Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-06-04
EP|SCOPAL|AN GONvOCAnON CALLS OUT
LARGE ATTENDANCE, LAYMEN NANDCLERGY
Many Matters of Great import:
ance Brought Before the
Twelfth Annual Session
BY 1t. Rev. Henry Bond Restariek,
Bishop Of Honolulu.


Bishop Of Honolulu.
The 18th annual convocation Of the
Episcopal church in the Hawaiian Is
lands, which closed its session last
night. has shown how deep the inter
est of the laitys is in all that concerns
the work which this church has be-
fore it in the Extension of the King
dom of God. insthe Hawaiian Islands.
The bishop aud clergy are supposed
to be deeply interested. but it was re-
marked by three clergymen who have
lately come to Hawaii that they had
never in any, convention seen such a
aarge proportion of laymen who took
such prominent and intelligent part
in all the proceedings. The interest
of laymen has been shown during the
entire time l have been here and the
development of the laity in the know
ledge of American Church Canon Law
and Procedure has placed them in
the front rank In all matters con-
nected with tht conduct and growth
of the church here and its relation to
the great church on the mainland.
The laitv realize fully that the
church which they represent is a con-
stitutional one. that its constitution
set forth first I'm 17S5 preceded in
point of time the constitution of the
nation. 1t is said by one writer that
"the two constitutions were the han
diwork of the same men and the re-
suit of the same set of circumstan-
ces." The church constitution con-
templated from the first national or
ganization in which the states were
to be component units and that its
laws were to be made by two houses
in a general convention. Later the
diocese as a unit not the state was
adopted.
OF course, in making these laws, GER
tain inherent rights Of the Epfscopate
and of, the priesthood were recogniZ-
ed without question. But the exer-
else of those powers were defined
and regulated by laws which pro-
tected both clergy and laity as well
as assisting the bishops by providing
constitutional provisions of proce-
dure. -ss. Il
The chief business Of the late con-
vocation after the attention to routine
business was the consideration OF new
statutes for the cathedral. The MAJ
ter had come before the conyocation
for several years, so that there was
some knowledge among the clergy and
iaity- of the sul5jSct which they were
to discuss. The Committee which pre-
sented the report containing the pro-
posed cathedral statutes was compos-
ed of the Rev. Leopold Kroll, Judge
Alexander Lindsay, Jr., and Robbins
B. Anderson A former member OF
the committee, r. Give Davies, who
had given the matter a great deal or
study met in consultation with the
committee several times since he.
returned to the islands. Before its
conyocation showed its
of the way in which Mr..
Anderson presented the subject as 1t
was read section by section for the
Of the convocation when
sitting as a committee of the whole.
The presiding officer of the convoca-
ton when sitting as committee OF
the whole was Arthur G. Smith, who
performed the functions of the office
to the eminent satisfaction of all.
The debates which occurred on
many sections showed the real and
often intense earnestness OF those
present to adopt statutes which would
80 define rights, privileges and du-
ties that there should be no ques-
ton on the part of any as to what
should be done.
In all American cathedrals there is
provision for lay representation upon
the chapter. In all councils of the
Episcopal church the voice and vote
of lay delegates is most intelligently
exercised. The debates in the general
show that many of the
laity have made the deepest study of
connected with church his
tory and it's present life and work:
Many OF the most eminent judges and
lawyers in the United States are
members of the general convention
and the debates in that body are an
education to all who are present.
In a small way the debates which
occurred at the late convocation were
an education to all those who were
present The cathedral statutes which
were in force in 1902 when the Amer
lean church took possession here
we're adapted from statutes of an
English cathedral. They were full of
archaic expressions and provided no