Seward daily gateway., 1925-07-10
MANY EXAMINATIONS PRAYER BOOK COMES
 BEFORE CONVENTION

NEW YORK. July 10. (P)-Remov al of "obey" from the marriage ser vice; a shortened form of the Ter Commandments; elimination of the rubric, which forbids the use of the burial service over suicides, and omission from the Good Friday pray CT invoking mercy, all reference tc Jews, Turks and infidels are recon mendatlons contained in the fourth report of the commission on prayer book revision of the Episcopal Church. Approval of the recommen dations will be asked by the Trien- nial General Convention to be held at New Orleans next October.
 One of the inspiring causes for the revision of the Book of Common Prayer, said Rt. Rev. Charles Lewis Slattery, coadjutor bishop of Massa- chusetts and chairman of the revis- ion commission, is a purpose to put the Episcopal Church in touch with present day life.
 We are coming to look upon the rights of men and women as equal" said Bishop Slattery explaining the dropping of "obey" from the marri- age service. "The pledge of the man, therefore, should be the same as the pledge of the woman. The life which is entered into in marri- age is a life of mutual considerati ton and obedience, and not submission of one to the other on one side only" The change is not lowering the mar riage VOW, but rather raising it, he added
 The proposed change in the form of the commandments is recommend ed ESQ that the mind and heart will be reached more directly by the shortened form" It is pointed out that the use of the longer or shorter form will be optional with the cler- gy
 Regarding the burial service for suicides Bishop Slattery said: The burial office has been given more of Christian hope and confidence There is difficulty in deciding wheth- CT person who commits suicide is responsible for his act In many cases we feel sure that the person is not responsible for for his act, and that the act is part of a serious mental disease. A hard and fast rule which bars all such persons from the privilege of the burial rite, adding grief to the sorrow of the surviving relatives, seems not true to the spirit of Christi
 The Good Friday collect which in- vokes mercy on all Jews, Turks, infidels and heretics," and which has given offense to the Jews, will read, if the convention gives it's final ap- proval, "have mercy upon all who know Thee not as Thou art reveal ed in the Gospel of Thy son." etc.
 Another revision of the prayer book to which significance attaches is that prayers for the departed are provided for in the revised burial service.
 Prior to 1916 there was in the prayer book no prayer for the de- parted, although many regarded the latter portion of the prayer of the church militant in the communion office as impliedly a petition of this sort. In 1916, however, with the World War waging and worldwide prayers being offered for those who were falling in battle, new prayer For Memorial Days" was agreed upon alter an impressive debate by the general convention meeting in St. Louis. This prayer, the use of which was made merely permissive, was ratified in accordance with the provisions of the church constitu- tion in 1919, whereby the principle of prayers for the departed was recog- nlzed. It is now used on memorial days. At the convention of 1922 this prayer was slightly revised, and ln its new form will be finally voted on at the New Orleans convention.