Evening star., 1928-10-10

President Lincoln and went to England
with the Catholic Archbishop Hughes,
Henry Ward Beecher. the noted Congre-
gationalist preacher. and Thurlow Weed
to persuade the English people not to
recognize the Confederacy. Bishop Polk
of Louisiana became a general in the
Confederate Army.
In 1861, the Southern dioceses fol-
lowed the secession of the Southern
States. But in 1862. at the General Con-
vention in New York. the roll began. as
always, with Alabama. The church fol-
lowed the example of the Nation in
recognizing no partition, although it
actually existed. The convention adopt
ed resolution Affirming the duty of
churchmen to sustain and defend the
country and praying for the restoration
Of the Union. In 1865 the roll was
called again anc North Carolina. Ten
nesese and Texas answered. The South
ern dioceSeS returned as the Southern
States came back into the Union. They
had been absent from only one conven-
ton.
After the war new causes of dissen-
sion arose. There were disputes regard
ing the sacrament of baptism-whether
1t wrought moral change in the sub
ject. In 1871 the bishops issued dec.
laration that no such meaning was n
tended by the wording of the ordf
There was another dispute over the rih
ual of communion. The high church.
men held a doctrine of the Eucharist
similar to that which was held in the
Middle Ages and desired to express 1t
by forms and ceremonies such as were
used in the Catholic mass. The low
churchmen held a strictly Protestant
view and strongly objected to such cere-
tof rraI ft1A
gies of the church until 1874, with IL
finally was decided adversely for the rit-
ualists.
The debates had, however, been con-
Quoted with increasing equanimity on
both sides, and high and low churchmen
since have maintained amicable rela-
tions. particularly in the past few years,
when the high church party has been
turning more and more to highly rit-
ualistic service. 1t is generally settled
that there is room for a great deal OF
liberty of opinion inside the church.
Darwin Theory Advanced.
The half century following the Civil
War was, however, a difficult era for
churchmen. 1t seemed at times that
the foundations of faith were falling.
Biology and sociology we're demanding
their turn in the deoate on the ancient
principles of the Christian church.
Carwin promulgated the doctrine of evo-
luton. 1t was difficult to reconcile this
with Genesis. Liberal cburchmen found
considerable difhculty in reconciling
their new beliefs to the doctrines of
the church. The way out. so far as
Episcopalians we're concerned, was found
in a new and more searching Biblical
criticism.
Meantime came the call for social
service-for a more practical applica-
ton of the spirit of Christianity among
the poor, ignorant and lowly. The
Episcopal Church was we'll in the fore
front of this social movement, and R
remained there ever since.
The intellectual aspects of the J
churchmanship were most notably req
resented in this country by Phillips
Brooks, the greatest preacher Of his
generation. Institutional churches
sprang up with athletic clubs, gym
nasiums and paid social workers. New
seminaries for the training of the clergy
were eStablished-Bekeley at Middle
town in 1850, the Philadelphia Divinity
School in 1862, the Episcopal Theo-
logical School at Cambridge in 1867.
the Western Theological Seminary at
Chicago in 1885, the Church Divinity
Missions were extended at home and
abroad Bishops. clergy and woman
helpers went to China, to Japan, to
Alaska and the Philippines. Mission
fields were established in Liberia and
South America. With the Nation
rapidly expanding in population and
wealth all churches faced an oppor-
tunity such as they had not known
before in their history, and the Episco-
pal Church took full advantage Of this
condition.
Cause for Service.
A splendid opportunity for church
service to humanity came with the en-
trance of the United States into the
World War Here also the Episcopal
Church played its full part, both
through its own organizations and
other organizations such as the Y. M.
G. A. Many of its clergymen served as
chaplains in the Army. and not a few
were killed at the front or died of
disease in the training camps.
There have been 48 general conven-
tions since the establishment of the
Episcopal Church in America meeting
as follows:
1884, preliminary meeting of Is cler-
gymen and IL laymen. New York; 1875,
1885. Philadelphia; 1889.
1892. New York: l795,
1899, Philadelphia (epi-
demic in 179S); 1901. Trenton: 1904.
New York; 1S0S Baltimore; 1911. New
Haven; 1914, Philadelphia; 1917. New
York: 1920. Philadelphia; 1928, Phila-
delphia; 1926, Philadelphia; 1929. Phil
adelphia 1882, New York 1885. Phila-
delphia; 1888, Philadelphia; 154l, New
York: 1914. Philadelphia; 1847, New
York; 1850, Cincinnati; 1853, New
York; 1886. Philadelphia; 1889, Rich
mond: 1862, New York 1865, Phila-
delphia; 1868. New York; 1871, Balti-
more; 1874, New York; 1877, Boston:
1880, New York: 1883, Philadelphia:
/ 886, Chicago: 1882 New York; 1892.
Baltimore: 1895, Minneapolis: 1898.
1901. San Francisco: 1904.
Boston; 1907. Richmond; 1910, Cincin-
natl; 1918, New York 1916. st. Louis;
1919, Detroit; 1922, Portland; 1925, New
Orleans.
The Anglican church now appar-
emily is in a period of rapid growth.
The 1920 cei -. shows a membership
of 1,859,086 compareN. % Sl,092.S21 in
1910. 1t is likely that 1t now has IHsre
than 2,Ut~0 900 members among the 54.-
100000 church members of all de-
in the United States.
Its clergy have been outspoken on the
great social and moral questions Of the
day, preserving in their attitudes a
oroadness and tolerance which has
aroused much favorable response. The
church has opened for itself new fields
Of lay education and social service. The
present convention is expected to prove
a milestone in its $50 years of history.