The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-11-15
ss5,issSsss from The Land We Loye.1
SKETCHES OF BISHOP POLK.

April 10th, 1906, the fourth son OF Col +" =;
His hovhood was full of fun and frollc,
,,,+ newer MINGLED with cruelty or unKlno-
ness with the quickest senslDliitles nc iei'
and resented the least in]ustice 10 Outlets
JJis character for truthtutness was cary %
tah,;ahed and he has been heard to say that
a. h;rbest commitment he ever received, and
a. Est Waived was once, when at school a
r,;s,,,tn occurred between teachers and pu-
nils and it being considered needful to have
a statement of fact, he was selected as the
one who would tell the truth, even ii he IN
cu,pated himself in SO doing His sole aim
at Erst was to do what was becoming gen
tJeman. and when higher standard was
termed duty was always paramount, every
thing Welded to that comfort, fortune.
family, weighed as nothing In the scale WITH WITH
this. . WV,
He entered West Point in 1928. What he
,,-oc there will be best told by those who
,,,era his companions all liked him and ad-
,,,ired his character, which was free from
.,rorutkiro low and bad. At the end of two
I,eors he was much interested in the subject
IF reliSion. After lac became a soldier of
Christ. his great desire was to bring no stain
upon his character as a christian, and rather
than fail in what he thought duty, he exert
ed himself when suffering from illness, refus
aggravated attack of pneumonia, from which
for wears he did not recover, an adhesion
having taken place in the left lobe of the
,unus previous 70 this illness. he could
" oHt-run. out-wrestle and out-jump" every
one at West Point. He always esteemed it
one of his blessings that he became the room
mate of Albert Sidney johnson, who watch
ed over him at first as if he had been an ell
der brother, and finding him worthy, though
somewhat his junior, made him his friend /:
for the three years during which they occu-
pied the same room nothing marred their
friendly relations, which indeed were kept
up until severed by death. He graduated ia
1927. Was ordained Deacon in 1880, be
coming assistant to Bishop Moore in the
Monumental church in Richmond,Va His
health already weakened by hard study, gave
way under the duties of a large parish and
the following year, after having received
Priests Orders, he, by the advice OF physI-
clans, took sea-voyage and went to Europe,
where he remained for more than twelve
month
The following anecdote will illustrate his
determination not to submit to unlawful ex-
ercise of authority. He was travelling from
Rome to Naples, and at the Neapo}itan from
tier his baggage was searched and his Bible,
Prayer-Book and copy Of Shakespeare de-
tanned, with promise to restore them to
him on his return. On his demonstrating,
was told it was useless, as they must be Kept
bv the officials, unless he chose to have his
effects scaled and go under guard, at consid-
cradle expense, to Naples. To this he agreed,
and the guard was accordingly mounted on
the carriage box and thus escorted he set
out for the Capital. At the inn where he
stopped for the night he found two elderly
English ladies, travelling under each others
protection, who entering into conversation
with him asked how he had passed through
the custom house he informed them that he
was then under the escort of a genes dGrme
with all his baggage sealed-they then re-
marked that they had also been detained at
the frontier, and worse still, had been rob-
bed OF their tea and teapot, a grievance upon
which they dwelt most eloquentiy- He i'm
mediatclv interested himself in their case,
drew up statement of the impertinence to
which they had been exposed, which they
signed, and the next day on reaching Naples
he was driqen at once to the custom-house
where he laid the whole affair before the
proper authorities, and the result was the
Immediate restoration of books, tea and tea
pot, and the dismissal Of the officers for ex-
ceeding their order The gratitude of the
old ladies procured him many pleasant ac-
auaintances both in Italy and England.
On his return to the United States with
renewed health. he removed to Tennessee,
and resumed the exercise of his profession, as
Rector of the church in Columbia. He was
consecrated Missionary Bishop of the South
west in 1888, and entered upon his duties
with all the energy which characterized
him.
Upon one occasion descending one of the
South western rivers In small steamer the
boat struck a snag and sank, the passengers
got ashore with part of their baggage, when
= To r.-all- nty miles
to the nearest port, the chances for another
boat overtaking them speedily, being very
slight The Bishop, an excellent mechanic
thought the boat could be raised, and submit
ted plan to the captain who begged him to
undertake it with the aid of the crew and
some deck passengers this WAS accomplished,
when a boat passing, the Bishop with the
others went to the next town below ; here
on asking the inn keeper ifthere was place
for holding Church services, he was told
that there never had been any preaching in
the town, that they did not want it, and that
he would be mobbed ifhe attempted it. How
ever,i Mr.. --, the principal merchant in
the place would agree they would not OBJ
ject On being applied to Mr.. -'s ex-
clamation was, {" l left New England to get
rid of preaching and don't want it heren-
His consent having been obtained, arrange
ments were being made for service on the
OuHuay- iil-DOitC Hleli, always
lawless set, being in strong force in the town,
declared there should be no preaching and
if it were attempted they would break it up.
In the mean time the steamer which the |
Bishop had assisted in raising came down, |
and the hands hearing of this, said q this |
was not common preacher, he knew how to |
work, and if he chose to preach, he should |
preach, and the would like to see the fiat
boat men who would hinder it" a row be-
tween the parties was apprehended, but the
steamboat hands being most numerous. the
boatmen were quiet, and the services passed |
off without disturbance, a very large and |
attentive congregation being present. Four
years after the Bishop made another visit to
this town and was told there had been no
preaching there since his last visit.
An incident is often related which occur
red at the mouth of White River. The Bish-
OPP from constant living in the open air, a
great deal of exercise and very temperate
habits had acquired an appearance of robust
health; he always wore, even in the days of
thin boots, soles as thick as the present Bal
moral, and had an overcoat of Pilot-cloth
capable Of resisting all weathers. Landing
1T the mouth of White River to take boat