Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-04
CRAPSEY IS DEPOSED
Ceremony Performed in St.
Johns Church in Buffalo.
BUT FEW PERSONS PRESENT
Church Advocate Makes a Statement
About the Bishop.
MATTER OF COURTESY INVOLVED
Rev. J. Howard Melish criticises the
Ecclesiastical Court in Regard
to It's Action.
BUT FEW PERSONS PRESENT
MATTER OF COURTESY INVOLVED
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
BUFFALO. N. Y, December 4.-Bishop
Walker at II o'clock this morning deposed
Rev. Algernon S. Crapsey, DID, of ST.
Andrews Church. Rochester, from the min
istry Of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
The ceremony was performed in st. Johns
Episcopal Church. in an outlying part of
Buffalo, and was witnessed by compare
lively few persons in addition to the three
ministers selected by the bishop to act as
official witnesses as required by the church
canons. Shortly before the ceremony of
deposition was held at the church, John
L. OBrian, the church advocate, made the
following statement to the press, after a
conference with Bishop Walker:
Il have just read the telegram which
DR.. Crapsey sent Bishop Walker last night
stating that he could not regard the
bishops letter as confidential. and the press
dispatches referring to that telegram.
am sorry for DR.. Crapsey's sake that he
should have misunderstood what Bishop
Walker intended merely as a courtesy No
body asked DR.. Crapsey to keep the
bishops communication a secret. There
was no reason for sending DR.. Crapsey
any notice of when the deposition would
be declared, except the bishops personal
desire to be courteous.
The law Of the church is clear on the
subject, and the bishop was advised by both
the chancellor and the church advocate
that no notice need be given to the accused.
There was no reason why the bishop should
desire to keep the matter secret. On the
other hand, 1t is not in the power of DIR.
Crapsey or any one else, except the bishop,
to determine whether the sentence should be
the time when it should be pronounced
The bishop might have deposed DR.. Crapsey
instantly upon his receipt of the letter Of
remuneration, over a week ago, but he re-
spected the doctors request that action be
delayed until after December 81
Defends DR.. Crapsey.
The Rev. J. Howard Melish. rector OF
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Brook
lyn, in his sermon on Sunday made some
remarks in strong disapproval of the
recent decision of the ecclesiastical court
in the case of the Rev. DR.. Crapsey Of
Rochester. 1t was said yesterday that
many members Of the congregation were
not in sympathy with the rector on the
stand ne has Rev Mr. to the
ever, issued this statement in one Of the
Brooklyn papers:
II am q minister OF God before am a
minister of the Episcopal Church, and
as such repudiate the recent manner of
arriving at truth in the case of DIR. Crap
sey. The only test of truth Is human ex-
perience, not merely the experience of one
individual or one generation in one place,
but of the race through many generations
in many places. What human experience
has found in that way to be truth is d.
vine truth to whose authority alone a man
may submit and still be free child of
God.
MANY times in Christian history an ex-
ternal authority other than this of human
experience has been set up. Whether it
called itself curia, confession, council or
creed. it held that 1t was the truth-this
fixed, limited. static thing. But it remained
for modern tribunal to make distinction
between its external authority and truth.
In the recent trial in church circles It was
held that the question at issue was not the
truth but what the church taught Whether
the accused spoke the truth or not had no
part In the case.
Only Tell the Truth.
Would public opinion support a civil
Judge who chould hand down q decision
because the law required it. when he knew
that the enforcement of the law would