New-York tribune., 1906-11-30
RECTOR ON CRAPSEY.
The ReU. Mr.. Do1cling Thinks He
acted WrongLy.
To tho Editor of The Tribune.

Sir5 As pronounced Broad Church man, whose
whole sympathies are with those who would Inter-
pret the Scriptures and the creeds not according TO
the letter which killeth" but "the spirit which
sfveth life. and one who years ago, after long
elaboration. regrefully parted with the Christian
denomination in which he born to identity
himself with the Protestant Episcopal communion,
because he believed. he still believes that Il was
the roomest Church in Christendorl, will you per-
NIT oret statement OF certain elementary ethlcal
principles which to him to underlie this whole
discussion concerning the case of one who Is be-
loved by all who know him, the Rev. Algernon 8.
Crapsey?
What the limits of liberty In tho interpreta-
ton of the creed? Well. there limits except
the limits Of Gods truth. For what is ruth?
Reality Whatever is real is truei whatever IN
untrue Is unreal If creed Is real, we Episco-
palans need not bo afraid OF the light II it Is
unreal. or II we suspect II is, then ought to be
afraid Of the darkness for 1t Is not the Church
which shall preserve the truth In the end 1t is,
and always must be, the truth which must pre-
serve the Church
But now-and hero It seems to me approach
tho very core OF this whole question-suppose
man Is an ordained minister OF the Protestant Epi5
copal church; what then are the limits Of his lib
erty In the Interpretation of the creed? The writer
may be very obtuse but 1t certainly seems to him
that there can be only answer. They Of
course the limits of the Protestant Episcopal
Church
The liberty OF investigation is wide as the uni
verse OF God. No man is compelled to sign a creed.
but when he does he voluntarily thereby places
himself under bond to keep the peace else
quietly to pass out and permit others to keep the
peace. The question Is not whether he is In the
right. He may be In the right and all the rest OF
us who differ from him may be in the wrong. II
So much the better for him and much the worse
for U.S. But the question Is whether a minister
of the Protestant Episcopal Church he is in the
right place. The question is whether it is not the
only manly thing for such one to do. voluntarily
to relinQulsh the perquises and prerogatves of an
office when even for conscientious causes he can no
longer fulfil Its obligations He ought not to be put
out; and for two reasons. The first IS that a
heresy trial ninety-nine times out OF hundred
does more harm than the heresy which is tried It
only scatters the sparks by trying 70 stamp them
out. And the other reason Is that It ought not to
be necessary. Such ought to go out And
II any say that by giving such counsel we are re-
strcting his liberties, answer: No. Just the oppo-
site We are nberazing his restrictions I'VE We are are
we are pointing him TO where he can present a ms
ianism. Atheism, Nothingaranism. anything. abso-
lutely with one to hinder make him afraid.
parish what Harriet Martineau was accustomed to
describe as 'the broad and breezy common OF the
in No %asa Of pH ssh P esa S the be
worst, barrel heads cheap and street corners
are plenty. True. 1t may require sacrifice. but all
have. Some of US who are proud to-day to num-
Gon Gom say with great price purchased this free
And then. again. perhaps he may be wrong, and
all the rest of us who differ from him may be
right. That at least is possible And If, as ST
Paul said. They who preach the Gospel should
live by the Gospel the converse Is equally true
that they who live by the Gospel should preach
the Gospel And the Protestant and Episcopal
Church holds If 1t holds anything at all. that Uni
tarianism Is not the Gospel
am not talking now Of variety of Interpretation.
am not taking now OF the man who, like David,
takes the old ark and puts 1t new cart
Every generation needs a new cart-a fresh. and
often a larger. Interpretation of the truth That
must be permitted, and in this Church il is per-
mitted. AS Bishop Doane has we'll expressed it.
upon definitions and details" l am not taixins
about the man who puts tho old ark on a new
cart but of him who uses the very position the
Where, then shall draw the line? Here: As
an ordained minister OF the Protestant Episcopal
Church I have right to explain the creed but as
an ordained minister OF the Protestant Episcopal
Church have no right TO explain It away When
Robert Elsmere can no longer stand in his chancei
and say "I believe without making believe then
Ieve. ~ ~ "
That, TO my mind, is the conclusion of the whole
matter Let a man preach what he believes Woe
70 him II he shall preach anything else. But when
he has promised to preach then let the same door
which swung to let him In quietly open by his
own hand to let him out. Thus he will retain the
respect of his brethren; he will retain the respect
self. ~
No one can read Dr.. Crapsey's letter recently
published without recognizing the profound beauty
of the mans character his spirituality and SINGER
ity. But DR.. Crapsey has been wrong and wrongly
advised. He has done at last what TO some of his
sincerest admirers 1t seems he should have done
at first. GEORGE THOMAS BOWLING, =
Rector of St James's Episcopal Church