The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-19
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
An Episcopal Clergyman on the Dean.Elcc
OF the General Theological Seminary.

An Episcopal Clergyman on the Dean.Eiect
OF the General Theological Seminary.
To THE EDITOR OF The SuN-Sir: The
election Of DR.. Robbins. dean Of the Albany
Cathedral. TO the very prominent post
Of dean Of the seminary in Chelsea Square
is q very interesting event in many ways.
DR.. Robbins Is recognized High Church.
man. and his election therefore indicates
q desire on the part Of the Episcopal Church
to maintain q somewhat advanced position
In Churohmanship. But 1t also shows the
lamentable condition Of the scholarly
standards Of Church which claims to be
the Church Of America.
DR.. Robbins In in every way q most ex-
cellent man, but his most enthusiastic
friends would not claim for him an eminent
place In scholarship. He has no uni
versity attainments, although he took his
degree in divinity at the Cambridge Di-
vinity School In 1880. He has not produced
anything TO show that he is q careful stu
dent OF philosophy, ethics or theology.
His student life was spent in the Congre-
gational college at Amherst. He certainly
has had no training whatever In the man
agement of theological students. As rec
tor Of the Church Of the Redeemer In Lex
ington, Mass, In iss4-s7. he fought stern
battle with the members OF his Church
In the arena OF Ritualism. He became
dean Of Albany Cathedral in 1887 and gradu-
ally acquired q reputation as a preacher;
50 much 90 that he was called to succeed
the late DR.. Wesley Brown as rector Of
St. Thomas's. New York. His name has
on several occasions been placed In nomi-
e. n;aknnr;n pt,f M
supposed that he had manifested qualifi-
cations for the very high and important
post at the head Of the greatest seminary
Church Of America.
After all. however, DR.. Robbins seems
to have been the very best man available
for the place. thus demonstrating. without
controversy, the fact that eminent scholar
ship does not characterize the clergymen
In the Episcopal Church ~ the present day.
This condition Of things 10 notable. and,
taken in connection with the declaration Of
Dr.. Mcconnell, on the one hand, and DR..
Huntington, on the other. that the influ-
enoe Of the Episcopal Church 10 waning.
the election of this clergyman to the p ost
Of dean Of the General Theological Sc minary
IL a very important landmark In Church
history.
am not prepared to admit that the
assertions OF either the rector Of Grace
Church or the rector Of All Souls Church
are correct, although even the venerable
and scholarly rector Of old Trinity, In his ser
mon on Easter Sunday, did not venture to
controvert the repeated assumption that
there 10 . decline In the inhuence and power
Of the Episcopal Church.
One thing Is certain, that when the highest
post for Scholarship in the Church was
available not q single man OF eminence
was presented for consideration. The four
Episcopal Church papers have dePiored
has been able even TO suggest q name OF
a theologian and scholar FOR. the place.
This condition Of things would seem 10
indicate that there Is q certain waning In
the power Of the Church at the present
time.
With regard to the position taken by the
rector OF Grace and the rector Of All Souls
to which DR.. Dix referred In his Easter
sermon, ! am obliged TO confess that l
have not found sufficient facts to enable
thoughtful observer to refute It.
For instance. have now two copies OF
Whittaker's sChurch Almanac before me,
one for the present year and the other for
the year 1898. Now, And the growth OF
communicates during the decade Is repre-:
ten years ago. These figures surely in
dictate some growth, but am surprised TO
find that while there were N,Ai baptisms
In the year l0oi-e7, there were only oo,tU |
in the year jgst closed. SO iar as the do
seems to be satisfactory. Ten years ago |
the communicates were S6,4S2. now they |
are 7o,i50 The two existing dioceses OF
have II ,e1S communicate,
as compared with 7s.%Se. Connecticut has
81 7e7 Communicates, ~ compared with
zs,si4. Long Island has ss.o2e. as COM
pared with 2s,si7. Pennsylvania has as
500. a. compared with 81, 400; DR.. Hunt
Ington has asserted that Ritualism has
something 70 do with the waning power
evident from statistics. Take three High
Church diooeses; Albany has 22,sss COM
as compared with 1902 ten
year, aeo; Vermont has s0oe, a. compared
with l,224; Milwaukee has ii,ss7. as COM
Il must be remembered that the statis-
tics Of Churches are largely affected by
The immigrants who might
swell the ranks Of the Episcopal Church
must be communicants OF the Church OF
that comparatively few members Of the
Church Of England emigrate to this coun-
Try. Protestant immigrants usually come
rom Germany and are Lutheran, and II
the returns Of confirmation are carefully
It will be found that certainly
.wo-thirds Of those received into the Epis.
,opd Church by confirmation were baptized
AZ Lutherans. There IL not a rector OF an
Church In New York who will
not confirm this statement. This condition
81 things would seem to indicate that the
Church Is exercising considerable
influence on the German population, II
has always been asserted In the Church OF
England that the growth OF the Church IL
clearly Indicated by the number OF mar
-iages. Last wear In the Episcopal Church
~ the Cnited Statee there were 70, los mar
'iages: In the year is9i-o7 there were II 0ss.
After giving the subject some constdera-
ion am forced to the conclusion that, while
here IA no evidence Of waning power in the
Protestant Episcopal Church OF America,
he increase OF membership II not com.
nensurate with the increase OF wealth and
ocial energy Of this Church.
NEW YORK CIERaYMAN. |