The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-07
VAN DYEEypRAYER BOOK OUT
RgADT T0R UST ~ THg pRgsgTs
TTHIlN fHJRCHFA

ssHe Want lee n, especieHy IN me Wsss
Nhefe 0aeHrd 0eets Nfe Csmmgm
aaoHethlna t4he thr fplsc0pailan
ltogk Va "Obey" Nv VterfiaGe sefytce
Whom 4 wpfran 10 psen ON hsr way ~ of
from church ~ sunday boafing q prayer
book N ID ho tUnear ssfs ~ draw the IN.
fprphcH that aha attends n Catholic NJ an
Iriscopal church, for she fnay 10 n PreHby-
tnfian carrying tha nov Hout NJ Common
Wbphip, witch has lust bern published
with tho authority N tho Presbyt eriah
General Assembly
Foe thfcp years n spcciaI cofnnistce on
forms and a%rrvicra ~ the General Assembly
headed by the fiav Dr. Henry van Dyke.
has been working on this nov prayer
book, and tho FIRST coplea ~ Tho completed
book we're received from The Presbyterian
official board ~ publication on Saturday,
II IL not 20 be supposed that tho approval
NJ the General Assembly of tho innovation
was secured without n struggle, n that 10
will 10 possible 90 Introduce the books Into
individual churches without local diatur-
hances, for many loyal Presbytefians,
especially those n Scotch depcent, look
upon any form In the church ~ savoring
of Romanism or Of Friscopalianism, both
of which many Of them consider had. The
best that could he donein the General A ssem .
bly, was to secure its permisslve approval,
and tho title page Of the book hears this
significant announcement: 'For Voluntary
Use In the Churches"
Opposition TO tho book, In the General
Assembly Of last year, was particularly
strong from Western missionaries. One
Of these sturdy representatives OF tho cloth
expressed the sentiments Of htmseh and
bis fellows as follows:
"Out our way we have TO eat aimed
vegetables, canned meat, and canned milk;
but We can't stand for canned prayers.'
Now that the Presbyterian Prayer Book
Is published, all that remains for those who
opposed IL IL to refrain from It's Use, and IL
Ia predicted by Presbyterian leaders that a
large number of churches will so refrain,
but in the East, and in the large cities Of
the country generally. the new book Is ex-
pected TO be largely used.
As to the book itself, q number Of Presby-
terrain pastors Of this city, seen yesterday,
we're unanimous in the opinion that the
been very ably done. The book Ia con-
Venlently arTdnBeu, us CouVeutS dio BULL
that practically all regular and special
church occasions are provided for, and
more thar one clergyman said that the book
would prove most useful even il 1t were to
be used only by the minister. for his own
guidance, and not put in the hands Of the
people Of the congregation.
In many particulars the book has points
OF similarity with the Episcopal Book Of
Common Prayer. Some Episcopalians said
that some of the forms Of service and many
of the prayers were, with the change Of a
word or two, bodily taken from the Prayer
Book. To this assertion a Presbyterian
editor made reply that as a matter Of fact
the makers of the prayer book of the Epis-
copal Church had themselves drawn or
some older sources. The makers Of the
Presbyterian book lave gone to some Of the
same sources.
Women will be especially interested in
the marriage ceremony in the new book,
for it omits the word obey and it also
omits the reference to worldly goods
with which the man and the woman in the
Episcopal and some other marriage forms
endowed each other.