Evening journal., 1915-12-13
Long Statement Outlining His Attitude Addressed to
Clergy Of Diocese Of Delaware, and Read by RectOrS
In Some Of the Churches Yesterdays Aligned
With Catholic Party Of the Church
ONLY REASON TO JUSTIFY PROTESTANT
BASIS WOULD BE LOVE OF PRAYER BOOK

thought Protestant opposition in
South America might serve as useful
spur to the Roman Church there. the
Roman Bishop OF Panama. represent
ing Roman Catholic authorities, has
forbidden his people TO have anything
10 do with il: The Governor Of Pan
anna, regarding It as an unfriondly
demonstration to the people Of the
country, has refused the use OF public
buildings for its sessions: many Ro-
man Catholics, clergy and laymen
have expressed their opinion that il
must be regarded in this light: and.
from the political standpoint, warn
ings have been uttered that this North
American campaign against the form
Of Christianity prevalent in Latin
America may interfere with the
friendly relations with the Latin
American peoples which our govern
ment is seeking to cultivate. In spite
of efforts TO conceal the fact, the plan
for the conference has made the or
dinary Protestant assumption that
Roman Catholicism is always a cor
rupt form of Christianity, and that
Roman Catholic territory is always
1 therefore a proper field for Protestant
missionary endeavor. A recent letter
from a representative Of a Protestant
missionary society spoke OF the ne
cessity of missions for pagan and
papaP lands. II cannot sincerely be
denied that similar assumption un-
derlies much of the Panama prOpa-
/ ganda. It was rather clearly express
ed in some OF the preliminary litera-
ture, although the defenders Of it in
our Board of Missions. and now in
the propaganda itself. are endeavoring
to hush IL up. Judge by officially
expressed intentions and by the inn
preston made upon Roman Catholics.
it is an anti-Roman Catholic move;
and for our Church to participate in
il is to commit us 10 a direct attack
on the Latin Communion. We are
non-ROman Catholic; but that is quite
a different thing from being aggres-
sive anti-Roman Catholic partisans.
'S. In taking this action. the Board
Of Missions ignored the action OF Cen
eral Convention which refused 10 au-
thorize it to cooperate with other mis-
sionary boards at discretion. In par
ticular. it deied the House OF Bishops
in which this proposal had been We
toed. The question most directly
raised is the obligation of the Board
OF Missions to recognize the authority
OF General Convention. Plea wa!
made that the board was not 81
bound because Of being legally inde
pendent as a New York corporation
This contention seems now 10 hav,
been dropped. Yet a letter sent TO al
members OF the board. seriously up
held the position that the board wa,
not legally responsible TO the conven
tion; and this had its influence In
making some feel that if the legal OBJ
legation was questionable. no moral
obligation need be recognized"
Church is Divided.
After discussing the above Qlues-
tions, Bishop kinsman adds
For these and other reasons I be.
b lieve the action Of the board to hav,
! been seriously mistaken But ! an
, chiefly concerned with the importanc,
) OF the general questions raised ant
, of the principles lying behind them
: such questions as-What is tn,
= Churchs attitude toward Protestant
5 Federation? What is the Church's at
+ titudc toward Roman Catholicism
Does the Episcopal Church believe il
! Episcopacy?
What is the Protestant Episcopa
e Church?' the Bishop asks. Man.
outsiders do not know; many church
+ men are hazy."
"The history of Anglicanism shows
e in all periods and stages the eXistenc,
s of contrasted types of churchmanism
e which may be distinguished as Pro
70 testant and Catholic. Either Angli
Loo
S ion with great admiration for, ant
5 sympathy with. Protestants; or the,
: constitute a Protestant communion
p with somewhat less than the average
$ prejudice against Catholics. One thin
d or the other they must be, although
r i'm either case a distinguishing charaC
y teristic is sympathetic appreciation O
= the other side. The present move
l. ments in the church ought to assist II
y demonstration of which it is.
o There is no question OF 'diydin
J. the church. The church is divide
e as the result of an equivocating po
n icy Only by getting rid of this ca
g. we prevent perpetuation of eXistin
e division and perplexity II is not tina
Is we have all been dishonest together
d On the contrary we have all bee
D. quite honest together. Those of u
d who are Protestants have for tn
4 most part learned TO cherish Protes
y antism i'm our own religious bod
De which fiaunts the Protestant name.
Ig the case of the great majority we al
o. what we are as churchmen becaus
b. the Protestant Episcopal Church Ina
in made us so.
" q have been urging that the ambig
al ity Of the Anglican position must be re
Z, oenized. and III continuance Of Oh
v ambiguity j. not desirable. Whether
"a not there has been justification for I'll
m in ,hc past, there Would seem TO be moi
r. in the present.
re "Not only has Anglicanism failed
o. make as clear an Impression as won
Ii have been desirable; but. in this cou
as try at least, it has, If considered mere
n as a form of Professionalism, little 10 81
a in justification Of its independent ex
es tcncc.
d. 1T is said that many prefer the Ep
IT. copal Church for social reasons. IL h
Id, decent and orderly ways. good Engli
be connections, il sometimes regarded
in AN upholstered religion for the rich,
n Pullman car on the road 10 salvatio
on Yet none would claim respectability
he We're it a fact-as reason for the exi
ID ence of an additional sect. Bare stat
fl ment of such reason is condemnation
an ''rhe only reason which could be
N legged 10 Justify the existence Of I
Episcopal Church on a Protestant ba
10 would he the love ion the prayer be-
gh None who know the PRAYER book can !