Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-27
EP|ScOPAL|ANS END
CONVENTION TODAY
Bishops TrienniaI Pastoral
Letter to Be Read at
Final Session.
TRIBUTE TO SENIOR BISHOP

I
\ BY the Associated Prsss.
d ST. LOUIS, Mo-, October 27.--Commit-
Il tees from the two houses OF the gen
n eral convention Of the Protestant Epis-
\ copal Church, in convention, with the
!, final session today. dedicated site
i for q church to commemorate the gold
|, en- jubilee Of the election to the epis-
| corate of the Rt. Rev. Daniel S. futile
i Of St. Louis. presiding bishop Of the
I church. Addresses were made by the
I Rt, Rev. William Lawrence. Bishop OF
i Massachusetts,; George Wharton Pepper
/ of Philadelphia and Bishop futile.
With the executive business OF the
|; conclave practically disposed OF, dele
| gates to the convention spent the DAY
\ clearing away routine matters. Late
4 today the house Of bishops will meet
|, with the house Of deputies for the read
|, ing Of the tricnniai pastoral letter from
\ the upper body, its official message to
Y the church, It has been announced
that differing from the usual pastoral
! letter upon ecclesiastical subjects. tnis
years Communication Will pear upon
! world political conditions.
Racial Bishops Are Authorized.
The house of deputies adopted an
| amendment to the constitution author
izins provincial synods to elect SUI
frasen bishops for any diocese In the
province to have authority over any
particular race.
The amendment, il it is adopted by
the house of bishops and approved by
the next general convention. will be a
x1a af
of racial epiScopate, which has been
urged particularly because OF the negro
parishes in the church. The sunragen
bishop would be under the direction OF
the diocesan bishop
Opposition to the amendment was
voiced in the house of deputies today
on the ground that negro never couIo
be "a father in Christ to negroes. In
reply. it was urged that as there are
negro clergymen there was no valid
objection to negro bishops for negroes
The house Of deputies, in considering
prayer book revision, adopted the pray
er of George Washington when he gave
up the command Of the continental
army as "a prayer for our country.
The house of deputies voted to change
the title of the declaration Of absolu-
tion in the service of morning prayer
from IAN absolption to be said by the
priest" to "a declaration of absolutiou
to be said by the priest
Cannot Finish Prayer Book Revision
Revision and enrichment of the book
of common prayer cannot be complet-
ed for another three years at least.
This was demonstrated when the house
of deputies of the convention sent back
several sections of the report of a COM
mission appointed to suggest changes
at the last general convention. with In
structions to re-report at the next con-
cIave.
Previously, however. the report of the
house Of bishops upon proposed changes
in the order for the holy communion"
was read.
This report had no value. it was
pointed out. except as 1t registered the
views of the bishops upon the service,
concurrent action Of the houses being
necessary.
Reafirmation of the belief of the
church in prayer for the dead was con-
tanned in an amendment, suggested by
the bishops for prayer in the COM
This would eliminate the world mill
'taIt. - thus leading churchmen ex-
planned, implying that I'VE do pray for
those who have departed this life in
Gods faith and fear"
Will Not Shorten Deca1ogue.
The house of bishops. according to
the report. officially rejected the recon-
mendation of the commission that five
Of the Ten Commandments as read in
the communion service be shortened by
the elimination Of the reasons. 1t was
reported also that the house of bishops
still has under consideration the ques-
ton of the reservation of the sacra-
ment. provided for in the report of the
commission. Such a proposal is a new
one for the Episcopal service. and has
caused much debate among the MEM
ters of the various wings of the church.
A oh in, "a
title of the order for the holy COM
munion." This would change the name
TO the divine liturgy and substitute
holy eucharist for the expression holy
communion, these terms being deemed
more modern and more in accord with
the thought of advanced churchmen.
Cnction, expected to be one of the
most debated problems developed at
this session. will not be ruled on until
the next general convention. This was
determined when the house of deputies
approved a resolution of Frederick
Norehouse Of Milwaukee requesting
the joint commission on the revision
and enrichment of the prayer book to
consider the question and report to this
next convention.
~ Want Extemporaneous Prayers.
What was described by many dele.
gates as the most radical proposal
ever made to general convention OF
the church. was contained in a me.
mortal presented to the house of depu.
ties by the Rev. John II. Melish OF
Brooklyn. favoring the giving of per-
mission to cIergymen to use extern
poraneous prayers. The memorial was
signed by more than a score of promi-
nent laymen. bishops and clergymen
II was sent to the commission on the
revision and enrichment of the prayer
book, with instructions to report &c
the next general convention.
The memorial charged that the COM
mission created in 1913 was instructed
to undertake a revision of the prayer
book, without a change of doctrine
and that. consequently. a genuine re-
Vision WAS made impossible. 1t assert
ed. that there had been no real revision
since the reformation and urged thai
the prayer book should reflect the
teachings of modern scholarship re-
garding the text of the Bible.
SPEEDILY, PLEASANTLY