Evening star., 1934-10-12
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
LIBERALS TRIUMPH.
House of Bishops Decides
to Admit Married Women
as DeaConesSeS.
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.


reaching importance yesterday came
before the fifty-f1rst triennial general
convention of the Protestant Episcopal
Church as both the House of Bishops
and the House of Deputies entered
upon serious consideration of the OBJ
jectives of their gathering here.
The range of interest manifested
included war and peace, traffic in
munitions, motion picture censorship,
the condition of colored labor, the
status of deaconeSSeS in the church,
the relation of the church to the Army
and Navy, the unemployed clergy and
many other issues.
Most important, perhaps, was the
decision of the House of Bishops that
married women may be deaconesSes.
A hot debate between Right Rev. Will
liam T. Manning, Bishop of New
York, and Right Rev. Edward Lambe
Parsons, Bishop of California, ended
in victory for the latter; and the
verdict of the House was hailed as
a triumph for the liberal wing The
question, however, has yet to come
before the House of Deputies.
Would Stabilize Easter Date.
Bishop Manning also was RESPONSE
BILE for resolution offered in his divi-
sion of the convention for the Stabili-
cation of Easter on April in a re-
formed calendar already indorsed by
other religious bodies. No final action
was taken, but it is expected that the
matter will be dealth with before
adjournment
A petition addressed to the bishops
by DR.. William Montgomery Brown,
asking reinstatement, was rejected
1t was decided to elect a suffragan
bishop for Shanghai, China, and a
diocesan bishop of Mexican birth for
Mexico.
By an overwhelming vote a pro-
posal to permit the removal of
bishop from one diocese to another
was defeated, following a prolonged
debate, in which Bishop Manning,
Bishop Parsons, Right Rev. H. P.
Almon, Bishop of Lexington; Right
Rev. George William Davenport,
Bishop of Easton; Right Rev. Thomas
F. Gailor, Bishop of Tennessee: Right
Rev. Irving P. johnson, Bishop of
Colorado; Right Rev. Frank A. Nc
Elwain, Bishop of Minnesota, and
others participated.
World Court Favored
A resolution favoring the World
Court, offered by Right Rev. Chaun-
cey B. Brewster, retired, was adopted.
The House of Bishops received re-
ports from the Army and Navy Com
mission, submitted by Right Rev.
James E. Freeman, Bishop of Wash
lngton, and from the Church Music
Commission, submitted by Right Rev.
Wilson R. Stearly, Bishop of Newark.
Right Rev. Robert E. L. Strider,
Coadjutor Bishop of West Virginia,
reported on the organization of the
new Laymen's League of the Episco-
pal Church and asked the indorse-
ment Of the convention on the So
ciety's plan of work. Eugene E.
Thompson of Washington, he an
nounced, has been elected president.
Funds from the estate of Mary r.
King, dedicated to aiding in the train
ing OF colored divinity students and
long administered by officers of the
diocese OF Washington soon may pass
to the control of the Foreign and
Domestic Missionary Society Of the
church as the result of a vote by the
bishops on a commission report on
the discontinued work of the King
Theological Hall, once closely asso-
ciated with Howard University.
Peace Resolution Offered.
Right Rev. Hiram Richard Hulse.
Bishop OF Cuba, was congratulated by
Right Rev. James De Wolf Perry,
president bishop, on his escape from
death in the Moro Castle disaster.
In the House of Deputies Rev. Dr.
Elmore M. Mckee of Buffalo fathered
q resolution calling for the "fortifying
OF peace sentiment" and asking the
appointment of a commission ito
explore the field of mterchurch CO.
operation" in behalf of international
harmony, law and order.
Rev. DR.. Howard Chandler Robbins
OF New York offered a resolution in
behalf of legislation to protect the
spiritual integrity of conscientious
objectors to military service.
Rev. Philip j. Jensen of Owings
Mills, Nd, filed with the deputies an
appeal for social justice drawn up by
the Conference of Church Workers
L
pal Church, Baltimore.
Movie Censorship Urged.
A petition to President Roosevelt,
demanding the censorship of movies
before filming instead Of after, was
introduced by Rev. George Floyd
Rogers Of Western North Carolina, but
final action was deferred by the depu-
ties.
Rev. DR.. George F. Dudley of Wash
ington presented report on the de-
Velopment of better understand
ing" among Episcopalians, Lutherans.
MethodiSts and Presbyterians. Gen
eral agreement on basic principles, he
said, indicated progress toward unity.
Canon Al, dealing with marriage
and divorce, was discussed and many
resolutions were submitted for changes
in its text, but the whole subject
was referred to House of Deputies
committee.
A great corporate communion serv-
ice at o'clock yesterday morning in
the convention auditorium brought to-
gether 10000 women of the church
and was the occasion of the preSenta-
tion Of the united thank offering COL
lected by the Woman's Auxiliary and
affiliated bodies. Bishop Perry was
the celebrant; Right Rev. Logan H.
Roots, Bishop of Hankow, China, read
the epistle, and the Right Rev. Peter
T. Rowe, Bishop of Alaska, read the
gospel The offering, amounting to
$S07, ,747.87, was carried to the chancel
by 16 members of the Girls Friendly
Society.
DIR. Townsend Speaks.
The auxiliary in the afternoon
heard addresses on world problems by
DR.. Mary Evelyn Townsend of Colum-
bia University and Rev. DR.. Frank
Gavin, recently returned from the
World Conference on Faith and Order.
Last evening the entire convention
1oined in mass meeting, where Right
Rev. Frank Wilmington Creighton,