The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-08


 ed today in Christ church with hun dreds of delegates, clergy and 1ayn en in attendance. One of the most inn portant matters expected of the con- vention, which will continue on Wed nesday, is the probable election of a suffragan bishop, greatly desired by the Right Rev. Chauncey B. Brewster bishop of the diocese, and for which he was stated he will relinquish apart of his salary.
 A national clergy pension fund will also be considered. Ine convention was preceded by, a, missionary confer ence at the Church of the GoSd Shep- herd, opening at 10 o'clock this morn ing.
 Rev. George B. Gilbert, missionary of the Middlesex Archdeaconry, spoke on f"The Vision of the Country Church. and Rev.Ma1coln Taylor, rec tor of St. Thomas church, Taunton, munity Church.
 In the Woman's Auxiliary hour)two addresses were given. Att o'clock luncheon was served to the delegates at Colt Memorial hall.
 At the opening of the main conven- ton in Christ church at 3 o'clock Bishop Brewster offered prayer and l then submitted his annual address.
 The bishop reported that he had officially visited 142 churches and missionss eleven of them more than once; he had delivered 283 sermons and addresses, and there had been confirmed 2,093 persons.
 The number of clergy canonically connected with the diocese is 2O9. There have also been regularly of i Relating in the diocese under the. bishops license twenty c1ergymen,
 making the total number 229. There ! are seVenty-five 1ay-readers. Four | oh number of places of worship in the diocese is 23O.
 1 After the obituary notices and review of various diocesan activities, the bishop, spoke at length of relig- | ious education and of the commis- sion on social service, saying: - Surely in this day need not | urge thes claims of social service. Y ct many of our members and parishes need to be awakened to the ob1iga- l tdons outside the parish plant. To i the insistent pressure of the finger of l God we may ascriber the present enn- 1 phasis upon that social responsi bility 1 which bef1ts the Catholic common 1 wealth and this deepening conviction 1 that the value of life is to be meas ured by the worth of it's service, It would bode i'll to the church if it's commission on social service and of religious education demand your 1oy- al and liberal recognition.
 We ought to be planning for the 1 diocese larger undertakings. Many | of our people need yet to learn that the diocese rather than the parish. l is the real unit of church life. still cherish the idea of a, diocesan 1 church, no vast sand imposing struc- ture, but a peoples church, as the | symbol of the unity of the diocese, preaching and teaching. IA charter | has been secured for the cathedral foundation. This, however, as well as other undertakings, has been held back by the uncertainty of our dfo- | cesan situation
 'sSone years since I advocated di- vision of the diocese; but when that proposition failed to secure major 1 ity vote I felt that the matter was for the present settled Recently there
 has I believe, been again some talk of division, although I myself had seen no evidence of any considerable l change of attitude. My own convic- ton is that, if the diocese is divided, | 1t should be not by narrow major ity, but as the issue of a general movement on the part of all or nearly all.
 Moreover, were such an undertak- ing at this time to be inaugurated, it would have to go to general con- i vention and could not be completed until late in the year 1917. It did not seem to me well to delay our ad- vance.
 gro the question have for many months been giving careful and ear nest thought. Now. in accordance with a recent announcement of my inten- ton, ask for the assistance of a suffrag gan bishop If one be elected I hereby re1inquish toward his salary $1,OOO aof the stipend now paid to me.
 "The adjective, suffragan, means assisting. Prejudice against the of fee has arisen largely from certain conceptions of adventitious dignity 1 which if carried into effect would really impair the episcopate 8 working force in America to-day. It
 would seem more reasonable to take the apostolic office and freely adapt it in divers ways to the needs of the work. Men who have given deep thought to the matter recognize the possibilities of the suffragan episco- pate and it's superiority as a solution
 of the problem when assistance is needed for a diocesan who is not, dis abled. The position of assisting bishop should not lack any proper. dignity. The true dignity of the episcopate lies in it's mission to serve.
 eff it shall commend itself to your judgment to comply with my request
 to fill this office you will, I trust, seek a man chara cterized by the genuine
 humility, the 1ove1iness of heart.
 which must go with the highest ideals
 a man of energy and devotion to the work. a man of sympathy to feel with the clergy and people he is to work among. Above all, you will impIore the Holy Spirit that He will guide you to choose according to Gods will one who may serve in this office to the
 honor of His name and the benefit of l His holy church.
 t"The war goes on with it's waste
 and woe 1ncaEculable. Yet it be- 4 hoOVeS us to take heed. after what manner we pray for peace. am speaking with no reference to this
 country. There is that which would be worse than war. Peace, with ra- pacious and rampant wrong trium- phant, would not be peace to be ap-