The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-07
SCHISM Is FEARED
BY EPISCOPALIANS
Questions Which May Cause
Church Division Face De-
troit Meeting.
UNITY ACTION OPPOSED
Revision Of Prayer Book and
Administration of Pension
Fund Disputed.
UNITY ACTION OPPOSED

When the 900 bishops. priests and lay
men of the Episcopal Church meet three
weeks hence in Detroit they will have at
least seven major questions to settle for
their constituency of a million and
half members. Unrest attributed to the
reconstruction period. the ancient diff
ferences between high church and low
church followers and questions of policy
confront the delegates. according to
church authorities, who declare that
division is threatened throughout the
country on some of the issues under
discussion.
Charges OF one man domination. Of
unfairness of administration and OF
commercialism are made in connection
with the $S,500.000 pension fund. which
was raised under the leadership of
Bishop Lawrence of Massachusetts. This
fund, of which Mcneil Sayre of New
York is expert adviser, was aided by the
sale of hymnals. and new ones were
then published and churches urged to
buy. The pension fund committee will
report at Detroit
The commission on revision of the
prayer book is reported to have Of
Tended large numbers of churchmen by
preparing virtually a new prayer book
and eliminating Trinity. Sunday and sea-
son and substituting the Catholic OBJ
servance of Pentecost. A third question
before the delegates will be the subject
of the proposed unity of churches to be
effected later at Geneva. The Episcopal
Church led in this movement. and ].
Pierpont Morgan contributed 100000
to aid in its accomplishment. With the
exception of the Roman Catholic Church
no churches objected to the plan. How
ever, following an attempted unity with
the Congregationalists, certain groups
of Episcopalians are openly declaring
that they win form new church IL
these endeavors are not ended.
Efforts begun ten years ago to have
the sessions of the House of Bishops at
the general convention open to the public
will be renewed this year, 1t is reported,
when several newly consecrated bishops
are expected to vote for open doors. A
fifth question will be whether the eight
provinces adopted by the Episcopal
Church after the Roman Catholic plan
are to have separate legislative houses
with real power. Opponents contend that
the next step would be archbishops met
ropolitans and the accompanying train
Of eccleslasticism.
Adjustment of the missinary squabble
resulting from the practice of ritualistic
and doctrinal departures at the Igorrote
Mission. founded In the Philippines by
two st. Mary and Virgin representatives
under Bishop Brent, now of Buffalo. Is
also to come before the convention.
Bishop Graves of China ordered the
practices stopped at the mission, and the
ministers there replied that they would
resign first. A question involving the
fundamentals of Episcopal doctrine is
bound up in this matter as we'll as
whether Bishop Brent or Bishop Graves
n
members.
The Board of Missions is projecting
a business plan to take over the church
functions of education and social ser
vice, and this subject will make
seventh question for the convention to
decide, it is said. Those who are in
opposition to the plan allege that 1t
is promoted along the lines of political
machine and that 1t aims to crush indi-
viduals and their interests. They also
assert that 1t would be too expensive
an undertaking.
The convention will ratify the choice
Of the New York clergy OF a successor
to the late Bishop David II. Greer. The
successor will be chosen at the New
York convention September IT. The gem
eral convention never has exerted it's
right to vote such choices. however.
New York clergymen and laymen who
will attend the general convention as
official delegates are The Rt. Rev.
DR.. Charles s. Burch. Suffragan Bishop
Of New York and now acting Bishop;
the Ri Rev DR.. Frederick Burgess. the
Rev. Drs. Charles L. Slattery, Ernest M.
Stires, william T. Manning and E. c.
Chorley, and Edmund L BaSlies
Stephen Baker. Judge Vernon NJ. Davis
and George Zabriskie. Among those
who will act as alternates are: Rev.
Drs Herbert Shipman. Theodore Sedge-
wick, Harry P. Nichols and William NJ
Gilbert, Stuyvesant Fish. j. Roosevelt
Roosevelt and ]. Mayhem Wainwright,