The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-26
Episcopal Convention for First
Time in History of Church
Adopts a Prayer for the Dead
TOTAL ABSTINENCE
URGED ON MEMBERS
House of Bishops Elects Rev.
u. L. Burleson, OF New York,
Missionary Bishop of So, tn
Dakota

81. Louis. Oct 25-Clergymen of
the Protestant Episcopal Church will
no longer advise dying persons as TO
the disposal of their property. II the
House of Bishops concurs in an &C
ton taken in the House of Deputies
of the church General Convention In
session here today,
This action would eliminate from
the PRAYER book the direction to min
listers to urge dying person. who
has not disposed OF his goods. TO make
hrs will
The ruhric must be approved by
the House OF Bishops. 1t was adopted
only after vigorous protests. Judge
Joseph Packard. of Baltimore. chair
man was forced to decide deadlock
IN the vote. The deputies adopted
for the first time in the history of the
church a prayer for the dead This
action also is subject 30 the concur
renee OF the House of Bishops
Urge Total abstinence.
The House of Deputies also adopt
ed a resolution urging members of
Ihe church 10 he total ahstainers from
intoxicating liquors, especially at So
Nial functions
Another resolution directs the board
~ religious education to urge state
foards of Education 10 give credit for
Bible study IN high schools.
The House OF Bishops today elected
tte Rev, /. l. Burleson. of New York,
missionary bishop Of South Dakota o.
Won't Tanpcr With Commandments.
Efforts 20 shorten the ten command
nents have been abandoned at the
present session Of the convention. lead =
srs IN the conClave announced TODAY.
The commission appointed to sug-
cot nqGv ..f oF hn
of common prayer favored the short
ening ~ five OF the commandments by
M elimination of the reasons.
Mem hers nf The com mission assert =
81 today. however that this sugges-
Ton would not he pressed. Discus
ion Of other phrases of the proposed
ctiS.or was resumed today.
Discuss Domestic Missions.
At ioirt session OF the two houses
he dume-iiy mission fields were dis
eusseI tssionaries from every sec
lion of the country telling of their
experiences
The lower house adopted the report
~ the Joint commission on the lee
tionary. which urged the shortening
II manv 81 the SUNDAY school lessons
h* the elimination OF lessons and pas
sages deemed archaic.
As result the dictionary viii be
abridged about 10 per cent
Increase In Baptisuss.
report showing -thai-iAe- church
las more than Lessee eotnmuuI-
cants and 500 cielgymsn were pre-
yented Yesterday To the house OF dep
n'ies by the committee on state OF the
eturch. Raptisms. the report showed
have Increased by about $4,000 and
combinations by about l4.Uoo over the
preceding triennium. Parishes and
missions number s,34i and the total
number of church buildings ia 1910.
The report added that the church con-
trolls endowments aggregating So
eco. coo. many educational and Chart
able institutions and has an average
income OF more than s3o. 000 coo a year.
Endorsements for the support of
churches for the triennium totailed
siao1s.ll?.o9. as against sI43eo.I47 in
1913, Endowmcnts for the support OF
bishops totalled s4.491 oar as against
S.sss,ss+ given In the previous three
Years.
Contributions came to 1925 h2 and
inhrm clergy came to sseasn52 and
for other purposes endowments total
ling s2S96S,%il were given Sittinss
in the. churches in the triennium lust
ended totalled l.5o4.Se0. an increase of
I94.s72 over the triennium ending In
1918. Church hospitals accounted for
In the report number las, as against
70 accounted for In 1913.
A commission was appointed to
make an investigation OF the spiritual
and economic problems of rural COM
munities and to report in Detroit In
Ia1s. The house of deputies also took
steps to appoint a committee OF three
clergymen and three laymen to gather
statistics concerning the number OF
communicates and the number of bap-
tixed persons In the church.