Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-02-19
the Methodist BlshODs.

The Methodist Bishops.
Looking as a picture OF the nine bishops Of the
Metnodist Episcopal Church. We are in prsssed With
the fact that there few men in the United States
+ 70 whom more power Il intrustod Power but net
emolument; for their position is the far.herest re-
moved from one Of digni6ed leisure. In the pic
ture before US their kenesses are appropriately ar
ranged in circular form, with that Of the senior
bishop in the center. Appropriately circular, we
say, for like everything in Methodist economy the
( bishops revolve. They are one wheel OF vast
system Of wheels; and if they exert their power IN
bidding others remove, there are none upon whom
the burdens Of the itperant system fall heavily
upon themselves. In the greatness Of their jour
neys they more than apostolic. Bishop Th0mp-
son presided few years ago at conference on the
banks Of the Min, in the Celestial Empire and bis
very next presidency, We believe, on the banks
of the Minnesota. Their going forth is from the
ends Of the earth and their circuit unto the ends
thereof In proportion to the greatness Of their
clesastcal authority is the greatness Of their re-
sponsbity. At each quadrennisl session of the
General Conference committee on episcopacy
reviews rigidly all questionable points in the sd
minisration OF each bishop and their high position
does not protect them from most rigorous aocoun-
liability.
The venerable senior bishop, Morris, occupies the
center OF the picture before He Is benign and
portly old gentleman, of truly episcopal proper
tons. de holds his cane 10 his right hand and sits
in genial old age, after lifetime Of toll waiting
the Masters call. Not at all orator, he is yet a
speaker and writer of great clearness and concise
ness, and his published writings are models Of forc
Ole thought and perspicuous dlction. He Is emil
nenty Western in his makeup, genial in sympa-
thy earnest in piety but not at ali ascetic and pos
sessed Of humor SO abundant and wit so quaint
and 50 keen that he is socially fascinating His
gentle but cutting sarcasm is terror TO those who
have more cant than sense.
Ut quite 8 different character is Bishop James
With a small frame originally slight, but tending
OF late 10 e5lbeHpo51 nose rather aquiline, and
voice sh-!ll and piping, but which has been sub
ected 20 discipline not less severe and hardly less
successful than the Evolutionary training Of Demos
themes, DR.. James is the embodiment Of will He
is perhaps the greatest ecclesiastical administrator
Of the present generation. It Is doubtful if his
perior In executive ability can be found in the
try. Having submitted cheerfully and conscienti-
ously to the hardships Of the itinerant system as
they existed quarter Of century ago, he is dis
posed to exact something like the same devotion
from others. Had he lived IN the Middle Ages he
would inevitably have ruled great religious order.
james, if not the greatest man on the Methodist
bench, is perhaps the greatest bishop. He is al
ways forcible speaker, often eloquent Aquiline
in feature and mind, he pounces upon his ideas with
an exutant esgle-like swoOp His financial ability
is Of the highest order.
Bishop Scott is the genial, gentemanly, sanity
man Of the bench. Devout without particle Of
aseeticism, be ovsr6ows with Christian and human
sympathy. Pretending neither TO oratory nor great
ness, he is yet an excellent preacher aud man of
great practical His life and spirit ara full of
piety of the old earnest Methodist type.
The large frame, full chest preninent brows and
somewhat massive lower face proclaim Simpson
very prince Of pulpit orators. Nature does not
often make man great in all respects, and Bishop
Simpson is not pre-eminent as an administrator,
scholar or writer. His sermons have many hne
things; but they do not satisfy expectation when
read 1t Is the majestic presence the noble voice,
the grand, earnest triumphant face all surcharged
with the electricity of an enthusiastic soul, that
make Dr. Simpson the orator that he is. Not that
he is without noble mental gifts, but that it is the
addition of his wonderful physical magnetism that
gives him his royal position as an orator. More
perhaps by his surroundings than by natural inci-
nation he was made conservative in church poll
tics; but the breaking ont of the he used all
his lofty gifts orator in support OF President
Lncolns administration, and it fell to his lot TO give
utterance to the national sorrow at the tomb of tho
President. Since the war be has spoken earnestly
and frequently on national subjects
Bishop Baker is, like Bishop James New Eng
lander He is q refined and polished scholar, bear
ing yet the stamp of his years OF service in the
chair Of u professor. His difidence is always sp-
parent, though it never causes a loss Of aplontb.
Thoroughly versed in parliamentary usages, always
ready and sefpossessed he has few equals as s.pre
siding officer, and his work on the Discipline is the
standard of Methodist law.
Bishop Ames, though of Puritan ancestry is yet
a Western man by birth and by every Characters
tic of mind and body. Like Bishop james, he is
eminent for executive ability. With will fully
equal to that eff James, he is less careful in using it.
and is sometimes thought arbitrary. His mind ia
like his frame, massive, and his sympathies deep
and tender. The one word which oharacterizes him
ia, statesmanship. As preacher bis movement is
smooth, his discourse singulArly clear with passa-
yes OF snuine subimity, and pathoe that stirs his
hearers 20 the depths Of their natures.
With physical presence, face full Of dignity,
somewhat forehead-bald, Bishop Clark looks as he
Is, the refined scholar, carrying with him still the
impress Of his life in literary Institution. He is
g smooth and polished writer, an accurate and
pleasant speaker, stating bis propositions clearly,
and advocating them foreibly. His work entitled
Man all Immoral though scholarly, hardly does
him justice, being more popular resume of the old
current arguments than development of any new
lines Of thought on the subject He was for wears
editor of the Ladies Repository at Cincinnati
With a rich humor and sarcasm that knew how
TO take advantage of the absurd position Of bis op
ponents, who were anti-slavery in politics while
they were conservative in the church, Dr. Kingsley
used his official position editor of the Western
C1TistGn A2r0cGts at Cincinnati to urge the adop-
ton of a more stringent and uDequivooal rule
against slaveholding. His political articles were
also bold and trenchant; and when the progressive
party came to elect bishops it was almost a fore
ROu0 CODCiuslOn knaG LIT. hIDksIey HOUlQ De among
them. Like several Of his colleagues, be has been
professor; but no one would suspect it fron his
manner, Without being eloquent, he is forcihle,
manly and strong in all that he ssyr.
Last upon the list and IN some respects we think,
greatest on the list, is Bishop Edward Thompson.
Petite in stature, absent-milded in bearing with
hearing little impaired and modest almost to ez-
cess, he is not peFhaps just the man for an officer
so executive in its character that Of the Metho-
dist episcopacy. But az writer he has qualities Of
the rarest sort. None of our eminent American
writers excel him in purity Of dietion, or in the
" art Of putting things" AS speaker his voice Is
defective, and bis manner generally somewhat de-
fcient in animation. he often confines himself
closely to bis manuscript; but we have known an
audience TO be carried into rspturous applause by
the triumphant eloquence of his thoughts. His
books Of essays and travel the classics of Amer
lean Methodist literature
Such are the nine Methodist bishops-who, On
the whole, are nine Gs able men IS any Christian
denomination can boast.-Nei9 Fork Independent
Indemnity OF Loyal Citizens,