The San Francisco call., 1910-01-26
BISHOP SCORES
"CLAPTRAP" IN
RAISING FUNDS
Declares Church Members May
Impose on Themselves With
False Pretenses
Admits That Many Religious
Planes of Progress Have No
Spiritual Momentum

Clsptrap schemes 10 raise money for
tho church We're scored by Bishop VIII
liam Ford Nichols yesterday morning
in his address at the opening of the
sixteenth convention of the Episcopal
diocese Of California. held in St. Johns
church. at the corner Of Fifteenth
street and Julian avenue. His STRIFE
lures came in the course of an address
that had the nature Of spiritual
treatise.
To tell the honest truth. a church
member is much beset in these days to
impose on himself with false pre-
lenses said Bishop Nichols 1T al
ways has been so. In the new science
Of aviation there seems TO be first the
start TO get headway and then the test
whether the airship viii rise or stay
on the ground: whether there viii fol-
low flight or flop. Momentum is the
thing keenly watched. The moving
machine uses laws OF gravity which
Would simply make the dead weight
drop il ID were still just as the
bicycle wheel topples when il stops.
- PCS or SELF-DEEEPTION
Now. keeping up the momentum
from good Christian start is one of
the critical points Of our spiritual
progress in religion and in the church.
And unfortunately. just there is one
"f The most serious types of self
deception Of spiritual dishonesty with
ourselves. Our current Christianity
VIII never mount up with wings as
eagles until it sustains its initial mo-
nlentun and catches the upward glide.
IT one and all We are TO rise above
V-l1t is OF the earth earthly the deli
eately adjusted spiritual planes of our
i-es mast be kept moving. the spiritual
ensinerN of the church must be all
awhiri- Two calls for an awakened
spiritual honesty seem Just now i'm
perativc and insistent.
CAUSE OF CYNIC's SMILES
First. we must frankly admit that
good many of our religious and
c"urch planes Of progress have little
of no spiritual momentum about them
at = q and So keep to the ground
"our religious money raising. for ex-
apie which might rise TO planes of
ci-ar vision about owing God some
G" nE ~ what he gives US as 4 debt of
me most sacred honor and so give high
Tfanentum 10 every treasury in the
caurci'- founders down into hopeless
grounding. as all sorts OF claptrap
schemes and purveyance to the public
that oftcnfimes takes the tickets with
protest and q sentiment OF plague
"n all YOUR church Entertainments
and that not infrequently to patch out
some fund the paltriness OF which
raIses the smile 10 the cynic."
SLOT MACHINES OPPOSED
Dr George : Baker of san. Fran
cisco called the attention of the con
Neution To the published report that
lIIe present municipal administration
was considering the proposition of al
lowing the operation Of slot machines
ssa in- He offered the following reso-
'uton. which was referred TO the social
service committee:
Whereas, it is currently report
cu tlat the board of supervisors Of
Tie city and county of San Fran
cisco IS about TO rescind the ordi-
nance prohibiting Slot machine. be
Resolved. that this convention
oenlores the possibility of said re-
pe3l and that the said situation be
referred TO the commission on So
cial service.
Rev. Clifton Macon of Oakland OBJ
jected TO the tendency toward muck
itAing in the church in discussing
Vincent Aeale's amendments to change
the time of holding the parish meet
iHgS from the first Tuesday N Advent
io Easter Tuesday, and the time of
holding the diocesan convention from
the last Wednesday in January TO some
day in May
After Neale had spoken in favor of
tho proposed changes. ". A. NJ Van
Bokkelen called attention TO the fact
that when parish meetings were for
merly held at Easter some of the clergy
spent nearly all their time dSring that
holy season in electioneering The
convention voted down the proposed
changes.
The proposition Of dividing the dio-
cese Of California by creating the dio-
oese of san Joaquin. consisting Of IA
counties in the San Joaquin valley
q nd the diocese Of San Francisco con
sisting OF the rest Of the present do
cesc Or California. was made a special
order for this afternoon.
MANY PARISHES REPRESENTED
There were 55 parishes represented
aud "a clergymen in attendance yes
terdsY. Bishop Nichols was the cele-
brant in holy communion, Bishop J. H
johnson Of Los Angeles read the gos-
pei and Bishop W. II. MoreIand of Sac
ramento the epistle. Rev. David Evans
Rev. J. ". Gresham, Rev E. l. Par
sons and Archdeacon Emery assisted
In the organization of the conven-
tion Rev. NJ. d. Wilson of Fruitvale
was chosen secretary for the fifteenth
time. ". r. H. Hodgkin and George
HOOke were named as assistants.
There was a missionary mass meet
ing in St. Johns last night, at which
Bishop Partridge of Kioto and Rev
John Nichols of China spoke.