The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-07
CLERGY DECLINE
TO DISCUSS
BISHOP DoANE'S ADDRESS
REGARDING PRIVACY of BISHOP
OF ROME.

Savannah RectOrs VIII Express no
Opinion Until They Have "a Com
pIete Report of the Bishops SER
mOn-Laity Were Not So Guarded
in Their OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
lied Words as Insult to the Arch
bishop of Canterbury-The Bishop
May Have Used a Qualifying Ex-
precision.
The announcement in the Associated
Press dispatches that Bishop Doane
had said that he thought the Episcopal
church might recognize the primacy
Of the Bishop of Rome, was read with
much interest in Savannah. The Epis-
copal clergy here decline to
discuss the matter until they
have received the full text
of Bishop Doane's sermon and the
belief was expressed that he had not
been correctly quoted.
Lay members of the church however,
were not so guarded and regretted the
utterance of the bishop, if he had
used the words accredited to him.
Many of them looked upon it as an
insult to the Archbishop of Canter-
bury, who was present at the con-
vention and others chara cterized it as
the first step toward Roman Catholi-
cism.
Greater Importance is attached to
the utterance because of the character
of the body in which it was uttered.
he ff.fF oil -
the highest law-giving body of the
Protestant Episcopal church and as
sembled in Boston now are bishops
and clergy from all parts of the
Western hemisphere.
Although the church in America
is not governed by the laws of the
English church, yet the English church
laws form a precedent the relation
between the two being similar to that
between the common law of England
and of America Where one is lacking
the other Is taken as the standard.
The Primary of England.
The primacy of the English Church
is recognized, and owing to this several
prominent Episcopalians characterized
the words of Bishop Doane as a direct
insult to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
1t was practically an assertion, they
ognize his primacy and substitutes in
his place the Roman Pontiff.
Some regarded the utterance as a
proof of the fact that Bishop Doane
has yielded to the party in the church
which was said has been working for
some time to secure either a reunion
with Rome, or to drop the differences
between the two churches and have
the English body go over in body to
the Roman Church.
Still others took the same ground as
the clergy and declined to discuss the
matter until they had full report of
the sermon.
Clergy OFFER no Opinion.
The Savannah ministers who were
seen and asked for an expression of
their views on the utterance of the
Bishop, declined to say anything. Rev.
Charles H. Strong, rector st. Johns
Episcopal Church, is out OF the city.
Rev. Robb White rector of Christ
Church, when asked for an expression
of opinion. said:
II must decline to express any opin-
ion on the subject until l have been
given a complete report of the SER
mon. 1t may be that the eminent
speaker has been incorrectly reported
and it may be that if the context were
given it would put an entirely different
meaning on the words. Until 1 have
his complete text, and am assured that
there is no error in the report, L must
decline to say anything"
Rev. Gilbert A. Ottman, rector of St.
Pauls Episcopal Church, said:
II must decline to discuss the mat
ter until 1 have a complete report of
the sermon. know Bishop Doane
very we'll, and feel confident that his
words were qualified. l am satisfied
that he said that we might recognize
the primacy of the Bishop of Rome in
honor, or in antiquity, or else used
some other qualifying expression. 1
must wait however, until / have a
fuller report of his sermon before 1