Evening journal., 1919-10-09
EPISCOPALIANS Go
into open SESSION
Convention by Overwhelm-
ing Vote Changes Rule In
Effect Since 1884
LABOR IS TOPIC
OF BISHOPS SERMON

DETROIT, Oct. 9.-By an Overwhelm-
Ing majority the House Of Bishops OF
.he Protestant Episcopal Church voted
Yesterday 10 hold open session at the
opening session Of the fOrty-siNth tri-
snnial general convention in the parish
louse Of 81. Paul's Cathedral. Since
he first general convention IN 1854 the
House OF Bishops has met IN secret
session, and every attempt 10 chdnge
the rule has been defeated.
For twenty years the advocates Of
open sessions have been growing more
persistent in their efforts. and lt the
general convention in 1916 they lost by
Jnly one vote.
Suspeudlng canonical rules, the house
IF deputies unanimously voted 10 ap-
prove the election OF the Nt Rev.
charles Summer Burch as a bishop OF
the diocese Of New York. A memorial
asking such action was presented on
,ehalf Of the diocese by Dr. William ID.
Manning Of New York. 70 is expected
.hat the house Of bishpos will concur.
The RI. Rev Thomas +. Cairo,
bishop Of Tennessee, who was presid-
ing over the convention, took the floor
10 speak in behalf Of open sessions and
made the motion 10 change the rule.
The Rt Rev. William Lawrence.
bishop Of Eastern Massachusetts; the
Rev. Charles Henry Brent. bishop Of
Western New York, and the RI. Rev.
Charles u. Williams, bishop OF Michi-
gan. Ted the flght for open sessions. The
method Of conducting the open meet
ft~l sasna 1nff "a "a committee
The. house OF bishops organized by
aleciing Bishop Gailor chairman. The
house Of deputies elected the Rev. Alex
ander Mann. Of Boston, chairman, and
the Rev. Dr. George p. Nelson, Of New
York. secretary. The house Of deputies
adopted resolutions sympathiZing with
President Wilson i'm his illness.
several bishops who were consecrated
during the triennium were formally
presented 10 the house. The oriental
bishops were presented by tie RI. Rev
James Henry Darlington, bishop OF lIar-
rsburg, and welcomed by the chair
man. Archbishop platon responded for
the visitors.
Two Canadian bishops, Bishop
Slringer. Of Yukon. and Bishop Roper,
of Ottawa. We're presented.
I'm an address that stirred 1900
churchmen at the opening service In
Arcadia Hall in the morning. Bishop
Brent. chaplain general Of the Ameri-
can EXpeditionary Forces i'm FRANCE,
declared one Of the great problems Of
the great moment in history" is the
industrial problem. that the 'red
menace" must be- avoided, and the
church. If it is TO retain its leadership,
must discover where the blame lies
and insist on obedience 10 the principles
or Justice and honor and freedom,
which are not abstract ideas, but
practical forces
"No decent man cares TO pretend that
the existing industrial situation is salts
factory" Bishop Brent said.
When the bishop asserted that l for
my part cannot see why a conference
should ever be refused. The greater our
conviction we are right. the greater is
our readiness TO submit our case to
and test that challenges IT," some Of
the churchmen whispered: Hes hit
ting Gary
Bishop Brent said that whereas the
church was once like the pillar Of fire
that leads mankind. 10 is now more Of
AN ambulance, following on behind and
picking up the wounded
we rest under the imputatiOn that
We are a class church, that our sympa-
thics run with capital rather than with