Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-19
Proposal to Permit Them to Sit
as Delegates in General Con-
vention and in tsA Dry
Council B 4 ~
HOUSE q ! s.oPs ACTS
Urged - Either Form of
Ten Commandments Be
Made Optional.
'RAYERBooK CONTROVERSY

denied equal rights with men in two
actions taken today by the house OF
bishops of the Protestant Episcopal
general convention in session here.
A proposal to permit women to sit
as delegates in the general convention
was rejected, while request from Rt.
Rev. Logan H. Roots, bis hop of Han
kow, to be allowed to permit women
to membership in his advisory coun-
Gil was denied. The house suggested
to the bishop of Hankow, it was stat
ed, that he might create an auxiliary
council of women.
The-proposal to give women equal
rights with men in the convention
was sponsored by Robert H. Gardi-
ner of Gardiner, Me-
VIII Go to Bishops.
A similar resolution is now on the
calendar OF the house Of deputies, and
it was pointed out today's action in
the upper house does not preclude its
being discussed in the lower body.
Since concurrence of the two houses
is necessary, in the event that the
house of deputies should approve the
proposal it will go to the house of
bishops for reconsideration.
The view of bishops, which also
considered changes recommended in
the communion service by the COM
mission on the book OF common
prayer, will suggest in its report to
the house OF deputies that the ten
commandments be printed in the
prayerbook in both their shortened
form and in their full form, and that
clergymen be given optional use of
either in the service, it was said.
The commission had recommended
that five of the commandments be
shortened as read in the communion
service by the elimination of the rea-
sons.
Wants Washington Prayer. -
Efforts to have the prayer I of
George Washington, uttered upon the
occasion of his laying down the su-
prenle ceSarhaAd of the federal armies,
adopted and substituted for the pres
ent prayer "for our country" in the
book of common prayer were inaugu-
rated in the house OF deputies by Ro-
land S. Morris Of Philadelphia. Mr.
Morris introduced resolution which
resulted in, prayer which had been
recommended by the commission on
the prayerbook, being recommitted to
the commission with the suggestion
that it consider the Washington
prayer. This pleads for Gods holy
protection for the United States,
obedience for its citizens, for their
brotherly affection for each other,
particularly for their brethren who
have served In the field, and that God
will dispose us to do justice, mercy
and charity"
The prayer suggested by the COM
mission asked that "our land be
blessed with honorable industry,
sound learning and pure manners" 1t
also asks that we be saved from "vio-
lence. discord and confusion; from
pride and arrogance" and that our
liberties be defended and our unity
preserved.
Agree on Minor Changes.
Discussion of the revision OF the
evening prayer was concluded today,
a number of minor changes being
agreed upon.
In the main these looked toward a
greater lturgical flexibility and the
dropping of archaic phrases, enabling
the clergy to adapt the service either
to the ordered worship of a metro
politan cathedral or to that OF from
tier mission. Discussion of new
prayers resulted in the approval of
one for state legislatures and another
for courts of justice.
The house of deputies confirmed
the election of Rev. James Wise of
St Louis as coadjutor bishop Of
Kansas.
Establishment of a permanent
church publicity bureau because of
the increasing dependency of the
church upon the press" was urged in
a resolution adopted by the house Of
deputies. To become effective the res
olution must be approved by the
house of bishops.
The bureau, according to the plan
announced, is to study means OF get
ting the corporation of the news
papers of the country in carrying on
the work OF the churches. In present
ing the resolution, together with the
report OF the joint committee on press
and publicity, Francis L. Stetson Of
New York asserted that the church is
under the greatest obligation to the