638 



PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



subject of missions ; speaks of the death of 

 Bishops Kemper and Chase ; refers generally 

 to the convention and its work; recalls the 

 declaration upon the service for the Baptism 

 of Infants, saying that it was made to remove 

 false impressions concerning the teachings of 

 the Church as respects spiritual religion and 

 personal piety, adding some words upon the 

 true signification of the Sacrament, the respon- 

 sibility under the covenant thereof, and the 

 requisite holy life ; refers to the popular out- 

 cries against ritual forms, pronouncing ritual- 

 ism merely an aesthetic question as long as 

 pure doctrine is held, and urging the avoidance 

 of error, and the manifestation of due rever- 

 ence in the Eucharist; reprobates all tendency 

 to auricular confession, worship of the saints, 

 departures from the liturgy, and irreverence 

 and lawlessness ; and concludes with godly 

 counsel and advice, the blessing of grace, 

 mercy, and peace. The measures of the House 

 of Bishops, requiring to their perfecting the 

 assent of the House of Clerical and Lay Depu- 

 ties, will be found below in the list of com- 

 pleted acts of the convention. 



After the adjournment of the convention, 

 the next day, the bishops held an informal 

 meeting, determined to carry out the views of 

 the Lower House as expressed in the resolu- 

 tion upon u ritual uniformity " adopted by 

 the convention. They further took counsel 

 among themselves in regard to other matters 

 touching their future action as bishops. Their 

 proceedings were not reported; what was 

 done can only be informally gathered either 

 from the utterance in the pulpit of some one 

 of the bishops, or as it accidentally transpired. 

 The meeting was informal ; its proceedings do 

 not demand that they should be recorded. 



Upon the withdrawal of the bishops, as 

 above stated, the clerical and lay deputies pro- 

 ceeded to organize their separate House as 

 required by the constitution of the Church. 

 The Rev. James Craik, D. D., of the Diocese 

 of Kentucky, was unanimously elected presi- 

 dent, and the Rev. William Stevens Perry, D. 

 D., of the Diocese of Western New York, was 

 chosen secretary. A message was then sent 

 to the House of Bishops, advising that body 

 of the fact that the Lower House had so or- 

 ganized and was ready to proceed to business. 

 Thirty-nine dioceses, the whole number of 

 dioceses in the Church, were represented. 

 Early in the session the Missionary District of 

 Arkansas, in charge of Bishop Pierce, was ad- 

 mitted to union with the convention as a dio- 

 cese, thus swelling the number of dioceses to 

 forty. As each diocese is allowed four cleri- 

 cal and four lay deputies, the members en- 

 titled to seats reached three hundred and 

 twenty. A very large majority of gentlemen 

 of both orders were present. 



The following standing committees were 

 appointed by the president, viz. : On the State 

 of the Church; on the General Theological 

 Seminary ; on the Domestic and Foreign Mis- 



sionary Society; on the Admission of New 

 Dioceses ; on the Consecration of Bishops ; on 

 Canons; on Unfinished Business ; on Elections; 

 on the Prayer Book ; on Christian Education ; 

 on Expenses. The president at the time de- 

 termined introduced to the House the foreign 

 clergy, visitors to the convention, to wit : The 

 Rt. Rev. George Augustus Selwyn, D. D., D. 

 C. L., Lord Bishop of Lichfield, England ; the 

 Rt. Rev. the Bishop of Nassau, D. D. ; the 

 Very Rev. the Dean of Chester, Dr. Howson ; 

 the Rev. W. Edwards, M. A., Vicar of Trent- 

 ham ; the Rev. W. Bangham, M. A., Vicar of 

 Christ Church, Lichfield; the Rev. Messrs. 

 lies, of Wolverhampton, Illwyn, of Lichfield, 

 and Willetts, of W_est Berwick. The reverend 

 gentlemen respectively addressed the House in 

 the order of their presentation. Addresses to 

 the leading foreign visitors were subsequently 

 voted by the House. Memorial resolutions re- 

 garding the bishops and deputies who had died 

 since the meeting of the last convention were 

 unanimously passed, and tributes to the repu- 

 tation of the deceased brethren were paid by 

 many of the members. The testimonials of 

 the Rev. W. B. Howe, Assistant-Bishop elect of 

 the Diocese of South Carolina, were approved, 

 signed, and assent given to his consecration. 

 Resolutions were adopted, requesting English 

 clergy to give letters of commendation to Brit- 

 ish emigrants; ordering the constitutions of 

 the General Theological Seminary and of the 

 Board of Missions to be published with the 

 journal; directing the early journals to be 

 reprinted; denoting interest in the semi-cen- 

 tennial anniversary of the Board of Missions, 

 and urging the Church to go forward in her 

 mission- work, already so much prospered, but 

 yet demanding larger gifts, services, and sacri- 

 fices ; also recommending " the establishment 

 in every diocese, where practicable, of an in- 

 stitution for the training of Christian women 

 for the various works of mercy for which their 

 services are needed, that when qualified they 

 may be employed in missionary and other 

 Church work, under the direction of the bish- 

 op, and parochial or missionary clergy; such 

 women to be under rules and regulations ap- 

 proved and sanctioned by the bishop, with full 

 liberty to each to leave the institution when- 

 ever she shall think fit, but to those who per- 

 severe in the service undertaken to have the 

 assurance of support in sickness or advanced 

 age." Special prayers were offered to God in 

 behalf of the sufferers by the fire in Chicago, 

 and the secretary transmitted immediately 

 about $2,000 to be distributed without refer- 

 ence to race or faith. Some other resolutions 

 of a formal nature, touching matters incident 

 to the House in its separate capacity, which it 

 is not necessary to note, were also passed. 



List of measures approved by both Houses 

 and rendered operative : 



1. Amendment to "Article V. of the con- 

 stitution, On the Admission of New Dioceses,' 

 reducing the number of parishes and of canoni- 



