The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1911-05-18
COnv0CatiOn of Canterbury
Has Undertaken to Alb.
breviate Them
"HE religious world is awaiting
IN suspense the fate of a rev.
dictionary proposal to blue pen

in suspense the fate Of a rev.
dictionary proposal to blue pen
Gil the Ten Commandments on
the ground that they are too gar
rulous, which will be considered at the
convocation Of Canterbury by the
chiefs Of the Church of England. TO
the great body Of Christian commune
cants of all sects the Ten Command
ments were written by the finger of
God, were the foundation of a cove
nant between him and his people and
were placed in the ark as the testi-
mony or revelation Of his will.
Some bitterness was provoked at the
last session Of the convocation by the
offer of a motion to abbreviate the
Decalogue. In the end the Very Rev.
William Mordaunt Furneaux, dean of
Winchester, was appointed to prepare
an abridgment to be submitted to his
colleagues
One Of the first among the d1gnita.
'ries Of the Protestant Episcopal church
of the United States to express an
opinion on the proposal was Bishop
Charles D. Williams Of Detroit. BE
not only approved taking a short cut
with the commandments, as suggest
ed, but recommended in addition that
the fourth commandment be brought
up to date so as to make it conform
with modern geological theories.
Il don't believe there is any person
picho
ed as saying, "who believes the Lord
created the heavens and earth in six
days, and that is my reason for favor
ing an abridgment of the fourth COM
mandment''
Some Opinions.
The modern Christians have as much
right to revise the Bible as had st.
Paul, st. John and the general coun-
ellis OF the church is the opinion ascrib-
ed to the Right Rev. William M.
Brown Of the Episcopal diocese Of Lit
tie Rock, Ark.
The Right Rev. Charles Palmerston
Anderson, bishop Of the Episcopal do
cese of Chicago, suggests that Christ's
summary Of the Decalogue, to be
found in the Book of Common Prayer,
should be substituted for the full Ten
Commandments in churches in which
the holy communion is administered
at two services in a single day.
The Right. Rev. Boyd Vincent, bish-
op Of the diocese of southern Ohio,
favors the idea of simplifying the Dec
alogue to shorten the church service
Professor Blodgett Of the General
Seminary of the Episcopal Church
thinks the suggestion Of abbreviating
the Ten Commandments to shorten the
church service is in line with the more
scholarly views Of the original Deca-
1ogue.
But there are leaders within and
without the Episcopal church who bit
terly oppose any attempt to lop off
even word Of the Ten Command
ments. The very suggestion raised a
storm Of protest from these.
Not since the fifteenth century, when
Martin Luther, 1.-THE founder Of Prot
estant civilization" nailed his ninety
five theses to the door Of Wittenberg
church, has there been such a tempest
Of religious disputation. Luther hurl-
ed his theses against "the senseless
gable" of those who would change
the forms Of the church. Editors and
preachers are invcighing now against
what they call the ''scnseless gable"
of those who would change the CON-
mands written by the very finger of
God.
Plan Denounced.
From clergymen everywhere came
indignant denunciations Of the plan to
abridge the Decalogue The columns
of the religious press famed forth WV
id protests. One said that the bishops
had proposed to "blue pencil the Ten
Commandments" The Signs Of the
Times, religious paper published in
California, printed whole page Of
protest headed, "Revising the Law Of
the Most High" with cartoon pictur-
ing bishop holding the Bible at arms
length and with pair Of scissors la
eoeseeeeoeeo 900 Q .