THE GENERAL CONVENTION OF 1901
First Services--Drake's Chaplain--Flavel Scott Mines--Bishop Kip--Growth
of the Church in California--The General Convention in San Francisco--A
Western Sermon--Personnel of the Convention--Distinguished
Names--Subjects Debated--Missions of the Church--Apportionment Plan--The
Woman's Auxiliary--The United Offering--Missionary Meeting in Mechanics'
Pavilion--College Reunions--Zealous Men--A Dramatic Scene--Closing
Service--Object Lesson--A Revelation to California--Examples of the
Church's Training--Mrs. Twing--John I. Thompson--Golden Gate of
Paradise.
As we turn away from Chinatown, with its Oriental customs and its
peculiar life and its religion, we naturally give ourselves up to
reflection on the mission and character of the Christian Church.
While we recognise the good that is done by "all who profess and call
themselves Christians," and thank God for every good work done in the
name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, we may more especially consider
the development of the Episcopal Church, pure and Apostolic in its
origin, on the Pacific coast. We must ever keep in mind the services
held in this region as far back as the year 1579, by Chaplain Francis
Fletcher, under Admiral Drake, when the old Prayer Book of the
Church of England was used on the shores of the Golden Gate, a fact
commemorated, as we have already noted in a previous chapter, by
the Prayer Book Cross erected by the late George W. Childs, of
Philadelphia, in Golden Gate Park. This was prophetic of bright days
to come. Time would roll on and bring its marvellous changes, but
the truth of God would remain the same, and the Church would still
flourish and the liturgy of our forefathers would hold its place in
the affections of the people of all ranks, as at this day. Drake and
Fletcher could hardly have realised, however, that the good seed which
they then sowed, though it might remain hidden from view for many
generations, would in time spring-up and yield a glorious harvest.
We are not unmindful, of course, of the labours and teachings of the
Franciscans among the California Indians; but when this order of
things passed away and the Anglo-Saxon succeeded the Spaniard and the
Mexican, it was but natural that the old Church which had made Great
Britain what it was and is, aye, and moulded our civilisation on
this continent, should seek a foothold in the beautiful lands by the
Pacific and on the slopes of the Sierras. Many of the Church's sons
were among the thousands who sought California in quest of gold, and
these Argonauts she would follow whithersoever they went. They must
not be left alone to wrestle with the temptations which would beset
them far away from home and the hallowing influences of sacred
institutions and religious services. Hence it is that we behold that
zealous missionary of the Church, the Rev. Flavel Scott Mines, going
forth to seek out Christ's sheep in San Francisco and elsewhere, and
to gather them into the fold of the Good Shepherd. His history is most
interesting and instructive. He was the son of Rev. John Mines, D.D.,
a Presbyterian clergyman of Virginia, and was born in Leesburg, Va.,
on the 31st of December, 1811. In 1830 he was graduated from Princeton
Theological Seminary, and soon after he became pastor of the Laight
Street Presbyterian Church, New York city, where he served with
distinction until he resigned his charge in 1841. In 1842 he took
orders in the Church, of which to the day of his death he was a loyal
son. Reasons for becoming a churchman and the motives which impelled
him are set forth in a striking and graphic manner in his monumental
book, "A Presbyterian Clergyman Looking For the Church," a work of
marked ability and of great utility. It had a large sale in his day,
and it is still sought after as a book of permanent value. It is a
strong plea for Apostolic Order and Liturgical Worship, and it is safe
to say that it has been instrumental in leading many an inquirer into
the "old paths" and the Faith as "once delivered to the Saints." The
Rev. Mr. Mines, after his ordination, became assistant minister in St.
George's Church, New York city, under Rev. Dr. James Milnor. From here
he went to the Danish West Indies and became Rector of St. Paul's
Parish, Fredericksted, St. Croix, about forty miles square and
embracing almost half of the island. Owing to failing health he
returned, after many arduous labours, to the United States, and became
Rector of St. Luke's Church, Rossville, Staten Island. He went finally
to San Francisco, where he preached for the first time on July 8th,
1849, in the midst of the gold excitement, and on July 22nd of this
same year, became the founder of Trinity Parish, where his honoured
name is still held in grateful remembrance, not merely by some of the
twenty-two original members, who still live, but by their children and
grandchildren. The first Trinity Church was located on the northeast
corner of Post and Powell Streets. It was a modest building, which, in
1867, gave place to an edifice, Gothic in design, costing $85,000. A
few years ago the present Trinity Church was erected on the northeast
corner of Bush and Gough Streets, with ample grounds for parish
buildings. This sacred edifice is one of the finest and largest
churches on the Pacific coast, and is a combination of Spanish and
Byzantine styles of architecture. It was designed by A. Paige Brown,
who was the architect of the California building at the Columbian
Exposition, in Chicago, and also of the new Bethesda Church, Saratoga
Springs, N.Y. I have thus dwelt with particularity on the Rev. Flavel
Scott Mines's life and work, because Trinity Parish is the mother of
all the other Parishes in California, and because here in this new
edifice, where there is a tablet to his memory, and where he is
buried, the General Convention was held in 1901, a council of the
Church which will ever be memorable. It is well also to rescue from
oblivion the memory of a man who laid the foundations of the Church in
California on the enduring principles of the ancient creeds. May we
not learn also from the facts of his life, which show how faithful and
accomplished he was, that the men who are to be heralds of the Cross
in new fields are to be the ablest and the best equipped that the
Church can furnish? Other early missionaries of the Church who may be
named here are the Rev. Dr. Ver Mehr, who arrived in San Francisco
in September, 1849, and in 1850 founded Grace Parish; and Rev. John
Morgan, who organised Christ Church Parish in 1853; and Rev. Dr.
Christopher B. Wyatt, who succeeded Mines in Trinity Church. There is
another also whose name is interwoven in the history of the Church's
mission in California. It is that of Right Rev. William Ingraham Kip,
D.D., LL.D., who was consecrated first Bishop of California, October
28, 1853. Few, if any, of his day, were better fitted in scholarship,
zeal, and other gifts and qualifications for his work than he, who is
the famous author of "The Double Witness of the Church," a book which
has largely moulded the faith and practice of the churchmen of this
generation. Bishop Kip's immortal work and Mines's incomparable volume
deserve to be ranked together, and though they differ widely in their
manner of presenting the Old Faith, yet are they one in purpose. Is it
not a little singular, or is it not rather a happy coincidence, that
the two foremost pioneers of the Church's work in California should
thus be the authors of works which are fit to take rank with the
Apologiai of the early Christian writers or the "Apologia pro Ecclesia
Anglicana" of Bishop Jewell?
Mines went to his rest in 1852, just in the prime of life, while Kip
was spared to the Church until 1893, witnessing its great increase and
reaping the abundant harvest from that early sowing. The growth is
seen to-day in the three dioceses in the State. California, the parent
diocese, with San Francisco as its chief city, Right Rev. William
Ford Nichols, D.D., Bishop, has its eighty-one clergymen, with its
eighty-six parishes and missions, and 8,585 communicants. Los Angeles,
Right Rev. Joseph Horsfall Johnson, D.D., Bishop, has its forty-nine
clergy, with its fifty-six parishes and missions, and 4,577
communicants; while Sacramento, Right Rev. William Hall Moreland,
D.D., Bishop, has thirty-four clergymen with seventy parishes and
missions, and a list of 2,556 communicants. All this, however, is not
the full evidence of the strength of the Church on the Pacific coast.
There are the church schools and hospitals and other agencies for
good, and there are the blessed influences which the Church, with
her stability and order and work, is exerting among the people. The
results arising from the presence of the members of the General
Convention will be gratifying. Everywhere throughout the State of
California this august body was hailed with a glad welcome, and San
Francisco and her suburban towns did everything possible to make
churchmen feel at home. The attendance at services was large, and a
deep and an abiding interest was enkindled. It was said by the press
and by leading citizens, that while many bodies had met in San
Francisco from all parts of the land, none had ever surpassed in
standard that of the Convention or even equalled it in dignity,
scholarship, eloquence and other noted characteristics. The newspapers
of the city, such as the _Daily Call_ and the _Chronicle_, gave
up large space to the services, debates and other features of the
Convention, and they were always complimentary in their comments on
individuals as well as on receptions and sermons and addresses. The
keynote of the Convention was struck by the Right Rev. Benjamin Wistar
Morris, D.D., Bishop of Oregon, in his sermon based on St. Luke,
chapter v, verse 4:--"Now when He had left speaking, He said unto
Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a
draught." The discourse was in every sense what the venerable prelate
had said it would be, a "Western" one, and it was a powerful plea
setting forth the urgent necessity of extending and supporting the
Church in her missionary efforts in the Pacific coast States.
The attendance of members in the House of Deputies was unusually
large, and while some familiar faces were missed, like Dean Hoffman,
of the General Theological Seminary; Rev. Dr. Morgan Dix, of Trinity
Parish, New York; Rev. Dr. Edward A. Renouf, of Keene, N.H.; Rev.
Dr. W.W. Battershall, of Albany, N.Y.; Mr. Spencer Trask, of Yaddo,
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Mr. Louis Hasbrouck, of Ogdensburgh, N.Y.; Mr.
G.P. Keese, of Cooperstown, N.Y.; and Judge Robert Earl, of Herkimer,
N.Y., yet the personnel of the Convention was up to the usual
standard. The new deputies, clerical and lay, felt at home at once,
and some of them made good reputations for themselves in debate and in
committee-work. It would seem invidious, perhaps, to single out any
one deputy more than another, when all excelled, yet the names of some
of the representative clergymen and laymen of the Church may justly be
mentioned, as for example, Rev. Dr. John S. Lindsay, of Boston, Mass.,
the distinguished and well-balanced President of the House; Rev. Dr.
Arthur Lawrence, of Stockbridge, Mass.; Rev. Dr. Reese F. Alsop, of
Brooklyn, N.Y.; Rev. Dr. J. Houston Eccleston, of Baltimore, Md.; Rev.
Dr. Samuel D. McConnell, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Rev. Dr. J.S. Hodges, of
Baltimore, Md.; Rev. Dr. George Hodges, of Cambridge, Mass.; Rev. Dr.
Cameron Mann, of Kansas City, Mo.; Rev. Dr. James W. Ashton, of Olean,
N.Y.; Rev. Dr. Robert J. Nevin, of Rome, Italy; Rev. Dr. John Fulton,
of _The Church Standard_, Philadelphia, Pa.; Rev. Dr. William B,
Bodine, of Philadelphia, Pa.; Rev. Dr. Charles S. Olmstead, of Bala,
Pa.; Rev. Dr. George McClellan Fiske, of Providence, R.I.; Rev. Dr.
Edgar A. Enos, of Troy, N.Y.; Rev. Dr. J. Lewis Parks and Rev. Dr.
William M. Grosvenor of New York; Rev. Dr. R.M. Kirby, of Potsdam,
N.Y.; Rev. Dr. John H. Egar, of Rome, N.Y.; Rev. Dr. George D.
Silliman, of Stockport, N.Y.; Rev. Dr. John Brainard, of Auburn, N.Y.;
Rev. Dr. H. Martyn Hart, of Denver, Col.; Rev. Dr. Edwin S. Lines, of
New Haven, Conn; Rev. Dr. Daniel C. Roberts, of Concord, N.H.; Rev.
Dr. Alfred B. Baker, of Princeton, N.J.; Rev. George S. Bennitt, of
Jersey City, N.J.; Rev. Dr. J. Isham Bliss, of Burlington, Vt.; Rev.
John Henry Hopkins, of Chicago, Ill.; Rev. Dr. Campbell Fair, of
Omaha, Neb.; Rev. John Williams, of Omaha, Neb.; Rev. Dr. Frederick W.
Clampett, of San Francisco, Cal; Rev. R.G. Foute, of San Francisco,
Cal.; Rev. Dr. Angus Crawford, of Alexandria Seminary, Va.; Rev.
Dr. Randolph H. McKim, of Washington, D.C.; Rev. Dr. Frederick
P. Davenport, of Memphis, Tenn.; Rev. Dr. Alex. Mackay-Smith, of
Washington, D.C.; Rev. Henry B. Restarick, of San Diego, Cal.; Rev.
B.W.R. Tayler, of Los Angeles, Cal.; Rev. Dr. David H. Greer, of New
York; Rev. Dr. William R. Huntington, of New York; Rev. Dr. Beverly D.
Tucker, of Norfolk, Va.; Rev. Dr. Carl E. Grammer, of Norfolk, Va.;
Rev. Dr. William T. Manning, of Nashville, Tenn.; Rev. Frederick A. De
Rosset, of Cairo, Ill.; Rev. Richard P. Williams, of Washington, D.C.;
Rev. Dr. Henry W. Nelson, of Geneva, N.Y.; Rev. Dr. John Kershaw, of
Charleston, S.C.; Rev. Dr. Herman C. Duncan, of Alexandria, La.; Rev.
Dr. John K. Mason, of Louisville, Ky.; Rev. Dr. Walter R. Gardner, of
Algoma, Wis.; Rev. Dr. George C. Hall, of Wilmington, Del; Rev. J.L.
McKim, of Milford, Del.; Rev. Dr. Henry L. Jones, of Wilkesbarre, Pa.;
Rev. Dr. George C. Foley, of Williamsport, Pa.; Rev. Dr. Storrs
O. Seymour, of Litchfield, Conn.; Rev. Dr. Charles E. Craik, of
Louisville, Ky.; Rev. C.S. Leffingwell, of Bar Harbour, Me.; Rev.
Dr. Rufus W. Clark, of Detroit, Mich.; Rev. Dr. Lucius Waterman, of
Claremont, N.H.; Rev. Dr. Henry H. Oberly, of Elizabeth, N.J.; Rev.
Julian E. Ingle, of Henderson, N.C.; Rev. Dr. Charles L. Hutchins, of
Concord, Mass., the efficient Secretary, always patient and courteous;
Rev. Dr. Henry Anstice, of Philadelphia, Pa.; Rev. Edward W.
Worthington, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Rev. William C. Prout, of
Herkimer, N.Y., Assistant Secretaries; Mr. George M. Darrow, of
Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Dr. William Seward Webb, of Shelburne, Vt.; Mr.
Henry E. Pellew, of Washington, D.C.; Mr. Linden H. Morehouse,
of Milwaukee, Wis., of _The Young Churchman_ Co.; Judge James M.
Woolworth, of Omaha, Neb.; Mr. Burton Mansfield, of New Haven, Conn.;
Hon. Cortlandt Parker, of Newark, N.J.; Judge Charles Andrews, of
Syracuse, N.Y.; Mr. John I. Thompson, of Troy, N.Y.; Mr. Leslie
Pell-Clarke, of Springfield Centre, N.Y.; Hon. George R. Fairbanks, of
Fernandina, Fla.; Judge L. Bradford Prince, of Santa Fé, N.M.; Hon.
Francis A. Lewis, of Philadelphia, Pa.; Hon. Francis L. Stetson, of
New York; Mr. George C. Thomas, of Philadelphia, Pa., Treasurer of the
Board of Missions; Hon. W. Bayard Cutting, of New York; Judge John H.
Stiness, of Providence, R.I.; Hon. Joseph Packard, of Baltimore, Md.;
Hon. Charles G. Saunders, of Lawrence, Mass.; Hon. Arthur J.C. Sowdon,
and Hon. Robert Treat Paine, of Boston, Mass; Mr. William B. Hooper,
of San Francisco; Mr. Henry P. Baldwin, of Detroit, Mich.; Mr. Francis
J. McMaster, of St. Louis, Mo.; Mr. William H. Lightner, of St. Paul,
Minn.; Mr. Richard H. Battle, of Raleigh, N.C.; Hon. G.S. Gadsden,
of Charleston, S.C.; Mr. George Truesdell, of Washington, D.C.; Mr.
George M. Marshall, of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Mr. Joseph Wilmer,
of Alexandria Seminary, Va. There is one other name which must not
be omitted, that of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan, of New York city, who,
notwithstanding his vast business interests, was in his seat from the
opening of the Convention until the closing session, watching all the
debates and deliberations with the deepest interest, and serving on
various important committees. Many of the members of the Convention,
too, were deeply indebted to him for a gracious hospitality dispensed
by him in his magnificent temporary home on California Avenue.
To name the Bishops who in one way and another made their presence
felt in their own House, in the Board of Missions and elsewhere, at
meetings and in services, it would be necessary to speak of all who
were in attendance on the Convention. Those who were specially active,
however, were Bishop William Croswell Doane, of Albany; Bishop Henry
Codman Potter, of New York; Bishop Daniel Sylvester Tuttle, of
Missouri; Bishop Benjamin Wistar Morris, of Oregon; Bishop Thomas
Underwood Dudley, of Kentucky; Bishop Ozi William Whitaker, of
Pennsylvania; Bishop Cortlandt Whitehead, of Pittsburg; Bishop John
Scarborough, of New Jersey; Bishop George Franklin Seymour, of
Springfield; Bishop William David Walker, of Western New York; Bishop
Leighton Coleman, of Delaware; Bishop Samuel David Ferguson, of Cape
Palmas; Bishop Ellison Capers, of South Carolina; Bishop Theodore
Nevin Morrison, of Iowa; Bishop Lewis William Burton, of Lexington;
Bishop Sidney Catlin Partridge, of Kyoto; Bishop Peter Trimble Rowe,
of Alaska; Bishop William Frederick Taylor, of Quincy; Bishop William
Crane Gray, of Southern Florida; Bishop Ethelbert Talbot, of Central
Pennsylvania; Bishop James Steptoe Johnston, of Western Texas; Bishop
Anson Rogers Graves, of Laramie; Bishop Edward Robert Atwill, of West
Missouri; Bishop William N. McVickar, of Rhode Island; Bishop William
Lawrence, of Massachusetts; Bishop Arthur C.A. Hall, of Vermont;
Bishop William Andrew Leonard, of Ohio; Bishop James Dow Morrison, of
Duluth; Bishop Henry Yates Satterlee, of Washington; Bishop Charles C.
Grafton, of Fond du Lac; Bishop Abiel Leonard, of Salt Lake; Bishop
Isaac Lea Nicholson, of Milwaukee; Bishop Cleland Kinlock Nelson, of
Georgia, and Bishop Thomas F. Gailor, of Tennessee. It is needless to
say that Right Rev. Dr. William Ford Nichols, of California, who was
the host of the Convention, was prominent in all gatherings, and that
his guiding hand was seen in all the admirable arrangements made for
meetings and services. He was ably seconded by Bishop Johnson, of Los
Angeles, and Bishop Moreland, of Sacramento. Some faces were sadly
missed, as for example, Bishop Niles, of New Hampshire; Bishop
Huntington, of Central New York; Bishop Worthington, of Nebraska;
Bishop Spaulding, of Colorado; and the Presiding Bishop, Right Rev.
Thomas March Clark, of Rhode Island. The Secretary of the House of
Bishops, Rev. Dr. Samuel Hart, of Middletown, Conn., was a conspicuous
figure in the Convention, and he and his assistants, Rev. Dr. George
F. Nelson, of New York, and Rev. Thomas J. Packard, of Washington,
were often seen in the House of Deputies, bearing official messages.
In addition to the regular business of the Convention, there were
discussions of a high order on such matters as Amendments to the
Constitution, the enactment of New Canons, Admission of New Dioceses,
Marriage and Divorce, and Marginal Readings in the Bible. The Report
of the Commission on Marginal Readings was finally adopted, with some
modifications, after an animated debate, to the great satisfaction of
many who felt the need of such a help in reading the Holy Scriptures.
At times the speakers, both lay and clerical, rose to heights of
fervid oratory, and it was an education to listen to men who were
thoroughly versed in the themes which they handled. The Missions of
the Church were not neglected in the midst of the exciting debates
of the Convention, and an important step was taken when the Board
resolved to adopt the Apportionment Plan, by which each diocese and
missionary jurisdiction would be called on to raise a definite sum of
money. This, it was felt, would relieve the Board from the burden of
indebtedness, and would enable the Church to originate new work. No
more earnest advocates of this plan could be found in the meetings of
the two Houses of Convention as the Board of Missions, than in Bishop
Brewer of Montana and Mr. George C. Thomas, the Treasurer. Their words
were forcible and their manner magnetic. Bishop Doane's eloquent
advocacy of the measure also led to happy results.
In this chapter on the Triennial Council of the Church held in San
Francisco, we must not omit to make mention of the United Offering
of the Woman's Auxiliary to the Board of Missions. The women of the
Church specially devoted to its missionary work had been gradually
increasing their forces and activities and offerings. When they
last met, in the city of Washington, D.C., three years before, they
presented the goodly sum of $83,000; but now in San Francisco they
were to surpass their previous efforts. They were to show forth the
fruits of more earnest labours and richer giving. They established
their headquarters at 1609 Sutter street, in a commodious dwelling
house, not far from Trinity Church, where the Convention was in
session. Here various rooms were fitted up with handiwork and other
products of missionary labour from the numerous fields where the
Church, in obedience to her Lord's command, is engaged in sowing
beside all waters; and no one could walk through these artistic
chambers adorned with the work of the Indians of Alaska and the
dwellers of the South Seas, the converts of India, of China and
Japan, as well as Mexico and other regions, without being filled with
admiration. Various dioceses also of the Church exhibited pictures of
sacred edifices showing different styles of architecture. There were
also photographs of noted missionaries, pioneer bishops and other
clergy in the collection. Here indeed was an object lesson, and in all
these works was manifested a spirit of enterprise most commendable.
Different countries were thus brought together in such a way as to
make the student of Missions realise the fact that the Church had
indeed gone into all lands and that the Gentiles were walking in
the light of Him Who is the life of men. While there were important
meetings held by the Auxiliary, and special services were arranged for
its members, the greatest interest naturally centered in the service
held in Grace Church on Thursday, October 3rd, when the United
Offering for the three years ended, was laid on the Altar of God. Six
clergymen gathered the alms, and bearing them to the chancel, they
were received in the large gold Basin which some years ago was
presented to the American Church by the Church of England. This Alms
Basin is three feet in diameter, and is an object of great interest
as well as value. It is used only at grand functions, such as the
meetings of the General Convention. It was an occasion of great
rejoicing as well as a cause for devout gratitude when the magnificent
sum of one hundred and four thousand dollars was reverently placed on
the Altar. Behind all this was the love which made the large offering
possible, behind it too the devotion which at this most significant
and inspiring service, led fully a thousand faithful women to draw
nigh to their divine Lord in that blessed Eucharist which quickens the
soul into newness of life. The sermon at the service of the United
Offering was preached by Right Rev. Dr. Nichols, Bishop of California,
from St. Luke, chapter ii, verses 22-24, and was one of remarkable
power, rehearsing the righteous acts and noble deeds wrought by women
in all ages.
One of the most noted meetings during the sessions of the Convention
was held in Mechanics' Pavilion, on the evening of Tuesday, October
8th. It was probably the greatest gathering ever brought together on
the Pacific coast in the interest of Missions or of Religion. There
were not less than seven thousand persons present during the evening
in the great hall, whose arches rang from time to time with applause
at the sentiments of the speakers, and echoed and re-echoed the
stirring missionary hymns sung by the vast multitude as led by the
vested choirs of the various parishes in San Francisco. It is said
that this enthusiastic gathering of all ranks was equalled only by
the thousands who had assembled here only a short time before to pay
honours to the memory of President McKinley, whom the people loved.
Bishop Doane of Albany presided with his accustomed tact and force,
and, after suitable devotions, introduced the four speakers. The first
of those who addressed the assemblage was the Right Rev. Edgar Jacob,
D.D., the Lord Bishop of Newcastle, who represented the Archbishop
of Canterbury. He said that there were four methods of spreading the
Gospel in obedience to the command of the Master, "Go, make disciples
of all people of the earth." These are the evangelistic, the
educational, the medical, and the magnetic. Of this last he said, "It
is that the society should attract the individual. The influence of
the individual must be followed by the influence of the society."
Bishop Potter of New York followed in his usual happy vein. Then came
the eloquent Bishop of Kyoto, Right Rev. Dr. Sidney C. Partridge, and
after him Burton Mansfield, representing the laity, who spoke about
"Re-quickened Faith as necessary to all."
During the last week of the Convention there were some special
reunions of colleges and theological seminaries. Among the most
interesting of these, that of the Philadelphia Divinity School, with
Bishop Whitaker presiding, may be mentioned, and also that of St.
Stephen's College, Annandale, with its first Warden, Bishop Seymour,
at the head of the table. Bishop Dudley honoured the gathering of
alumni at this banquet, in the Occidental Hotel, with his presence,
and Warden Lawrence T. Cole was a prominent figure.
The Convention attracted to San Francisco several well-known clergymen
who, although not deputies, were nevertheless deeply interested
listeners, in the galleries and on the floor of the House, during
the sessions, and were also participants in services and missionary
gatherings. Among these was the Rev. Dr. Lawrence T. Cole, the
energetic Warden of St. Stephen's College, Annandale, N.Y., of whom we
have already spoken. There was also in attendance the Rev. A. Burtis
Hunter, Principal of St. Augustine's School for Coloured Students,
in Raleigh, N.C. In this Church Institute Rev. Mr. Hunter and his
excellent wife are doing a grand work for the negro people of the
South, on lines somewhat similar to those followed by Booker T.
Washington at Tuskeegee. We also noticed at the Convention and
Missionary Services the Rev. William Wilmerding Moir, B.D., the
zealous missionary at Lake Placid, N.Y., in the Diocese of Albany.
His Missions, which have been phenomenal in their growth, are St.
Eustace-by-the-Lakes and St. Hubert's-at-Newman. Under his sowing
beside all waters, the Adirondack wilderness, in the field committed
to him, is blossoming as the rose. Never was missionary more
indefatigable and self-denying than he, and his rich reward now is in
the possession of the confidence and love of his flock. It shows what
a true and beautiful life can accomplish for the Divine Master and for
the souls of perishing men, when the apostolic injunction is observed
to the letter,--"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus." This is indeed the true spirit in all missionary labours; and,
thank God, it animates the Church in all its fulness, as evidenced
here in San Francisco in the devising of methods for the extension of
the Gospel of the Kingdom!
During the last hour of the final session of the Convention, Rev. Dr.
William R. Huntington, Rector of Grace Church, New York city, a man
whom every one who knows him respects and honours for his learning,
his eloquence, his integrity, his character as a man, his devotion
as a Clergyman, to the Church, and his love for his Divine Master,
created a sensation by a speech which he made. Indeed it was dramatic
in its character, and it made a profound impression on all who heard
it. As he spoke, a deep silence came over the members of the House. As
is well known, Dr. Huntington has for years advocated an amendment to
Article X of the Constitution by which there should be given to the
Bishops of the Church the spiritual oversight of congregations not in
communion with the Church, allowing the Bishops to provide services
for them other than those of the Book of Common Prayer. This subject
was debated at length, and at last, to harmonise all interests, a
Committee of Conference was appointed from both Houses. Finally the
Committee reported two resolutions for adoption,--the first, that
Article X of the Constitution is to be so interpreted as not
restricting the authority of the Bishops, acting under the Canons of
the General Convention, to provide special forms of worship; and the
second, that the Bishops have the right to take under their spiritual
oversight congregations of Christian people not in union with
the Church, and that the use of the Book of Common Prayer is not
obligatory for such congregations, but no such congregations shall be
admitted into union with a Diocesan Convention until organised as a
Parish and making use of the Book of Common Prayer. The first was
adopted, and the second lost. Dr. Huntington then arose and moved
a reconsideration of the vote on the Report of the Committee of
Conference. Having made his motion, he said, with evident feeling and
pathos in his voice: "I may perhaps be allowed in advocating this
motion to say a single word of a personal character, or partially of a
personal character. I desire to say that I entertain the same faith
in the final victory of the principles which I have had the honour to
advocate in three previous Conventions that I ever have entertained.
Individuals may rebuke me because of too great persistency and because
of too much presumption. Great measures, if I may be pardoned in using
a political phrase, may be turned down for the time. They cannot be
turned down for all time. You have chosen your course for the present
with reference to the great question of the opening century. I
acquiesce. I resign to younger hands the torch. I surrender the
leadership which has been graciously accorded me by many clerical and
lay members of this House. The measure I advocated has been known as
the iridescent dream. I remember who they were who said, we shall see
what will become of his dream. In time they saw. But for the present
it is otherwise. The Chicago-Lambeth platform has been turned
down, and what I hope I may characterise without offence as the
Oxford-Milwaukee platform is for the time in the ascendant. I accept
the fact. My 'iridescent dream' shall disturb their dreams no more. I
recall a saying of my old friend Father Fidele, whom we used to know
in our college days as James Kent Stone. When he went over to Rome he
wrote a book with the title, 'The Invitation Heeded,' and the best
thing in it was this: 'I thank heaven that I have reached a
Church where there is no longer any nervousness about the General
Convention.' There is no probability, sir, of my heeding the
invitation that he heeded, but henceforth I share his peace." The
motion to reconsider the vote by which the first resolution of the
Committee of Conference was adopted, was lost; and then Dr. Huntington
retired from the House. Soon after the Bishops sent to the Deputies in
Message 93, the same Resolutions as having been adopted by them, and
asking the House of Deputies to concur. The motion prevailed by a
large vote, and the victory came for the good Doctor, who thought he
was defeated for the present, much sooner than he had expected.
The closing service of the Convention, on Thursday afternoon, October
the 17th, was a memorable one. The imposing array of Bishops in their
robes, the presence of the House of clerical and lay deputies, and
the hundreds of San Francisco's citizens who thronged Trinity Church,
together with the inspiring hymns and the reading of the Pastoral
Letter by Bishop Dudley, who used his voice with great effect, made
a lasting impression on all present. With the solemn benediction by
Bishop Tuttle at 6:30 P.M., the great Council of 1901 was a thing of
the past, but though its sessions were ended and become a matter of
history, its effect could not be undervalued. It was a great advantage
to the churchmen from all parts of the land to meet in San Francisco.
In their journeyings from the East and other portions of the country
between the Atlantic Ocean and the Rocky Mountains they had an
opportunity of studying the far West, and they realised more than
ever how great is the extent of the country, how inexhaustible its
resources; and they were stirred up to greater missionary activity and
more liberal giving. The wide domain between the Rocky Mountains
and the Sierras and the rich valleys of California bordering on the
Pacific Ocean, inviting enterprising agriculturalists from all sides,
were indeed an object lesson. The civilisation of the West too is the
civilisation of the East, and the Church, with her adaptability, is
as much at home by the Golden Gate as in New York or Boston or
Philadelphia. The Convention will help the Church in California. Its
influences have gone out among the people in healing streams. Its
character and work were a revelation to the populations by the
Pacific; and already men who knew but little about the strength of our
great American Church, its order, its catholicity, its aims, have been
greatly enlightened and drawn to its services. They realise more and
more what a mighty agency it is for good, how it promotes all that
is best in our civilisation, and how it adds to the stability of the
institutions of the land.
The character of the men and women whom the Church trains for
citizenship and usefulness in the world is seen in two beautiful lives
whose labours were finished, in God's Providence, by the waters of the
Golden Gate. Mrs. Mary Abbott Emery Twing, of New York, widow of
the late Rev. Dr. Twing, for many years Secretary of the Board of
Missions, had travelled across the continent to be present at the
meetings of the Woman's Auxiliary, of which she had been the first
active Secretary. But sickness came, and after a few days she was cut
down like a flower. She was a woman of a lovely character, devoted to
the service of her divine Master like the Marys of old, and was a type
of the tens of thousands of the Church's faithful daughters throughout
the land. As she has left a holy example of missionary zeal and
labour, so her good works follow her. The other life of which we speak
is also an eminent example of love for God's Church, of faithfulness
and good works. John I. Thompson, one of the most esteemed citizens of
Troy, N.Y., though hardly in a condition physically to make the long
journey to San Francisco, yet felt it his duty to be in his seat in
the Convention. So he counted not his life dear unto himself, but
with that sense of duty and spirit of self-sacrifice which always
had characterised him he was found in his place at the opening and
organising of the Convention, in Trinity Church, and answered the
roll call. Exposures by the way had made inroads on his health and
gradually he lost his strength until death finally claimed him on the
evening of Wednesday, October the 16th. The next day the Convention
passed the following resolution: "_Resolved_, That the members of this
Convention have heard, with deep regret, of the death of Mr. John
I. Thompson, a lay deputy of the diocese of Albany, and they hereby
express their warm and tender sympathy for his family in their sore
bereavement." But what a deathbed was his! What a testimony to the
power of a living faith in Christ! He died as he had lived, a truly
Christian man, illustrating the power of that Gospel which the General
Convention is pledged to propagate and defend. With him, in the Palace
Hotel, were those whom he loved best of all, his devoted wife, who
had accompanied him, and his faithful son, who had hastened from the
distant East to the chamber of sickness; with him too betimes the
Bishop of Albany, whose tender words and loving ministrations were
an unspeakable comfort to him; with him also his beloved Rector, Dr.
Edgar A. Enos, of his dear St. Paul's Church, to break for him the
bread of life and press the cup of salvation to his lips, and pray for
him as he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, and to
commend his departing soul to God. He knew he was going away from
earthly scenes, and with faith and hope, he leaned on the arms of his
Lord. Trained from his childhood in the ways of the divine life, and
having walked like the holy men of old in the paths of righteousness,
he had no fear as his feet touched the Dark River. He was ready to
launch his soul's bark on the ocean of eternity. Methinks I see his
purified spirit passing out through the Golden Gate yonder, but to
sail over a sea more calm than the Pacific. It is eventide now, but
"at evening time it shall be light;" and the light of God's eternal
city is shed across his pathway as the Divine Pilot guides him through
the Golden Gate of Paradise to the harbour of peace!