New-York tribune., 1920-01-30
Grants Vestry
Fails to Ban
Church Forum
Ascension Officials, After
Three Hours Discussion.
Name Committee to Call
Again Upon Bishop Burch
Moffett Defends Pastor
1--WE Are Prussianizing the
u. ST." He Writes; Sunday
Nights Lecture Cancelled

The vestry Of the Church Of the As
cension, of which the Rev. DR.. Percy
Stlckney Grant is pastor, failed yester-
day afternoon to decide the fate of the
Church Forum, recent utterances at
which brought about considerable COM
ment and a long letter from Bishop
. Charles S. Burch Of the Episcopal
Church.
The session lasted three hours.
After hearing long letter from Cleve-
land Moffett to Dr.. Grant urging that
the vestry support the rector in his
brave efforts to maintain this church
as progressive and enlightening force
for the betterment of the American
people," the vestry decided to confer
egain with Bishop Burch
To Confer With Bishop
committee Of three, consisting of
George Gordon Battle, one of the war
dens. and Vestrymen Harold A. Con-
tent and J. W. Cunningham, was ap-
pointed to confer with the Bishop at
the earliest possible moment and re-
PoIt odck 10 lne VcSJry as whole on
Saturday morning
Ten members of the vestry were
present when this decision was made.
None of them would discuss the meet
ing, but MIR. Content, when asked what
he thought of Mr.. Moffett's letter, said
it was very good English" DR.. Grant
was reported improved and was up and
about for an hour yesterday.
The vestry's action followed close
upon the cancellation of next Sunday
nights forum address by Francis II.
Sisson, vice president of the Guaranty
Trust Company, who was to have
spoken on "Financial and Industrial
Problems in Europe" Mr. Battle ex-
planned that the engagement had been
cancelled by Mr. Sisson because the lat
ter feared he would not be able to be
in the city to keep the engagement. At
the home of Mr.. Sisson it was stated
last night that Mr. Sisson expected to
return to the city on Saturday, The
church sexton, when asked if Mr.. Sis
son or the church had Cancelled the
engagement, declared that Mr. Sisson
must have done SO. because the forum
had not.
Mr.. Moffett's letter. which was adj
dressed to DR.. Grant to be read to the
meeting. besides urging support of the
pastor, declared that America is becom-
ing Prussianized.
1t said in part:
81 feel that I may without impro-
pricty lay my views on the forum
question before the vestrv of the
Church of the Ascension, inasmuch as
was elected vestryman several
years ago, as you remember, and only
decided not to serve because | was
out of sympathy with certain anti
quated ecclesiastical traditions like
the one cited by Bishop Burch in his
ruling against the use Of an Episcopal
church as public forum. The Bishops
church, being consecrated building.
may not be used for public lectures
and discussions, no matter how helpful
these might be, lest there result some
injury to its sacredness.
"The Bishop says hold your forum
meetings in the parish house, have no
objection to that but the parish house
is much too small for the increasing
needs of the forum. Besides a large
majority of the parshioners prefer
to have the forum meetings held in the
church proper, which, after all. they
consider their church, since it is sup
ported by them. In these days of wav-
ering creeds and failing dogmas, one
thing that many Of US hold to strongly
in our churches is the principle of
sci. DETERMINATIONS.
Would Give Movies in Church
81 am not lacking in reverence for
sacred things, ] am as far as possible
from being irreligious; but | fail to
sec what harm there is in using our
churches as popular gathering places
for lectures, discussions, evening
classes, concerts. motion picture enter
tainments and othcr forms of com
munity service at such times as these
churches are not needed for rcligl lous
purposes. And that is about hall the
time.
"l maintain that good works. where
soever done. carry with them their own
conservation, and ! fail 20 see that We
are serving God by leaving His sane
tuaries in a state OF idleness, empti-
ness and usclcssness for d large part
of the week Bow can the sacredncss
of building he increased by keeping
4 it closed and silent most Of the time ?
should think church's sacredness IS
would rather be lcssencd by such
frowning aloofncss from the peoples
pressing and legitimate needs.
"Whilc we were at war / favored
the suppression of seditous uttcrances,
but the war is over now. Those Amcri-
cans who have or think they have
grievances against the existing order
should be allowed to speak them forth
so that these grievances may be re-
licved if real. or explained away if
not real.
Limiting Free Speech
alas. we are limiting free speech
more and more in this free land, in
our streets, our institutions or learn
Ing, our legislative halls, our news
papers, and now in our churches
I'VE are Prussianizing America,
Let us beware lest we clamp down
these safety valves Of public feeling
so hard that the final result Will be
disaster.
81 appeal to the vcstry OF the Church
of the Ascension 20 support the rector
IN his brave efforts to maintain this
church as a progressive and enlightcn-
ing force for the bettcrrncnt Of the
American people"
Girl Has Sleeping Sickness