The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-19
FUTURE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
ITS POSITION AMONG THE OTH-
 FER DENOMINATIONS.

Midway Between Cathoficism and
 Protestantism - Natural Objective
 Point of Both churches-lts Relation
 Co other sects-Mission Work Being
 Accomplished in the Eastern Part of
 the State.
 The Rev. J. A. Riddle. of Grace Pro- testant Episcopal church. New Haven, formerly archdeacon of Hartford, preached at Trinity church, Seymour, Wednesday night. The Rev. MT. Bid dle was formerly well known Congre- gational minister. but left that denom- ination for the service of the Episcopal church. At the beginning of hisminis- try in the latter church he preached at Trinity church in Seymour for a number of Sundays. He is an eloquent preacher, and as he is one of the best informed men on diocesan missions, he talked upon that subject at the re- quest or the rector.
 Rev MT. Riddle told of the constitu- ency of the million inhabitants of Con- necticut, and of the great number of different nationalities of the immi- grants who had found home within the borders of the state In religion there are as many sects and denomina- tions as there are different kinds of people.
 Of the original Yankee stock there remains only about half of the total number of inhabitants. There are two great conflicting interests, Catholic and Protestant, and many a conflicting in- terest, such as are the struggles be- tween labor and capital, and race ha- treds. It Is the problem of the church in this diocese to make this great het- erogeneous mass an homogeneous one.
 Race Antiquities.
 The schools are doing much to di- minish race antiquities and time will do great things for the conflicting la bor and capital interests, while the Episcopal church stands as mediator between Catholics and Protestants, be- cause of its doctrines, worship and rit- ual. He illustrated this by the fact that when Catholic and Protestant pa- rents cannot agree where to send their children to church they frequently set tie upon the Episcopal as a compro- mise.
 Rev Mir. Riddle thought that Pro- testants are gradually coming nearer to the Episcopal church, and that the fact that Roman Catholics are now ad- vocating such things as the celebrating of the mass in English is another in- dieation of the influence of the church he represents. He claimed wonder full heritage" for the church he repre- sents in religion.
 Work Among Parishes.
 Last year sixty-one parishes were aided by the diocesan mission funds, through the archdeaconries, which he maintained was one of the best sys- tems that could be devised for work of this kind. These sixty-one parishes had been aided with twelve thousand dollars at a minimum of expense, as the arch deacons do missionary work for noth- ing. He thought men couldn't work much cheaper than that.
 The Episcopal church now has a church or chapel in every manufacture ing community in the state, and is also at work in the eastern part of the state He said that In some respects this part of the state is a moral and religious desolation. ? There abide many of the degenerate Yankees of which much Is now being spoken. Rev. MT. Riddle be- lieved that the degenerate Yankee is most miserable creature God ever let live.
 This region had been burned over by religious fanaticism so that all faith in God had been destroyed. The churchs work there is q great one, and difficult
 Confronted by Difficulties.
 The preacher enlarged on the difficult ties encountered by the Episcopal church in many of the places where it undertakes a mission work The very quietness with which the church has to pursue it's work is against it at first He said that the Episcopalians couldn't "whoop it up" so to speak, for while, nor preach sensational sermons, nor en- gage in any eccentricities. The church appeals to the intelligence
 He also spoke of the great prejudice felt by Congregationalists who are very strong in some towns and also very rich To attend worship at the Episcopal church in some towns of the state en- tails a social sacrifice The Rev. Mr. Riddle in closing his remarks enumera- ted instances of great self-sacrifice of the clergy in the mission work of the state. He said they were soldiers who stuck to their guns and died in harness.
 The preachers remarks were of inter- est because of the great knowledge he showed of conditions in the state. He said no word against any religious or ganizations, simply bringing the claims of his own, as a unifier of divers con- ficting interests, from the standpoint of clergyman of the Episcopal church. His listeners gave him close attention.
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