymen are being discussed in connection with the bishopric, but prominent churchmen say that 1t Is ab- soluteiy impossible to say whether any one of them will be elected. It may be that some one who has not yet been mentioned will receive the honor.
 After the council elects 1t Is necessary that majority of all the standing com mittees in the United States-there are about seventy of them-and a majority of all the bishops. of which there are eighty, before the consecration can take place. Several weeks will intervene be- fore the committees and the bishop re- port. The new bishop, therefore, can not be consecrated earlier than Decem- ber.