THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS WAS PRESENTED TO THE BISHOP
BY THE COUNCIL, WEDNESAY AFTERNOON
BY A RISING VOTE
The Council of the Diocese of Minnesota, representing every Parish and organized mission, commemorates, with profound gratitude to Almighty God, the election to the Episcopate of our Reverend Father in God, the Right Reverend Henry Benjamin Whipple, D.D., LL.D., at the Diocesan Council held in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty nine.
Of that little band of Clergymen and Laymen who, forty years ago, chose so much more wisely than they knew, but five remain, the others have fallen asleep.
But the story of the Episcopate, whose first step was then taken, has, been engraved upon the memory tablets of millions since, its work has grown with the growth of the state, of the nation, and the English-speaking race. No Bishop has ever, by his works, given more striking evidence of the fact that this highest Order of the Ministry of Christ belongs, not to a diocese alone, but to the whole Church.
To trace so much as a well rounded outline of the many causes for thanksgiving for the labors and successes of our revered Diocesan would here and now be impossible. We can record our glad appreciation of those only which are unique. Among these is the full development of our exceptional educational work, all under Diocesan control, and second to no similar work in the American Church, either in the number of its departments or the degree of its attainments. The constant personal interest of our Bishop, his unwearied watchfulness over it all, and the interest and munificence which he has infused into educators and philanthropists have made Christian education in Minnesota not a longed for but an accomplished and enduring fact.
Still more remarkable have been the heroic endeavors of this our leader in that most difficult, and, to well-nigh all but him, disheartening work among the children of the forest. In the days when outbreaks and massacres were alienating the sympathies of even the most ardent supporters of the evangelization of the Indians he never doubted that peace would come through the blood of the cross and that the tomahawk would one day be broken forever. Successive Presidents of the Republic have repeatedly availed themselves of the great hearted wisdom of him whom these "brown children" have styled "the pale-face who never lied," and in thousands of lives the instincts of the savage have been replaced by the principles of Christ.
Nor do we forget that under the stimulus of the missionary zeal, the passionate love for souls. the yearning pity for all in suffering shown by this Ambassador for Christ from the very day when he first set foot upon the soil of Minnesota, waiting not for opportunities to thrust themselves [5/6] upon him, but seeking, and, still more often, making opportunities, the Church in this State of Minnesota stands to-day the peer of many and the superior of most in the number of Clergymen and Laymen, Parishes and Missions, works of mercy and benevolence, and the different races and nationalities to which the Church has been carried.
It has been to us also a source of pride, surely justifiable, that this our Right Reverend Prelate has received the gracious attentions and distinguished honors which have been heaped upon him by the oldest societies and institutions of the Anglican Communion, by the world's leading universities, by crowned and uncrowned rulers, and by the mitred representatives of every branch of the Church Catholic.
We recognize, however, that all these things speak only of the official, and that there is a side of life which has not been touched upon, which yet in this case demands recognition. In his private life, in his personal friendships, in his intimate intercourse with those whose souls he sought to save, in the loving sympathy with the Clergy in their manifold trials, in his constant determination to believe no one guilty of any accusation unless the proofs were forced upon him, and in his merciful dealings with the unquestionably erring, Individuals have been brought into contact with the great loving heart of one in whom exalted distinctions have neither distorted nor over-shadowed the man.
And now, Reverend Father in God, forty years from the day when you were chosen by those who did not even know you, we their successors come to extend to you these our feeble assurances of appreciation of all that you have been and all that you have done. The full record is written on high. There has never been a day when this Diocese has not felt that you were more than, equal in head and heart, to the wisest administration of its affairs. The name of Whipple which you have lifted to great honor at home and abroad, would, even without such public recognition, have been written with the finger of love upon the hearts of all your happy children throughout this sacred number of forty years. May many years still be given you wherein to guide and bless your united and prosperous Diocese, which stands before you to-day with the feelings of one who three thousand years ago gave expression to admiration and congratulation in language like unto that which we use when we say: Because the Lord loved us, therefore made he thee to rule over us; blessed be the Lord our God which delighted in thee to set thee on the throne.
BANQUET IN HONOR OF BISHOP WHIPPLE'S ELECTION TO
THE EPISCOPATE.
The banquet in honor of the fortieth anniversary of Bishop Whipple's election to the episcopate was given in the Armory, Faribault, at seven o'clock Wednesday evening and over three hundred people were seated at the tables. The walls and windows of the edifice had been draped with yellow and white, while the tables were decorated with lady slippers, marguerites, and fleur de lis. Music was furnished by an orchestra. After the supper served by the ladies of the parish, had been disposed of, Dean Slattery rose and said:
Ladies and Gentlemen: I am not going to make a speech. I wish merely to welcome you in the name of the Cathedral Parish. You can scarcely know how hearty that welcome is, for you do not know all that lies behind it. For,--may I tell you the secret?--it is the best parish in the land that welcomes you to-night. However, this is not an affair of the parish but of the diocese; so we have asked the representative of another parish to be your toastmaster. I introduce to you, therefore, with great pleasure, the toastmaster of the evening, Colonel George O. Eddy.
In assuming the duties of his position, Col. Eddy said:
This is an eventful day in the history of the Diocese of Minnesota. We meet here--a goodly company--to observe the fortieth anniversary of the election to the Episcopate of a man who stands to-day the foremost figure in the English speaking church. We glory in the fact that he is our own Bishop, but there is no Diocese in this our own land, or in England that does not claim him as partly its own. He is the most widely known and the most generally loved of all the bishops of history, and there is no community in English speaking lands who would not be proud of the privilege of assembling as we do this night, to commemorate the event which proved to be of so much importance to the church--and which carried with it during all these long forty years, so much of blessing everywhere. It is not my privilege to speak to you of the work and life of our dear bishop. All this you will hear from the distinguished gentlemen who are to respond to the regular toasts, and before entering upon that portion of the evening's programme, I invite your attention to the reading of several letters of congratulations from old and very dear friends of our bishop.
[8] Providence, R. I., June 3rd, 1899.
Bishop Whipple, the fortieth anniversary of whose episcopate is to be celebrated on Wednesday, was the first Bishop upon whose head I laid my hands, and I heard him preach his first sermon after his consecration.
He has been very near to me ever since that time and, in the hours of darkness, his words have given me great strength and comfort. He has always been the Apostle of peace in the various controversies which, from time to time, have disturbed the Church. He has not distinguished himself as an ardent combatant. It would not be easy to fix upon the precise number, high or low, in the ecclesiastical barometer where his name should be written.
Christ was the one great theme of his discourse and to bring men near to Him has been the main object of his life. The love of God as manifested in the person of His Son, is the keynote of his ministry. He has always believed that it is the will of God, to save all who are willing to be saved.
He has had wonderful opportunities to show his devotion to his Master's work, and I can venture to say, with the Great Apostle, "Are they ministers of Christ? I more; in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils in the wilderness, in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness."
I shall never forget the account he once gave me of a terrible Winter morning when he went off alone in his sleigh, over an unbroken prairie wilderness of snow, with nothing to guide him but the slight depression on the surface, made by the Indian trail; and how as the night drew near, he lost sight of that faint line, and having forgotten to take his compass with him, and with no human habitation in sight--he was obliged to let the horse take his own course, while the Bishop laid him self down under the shelter of the robes--and left it with God to direct the way. At last while he was at prayer, he perceived that his horse had suddenly started off with a rush as if he had seen something to encourage him, and the long agony was over. As the Bishop looked out, he saw a light glimmering in the distance, and that light was shining in the Indian village which he was seeking to find.
Some things he might tell which the Apostle had not experienced. St. Paul never made his bed night after night, in the snow and was never brought in contact with the wild and untutored savages, whom the Bishop was trying to bring into the fold of Christ.
In his advancing years, we see the Bishop in a new and very different aspect. The tidings of the great mission he had accomplished had crossed the ocean and excited the deepest interest in the English church. More than once he has been called to cross the ocean, where his fervent words were listened to by the high and the low, the rich and the poor, with most intense interest. He has left a mark behind him in Great Britain--which will not soon be erased. He became the honored guest of the most illustrious people in the land, and was always as faithful and direct in dealing with the nobility as he had been in his humble ministrations at home.
I wish that I could be with you on the seventh instant, but in a few days I shall enter upon my eighty-seventh year; and it requires an effort for me to even dictate these few lines. Very soon my dear friend will [8/9] be called upon to take my place as the Senior Bishop of the Church and may God prolong his days, and, when the end comes may he find perpetual rest in Jesus.
Very faithfully your friend and brother,
THOMAS M. CLARK, Bishop of Rhode Island.
Diocese of Alabama, June 3, 1899.
Greetings to my beloved brother--the Bishop of Minnesota.
The wilderness and the solitary place have been made glad by thee, my brother!
Faithfully,
RICH. H. WILMER, Bishop of Alabama.
Portland, June 2, 1899.
My dear Bishop Whipple:
In view of the near approach of the fortieth anniversary of your election to the Episcopate, I must send you a word of greeting, and of hearty congratulation upon your completion of such a period with such a degree of strength of mind and body--you have not merely survived but have been as competent for active and vigorous service during the last twenty years as in the first twenty of your Episcopate.
I remember in fact that in the earlier days you were regarded as a delicate man not likely to hold out long under the peculiar hardships of your field of labor--and later on you were subject to some other serious maladies--but the hardships instead of crushing you, strengthened you and enabled you for still heavier burdens.
God had marked you as one of those favored ones of whom it is written "they also shall bring forth more fruit in their age," and such fruitfulness you have been and are continually exhibiting.
May your remaining years on earth be full of peace and when the summons to depart shall come, may it be heard by you with the joyful confidence of the blessed apostle--"To depart and be with Christ is far better."
I am, my dear Bishop, as always,
Very affectionately yours,
H. A. NEELY.
Albany, N. Y., June 3, 1899.
I am glad of the opportunity of adding a word of affectionate appreciation and admiration for the long and noble life and labors of the first Bishop of Minnesota. He knows, in all these years of our loving intercourse, by how many ties and traditions we have been bound together, through his relations with my father, and through our common service and sympathy in the House of Bishops. All the years of his untiring and devoted work have only served to emphasize, what I have always believed, that never in any episcopal election in the American [9/10] Church has the finger of God been more plainly seen, or the voice of God more plainly heard, than in the choice that Minnesota made for its first Bishop. With reverent realization of what he has been in the past, and grateful recognition of his abundant vigor to-day, I pray God that he may be spared for years to the Diocese and to the American Church.
Very truly yours,
W. C. DOANE.
June 5, 1899.
May I add the loving congratulations of my pen to the many voiced greetings of all you who are assembled, to one who for these most important years of the life of the nation and of the American church has been ever faithful to duty, wise in counsel and foremost in the self sacrifice of abundant missionary work. Long life still, please God, in the Church militant to Minnesota's first and great bishop! Congratulations to the diocese, the nursery, home and foster mother of American bishops.
Faithfully and affectionately yours,
DAN S. TUTTLE, Bishop of Missouri.
Minneapolis, Minn., June 5, 1899.
I embrace the opportunity through your kindness my dear Rector to beg you to express to the members of the Council my very deep regret that I cannot join with them on an occasion of such profound rejoicing to every Church member of the Diocese of Minnesota, the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of our beloved and reverend Bishop; and though I cannot be present, I cannot, willingly let the occasion pass, without adding a few words to the tribute which not every churchman alone, but every Christian in the state is so eager to express.
I deem it one of the greatest privileges of my life, that I was permitted in '59, to take part in the election of Bishop Whipple to become the Chief Shepherd of the then feeble Church of Minnesota. If I mistake not, of the lay delegates then present, only Judge Wilder and myself are now living. And of the clergy, not more I think than one or two still survive. Those noble old pioneers, who laid the foundations and whose names are revered.--Father Geer and Doctors Patterson, Van Ingen, Breck, Merrick, Wilcoxson, all are gone, and an unusual thing occurred at that election, as compared with those of more recent times, that perhaps not a single delegate, clerical or lay, was personally acquainted with the newly elected Bishop. And who can doubt, looking back over the experience of the last forty years, but that the prayers of the convention for Divine guidance on making the choice it did, were most signally answered. No personal aims were to be secured, no questions were asked as to high, low, or broad church, nor indeed have they ever since arisen to mar the harmony of the church to any appreciable degree. For he had not been long with us, before we were rejoiced to learn, that he sought to follow that divine example of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, "that I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and [10/11] him crucified." And under this great leading idea, he has gone on for near half a century, has guided his flock in peace, and harmony, and not less too in great activity, has built schools for both sexes, with such endowments and on such lasting foundations as have made them not only the pride of our own Diocese, but the whole northwest as well. And not less can we forget those early years of hardship, before the era of railroads when he crossed the almost uninhabited prairies, under the guidance of his noble "Bashaw" with intelligence hardly less than human, with the thermometer not seldom less than from 30 to 40 degrees below zero in winter time. Those of us who had personal knowledge of these missionary labors, cannot readily forget them. Nor will his tireless devotion for many years in behalf of the wronged and oppressed redmen by our nation, lack a chronicler in our future history and shed at least a gleam of light in a record of so much darkness. And so, in this brief retrospect we come to know how it is that the name of our beloved and honored Bishop has become a household word, not only in the diocese of Minnesota but in the whole American Church, as well, and scarcely less so, in England and wherever the English language is spoken.
But I must pause--though those of you who are acquainted with the man, will realize how far short these few words fall in doing justice to the character of the Apostle, who, when his work is finished, will stand forth as one of the noblest examples of American Church History. And if they are distasteful to him, thus publicly spoken whose modesty simply claims that he has done only his duty, yet the example of such a life cannot be, and ought not to be hidden or concealed and we shall all earnestly pray that this example may be continued to us till four score years and ten shall have been granted to him in his blessed work.
I. ATWATER.
Judge E. T. Wilder responded as follows to the toast; "The Minnesota Council of 1859."
My friends:--In responding, allow me first to say, the churchman of to-day can do justice to the members of the convention of 1859, both clerical and lay, only through a careful study of the development and growth of the Church of Minnesota in the light of the words of our Divine Master, "Ye shall know them by their fruit." In that light, I beg all who have not already done so, thus to study our history, and form their own estimates of the wisdom and merits of the founders of the Church in this field.
The time allotted me does not permit of even a panoramic view of this work, and besides, my text is, "The Council of '59," That body consisted of 18 clergymen and of lay representatives from 21 parishes.
Its clerical members were Father Geer, Doctors Manney, Van Ingen, Patterson, Knickerbacker, and Welles and Messrs. Breck, Wilcoxson, Fitch, Evans, Peake, Chamberlain, Chase, Grey, Jones, Russell, Williamson and Woodard. And among the laity were, Judges Atwater and Hamlin, and Messrs. Welles, Dana, Thorne, Hawley, Iglehart, Parslowe and Tanner (now the Rev. Dr. Tanner), and others.
The saintly Kemper presided--a fact significant of the spirit that characterized the body. These gentlemen were by no means of a uniform grade of churchmanship, nor were there wanting among them, men of marked individuality.
[12] Again, there were local questions, even then, of more or less significance; such as the future residence of the Bishop--the permanent location of the contemplated Diocesan schools and the division or appropriation of the mission property in St. Paul.
But the results of their deliberations unmistakably show, that for the time being at least, these differences were held subordinate to an intelligent view of the future interests of the Diocese.
The important question before that body was the election of a Bishop. The history of that election is familiar to some of those present, but to others its result, only is known. For this reason I hope to be excused for going somewhat into detail, and for the further reason, that the spirit that controlled the final action of the Council in this regard will be best appreciated by familiarity with those details.
The then constitution of the Diocese provided for an election of a Bishop in this form--the clergy alone by a majority vote nominated a candidate--the laity by a like vote approved or rejected the nomination. If the nominee was rejected by the laity, his name might a second time he presented by the clergy, but if again rejected, that action as to him was final.
The clergy, by a vote of 11 to 7, reported as their nominee for the Episcopate, a distinguished rector of an eastern city parish. The laity retired for consultation and with closed doors fully, and at length, discussed the condition of the Diocese, its mixed population, its needs, and the exceptional qualifications demanded in a Bishop for this western missionary field. No personal considerations entered into the discussion. The spotless character, high scholarship and conservative churchmanship of the nominee were conceded by all. But we were laying the foundations of the Church in a new field--in an undeveloped territory just budding into statehood, with a population heterogeneous, vigorous, and nervously progressive, and it was felt that the work to be done required among other qualification, the wisdom and tact of one familiar with the conditions as they here existed, and in close sympathy with the needs and hopes and aspirations of the new West. The result was, the rejection of the nomination by a vote of 11 to 10--voting by parishes.
The clergy renominated the same candidate, which nomination was again rejected.
At this point the clergy retired for consultation. There is reason to believe that in this conference the exceptional condition and needs of the Diocese were even more fully discussed than had been done by the laity. The outcome was, the nomination by the clergy by a vote of 14 to 4 of the Rev. Henry B. Whipple, of Chicago. That nomination was approved by the unanimous vote of the laity. In this finale there may have been on the part of one or two, a feeling of personal disappointment, but in no direction was there evidence of heartburning or bitterness. It may well be doubted if upon any like occasion in the history of the American Church, the notes of the Gloria In Excelsis have assumed a more joyful or more triumphant character.
It is simple justice for me to add that the election of Bishop Whipple was in large measure the work of the clergy. The laity neither had nor suggested a candidate. Their rejection of the first nominee simply secured an open door, for more deliberate action and their practical views of the necessities of the situation, were responded to by the clergy in the form and with the results already given. From that hour the march of the Church in the Diocese has been onward and upward. Questions have [12/13] arisen from time to time about which we have differed, but all have been settled on lines in harmony with the spirit of '59.
The guiding star in the administration and teachings of our beloved Diocesan has been the fundamental truth, "God is love."
This, and not doctrinal discussion, has been the theology which for forty years has characterized and emphasized the Episcopate of Minnesota.
In this fact and in the comprehensive missionary spirit of Bishop Whipple, is found the secret of our exceptional development.
The history of the Diocese and the biography of our venerable Diocesan are indissolubly blended. Throughout that history are scattered many incidents worthy the pencil of a Raphael or a West.
Such a picture, with the echoes that have recently reached us from across the water, as a setting, would be a fitting tribute to the unselfish spirit, the practical wisdom and the sleepless devotion to the Master and His Church of "The Minnesota Council of 1850."
Bishop Gilbert in his response to the toast, "The Diocesan and the Co-adjutor," began by paying a very tender and beautiful tribute to Bishop Whipple. The relation between them, he said, had been not only that of colaborer but also the nearer and dearer one of father and son; the older man having watched with tender solicitude over the younger all through his Seabury days, and he recalled with emotion how, at their close, when about to go to his first parish work in the West, this loyal friend and true hearted Bishop had grasped him by the hand and said--"my boy, some day you shall have the best parish I can give you in Minnesota," and, added Bishop Gilbert, earnestly, he kept his word.
Referring to his consecration as Bishop Co-adjutor, he spoke with feeling of that same parish which, while he appreciated the honor conferred upon him, it was a real trial to leave. "Another trial in those early days," said the Bishop,--“was my dread of the work among the Indians. I did hope Bishop Whipple would not send me among them, but he did and the result converted me. "Do you remember," said he, turning to the little group of Indians present, ''when I first came among you? Do you remember the hunting and the fishing, and how we became friends?" The speaking faces of the red-men showed that they had not forgotten and would never forget.
One sad experience among many happy ones which he had shared with Bishop Whipple--said the speaker, was the division of the diocese which took from them, largely, the work among those same Indians which he too had learned to love.
In closing Bishop Gilbert spoke most beautifully of the harmony which had ever sweetened and hallowed his peculiar relationship as coadjutor with the diocese and its first Bishop.
''I was never more surprised nor more grieved," said he, "than on hearing another co-adjutor Bishop once say, that he thought the position a most vexing one to fill on account of friction. Never has it been so with me--trials there have been and hard work, and I have been at times I fear, a fractious son--but the great loving heart and broad charity of my superior and father have ever made the relation a blessed and happy one, and when the time comes for the Diocese of Minnesota to choose their next Bishop co-adjutor, I hope he may have as loyal and as loving support from both Bishop and people as I have had."
[14] Then addressing himself to Bishop Whipple, the younger bishop most earnestly wished for the older, the best which could come to him in the years during which he still trusted his presence might be a continued benediction to his people.
Later in the evening Bishop Gilbert proposed a toast to Mrs. Whipple, which was enthusiastically responded to by the rising of the delighted guests, who were glad to pay this tribute to their gracious hostess.
The Rev. A. W. Ryan, D. C. L., responded to the toast "The Northern District."
It is an honor and a pleasure to take part in an anniversary so unique as this. It has been given to few men to enter upon a work so novel, so varied, so successful and withal covering so many years. In the case of most men it is a true but in some aspects a pitiful law, that "one soweth and another reapeth." Through the providence of God and his own sagacity and faith, Bishop Whipple has been able to do the sowing and to witness the beginnings of the harvest. Four years ago the diocese of Minnesota had grown so large that it was decided to set off a district, afterwards named the "District of Duluth." It was one of our largest missionary districts, containing more territory, more population, more field for work, more clergy and I may venture to say, more prospects of growth than can be found in the most of our missionary jurisdictions. The venerated diocesan of Minnesota has been, and taken large part in laying the foundations of all this important field of the church activity "In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils by the heath en, * * in perils in the wilderness," this modern apostle has planted the Church in the great centers among the white and the red men. When the Indian had few to speak for him, Bishop Whipple stood a staunch and true friend. His faith has been justified by the outcome, for there is vast difference to-day between the pagan and Christian red men and every lover of the Lord Jesus Christ would exult with exceeding joy if he could but attend one of the reverent, earnest services in our Indian Chapels.
The kindly statesmanship which began work among our Scandinavian brethren is bearing a rich fruitage in the district. Whole churches have became attached to our communion and the new generations will recognize the Anglican church as their natural home.
Missionary work is being pushed with energy; confirmations in the District numbered 239 during the past year, nearly one-third of the number confirmed in the mother diocese and presumably more than will be reported by any other district with the single exception of South Dakota.
Our bishop is a tried and true man, of sound learning, great missionary enthusiasm, conservative churchmanship and charitable, sympathetic heart. To him may safely be committed the interests of the northern part of our state. We rejoice in the Minnesota missionary spirit and Minnesota churchmanship which is of no school and yet comprehensive enough to embrace all schools. It exalts the gracious Master and His Church above all passing theories and tendencies and so the central and enduring truth of our common Christianity.
We of the north look to Bishop Whipple as the wise master builder, who has laid broad and enduring foundations upon which, under the [14/15] guidance of the Holy Spirit, we hope to build. We look to him as our real, if not canonical provincial and always he may expect a cordial welcome to our churches and our homes. I am authorized to convey the hearty felicitations of my honored Bishop, to the Bishop of Minnesota and to assure him of the loyalty and love of the clergy and laity--of the daughter district. We crave a continued interest in our welfare and the benediction of the prayers of our brethren. From wigwam anti farmhouse, from town and city, there are multitudes in the north who at the last day will arise and call the name of the first bishop of Minnesota blessed.
Mr. A. E. Haven, of Faribault, being called upon to say a word in behalf of the Cathedral parish, said:
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen:--In the absence of our parish orator, who welcomed you so eloquently on the occasion of the visit of the general convention to this city a few years ago, and because of the sudden indisposition of the junior warden, who was to take his place, the very pleasant privilege of saying to you, "Welcome to Faribault," on behalf of the Cathedral parish, came to me a few moments ago. The tick of a watch is long enough for any Faribault citizen to extend her hospitality, but one should be given time, on an occasion like this, when you are come to do honor to our beloved bishop, to do so generously and gracefully. I realize that I stand in the presence of great preachers, great scholars, and orators whose eloquent periods have stirred to action the best thought of the civilized world, and being able to form correct sentences but slowly, I am even now in a tremor for fear of offending some fastidious ear. No one can live long in the city that Bishop Whipple calls his home, without finding its hospitality as broad as the Bishop's theology, and that takes in everyone.
We welcome you to Faribault that we may call your attention to the towers and minarets on yonder hillside; we welcome you to Faribault that we may show you the educational institutions whose foundation stones were laid in faith, without a dollar behind them; we welcome you to Faribault that you may see the work being done within them, not so much on your own account as on account of your children, who should be there to receive a Christian education in accordance with the teachings of the Church; we welcome you to Faribault because it is the bishop's home and where he began the work of the diocese which extended among the Indians as well as to other missionary fields, and as Bishop Morrison said to-day, turned the eves of the world upon Minnesota; we welcome you as citizens of a great commonwealth, and if we haven't room for all of you in our beds and at our tables, we have in our hearts.
Mr. Geo. W. Batchelder responded to the toast "The Citizens of Faribault."
For nearly forty years the small city of Faribault has enjoyed the distinction of being the residence of Bishop Whipple. The few who are still living of the earliest settlers can very distinctly remember the bishop's first visit to the little embryo town of Faribault.
It was in the spring of 1860, when it contained but a few hundred white people with nearly as many Indians who had their encampment in and around it--It was without railroads or even respectable wagon roads.
[16] Dr. J. Lloyd Breck a distinguished episcopal clergyman and missionary had settled in this place two or three years before with a view of founding a church and establishing a system of schools and purchased grounds upon the bluff which are now occupied by the Divinity School, built himself a small residence, a very small school house and small wooden church situated near where the cathedral now stands. He had already opened a parish school which had attained considerable popularity and was attended very generally by the children of the village and had under his tuition several Indian pupils.
This was shortly after the Bishops election by the council in St. Paul which has been happily alluded to at this meeting in the remarks of the honorable Judge Wilder.
The news came one morning that the Bishop of the diocese of Minnesota had arrived in Faribault and was the guest of Dr. Breck, and would preach at his little church on the Sunday following. His audience filled the church and embraced nearly all the professional and business men of the place.
Other meetings followed and the Bishop's presence caused unusual stir and excitement in our little town.
Dr. Breck, on that occasion, gave a reception in honor of the Bishop to enable some of our citizens to make his acquaintance, which was quite an attraction and gave general satisfaction and pleasure to those who attended.
During that little reception Dr. Breck remarked to some of those present that he had tried to induce the bishop to make his permanent residence in Faribault.
This was the first announcement of any such design and although the prospect seemed exceedingly remote considering, that St. Paul where the Bishop had resided, and Minneapolis were considerable cities and possessed many attraction in the way of wealth, society, and religious and educational institutions.
Yet what occurred at that meeting was a starting point which led to further movements on the part of the citizens which were among the causes which led Bishop Whipple to choose Faribault for his residence.
A meeting of citizens was called at Crumps Hall where the matter was discussed and a resolution passed pledging a subscription of fifteen hundred dollars to assist the bishop in building a residence in Faribault and a committee was appointed to correspond with him and report the action which had been taken.
That committee consisted of L. S. Pease, J. C. N. Cottrell and William S. Judd, who wrote the bishop and very promptly reported with a letter from the bishop, saying he had decided to make Faribault his future home, adding however that circumstances might arise which would make him feel it his duty to change his residence.
Measures were at once taken by that committee who reported to him that a house as good as could be had in Faribault awaited him and he soon settled with his family in Faribault.
The Bishop came here in the prime of his manhood and during his stay with us, although called away much of his time by his duties in other places, he has ever been with us in all our enterprises and troubles.
We remember well his services and counsel at the time of the Indian massacre in the summer of 1862.
The condition of the frontier, only a few miles distant, was tragic beyond description. The Indians of our own place whom we had regarded [16/17] as friendly and harmless had disappeared and gone to join their tribes.
The families and parts of families who had escaped the massacre were flocking into our village and there was serious alarm throughout the town. We feared that the Winnebagos, who were on their reservation only a few miles distant, would join the Sioux and would extend their ravages to our place.
It became a question with many whether we should remain or flee from the state or into the larger cities for refuge.
We naturally sought counsel of the bishop who had become well and favorably known to the Indians; a public meeting of the citizens was held at which the bishop presided and after mature discussion it was decided that no man should leave the town, that with such arms as they had the citizens should form companies and drill preparatory for a defense in case of an attack; that men should patrol the streets at night and sentinels should be stationed at all the ways of entering the town.
These instructions were carefully followed until we learned that the Indians had fled west and we were no longer in danger.
The bishop also rendered valuable services in the final location and establishment of the state institutions of the deaf, dumb and blind upon the bluff.
Many other instances might be mentioned wherein the citizens of Faribault have availed themselves of the wise counsel and assistance of the bishop.
But the great work accomplished by the bishop since his residence in Faribault is the building up of a large and influential church, the election of the cathedral and other church edifices and the superintending of the building up of a great school system. With the co-operation and assistance of such educators as Drs. Breck, Manney, Kedney. Wilson, Dobbin, Tanner and Rev. George B. Whipple, there has been established in this city a system of schools embracing many and various departments with their magnificent school buildings extending the length of the bluff across the river, of which we may feel proud and such as would do credit to any city or country.
For this valuable work the citizens of Faribault are profoundly grateful and it is their ardent wish that Bishop Whipple may yet be spared many years to continue in the future the great work which he has so successfully conducted in the past.
The Rev. W. C. Pope. M. A., spoke on "The Clergy and their Bishop."
Rt. Rev. Sirs:--When a regiment is on parade the adjutant appears before the line, and saluting the colonel says, Sir, the regiment is formed, After the manner of the adjutant. I announce to you that, your clergy have dined. The further duty devolves upon me of making something of a report to you concerning your clergy. It would have been well for me, if before assuming this duty, I had taught my tongue to speak in your dialect. How graciously then would I have been able to speak of each of my reverend brethren. As ill-luck will have it, the thought which presses uppermost in my mind is a speech of that dear, delightful, old cynic, your friend and mine, Dean Livermore. In speaking of the clergy of the diocese, Mr. Livermore said: "The Bishop's geese--are all swans in his eyes." He knew your mind as well as any man in the [17/18] diocese, we therefore receive his report of your opinion of us as correct, and thank you for it.
In your diocese are men of various shades of thought. In a diocese where less broad-minded views obtained than those expressed in your address this morning, the clergy of opposition parties might think that those disagreeing, with them had no right or standing in the Church. As it is, there are men among us modest enough to think that wisdom will not die with themselves; humble enough to be willing to learn from those whose training has been different from their own.
The official positions of your clergy are various. The rural clergy are the ideal parish priests.
The derivation of "parish," is from para (about), oikia (house), the district around the house of God. Those within the sound of the church bell can easily attend the week day services. The social element is strong in the country parish. Where there is but one church in a town, the Rector is not doubtful, whether some of his parishioners are not counted by two or three other rectors as theirs. The rural rector is monarch of all he surveys.
The urban clergy are rectors of rich churches and poor churches. The rectors of poor churches are happy in being free from the class of men who sometimes lay upon their pastors David's burden, who was weak though anointed king, because the sons of Zeruiah were too hard for him. Upon the rectors of the rich churches rest the financial responsibility of the diocese, which is willingly accepted because of its accompaniments, honour and power.
The clergy of your Cathedral town hold a unique position, because they are generally teachers and not pastors. The Rector of Shattuck has the joy of the harvest, for no man, as he, reaps his own sowing. My heart goes out to the veterans of the diocese, Peake and Tanner. Mr. Peake, I saw ordered deacon, and acting as assistant secretary in the convention which organized the diocese.
This is an anniversary for both Dr. Tanner and Mr. Peake, because they both took part in your election, Dr. Tanner as lay delegate from Faribault, and Mr. Peake as missionary to the Chippewas. It is a great thing to be a Bishop, but is it not also a great thing to make a bishop?
Of the able faculty of Seabury, time will permit me to refer only to the two senior professors. One of them has brought honour upon the diocese by his publications; the other is a man of such eminent learning and piety, that discredit will rest upon the diocese, if he go to his grave, before he goes to the General Convention.
It is beyond my province to speak of the Bishop Co-adjutor. I offer him the heart felt sympathy of the clergy, and wish him ad multos annos.
For yourself Sir, as the spokesman of the Clergy of the diocese, I pray: God bless the Bishop of Minnesota. "Give him day by day more of Thyself, a wise and understanding heart, and a right judgment in all things. To us give the grace of obedience, that hearing Thy voice speaking to us through him, we may ever know and do Thy blessed will. Grant that at the last, we may not be occasions of grief and shame to him, but jewels in the crown Thou wilt give him, and may we with him be admitted to see that blessed Face which here he has taught us to love. Amen."
[19] Hon. Hiram F. Stevens spoke on "The Laity and their Bishop."
In responding to this toast I find myself laboring under a three-fold embarrassment. In the first place, I am not quite sure of being in the right place. Among the melodious strains that have cheered us while the inner man was being regaled, I have failed to recognize "Old Hundred" or the "Doxology" or any thing of that sort to indicate that this was an assemblage of churchmen. In the second place, I was bidden to "a simple repast" anti I am sure you will all agree with me that we have been feasted like conquerors. But, on reflection, that is only characteristic of this beautiful and hospitable city, whose attractive scenery is only surpassed by the grace and loveliness of those who have been our charming hostesses to-night.
In the third place, it seems to me that among the able and eloquent laymen of the diocese there are many who are better qualified, in several respects, to fill the position. There are bishops and--bishops. I was reminded, by the remarks of the Bishop Co-adjutor with reference to his increase of avoirdupois during his episcopate,--certainly by his remarks, not by his character or conduct,--of the story of the portly English bishop, who, passing along the road, accosted a laborer, saying, "Pat, if you were not a laborer, what would you like to be?” and was answered, "Well, your lordship, for a clane, aisy job, give me a bishop!" To respond to this toast, it would have been a great pleasure to listen, among others, to the efficient and devoted patriarch of the laity, Judge Atwater, whose absence to-night we regret, and who, with Judge Wilder, has been for more than a generation, a loyal and efficient supporter of our beloved Bishop and both of whom are worthy examplers to their younger brethren. They could tell us a story, all of which they saw and a part of which they were, of the heroic devotion of our revered diocesan during these forty years that have elapsed since he left his promising position as rector of an influential church, in what was even then certain to become the great Metropolis of the West, to become the frontier bishop of the church. It is not difficult to imagine the fond hopes, which he must have then entertained, of prominence and usefulness in the sphere upon which he had already entered.
But, we know that then, as it has ever been, duty was, with him, the paramount consideration; and not only we of the laity and you of the clergy, but the entire Church have occasion to thank the Ruler of events that the decision was made as it was. It has been a missionary field from the first, and. surely, never, in the history of the American Church, has there been one who, in his faith and courage; in his zeal and devotion; in his labors and sacrifices; in his prudence anti sagacity and in the variety, extent and far-reaching consequences of his achievements, has so well deserved to be compared to the great Apostle to the Gentiles. But he has been more than that. There are men, to epitomize whose lives, is to write the history of their times, and our beloved diocesan has been one of these. For many years, the catholicity of his faith, the breadth of his charity and the strength and warmth of his love for humanity, have marked him more than any other leader of his time, as one who recognized in every man of every race a brother.
Placing deed above dogma, and love above liturgy, he has preached "Christ and Him crucified" and imposed no other creed upon those he welcomed to his fold. It is because of this that so many who were trained to other faiths have seen in the Church "a more excellent way," [19/20] and have come in such numbers into her communion. This influence has not been confined to this diocese, but has extended throughout the land and even to the mother Church, across the sea, where his name, as here, is a household word.
It has been manifested, not alone in these splendid institutions that have made the name of Faribault a synonym for intellectual and ecclesiastical culture and progress; not alone in the advanced civilization which early attended and has ever distinguished our young commonwealth; not alone in the remarkable growth of the diocese in spiritual life and influence; but, above all, in the changing attitude of the Church at large, in widely adopting the theory of which he has long been recognized as the foremost advocate, that Christian warfare should be waged against a common foe and not within its own ranks, and that the firmest unity in essentials is consistent with the broadest charity as to details.
It is for these reasons, Reverend Father in God, that, in the name of the laity of the diocese, I come to lay at your feet the tribute of their gratitude and affection. They will follow you through life, and when, at last--far distant be the day--the great Shepherd of the Sheep shall call you to His eternal fold, they know full well that from His lips shall fall the heavenly welcome, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom, prepared for you from the foundation of the world!" and when His eyes shall fall upon the multitudes redeemed through your ministrations, but most of all those dusky children of the forest to whom your words and work have shown the way of life, there shall he added, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these. My brethren, ye have done it unto Me!"
Bishop Whipple was the last speaker; he said in part:
My brethren beloved, you do me honor overmuch. You have filled my heart so full that I can find no words to thank you.
I came to you, a stranger. Before, coming, I consulted the sainted Bishop DeLancey, who, knowing the circumstances of my election, said; "Go, you cannot fail, with such a body of men as were in the Council which chose you to be bishop."
I came, determined to find the image of my Master in all men in whose hearts His grace had been planted. I have lived in this place, forty years, and I call all to witness that never have our Church life and work in this city, been unkindly spoken of by Christians of other folds. This is to me a glad and grateful memory. When our first Mission, which was to last a week, was about to be held, a Presbyterian pastor came to me, and said, "Bishop, will you tell me what you are going to do at your Mission?" I told him. He said, "If I will call a meeting, will you come and tell my people what you have told me? We will hold a prayer meeting every night during the week, and ask God to bless your Mission." These things are written upon my heart. The love which I gave you has been poured back into my own bosom.
No Bishop of the American Church has ever had a nobler band of fellow-workers than those who have been with me in this diocese. I cannot here tell the story. I mention one incident:
More than thirty years ago, unknown to me, the United States Government placed in my charge the Indians at Fort Wadsworth and Devil's Lake. I declined the trust, but Congress adjourned without making any change. The Secretary of the Interior informed me that unless I [20/21] accepted this trust, these wild Indians would starve. I then accepted it. It involved three hundred miles of travel to the nearest body of Indians. It would have been natural had the diocese protested against this new responsibility. But when the Council met, by a standing vote, approval of my labors for the Indians was put on record, and hearty support was pledged me.
Among our honored guests to-night, are two whose names should be dear to every loyal-hearted man and woman in this state. One is our Chippewa brother, the Rev. J. J. Enmegahbowh, who, when our northern frontier was threatened with Indian massacre, sent a trusty messenger to call the Mille Lac Indians to defend Fort Ripley, while he travelled all night, wading the Gull Lake River. Two of his children died from that night's exposure, but he saved Fort Ripley and prevented an Indian massacre.
The other is a Sioux,--my beloved friend, Andrew Good Thunder, one of the truest and noblest men I have ever known. He with other Christian Indians saved two hundred white women and children from death, in the massacre of 1862. He afterwards became Chief of the Scouts, and carried this certificate from General Sibley:--"The bearer, Good Thunder, is entitled to the lasting gratitude of the American people, for having, with other Christian Indians, rescued two hundred white women and children, and delivered them to me. Signed, H. H. Sibley, Colonel Commanding."
During that massacre, Little Crow said to Good Thunder, "The Canadian Indians will help us; we will clean out all the whites." Do not forget the reply made by this brave man,--"Those Indians help you! Never! They are ruled over by a Christian woman whom they trust, and they would not touch your bloody hand with a little finger." When Little Crow cried, "Shoot him," he threw back his blanket, and answered, "Shoot me, but you will not stop me from speaking the truth!"
Never while Minnesota stands or American history is read, should deeds like these be forgotten. They will ever be a testimony to the power of Christ to save men.
I must not detain you longer. I thank you for this day. You have made me very happy by your loving, loyal words, and I only pray that that Christian love which has been ours in the past, may ever characterize the Diocese of Minnesota.
And now, may I give you my blessing!