New-York tribune., 1919-08-24
The New Prayer Book
To the Editor % The rrIbune,

Sir: Those Of us who are associated with
or interested In the Protestant Episcopal
Church are deeply indebted to The Tribune
for the interesting and we'll Informed arti-
cles on that church which have beer re-
Gently printed The last article on changes
in the Book Of Common Prayer Is an admir-
able analysis of the proposed changess The
writer, however, Is mistaken when he says
that there Is q short Office of None, Prime
and Sext," which he eharacterizes as "a re-
turn to monastic praetice." II is true that
in the appendix to the proposed book there
Is a short Office Of prayer, but It bears no
resemblance whatever to the monastic off,
ces which the writer Of Che article had In
mind,
AS clear statement Of the changes the
article is highly commendable, but tire de-
ductions drawn from the facts are 80 far
from the truth that they cannot be passed
without challenge. The writer asserts that
Revolutionary changes In the sanctioned
use Of the Episcopal Church are provided"
and predicts that they will meet with bitter
opposition at the Forthcoming general con-
vention. He Is wrongly Informed. Bishops
of the Church have always had the right to
authorize prayers and services not found In
the Prayer Book, and II Is safe to say that
most of the additions now proposed are
such as have boen In common use In many
parishes and they have been SO used under
Episcopal authority. To Il remarkable do
gree this new book represents the mind Of
the whole Church. The writer calls the
addition Of prayer for the dead "a radical
change" and predicts that 1t will arouso
bitter controversy from the evangelical OLE
ment Tho truth Is that prayers for the
dead have been In common uss by all
schools Of thought in the Church. No one
could possibly class tho late Bishop Greer
as high churchmhn, yet heard him recte
over the body Of Doan Grosvcnor, In the
Cathedral Of st. John the Divine, q prayer
for tho departed infinitely moro direct than
any provided in this proposed book
Then, too, intinction Is no new thing in
the Episcopal Church. Under the express
authority of tho late Bishop Doane Of Al
bany, it has been practised in the church at
Saranac Lake for years past, as we'll as In
other parishes attended by those afflicted
with tuberculosis. The suggestion that the
compilers Of this book were Influenced to
include intinction because it is the custom
IN the Orthodox Church Is as foolish as is
the other suggestion that it is the begin
ming of movement to withhold the cup
from the laity. 1t is simply an optional per-
mission to meet the special cases of COM
municable disease. Equally groundless is
the writer's suggestion that the Sundays
after Trinity have been changed to Sundays
after Pentecost because such is the case in
the Roman Catholic Church. The change is
suggested simply because the Church of
God WAS born on the day Of Pentecost
The casual reader would gather from
reading this article that the Episcopal
Church was embarking deliberate at
tempt to approximate its Aturgy to that OF
the Romanists. The compilers Of this pro
posed book have had no such thought
Prayers and hymns, from whatever source,
are the common heritage Of Christian folk
and wherever the compilers have found
prayer q service which has demonstrated
its helpfulness it has been adopted.
L. CLOVES CHORLEY
Chairman of Executive Committee of the
Joint Commission of the Protestant
Episcopal Church on Press and Pub
licity.
St. Philips Church in the Highlands,
Garrison, N. Y, Aug. 20, 1919.