The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-22
DIVORCE ISSUE AGAIN
EPISCOPAL GENERAL CONVENTION
 TO TAKE TT UP.
Remarrfage of Divorced Persons May Be Entirely Prohibited by Meet ing of Church st Rich
 mOnd in October.

Two important questions which are to be considered by the general con- ventnon of the Protestant Episcopal Church, which meets at Richmond on October 2, and which will cause con- siderable discussion, will be the Gd- vocacy of a canon to prohibit abso- lutely the remarriage of divorced per- sons by ministers of that church. and a plan for the creation of negro bish- ops.
 At the last convention of the church, In Boston three years ago, a canon was adopted which permitted the clergy to remarry the innocent party in case, but only after year had elapsed from the time of the decree. It also re- quired the production of testimony from the court as to being the inno- cent party As the rule of the church stands, persons divorced for any other cause than adultery may not be re- married by its clergy.
 At the last convention advocates of the canon prohibiting any remarriage of divorced persons were numerically in the majority, but the convention votes by dioceses, and the rigorists were outvoted.
 The proposal to create separate negro district in the Episcopal diocese fin the South, with negro bishops to take charge of them. will meet with strong opposition in the convention. At pres ent no division between white and colored communicants exists. and the only negro bishop in the church Is sta- tioned in Africa.
 Simultapeous with the, meeting of. the convention will be the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the plant ing in this country of the church. With a settlement at Jamestown came the English Church in America For the first time in 800 years, or since the church was established here, the bishop of London. will visit Jamestown.
 When the church was established by the English colonists Jamestown was made part of the diocese of London, but the present bishop. the Right Rev. A. F. W. Ingram, will be the first to visit the seat of the first English Church in America, which was under the Jurisdiction of many of his prede- cessors.
 The entire convention will make pilgrimage on october IS to James, town, where the ruins of the old church, built 25O years ago, still re- main. On that date a historical ad- dress will be delivered by the Bishop of Southern Virginia.
 During the past three years thank offering by men flor 300 years of Eng fish Christianity" has been gathered in every diocese in the United States, and it is estimated that S600,o20 will be collected by the time the convention meets.
 Of the total, s25o.ooO hasebeen con trfbuted by the New York diocese. The thank offering will be made at the Holy Communion on october 9. The money is to be used for the extension of the work of the church in this coun- try and abroad.
 . Many distinguished ehurchmen from all parts of the world will be in at tendance at the convention, notapIy Bishop Montgomery, Secretary of the English Society for the Propagation or the Gospel, which in early days sent missionaries to the Indians and white settlers, and the English bishop of St. Albans.
 AThe opening sermon of the conven- ttAu will be delivered by the Bishop of London, Rt. Rev. A. F. w. Ingram. There will be about eighty bishops in attendance and about 800 lay and cler- teal delegates.
 tions which will come before the con- vention many others of minor import ance will be presented. The diocese of Pittsburg, which now includes the western part of Pennsylvania, will ask to be divided into, two diocesee, as VIII the States of Georgia and oregon Ihe convention will last till about october 22.
 Every Bishop is a member of the House of Bishops and the Alabama Diocese will be represented in that body by Bishop Beckwith. Its sessions will be held in the Hall of the House of Representatives in the State Capi- tol.
 Each diocese is entitled to four cleri- cal and four lay members of the House of Deputies. The Diocese of Alabama will be represented by Rev. Stewart Mcqueen of Montgomery, Rev. Mat thew Brewster of Mobile, Rev E. w. Gamble of Selma and Rev w. E. Evans of Birmingham as the clerical deputies, and MT. James H. Fitts of Tuscaloosa, Hon. Joseph F. Johnston of Birming-. ham. Hon. Richmond P. Hobson Of Greensboro and Major w. w. screws or Montgomery as law deputies.