The New York herald., 1920-01-13
BISHOP bURCH TO
PUT DR.. GRANT TO
TEST OF LOYALTY
Begins Inquiry Into Activities
of Forum at Church of
the Ascension.

The Right Rev. Charles Sumner Burch
Bishop Of the Episcopal Diocese or New
York, announced yesterday that he had
started an investigation into the alleged
radical activities of the Rev. DR.. Percy
Stickney Grant, rector Of the Church g
tho Ascension, at Fifth avenue and Tenth
street. The complaint against DIR. Grant
is that he has allowed the open forum of
the church to be used as the means of ex-
pressing radical utterances.
The matter has been brought TO head
as was indicated in the HERALD yesterday.
by sermon recently preached by DR..
Grant in which he likened the deported
Russian reds" to the Pilgrim fathers.
The sermon has aroused widespread criti-
cism, but DR.. Grant has stood by his
guns. In statement at the open forum
Sunday night he said -
Il still reiterate that the deportation of
aliens because of their political beliefs
is in violation of the spirit of our institu-
tions. BY that / don't want to be mis-
understood. II any Of them commit crime,
then by all means let them be punished
That, in my opinion, is the proper way TO
handle the situation, and not deportation"
The vestrymen of DR.. Grants church
have been conducting an investigation. but
from what could be learned none Of them
is in favor of closing the open forum or
seeking to censor the rector's sermons.
Meanwhile Bishop Burch indicated that
the test which he would apply in the
case was that of loyalty. He said that
II was simply a question of whether or
not DR.. Grant was q loyal American.
At the same time, the Bishop indicated
that he strongly dissented from the views
expressed by Dr. Grant on the campaign
against the reds" He even went so
far as to say that some of Dr. Grants
utterances were unworthy of n minister
OF our Church"
Bishop Burch made it plain that no
charges had been preferred against DR..
Grant. The inference was drawn that II
DR.. Grant was able to stand the loyalty
test, the matter would be dropped.
While the Bishop disclaimed any in
tention of attempting to censor Dr. Grants
utterances, he expressed the opinion that
IL was not right to use the church for the
open forum. 1t would be better, he said.
If the parish house were used. The open
forum of DR.. Grants church, incidentally,
was moved from the parish house to the
church because the parish house could not
accommodate the crowds which attended
Bishop Burch sa<d:-
"Dr. Grant must be loyal. He is. gener-
ally speaking, at liberty to preach what
he likes, so long as it meets the approval
of his Church. but he certainly must not
preach anything which is subversive OF
law and order.
'If the situation calls for it. he may
be brought to trial on the presentation
of formal charges by the vestry of the
church. 1t would then become my duty
| to appoint a commission to act on the
case, but we hope TO effect a settlement
without that
Personally. believe absolutely in the
deportation OF alien anarchists. II has
come to my attention that Mr.. Grant
has been using the church proper for
his forum meetings. Under the Church
canons If he uses the church itself. the
laymen who speak there must have the
approval OF the Bishop, and he has had
people speaking there, radicals among
them, without first obtaining the ap-
proval of the Bishop"
George Gordon Battle, a warden OF
the church, has been authorized to
speak in behalf of the vestrymen. He
said that no action had been taken
except in informal conferences. He
declared that there was no sentiment
among the vestrymen to ask for the
resignation of DR.. Grant
Other vestrymen expressed surprise
when informed of the action of Bishop
Burch in calling on them for an investi-
cation of DR.. Grants activities. Some
said that many of DR.. Grants remarks
on the subject of the "reds" were the
result OF unreliable information fur
nished TO him by radical friends