The Washington herald., 1913-09-06
EPISCOPAL.

practice of many years in the creation
of new kind of bishop-the Bishop Suf-
fragan, this making the fourth kind OF
bishop We have today in the American
church, the four being the regular dio-
cesan bishop, the bishop coadjutor. with
right OF succession on the death OF the
diocesan bishop; the bishop suffragan.
with no right of succession Ia kind of
Episcopal curate). and the missionary
bishop. in charge of a missionary dis
trict. whether at home or abroad. In
England, the second kind, the bishop
coadjutor, does not exist; neither does
the fourth, though In the English colo
nies all the four kinds are TO be found.
But our own new venture in creating
the bishop suffragan is least likely to be
effective. 1t is the one that has been
tried OF late in the English church with
so great success. Inasmuch as the av-
erage number of clergy for the English
diocese is 800, 1t is obvious that some
thing good should be done to help the
diocesan bishop, either by subdivision or
Episcopal help. The suffragans. how
ever. do not meet the need. at least in
the judgment of churchmen, today. II
it be accepted that a suffragan has order
| without Jurisdiction. II seems that he
falls under the category OF an aide-de-
camp-a general or curate-to his parish
priest. The great Bishop Lightfoot once
| said, speaking OF this kind OF bishop:
He cannot feel his own strength, and
cannot make it felt by others; as a center
Of cooperative activity he is almost pow
erless" Just whether the admitted diff
fculties of the diocesan bishop would be
met by multiplying this kind of bishop
or reducing the size of dioceses IL is
perhaps impossible to forecast. but there
can be no question that the bishop suf-
! fragan does not. as We say, I'LL the
| Bill."
Apropos the foregoing. the office Of
bishop suffragan does not seem to be
popular among ourselves: 1t has been
going begging. The latest to decline II
| is DR.. Samuel S. Drury. rector of st.
Paufs, Concord, who was elected to be
bishop suffragan TO the Bishop OF Con-
| necticut Curiously enough, the Con-
nsCticut lsymen seemed to be opposed to
the division of the diocese. while the
clergy were in favor of II. The vote of
the clergy was 10 in favor of a bishop
coadjutor TO 40 against division, while in
the case of the laity the figures were al
most exactly reversed.
The leading church paper Of the Eng
lish church, the Guardian. issued, by the
way. for one penny-that is cents-a
remarkable production for the money
for we have, in fact. nothing to put be-
side it-has a paragraph on a question
which is of supreme importance to all
our people, and to the clergy in partic-
ular-the preventing OF the marriage OF
the unfit. The Guardian has the fol-
lowing TO say about II. which We quote,
not either approving or disapproving:
In their anxiety to prevent the mar
riage Of the unfit. several of the Amer
lean States are trying TO make them
selves ridiculous. Pennsylvania has just
passed law requiring prospective brides
and bridegrooms TO produce medical GER
titiCates: Wisconsin is engaged upon the
same impossible task, and various other
States seem likely TO follow these dem
onstrations of eugenics gone mad. AL
ready eight States OF the Union have
laws permitting the temporary steriliZa-
tion OF hopeless criminals and de |
generates" but in only two Of them has
the law been enforced. Freak" Iegis- |
lation OF this Kind Is tolerably certain |
to defeat its object. The schoolmaster |
and the priest are more likely than the |
surgeon to teach profitable eugenics; for !
the hopelessly irreclaimable there is al |
ways the eXpedient OF segregation. There |
are plenty OF enthusiasts who would be |
glad to see these ineffective American |
precedents followed in England: but en- |
thusiasm is rarely a safe guide in mat
ters Of morals and sociology. And right |
ly or wrongly. marriage is the one event |
in life with which men and women will |
endure the least interference by the |
State"
The author of the pageant play of
Henry VIII, which has been produced |
in England. and which will probably |
he produced in some OF our American
parishes. is the Rev. Charles Kent. who |
seems to be a picturesque figure and a
man of many parts. 1t is interesting |
TO read about him that, in addition TO
being rector of four Norfolk parishes,
Merston, Sturston. Thompson,
and Tottington, he is a scoutmaster, a
member Of the District Council and Board
of Guardians, a good shot. a fine angler.
and crack cricketer; also an author.
BY his writing he has done much to save
Of Thompson. Among ourselves 1t would
be difficult to duplicate the Rev. Charles
Kent, rector of four parishes, &c.
The question is sometimes asked:
What will be the result of home rule.
so far as the Church of Ireland is con-
cerned?' Undoubtedly, grave apprehen-
sions are felt with regard to this tremen-
1ous crisis, which concerns all ireland,
South and West, as we'll as North. How
ever, the Bishop of KillsIoe- had some
good advice the other day to give his {
which is applicable to 1
many other difficulties and problems as !
hey meet us in the life of the church.
This is what the bishop had to say:
Speak to them that are of a fearful +,
leaTt; be strong; fear not. No act of =
Parliament can touch the real life-that
'eal life OF His church. Again and again
I has happened that what was dreaded
Is a direful calamity worked out. by the
,verruling providence of God, an abun-
liant and abiding good. Let us go for
ward, strong in the strength of God. 1
itrong in the patience of Jesus Christ,
trong in the spirit of love and joy and
'eace. 1t is only a faithless church that
las any cause to fear" is
There Is in London a very excellent
und known as the London Poor Clergy Z
Holiday Fund. II is founded upon the
rinciple that efficient parochial work is !.
tterly impossible to overfatigued clergy.
)nly those who know the constant toll
he inadequately paid clergymen in slum n
arishes-to say nothing of the wearing o
nd depressing effects of providing for S
arochial finance. the burden of which. {
n the great majority of cases, rests on n
he shoulders OF parish priests-can COM a
letely realize the necessity for such "
und, which for thirty-siX years has been S,
Ding a magnificent work. The good id
bishop of London writes to his treasurer:
know of no fund which does more
irect good to the work OF the church
London, for 1t invigorates the work.
RS for their autumn and winter work"