The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-12
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL
OR AMERICAN CATHOLIC.



the conventions of two important do
ceses of the Episcopal Church, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania, voted by
large majority against the proposal to
change it's present official designation,
the Protestant Episcopal Church in
the United States of America" On
Thursday, the diocese of Washington
expressed the same sentiment not less
emphatically. Two weeks ago the
Louisiana diocese voted it "inexpedient
to take any action relative to change
of nome" Mississippi was stoutly in
opposition so far as concerned the
laity, though last Thursday the Flori-
da diocese favored a change to the
American Catholic Church" by vote
of % to II.
These declarations, made in response
to an invitation to every diocese for
an expression of opinion on the sub
ject, are of the nature of recommen-
dations simply, but they may be taken
as sure indication that the next
general convention of the Episcopal
| Church, to be held at Boston in Oeto-
| Der of next year. will not provide Tor
"a correction of the Name as the
party in the church which has been
agitating for the change for whole
This agitation may be said to have
been a logical consequence of the OK
| ford or Tractarian movement, when
| began in a conference of certain Anglt-
| can. clergyman in 1888, conspicuous
| among whom were Keble, Pusey and
John Henry Newman, afterward a
| cardinal in the Roman Catholic
| Church, to which he passed over twelve
years later. Thus began the movement
now known as Ritualism or Anglo
Catholicism, an agitation in the Epis-
copal Church which was never so ac-
tive and so enthusiastically aggressive
as ii is at the present time. The de-
mand for correction of the name"
proceeds from deep-rooted and inerad-
icable opposition to the term "Protes-
tant" in the very large party which con-
tends that the Episcopal Church is
true historical branch of the Catholic
Church and a custodian and guardian
of the Catholic doctrine and practice.
AS early as 1874 a resolution intro
duced into the General Convention in
| declaration of 1.-The Protestant charac-
ter of our Church" encountered so
much IN lection that 1t was indefinitely
postponed. Twenty years before, in
an Episcopal paper, DR.. Doane, after
ward Bishop of New Jersey, and father
of the present Bishop of Albany, pro-
claimed that 1.-The church in which we
worship is, whatever others may be,
sound member of that Holy Catholic
Church of which Jesus Christ is the
head" The subject continued under
discussion for many years thereafter,
but only among comparatively few
EpiscopaIians, till, finally, in 1877, the
High Church" diocese of Wisconsin
petitioned the General Convention for
a "reconsideratio ton of the legal name"
The agitation which has now
become so intense among the "Catho-
lie" party was most infiamed, how
ever, by a memorial to the last General
Convention, at San Francisco, in 1901,
from the Milwaukee diocese, entreat-
ing ito grant relief by selecting in
place OF the title Protestant Episcopal
Church a name which shall imply an
organic relation and connection be-
tween this church and the historic
Catholic Church of the Christian ages"
1t asked for the adoption of "the
American Catholic Church." "as indi-
cative of the separate branch of the
Catholic Church in distinction from
the Roman or Greek communions
which also officially use the term Cath
Ollie " so that there would then be
at work in this country bodies of
Christians calling themselves Roman
Catholics, Greek Catholics, Old Cath
olics, and American Catholics; repre-
Sentlng, lnQeed, SunQereQ ana SOHle-
times antagonistic communions, but
each alike claiming organic relationship
to the Holy Catholic Church of the
creeds and of history"
This memorial led to the appoint
ment of joint commission of Bishops,
clergymen and laymen, five each, Ito
take the whole subject of a change of
name Of this church into consider
alton, to ascertain, so far as possible.
the mind of church people in general
concerning it and to make report to
the next General Convention" Last
October this committee asked the con-
vention OF each diocese whether IT
does or does not desire" a change in
the name at this time, and, IF it does
so desire. what name 1t wishes substi-
tutsd therefor"
The expressions unfavorable to a
change from the important dioceses to
which we have referred, seem to be
symptomatic OF the prevailing senti-
ment OF Epscopalians. Undoubtedly,
the Catholic" movement has grown
I'm strength greatly during recent
years Some of the most prosperous
Episcopal parishes of New York and
other cities are the most extreme in
their ritualsm. but obviously there re-
mains an even more powerful Protest
ant sentiment In the church. As Prof.
Nash of the Episcopal Theological
School at Cambridge expressed It in