New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
The Storm, Is Bre,cii,,g

The Bishop spoke of the letters and
clippings that have reached him, but
IN his seclusion at Birchmere he little
realizes the storm that is brewing His
letter already is the chief topic of con-
troversy as the day of the general con-
ventlon approaches. 1t overshadows
even the expected pronouncement of a
social programme for the Episcopal
Church. 1t interrupts even the in
formal ballotins for the bishopric OF
New York, which hitherto engaged the
attention of the whole Church. Be-
fore it even the proposed concordat
with the Congregationalists pales, and
discussions of Church unity have been
halted
His letter strikes right at the heart
Of the Episcopal Church position.
The Living Church, organ of the
High Church party in the Episcopal
Church, had a stop-press editorial,
with a promise of exhaustive treat
ment later. THE Churchman," or
gan of the Low Church party, prints
the letter of resignation without COM
ment, under the heading Bishop Kins-
mans Apologize" Whether The
Churchman" would have an editorial
on the subject "had not been decided
yet" when inquiry was made.
"The Living Church" said: "The res
ignation of Bishop Kinsman must nee
essarily fill US and great numbers Of
others with pain, and no doubt has
brought pain to him. We defer for
the moment any examination of his
new intellectual position, as therein
avowed, though duty demands that
careful examination Of it be made,
and we shall recur to it in the near
future. For the present our sense Of
bereavement in his retirement from
the communion Of the American
Church, our sorrow for the step which
he deems 1t right to take, our feeling
of sympathy for him in intellectual
distress, overshadow our sense of the
nconclusiveness of the reasons he has
given. Strange is the human mind in
its workings. If Bishop Kinsman's
duty rightly calls him out of the com
munion of the Episcopal Church, it
should call also all who hold to the
catholicity of the Church; and if it
does not rightly call those others, it
cannot rightly call him He has de-
cided one way, alone; thousands have
faced the same problem and decided
it the other way
$50 now we record our sadness at
his determination. In suitable time
we shall discuss his reasons, not for
the sake Of arguing with him, who has
decided for himself, but so that we
may show why like decision must be
rejected by the rest of u.s.
In the judgment of most of the
clergy there is no refuge for Bishop
Kinsman save in the Roman Catholic
communion. His mental processes are
declared to be very much like those Of
John Henry Newman, and there is
great deal of similarity in the written
conclusions.
Must Seek Ordination
Because the Roman Catholic Church
holds that Anglican orders are in
valid, having mo special theory at
tached," it would be necessary for the
Bishop, as plain Mr.. Kinsman, to ap-
ply for ordination as would any candi-
date for the Roman priesthood.
For many years he has been recoc-
nized as an authority or ecclesiastical
history. Now that he ras subscribed
to the Roman Catholic theory-for mis-
disavowal of his own orders is tanta
mount to that-it is likely that ne
would be accepted as a teacher in
Roman Catholic institution, pending
his ordination to the priesthood. De-