American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-05-12
Successor Of BiSh0p Polk.

cOnYeneS .tHe diocesan Convention
of Louisiana for the first time in sew.
eral years. The principal business
will be the choice of q Bishop to fill
the vacancy made by the death OF
Bishop Polk, in his high office. The
vacancy that he has left in society
and in the remembrance of all our
people, alas can never be filed.
He has gone from us forever, and we
never shall see his handsome form,
his pleasant face, his winning smile,
more. And here we may remark
that it was our good fortune to be
with him mach Of the time imme-
diately before and after ne received
u commission in the Confederate
army. That commission, urged upon
him from the beginning of the war,
was not hastily accepted, nor until
after the most deliberate conviction
of duty and the aequiescence Of his
brother Bishops. Well, do we re-
member his departure from Rich
mond to seek personally the advice
Of Bishop Meade, then the senior of
the House of Bishops, at his home in
North Virginia, and his return to the
Confederate capital.
And what did he tell YOU" said
we.
II saluted him." said our good
Bishop, and said to him, seSlr, I
have been offered commission in
the Confederate army, and have
come to ask your advice"
And what did he say2
He said to me: "Sir, you hold
already q higher commission than
that ia the Church Militant"
/" | am aware of that, Right Rev.
Sin; and do not intend to resign it;
but hope to hold it III the church tri-
umphant."
Well, the senior bishop, then did
not give his consent?
Z" Yes he did," said our good Bish-
OPP with twinkle of his eye aud a
confident manner that was peculiarly
his own: "Yes he did. l quoted
scripture upon him, and we talked
the matter all over thoroughly and
he finally told ME that, if felt it my
duty to accept the commission, had
his full consent, and so say all the
rest of my brethren"
And the next day Bishop Polk re-
ceived his commission at the hands
of President Davis, who had from
the first urged it upon him, and was
ordered to the command of the West
ern Department at Memphis He
had received military education at
West Point, had kept up his reading
well and had a love for military life.
And whatever may be said of his
strategy and skill, it is certain that
there never lived a field officer OF
more soldierly bearing, of more cour-
teous manner, or one who was more
at home in the pomp and show of
the parade or at the head Of his di-
vision in battle. We remember we'll
his appearance at Gen. Beauregard's
headquarters at Shiloh, after the
death of Albert Sidney johnson, in
company with Gems. Hardee and
Bragg, who held the two foremost
lines formed after the French order
of battle) on that hard fought field. {
AT that time, though night came be- .
fore the days work was fully fin 7
ished, it was believed that the Con
federate army was master of the sit
uation. Such were the reports of
the other commanders when Gen.
Polk arrived, and, dismounting with
his well-known grace, congratulated
Gen. Beauregard on his accession to
the chief command and upon his vie
tory. There was in his manner a
dignity, grace, a courtesy, and
wlthal that unconscious bearing of Il
that Alexander might .
have shown when the whole world
bowed to his sceptre.
But to return: On the 10th inst,
convenes the Diocesan Convention of
Louisiana to choose a successor to
Bishop Polk. The office is a very
high and holy one, and the duty Of
filling it commensurate with the dig
nifty and sacredness OF the office.
But of that we need not say more,
but leave 1t in che hands of the faith
full members of the Convention, upon
whom it devolves. We have this to I
however, that, from the
very nature and duties of the Epis-
,opaey of the Anglican Church, we
want, as successor of Bishop Polk, a
sound churchnaD, and an accurate,
thorough scholar We want a man ]
who viii not only teach the accepted
teachings OF the Church, but teach ]
them in " the form of sound heads"
set forth by the canons OF the Church.
We all know, even the least learned. I
how important is "the fern of sound I
in the catechism, and not
less important is it in the incubation |
Of sound doctrines, in the canonical |
services Of every day of the year.
- Hold fast the form of sound words"
says the acutist of all the Christian
and that it will be the most
duty of our new Bishop
to see 10 done.
We want, moreover, in this city
and among this literally educated.
people of Louisiana, thorough and
accurate scholar, learned In the class
les, IN the mathematics, the humani-
ties, and in the modern languages,
as well .as in church history and doc