Evening star., 1925-07-04
WOULD BAR E'OBEY
IN WEDDING RITE
Prayer Book ReviSerS Also
Would Shorten Ten
Commandments.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
NEW YORK, July 4.-Removal of
"obey" from the marriage service. a
shortened form of the Ten Command
ments, elimination of the rubric which
forbids the use of the burial service
over suicides and omission from the
Good Friday prayer invoking mercy
all reference to Jews, Turks and in
fidels, are recommendations contained
in the fourth report of the commission
on prayer book revision of the Epis-
copal Church. Approval of the recon-
mendations will be asked by the tri-
ennial general convention to be held
at New Orleans next October
One of the inspiring causes for the
revision of the Book of Common Pray
er. said Right Rev. Charles Lewis Slat-
terry, bishop coadjutor of Massachu-
setts and chairman of the revision
commission, as a purpose to put the
Episcopal Church in touch with pres
ent-day life.
Rights Thought Equal
I'VE are coming to look upon the
rights of men and women as equal"
said Bishop Slattery, explaining the
dropping of obey from the marriage
service. The pledge of the man,
therefore, should be the same as the
pledge of the woman. The life which
is entered into in marriage is a life
of mutual consideration and obedi-
ence, and not submission of one to
the other on one side only" The
change is not lowering the marriage
vow, but rather raising 1t, he added.
The proposed change in the form of
the commandments is recommended
80 that the mind and heart will be
reached more directly by the short
ened form" 1t is pointed out that
the use of the longer or shorter form
will be optional with the clergy.
Service for Suicides.
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 whether
a person who commits suicide is re-
sponsible for his act In many cases
we feel sure that the person is not
responsible for his act, and that the
act is part of a serious mental dis
ease. hard and fast rule which
bars all such persons from the privi-
lege of the burial rite, adding grief
TO the sorrow Of the surviving rela-
tlves, seems not true to the spirit of
Christ
hC NIOOu collect, WnlCh In
vokes mercy on all Jews, Turks, in
fidels 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 revealed
in the gospel of Thy Son." etc.
Memorial Prayer Added.
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 implicitly a petition of this
sort. In 1915, however, with the
World War waging and Worldwide
prayers being offered for those who
were falling in battle, a new prayer
''for Memorial days" was agreed upon
after 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 pro-
visions of the church constitution in
1919, whereby the principle of prayers
for the departed was recognized. 1t
is now used on memorial days. At
the convention of 1922 this prayer
was slightly revised, and in it's new
form will be finally voted on at the
New Orleans convention.