Evening journal., 1914-05-13


us its chief work of the year and
experience a hospitality to the Di0-
cese, which is becoming habitual. ST.
Annes. Middletown. has improved its
church and rectory. prevented It's
Rector from running away. and has
had the best Easter within the
memory Of the Oldest communicant.
I st. Peters. Smyrna. has revived it's
best traditions OF work among young
people. Christ Church. Dover. has
enlarged and beautiied itself in
way quite worthy of It's noble asso-
cations. st. Pauls Camden, has
enlarged its chancel and built
parish house. Christ Church, Mil
/ ford, has secured one of the most
I beautiful windows which we have IN
the Diocese. ST. Peters. Lewes. has
redecorated its church. improved its
! reetory, and largely increased it's
offerings for Missions. st. Philips.
Laurel. is improving its church,
building new rectory; and the
Rector is adding TO the work done IN
the adjacent Missions. St Marks.
Millsboro', has new organ and a
/ Boys Club
II gives me special satisfaction to
speak of good work done in vacant
/ parishes The Wardens Of st. Pauls,
Georgetown have shown commend
able care in arranging for the main
tenance of services. have seen to IL
that the Parish has raised It's appor-
tionment for Missions. and are pre-
pairing for the coming Of new Rec
tor. In St. Thomas Newark, still
In mourning for the departure of the
Reverend Mr.. Phelps the Vestry ar
ranged for the holding of a Mission
during the last week In April, the
results of which have been most
gratifying. In St Luke's, Seaford.
the Reverend Dr. Fischer. who mas
been in charge for three months, and
to the regret of all cannot see his
way to accept the Rectorship, has
brought about an era of good feeling
with consequences of large congre-
cations, a Confirmation class of
seventeen, and more interest In The
Church than has been shown for some
years. have not exhausted the list.
These particulars would sound
trivial in the reports of a large Dio-
cese; but anyone who knows Della
ware well will recognize that they
indicate year Of good work
On the other side there is one item
TO be specified Christ Church,
Delaware City. where the changes of
ten years have made the fortunes of
the Parish precarious. had, by secur-
ing the Rector of New Castle for its
Rector made the only arrangement
which would seem to ensure the best
care for which II can now hope. DR.
Richey felt 1t necessary to resign this
charge in February; and the parish
is now uncared for l much regret
this but ! am hopeful that the neal
future Will bring good fortune alsC
, to Christ Church, Delaware City. W.
I have had also an interruption I'm tn,
work of st. Matthews Mission, vii
! mington. But IL has long been ap
J parent that, If work worth while is =
: 20 on there. we must make some sor
of new beginning; and in my iudg
ment the chances for this new be
2 ginning are now better than thel
have been hitherto.
7 Yet when we have made due allow
! ance for every setback. the year,
! balance is largely to the good.
, know the dangers of self-satlsfactioI
/ and wish always to encourage tn
] habit of self-distrust; but for once
} feel that my chief duty is to maxi
2 the most of encouragements and T.
= urge you TO greater effort as the re
I suit Of grateful hopefulness. If W.
2 scrutinize our work with the sincerit,
e which ought to characterize ever.
O. form Of self-eXamination, we viii
always recognize how far short W
. Gall of ideal, or even moderate, at
] t.f. Ill .f.., a
5 confess ourselves Improbable ser
e wants. But this need not prevent U
4 from being humbly grateful for an
e measure of success, If we remembe
S that the only use of retrospect is 2
e an incentive to progress. Forgettin
- all lesser things that are behind, Il
n US press on to greater before.
n Dormant Parishes.
a One mark of progress is the re
t moval of anomalies. In any place o
{ institution of long standing, anoma
( lous conditions are certain to aris
n from the survival of forms whic
e have ceased TO represent the sub
+ stance or life which created then
n From time to time there must be fe
g adjustment of old names to max
e them correspond TO new facts. An
n institution is hampered If fictitiou
; strength be imputed to it on accoun
e of a showing on paper which eXag
5 gerates actual numbers and actua
j working strength. IL is importan
s that in the case of the Diocese ther
g be no discrepancies between IN
nominal and the actual. To sa
Q nothing of the duty of strict truth
Il fulness in our statistics, we expos
l. ourselves to the possible impositio
j. of difficult burdens, if our reporte
3, and reputed ability exceeds our &C
Il tual capacity. One of our most ot
Il vious tasks, not yet wholly accom-
- ulished, has been TO get ourselve
d into working trim by getting II
i superfuous burdens. by correctin
c Inaccuracies in our reports, and
i adjusting our Parishes and Mission
n to canonical requirements. We al
: making gain whenever we make on
3 reported condition correspond moi
n nearly to our true resources.
is must inevitably happen for exampl
i that the name of Parish will survil
g changes of time which have made
Is impossible for some old Parish
s. continue the discharge of parochi
IS responsibilities. II is to the intere
u of all concerned that an anomaly
D this sort be done away. This ye;
Ie there have been several changes
e this kind which indicate no To-
1t With teyer in the Church's wOrl
n merely an accommodation Of efforts
IS needs and Of names to facts.
y ~. Johns, Little Hill.
Ig At the Convention of 1S41. meet.