The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-05-13

ignorance IN regard to the colonies,
the insular spirit in England which
later brought on the revolution and
the troubles of civil strife, caused the
petitions to be ignored. No bishop
set foot in America until the year
1855.
Another unfavorable condition was
that in many of the colonies outside
of Virginia the church was very un-
popular. Many of the settlers had
left England because of differences
with the government. They regarded
the English church and the English
government as one and the same
thing. Hence their dislike and oppo-
sition to the church. Then. too. since
no American could be ordained to the
ministry without taking the almost
prohibitive voyage to England, the
result was that most of the ministers
of the church We're born and educat-
ed in England. Coming to country
so different from their own. these
men naturally found it hard to UNDER
stand or sympathize with the Amerl-
cans and their conditions, and the
Americans found 1t hard to under.
stand or sympathize with them. Again.
there was the fact that the people of
the country were engaged in hand
to hand struggle with nature and
with savages in their efforts to SUBJ
due the continent. Their lives were
mostly rough and hard. They were
strangers to refinement and to higher
education. Hence the high ideals of
religion and OF worship which the
church represented did not appeal to
the mass OF the people of those times.
The church thus had to contend
with the difficulties of an imperfect
organization, lack of sympathy in
many of her leaders, general HOSTILE
ty or Indifference. And yet she grew.
OF course, her growth was slow. The
wonder was that she grew at all.
We have not the time to trace the
interesting events of the church his
tory. but there are two in the first
half of the eighteenth century which
should be. mentioned. The first of
these took place in 1922. Yale college
had been founded by the Presbyte-
rian church in 1901. After COM
mencement day in 1922 the president
of the college and six other of the
most prominent Presbyterian pastors
in Connecticut announced to the trus-
tees of the college their conviction of
the inadequacy of Presbyterian or
ders and their resolve to seek union
with the Episcopal church. This re-
solve was more notable because it
was the result solely of study. No
one of the men had even talked with
any member OF the Episcopal church
in regard to it. The event caused a
remarkable sensation throughout New
England and marked the beginning
of great forward movement in the
activities and growth of the church.
The other event. or rather move
ment. was the great evangelical
awakening which took place about
the middle of the century, John Wes-
ley. a priest OF the English church,
came to Savannah. Georgia, as rector
of the church there. The difficulties
already enumerated rendered his
work there largely a failure, and he
returned to England in discourage
ment. There he began the great
work OF revival which has left his
mark on the nature OF English Chris
tianity. His place in Savannah was
taken by another priest of the church,
George Whitfield. He threw himself
into the work of the great awakening,
which was already beginning to mani
fest itself. and in time became one of
the most renowned preachers of his
age. He did much the same kind of
work in America which Wesley did
in England.
War is always hurtful to religious
work. The Revolutionary war all but
destroyed the work of the Episcopal
church. The suspicion felt by many
for the church turned to hatred. Yet
We must remember with thankfulness
that, though thus misunderstood. the
majority of the members of the
church proved themselves loyal to
their country. The lay reader and
vestryman of a Virginia parish,
George Washington, was chosen to
lead the armies. With him in a COM
mon work for the freedom OF the
country stands many staunch
churchman-Patrick Henry, Robert
Livingston, Charles Pinckney, James
Morris, Benjamin Franklin, Generals
Sullivan, Wayne, Marion, Sumpter,
Lee. Mercer and more than dozen
more. These, with host of men less
in fame but no less in devotion to
country, made up the gift given by
the church to the cause of her coun-
try's liberty.
But all this could not change the
course of popular prejudice in those
atty by a churchman was reported
and magnified. These lives of loyalty
were forgotten. The church was
prosecuted by the colonials. After
ctrn oil
themselves injured. The church was
almost destroyed.
But her children remained loyal to
her, as we'll as to their country, and
SO she revived. Since that time her
history has been one of growth.
In 1855 DR.. Samuel Seabury of Con-
necticut was consecrated the first
American bishop. This conservation
took place in Aberdeen, Scotland, as
the bishops south of the Tweed were
kept from performing it through po-
litical conditions. The first general
convention Of the church met also in
1885. Drs. White of Maryland and
Provost of New York were consecrat-
ed by the archbishop of Canterbury
in 1887. The general convention
which met in 1889 adopted the Book
of Common Prayer. which was the
English prayer book altered to meet
local needs and conditions. This con-
yention also adopted the constitution
under which the church has legislat-
ed until three years ago. This was
modelled very closely upon the con-
stitution Of the United States. 1t
makes the government of the church
a representative government and
makes the diocese the unit for the