The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-12
"AMERICAN CATHOLIC" OR
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL?"
Some Interesting Facts and Figures on the Pro
posed Change in Name.

While there is a wide diversity of
opinion among Episcopalians in Sa-
vannah and elsewhere on the prop
osition that is being advanced
and discussed in regard to the
change of the name or title of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in Ameri-
ca, the figures carefully kept and ar
ranged by the Living Church now show
that a considerable majority of
! bishops. clergy and communicates have
expressed their approval of an ultimate
change.
The word correction" is used by
The Living Church. and this is
by large number of Bishops, who
have given their reasons in advocating
the change, at the various meetings of
! diocesan conventions, averring that the
present name is in correct and does
not properly designate the church.
The Living Church in the course of a
long and carefully prepared article
gives a resume of the movement for the
Grange, since it took form. and pre-
diets with confidence that the change
will be made as soon as the members
of the church throughout the country
fully understand the significance of it.
The vote on the question was so eX-
pressed as to leave considerable doubt
in regards to the eXpediency of ultl-
mate change, and this is deplored by
The Living Church-but by a glance
over the figures, the inference is easy
that a considerable portion of the
church people who have expressed
themselves on the direct question of
whether or not a change is desirable,
at some time, indicate in no uncertain
way that they are at least willing to
consider the matter and do not at once
dismiss it as unreasonable or unneces-
sary.
VIII Require Time.
The Living Church. in the course of
its editorial under caption of rs 1t
Expedient?" says:
AT least the church must recognize
that the one broad, cohesive programme
for the church's future is that promul-
gated by Catholic churchmen. 1t, and
it alone, embraces the entire foreign
and domestic relations of the church.
1t alone contemplates reform of our
selves as the first preliminary toward
future reunion. Other schemes have
been eloquent in urging other people
to reform. Only that of Catholics turns
the searchlight within and tries first
to point out and then to eradicate
what, on our part, stands in the way
of Christian unity. Unity certainly will
not follow Immediately on the change
of name, which is only the first rung
in high ladder; but even more GER
tainly it will never come before 1t.
Unity, with out surrender, is our goal.
The question before churchmen is not
when they will attain it, but when
they will begin to try. 1t is a scheme
that may ultimately cover centuries,
and we are not discouraged that even
the first step must possibly be post
poned. Other reforms in the church
have been obliged. similarly, to wait
their 'fullness of time A Morning
Star had to precede by two centuries,
the sixteenth century Reformation. In
our own day, the divorce reform move
ment has had to undergo the same de-
Law First an academic question, then
acceptance by our bishops, then by our
lower clergy, then by our laity, then
will result practical realization in leg
islation. Tbs name question is pro-
ceeding through the same slow stages.
I'm the meantime, we have cause to
be thankful that throughout the
church, her true catholicity has every
where been recognized even by those
who believed it unwise to take the step
which we have favored to bring that
catholicity to the knowledge of other
people,"
How the Vote Stands.
The following summary of the vote
as given in The Living Church, will no
doubt prove interesting to churchmen
and others:
Directly for observation-disclosures
Alaska, Chicago, Florida, Fond du Lac,
Georgia. Indianapolis, Michigan City
Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire
North Carolina, North Dakota, Pitts