Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-01-26
BISHOP URGES
MORE CARE IN
F|RNAT|ON
Opening ConvocatiOn, He
Suggests 12-Year Age
Limit And Examination
BIG ATTENDANCE
36th Annual. Session Sets
New Record in Interest
: Claim OF Veterans

Declared by veterans in the service
to have been the record of all the con-
vocations held by the Episcopal clergy
since the first one was convened Sc
years ago, the gathering meeting at
st. Stephens church here yesterday
came to its high point in the annual
address Of Bishop Walter Mitchell.
The address carried its usual mesSsg ge
from every department of the Episcopal
activities in Arizona and the recon-
mendations of the bishop in the sew
eral divisions of the work. It came at
the opening session yesterday morn
ing and was listened to by an audience
that included not only the delegates,
but many members of the parish and
others. of Douglas interested in the
work Of the church.
Outstanding features of the message
of Bishop Mitchell appear in the con-
densed report of his speech later, but
among them will be found his positive
and unequivocal comment directed at
the situation of law violation by the
illicit drinkers of the country his
statements concerning divorce and his
recommendation on the point of who
should be confirmed. In the latter nc
lays rather positive stress on the
need for knowing that the applicant
for confirmation knows the meaning
and Importance of the step being taken
and he suggests an examination on
those points as well as an age limit.
The bishop makes an interesting
reference to the fact that confirma-
tions have fallen off Slightly but, he
does not despair of that fact. That
spurs him to more jealous attack
and an appeal to his clergy to strive
with greater vigor in the field. He
calls attention to the fact that it has
been the experience of the Episcopal
church that based upon percentage,
there probably has been a
greater loss to the Christian Science
faith from his church than from any
other and later in his message he dis
cusses the matter of healing and says
that it may offer some hint of the rea-
son for that fact,
Changes in work by members of the
clergy, additions from outside the dis
trict, and other factors of interest to
the membership are treated. He says
that of the two ways of adding to the
field force-from the college and from
the ranks of veterans in the service
he has aligned himself with the latter
view believing that there is less dan
ger of mistakes that way
The oOnyocation was organized I'M
mediately after the bishops address
and the result of the organization is
told later on. The bishop said in part:
"The year 1927 has been a very busy
one for all of us, and with one eXcep-
tion, the progress made along all the
lines of our work has been most salts
factory. There has been commend
able response from our people gener-
ally to all the calls for time, service
and money which have been made
upon them. Or, to state it more ac-
curately, our people generally have, on
the whole, seized the chances which
have come to them to make their lives
count with regard to the things which
make life worth living.
"The thing about which I am most
thankful, as am sure you must be
also, is the number and the quality OF
the clergymen who have come to the
district during the year to be added to
the fine men we have already. In the
matter of securing missionaries have
carried over into my present position
plan which stood the test of many
years use as the headmaster of a
church boarding school. It seems tc
be the policy in most missionary dis
tricts to secure young men just out OF
! the seninarieS. These young men
should be given opportunity to serve
of course, but my feeling is that
should prefer them to practice upor
1 others than the congregations in Ari-
IONA. We have adopted the Other
plan; namely, of securing seasoned
| veterans who have already made the
| mistakes incident to inexperience ant
bring to the work a wealth of lift
piled up during many years already
spent in maintaining and advancing
the kingdom. -Four such men have
Continued on Page Eight)