Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-06-22
BISHOP A. c. A. HALL
ADDRESSES l26TH
ANNUAL CONVENTION
Amend Canon to Permit Wom-
en- to Vote in Parish Meet
ings and BE Eligible
for Offices.

Montpelier. June 2l.-The 10th annual
convention of the Episcopal diocese of
Vermont, with - clergy and about -
lay delegates present opened this morn
ing at nine O'Clock, with the Rt. Rev.
A. G. A. Han. u. D.. presiding. The
convention reelected the Rev. Walter
e. Bernard of Newport secretary and the
Icv. G. T. Brush of Shelburne was APP
pointed assistant secretary.
The business session of the convention,
which commenced at noon, the delegate
stopping for lunch, extended throughout
The remainder of the day, being preceded
by the opening service i'm the church,
tho celebration of the Holy Communion.
The charge was delivered by Bishop
Mall.
He spoke on Liberty and Loyalty"
twin watchwords of the Catholic position,
and in opening remarked that he had not
delivered a charge since 1910 because of
illness and consequent disability.
Let it he clearly understood that the
Catholic creed, and not the SO articles
of religion, are our primary standard
of belief he said. I'VE are bound
to teach authortativcly the faith; we
may offer our own opinions in explana-
ton and illustration of the faith We
must not explain away the facts or
truths which we profess to believe.
Playing tricks with plain words can
never he a commendablc exercise 1t
may easily lead to disastrous moral con-
sequences. Let us face questions hon
estlY
"As with faith, so with worship. The
prayer book is tho law for our public
i- not civ inc
suggestions or outlines for worship. but
1t prcscribes the services to be used day
by day and in the administration of the
sacraments and the less ordinances of
the church. I am in favor of consider
ably larger liberty than our rubrics now
afford and would contend for this"
I'pon the marriage law he said that
30 far as the church's sanction and
recognition Of marriage is concerned
is pro-eminently matter Of ecclesiasti-
cal discipline where the individual
clergyman is bound to observe and en-
force the ChurCh's rules, whatever his
personal opinion concerning this or that
point may he. II am greatly in nope
that our canon on this subject may be
made more clear and unmistakablc IN
Its requirements. and more strictly in
BCcOrO3nCc WIN lne l'ttulHS VI l'lN
Scripture" The bishop is ready to bear
the responsibility rs to these questions
which is laid upon him; il is protcc-
ton to the individual clergyman that
final decisions do not rest with him.
-Four of the eight deputies to the ma
tional convention to he held at st. Louis
In October were elected tonight, the
ClerGymen chosen being the Rev. w. G
Bernard of Newport and the Rev. y. c
Wilson Of Bellows Falls: lay delegates
s. w. Hindcs. burlington, and Marvellt
C. Weber, Rutland.
The convention after much discussion
voted to amend the canon to permit
women to vote in parish meetings and to
be eligible for parish offices.
The report read by Bishop Coadiutor
GEORGE y. Bliss for the special committee
Oh the general pension fund for retired
Clergymen was adopted, the Vermont
diocese by its action Concurrng in the
proposition to change the pension fund
from local to national control All but
one State has agreed on the plan.