New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-04-30
An AFRICAN BISHOP.
outrsges.

Inc Rt. heS. JTbucb DhIHri d pcisoh VI
colcr," and Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal
Church in Africa, where he has been Mis-
sionary for nearly thirty years, died IN Balti-
more on the 10Th inst In respect to this gen.
thernan, we regret to say that our information
is meager. We are merely told that he was q
very good man. But whether the deg.ee OF
his facial angle interfered witt the exercise of
his episcopal functioDs-whether he found con-
frmation difficult on account OF the contigura-
ton of his tibia-whether he was hindered in
the exercises of ordination by The colOriDg mat
ter Of his cuticle-we regret for the sake OF
dear, delightful ethnology, that we are unin-
formed. Whether, with all these distinctions
Of body, Bishop Burns found it possible to be
&" oIameless the husband OF enc wife, vigilant,
sober, OF good behaviour, given to hospitality,
apt to teach"-whether he found it possible
"to rule well his own house. having his chill
dren in subsection with all gravity" We are
not told, bat as he had good report of
them which are without" we suppose that he
vss not found wanting in these particulars. II
il were not so, the blame must be upon the
heads of those who consecrated him to his high
office aud sent him for an example and guide
to the heather. 1t will not do TO say that any
kind of Bishop is good enough for Africa
even Mira. Jellaby with all her enthusiasm,
would MT have said that. The Africans, being
great einners, and much given TO idol
atrous backslidings, need the very best of
Bishops, and when you put Inferior Race to
watch over Inferior Race, why is MT that very
much Ike the Blind leading the Blind, and
may not the cons .quent tumble into the ditch
be expected IA regular hounderng Of the
Crook and his Congregation in the mud, with
awful besoiling Of inter and canoncals and
the fleece Of the flock If no such
catas.rophe has happened from the mis-
sion of Bishop Burns, or from his official
ministratiOns what becomes of our well-be-
loved and kindly -cherlshed theories But what
were those Shareholders doing who sent out the
Bishop l-emsncipated him from Slavery, per-
hsps, for the very purpose Of DO sending him
With their low aud despairing views of the en-
liabilities Of q race, which was regularly
cursed, you know, in the early ages of the
world, how did they dare to make this man
Bishop, thus flying in the very face VI Proyi.
dence and the Prophetsl How do they find
blasphemoas impudence enough to attempt the
conversion of those who are under an eternal
ban Are they wiser than the Old Tesla
ment Is the Colonization Society an Asso-
citation of Infdels, who venture to set aside
the penary inspiration of the Scriptures
How the ghost of Canaan must have laughed,
when Bishop was duly set apart for his
especial benefit Don't say anything about
the latitudnarianism of Theodore Parker after
this. A race that furnishes Bishops cannot
be wholly cursed, wholly deg'aded, wholly
hopeless!
But this is only of piecS with the remain
der of slavsholding incon"Ssency' writers OF
the bemuddled description, feeling their way
with the the fag-end Of a bxt, through al III
finite chaos of CONTRADICTIONS, Srope ana sum-
bic about in their little circle, and untwlst in
ONE hour the fne-sppa theories OF another
Penelopes without retticoat' They describe
the Model Slave vlo 10 pious in the extreme,
.imulv . cable ssnt, obedient, gentle. trusting,
and with a perect intelligence of the sublim- {
a., ,r,th, of Christianity-ss good, for that
matter, as sly Doctor Of Divinity in the land.
Ru. vheulhey have exhausted their wind ,
and Il is't very easily eIhausted-in their ,
prai.s,,f this almost perfect creature, who
b., gown so sancti6od. it is then, to tho
shars of their philosophy and their theology, ,
Ii. they bring out Model No. 2. who .
triillsu, aud stupid. and lazy. aud scpsual, o