Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-09-24
How 20 become BIshop.
Alexander Macleod, D. D.

About two hundred ana eighty
years ago a clerk was wanted in the
parish church of Ugborough, little
VILLAGE in Devonshrine; and one of
the candidates was young lad
about sixteen years of age, who
came from a neighbo-ing village.
But he could not get the place De-
cause Of his youth. He was very
much cast down. He was the son
of poor, but worthy parents, and
one Of large family of brothers and
sisters. He said tohis mother with
heavy heart: 81 must not be a
burden any longer upon father and
you; / shall set out and find work
OF some kind or other elsewhere,
and support myself"
So he babe farewell to his broth
ers and sisters, and, with a little
bundle in his hand, he left his
home. His mother went with him
two or three miles of the way.
When at length she was obliged to
turn back, she knelt down with him
at the roadside and asked God to
bless him and keep him from every
evil way. Then she took out some
money and gave it to him for the
journey. Then the two kissed each
other, and, weeping, parted.
By-and-by he arrived at the city
of Exeter. He went.to the cathe-
dral; he wandered about the streets;
he called at shops, but of all, to
whom he had applied that day, no
one had work for him. AT last, he
found himself standing at the win
dow of a bOOk-shOp, looking at the
rows of books on the shelves with
i'll. At that moment, happening to
lift his eye, has caught a glimpse of
the cathedral; and the thought sud-
denly shot into his mind there was
connection between these books
and the cathedral. If he, poor
though he was, could become learn
ell in books, he might be worthy of
a place some day in the cathedral.
1t was a mere thought, and it
soon passed away from his mind.
He left Exeter and travelled on and
on until he found himself in Oxford.
He knew nobody there. But, hay
ing passed through Exeter, and
knowing that Exeter college was
the one to which Devonshire stu
dents went, he knocked at the gates
of that college and asked if they
wanted a lad like him, for any
work he could do. They did want
such a lad as he. And in a short
time ne was employed to scOur pans
to clean knives, to brush SHOES, and
in other ways help in the kitchen.
John was a faithful servant, and
soon becamea favorite with every
body about the college. And, as he
had a good many hours of leisure,
he set himself to learn Latin and
and Greek. And by-and-by the
dons going pass saw the kitchen
boy porting over loose leaves of
grammars, and would ask him jok-
ingly if he was reading Homer or
Latin poets.
But after awhile one and then an
other gave up joking the lad and
went near to him, and saw that by
himself alone he had come very
near to the reading both of Homer
and the Latin poets. And then the
dons tolI him away from the kitch-
en- and made room for him in the
classes of their college, and he be-
came one of their foremost scholars,
and one in whom they all felt
pride.
And by-and-by John was made
"fellOw," and then a professor of
divinity, and for twenty-seven
years ne labored in that college as a
professor and writer of books, where
he had served as kitchen-boy. And
at the end of that time he was made
n Bishop of Worcester, and there
in proved the truth Of the thought
shot through his mind, at the win
dow of the book shop in Exeter,
that there was way through books
to place in a cathedral.
Bishop Prideaux was never
ashamed of his early trials. He
kept the leathern clothes, in which
he set out from his fathers house,
to his old age. He loved to revisit
the village in which he was born.
He greatly loved his parents. In
his Kindness he would plan surprise
visits. He would bring his doctors
scarlet gown and put it on to please
them. He never tired of showing
them reverence. Often he would
say: "If had got the clerks place
in Ugborough, 1 should never have
been Bishop in Worcester"
He loved to think that his moth
er's prayer had been answered IN
the happicSt events of his life. And
he did not think differently when
the happy years came toan end,
and years of disgrace and war came
in their stead. Those who tri-
umphed i'm that war drove him
from Worcester, but he still felt and
said that all his life had been plan
ned out for him by God