Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-07
WOULD SHORTEN FORM
OF TEN COMMANDMENTS
Iriennial General Convention Is 10
Hear Report Next October
at st. Louis.
CHANGES FOR SAKE OF BREvITY
Bishop Whitehead, of Pittsburgh,
Gives Reasons for Use of Shorter
Form in Church Catechism and
Prayer Book-Expcct Opposition.

Time-saving, the prime lcmen OF
efficiency, is proposed for the Ten
Commandments as printed in the
catechism OF the Protestant Episcopal
Church. and also for the Holy Com
gest, which add that conservative
churchmen predict that the
innovation Will fail of Il majority vote.
The question comes up before the tri-
ennial convention which meets in st.
Louis neNt October and the suggested
changes are recommended by Il special
commission on the revision and onrich-
ment of the book Of common prayer.
BY an almost unanimous vote this body
advocates abbreviation of the Dccalog
and the Holy Communion service. In
the case of the latter the change may
go through because many of the
clergy not 10 mention the laity think
it too long" but the impression is that
the shortened D~ecalog will not sup
plant the Scriptural Dccalog in tho
caicchismL" Churchmen who oppose
the shortening of tho form of the
Commandments, according 70 tho New
York Herald. say il is one thing ITO
rewrite the Book OF Common PRAYER.
or even the Apostles Greed. which are
admitted to be m~an-made; but the com-
servativcs draw the line on any sug-
Gestion of rewriting the Sermon on
the Mount. the Lords Prayer, or the
Ten commandments At the saruc
time II is quite possible there is n
growing belief that the general con-
%vcntion may make the use of the Hihli-
cal DecaloC or tho abbreviated pcca-
log optional with the rcctors. An Of
fetal statement of the stand of the
commission on revision is made by its
chairman, Bishop Cortlandt Whitehead.
of Pittsburgh. who gives some of the
reasons which seemed to the members
| of tho committee weighty in determine
ing their action
The argument is cumulative" and
runs as follows:
STATE MENT OF BISHOP
WHITEHEAD, OF PITTSBURGH
II. The Decalo,, seems hy its very
title. the ten words. 10 indicate COM
mands essentially hrict md definite.
.. The arCumcntative part Of amy
commandment is no, of its essence.
and the fourth AMI nth commandment
is local and national.
-. In the fourth comma ndmcnt the
reasons for the command are different
in Exodus and deuteronomy. and
therefore arc evidently not ii part OF
the command. Ex. AX. {: Deut. v. -.
II. In actual u.s.. In the communion
service there is clearly an advantage
in brevity. and there have been numcr
Gus requests for relief in his regard.
-. In the catechIsnf it is quite un-
necessary 10 hurGcn the children's
minds with anything but the preccpt
itself.
-. Influenced no doubt by these con-
silerations. those who set forth the
nrst prayer book al Edward vi. print
ed the ten words in The shortened
form.
-. Modern rev!scrs have done the
like, as III the Scotch PRAYER Book. and
also in Bishop Cores Prayer Book
Revised etc. SO the proposal is neith-
er new nor ll-considered.
IS. Last. but by no means least tand
conclusive in the Judgment Of the com
mission. stands these passages OF
Holy Scripture. tho words Of our Lord
and Of 81. Paul: ST. Mark. y. 10: st.
Luke. xviii. %: s.. Mark. xii. -: Ru-
mans. Mil. o.
VERSES or NEW
TESLA E:NT REFERRED TO
For the immediate convenience OF
our readers. we srbjoin the verses
mentioned. Transcribed from the New
Testament as follows:
ST. Mark. ". 10: Thou knowcst the
commandments. DO not commit adul-
terry: do not kill; 90 not steal: Il" not
bear false witness dcfraud not; honor
thy father and mother"
81. Luke. xviii. "a: Thou knowest
the ~mmandmen DO not commit
adultery: do not kill; do not steal: do
not bear false witness; honor thy
father and thy mother
ST. Mark. Xii. %: ".And Jesus answer
ed him: tho first Ct all the command
ments is. Hear. . Israel: the Lord. our
God. is one Lord"
Romans, xiii. 9: For this. thou shalt
not commit adultery. thou shalt not
Kill, hou shalt not steal. thou shalt
not bear false witness. thou shalt not
covet; and If there be any other com
| mandmcnt, it Is briefly comprehcnded
In his saying, namely: Thou shalt love
I ~ aiolkac n q tALcnlf,.