Salt Lake Telegram | 1922-08-06 | Page 7 | Clerical Visits Lack Proper Cheer

.clerical visits lack proper ; cheer : Epucopal ' Rector Recom mends Broad Changes in VuiUtion Code EVANSTOH. nL. Aug. I (Br A. F. Making a pie for etteerfulnees In Clerical Cler-ical mlnlntratto of the all Inc. Dr. George Cral Stewart, rector of SL Lukes Episcopal Epis-copal church of this city, eaya th order for the visitation of the Ho la the de nomination's book of eonm-von prayer, ought to bo banished or "mi 1b different dif-ferent key." Dr. Stewart la ft deleg-ate to the Eptacopa) gensral convention at Portland. Ore., In Bept ember. "We reooirnlBe the canons of rornmon eepse In dealing with the tick." Dr. Stewart said. In commenting on the proposed pro-posed revision of the order. "Who am one; our clergy umi the present or. der for the visitation of the sIck'T If he did. he would soon find himself persona per-sona non grata to the patient and doe-tor doe-tor and nurse alike, and properly so. When Phillips Brooks walked down the street, men said. The eun Is shining. 1 What a fine day!' To read the preeent ! order for the vlaltatlon of the sick would be to draw the Winds and summon the undertaker. ' It la 'Hark! from the tomb a mournful sound.' and we ought te banish It or else net It In a different key. This doesn't mean that we cancel the froaa at- deny to value, amuck ieaa the reality, of physical suffering;, or exclude ex-clude Clod from tola whole area of Hla universe. "To pray. Ha net I fy this Thy Fatherly correction, over some child with Infantile Infan-tile paralysis. Is cruelly unreal. To pray, 'Or aire give her grsce so to tske Th visitation that after thla painful life 1s ended,' la a cheerless prayer to offer for a woman undergoing pains after en operation. And It la nothing lees than cowardice to hit a man whsn he's down by solemnly exhort Ins; htm to take In jrnod part the chastisement of, say, a high fever and ft splitting headache, because be-cause 'Whom the I oveth He chasten, eth, and scourge in My son whom Ha re-celveth.' re-celveth.' "Then there are those recurring words over whlch our father loved to linger with the mournful Intonation In luxurious luxu-rious lugubrlouenesa. How dolefully the changes ars rung upon them es the of flee la solemnly tolled! 'Fraud 'malice,' 'distemper.' 'correction.' Visitation, adversity.' ad-versity.' "wrath. 'decayed.' 'decayeth.' 'dissolution.' th grave thus the dirge Is sounded In prayers and exhortations until the unhappy sufferer. If he were tortured with It. would feel (and who eould hla ma him?) that the heaviest of the visitation of an angry God was thla vlaltatlon of the sick."