Evening star., 1949-10-05
Episcopal Conventio
Will Act Today on
5a-Mi||ion Budget
By Cospor Names
Stor Stoff Correspondent;

By Cospor Nonnes
Star Stoff Correspondent;
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 5.-The
56th general convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Church will
take action today on a record
breaking budget of $5,552,095 for
1850.
The budget, largest in the his
tory of the church. is $1,902,095
more than the 1949 figure. This
increase is occasioned by the
greatly expanded program OF the
church contemplated for the COM
ing year.
Chief increase in both program
and money for the program will
be in the Department of Christian
Education. which seeks to raise
it's appropriation S2l7.l4S to a
total $341,500 Earlier in the
meeting the Right Rev. Angus
Dun, Bishop of Washington and
Department of Christian Educa-
ton Chairman, urged that tll.5
sum be granted to meet the needs
of the church as missions, do
mestic and foreign, and Christian
social relations are essentials for
Christian education"
Other Proposed Increases.
Other major increases proposed
include the overseas department,
missionary work, $420,985 to bring
the appropriation to $2.l09,859;
home department, missionary
work. $233,000 to bring total to
$1,052,659, and department OF
promotion. sl15,400 to bring sum
to $306, ,925.
The House of Bishops yesterday
issued a statement on communism
declaring "the real war today is
between two groups Of nations
based on opposite system" that is
mot only a diplomatic war" but
also IAN economic, political and
religious war, involving not only
what to do as voters and how
they earn their livings but also
how they believe and in what they
believe"
consequently, it is war with
In each nation as well as between
And, therefore, we must
be eternally vigilant within our
own Nation lest we be more
than the totalitarians
in our defense of what we prize
SO greatly in the name of free
DOM"
What was expected to be cy-
clone of debate turned out to be
a mild zephyr yesterday when the
House of Deputies turned down
proposals to change its canon on
the dissolution of the pastoral re-
lationship. Introduced by those
deputies favoring review by the
convention of the ousting of DR..
John Harvard Melish as rector Of
Holy Trinity Church. Brooklyn,
the deputies without debate voted
to discharge the committee from
further consideration of the mat
ter.
DR.. Melish, rector for As years
at Holy Trinity, was removed ear
lier this year by the Right Rev.
James P. De Wolfe, Bishop of
Long Island, because he refused to
dismiss his son, the Rev. William
Howard Melish, as assistant rec
tor. The church vestry had asked
for the younger Mr.. Melish's re-
moyal. He had taken part in Or
ganizing the National Council Of
Soviet Friendship. which
was subsequently
listed by the then Attorney Gen.
eral Clark as subversive.
Opposition to the use of public
funds for sectarian education was
voted yesterday by the general
convention. Declaring in the pre-
amble to a resolution on the issue
that "every religious group has
the right to establish sectarian
schools" the motion asserts they
should draw their full support
from private sources or from the
church."
I'VE stand unalterably against
the use of Federal or State funds
for the support of private.
parochial or sectarian schools. :"
the resolution said. emphasizing
that it fully indorses the prin-
ciple that sectarian schools be
supported in full from private
sources or from a church"
Amnesty for Directors Urged.
President Truman was urged to
grant amnesty to conscientious
objectors still in prison who for
conscience sake refuse to bear
arms but also are willing to make
equivalent sacrifices for their
country's sake"
The Very Rev. John w. Suter.
dean of Washington Cathedral,
told the House of Deputies yester-
day the Cathedral now has in
hand legacies and funds which it
hopes to use to enlarge greatly its
library.
It was learned that legacies
amounting to approximately
$700 900, including cash of $115.-
600, are now beng held at the
Cathedral. The eventual hope, a
spokesman said. is to build a Ii
brary able to house not only the
Cathedral's growing collections
(now about $4,000 volumes> but
also the library of the churchs
historical society.
Nancy Cakes Marriage
- AZ ll