The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-07

helpless and spiritually destitute children in the
West from the year 1885. when Dr. Kemper was
sent forth the missionary bishop of the North
west, and he was voluntarily accompanied by a
sanity presbyter whom we may justly style the
Apostle of Indiana, the Rev. Pr. Samuel Ro0se-
welt johnson. But then in 1885, when the
church first came IN formal way within her
borders Indiana had been State for nineteen
years, and Illinois for seventeen. All the lead
ing religions bodies of that day had already
planted themselves in the land, and taken root,
and sprung M and borne fruit They had, in
been from the first fully equipped, and had ac-
CURED endowments IN globes, and buildings,
and money. They had largely leavened
the population with their principles,
and tone and spirit The church had
Jagged behind, taught by the evil example of her
mother in England, who had left her % shift for
herself Tor much more than century in colonial
times. She repeated the treatment to her own
children: she did not feel the necessity nor see
1t to be her bounden duty to send chief shep-
herd after her sheep who mad gone out from her
and been scattered abroad on the prairies and in
the forests OF the West by the tide of emigration.
ANTAGONISTS AND DISADVANTAGES.
Meanwhile, as we have limited, the religious
character of the population had been formed I'M
der Influences sometimes uncnnsciously adverse
TO the church, oftener distinctly hostile to her.
Many OF her own children, after waiting long for
the ministries of their own communion to come
to them, lost heart, ana did, they thought, the
best that they could, and cast in their lot with
the least objectionable religions society which
was within their reach. Thus, in this great ter
rltory, embracing the States in the eastern di-
vision OF the Mississippi valley, when the church
made her first appearance with bishop at her
head, she found herself last upon the ground nd
least In numeri' and financial strength and
lhnuence. Nay, o ten she discovered that the
Religious ana spiritual life of the community had
almost wholly crystalliZed around systems an
tagonlSue TO her genius and spirit, and that
even the social lines had bsen drawn closely
as 10 exclude her with a sentence OF absolute
Damshnent. This evil condition of things. if 1
am correctly Informed, reached its maximum in
the states or Indiana and Illinois. When Bishop
Uphold came to this diocese, in 1849 ~ its first
olshop, Ihlrty-three years, the period allotted by
chronologers to a generation, had elapsed since
Indiana had placed her star upon the nag of our
Union as a sovereign State. IN estimating tine
episcopates OF the first two bishous of Indiana
tue general animus of The people. and the pre-
valllng religious bias, which had been suffered
to dew lOpe AMI become rooted in CONSEQUENCE
OF the negiects, unavoidable, perhaps. under the
circumstances, but still the neglects of the past
on the part of the church, must he allowed their
due weight. Another consideration, closely con-
nected with the subject which we have been dis
cussing, made strongly against the church in the
earlier years of our republic, aud continued TO
nave Influence to "A date within the memory of
those stlil living. Happily it has now entirely
passed away. We refer to the political pTejn-
dice which for long time associated our church
so far with the mother church OF England to
hold her responsible for sympathy with mon
archical institutions Sometimes this feeling
was bitter, and could not be restrained some
times it was simply silly in its ignor-
accomplished Its evil work of suspicion and
alienation. The presnyter survives to-day who
when IA Young man, ana about 10 enter upon his
duues as missionary, was threatened with
death if he dared enter the town to revive
what the Intelligent aud patriotic citizens were
pleased to call 1.-THE Kings Church" The
speaker remembers IN the first wear of his minis
try TO have been requested by clerical brother,
Tor whom he was preaching, to explain to his
people that thu crown in of the laucets Of
tho chaucel window, which had recently been
presented to the church, had no connection
whatever with the monarchy OF Great Britain.
Sucn, my brother assured me, was the suSDiciOn
which widely prevailed among his flock, and he
wished me, If could, to lay it to rest. IL may
seem almost ludicrous now that snch Ignorance
and prejudce should ever have existed But it
must be remembered that during our RevOlu-
lipnary war the Tories or friends of England
were III very large proportion churchmen and
for many years after our independence was Sc
cured the general antipathv TO the mother
country continued very strong, and hence, as
hatred does not stop TO reason, our church was
lo1ked upon as identical IN spirit, sym-
pathy ana purpose with the stale
saureh of England, from which it boosted that it
was derived. Thus in days gone by political prej-
Hillee was often added to religious raucOr as an
obstacle TO the progress of our communion.
CONDITION OF FEELING.
Liturgical worship in its fully developed form,
as among us, is II practical difficulty in the way
OF ditfu>ing the church among the masses when
they are, as a rule, strangers to the use of the
prayer book. It requires time to learn to follow
with ease and comfort the successive stages of
the service, and even when this knowledge and
familiarity have been acquired, the taste and
habits of mind will not yet have been formed to
appreciate ana enjoy the sequence and order and
method of the divine offices. To those who
have been nnPtnred IN the church liturgical wOr-
ship seems the only proper and fit way OF APP
preaching God, when tive or three met TO.
gether in HIS name to pay Him homage. But
for others, who have been brought M under a
different system. the condition of feeling and
HlgnOSlflOn is mon ba
same. They do not undergo "a change at once.
The process is an education, and must he slow
and gradual under the most favorable circum-
stances. Men 40 not easily unearn old habits
and WAYS and attach themselves to new ones,
and hence the enioined use of the prayer book
on all occasions in the full measure OF its pre-
scrlbed ritual has been a great hindrance to the
spread of the church among our people,
who have been reared outside of our
communion. ami this impediment in the way of
her growth has been more seriously felt in the
West than In the East. The conditions of So
eiety in the West have been such that men have
been habitually in haste. They have been ab-
sorhed In their present pursuits TO the exclusion
of all else, and have allowed themselves little
leisure TO think and mediate and study. The
spirit of a community in pioneer life and IN n
stare OF transition from that condition to devel-
Optd social order. unless it's members have been
previously accustomed to the church's ways, is
averse To liturgical wOT ship when il goes nevond
a short and documentary form. OF late years
relaxation has not only been allowed. but sug-
gested and encouraged in the application of
rubrics when missionary services are held for
the first time in new regions, and the object
is mainly TO teach the first principles of the
gospel of Christ Formerly such II concession
WAS not deemed consistent with law and order,
and hence AN impatient audience, for the con-
gregati0n under suoh circumstances came simply
to hear, was kept waiting, while the missionary
reeited alone exhortation, psalter, chants and
prayers, until he came To that for which the peo-
pie had really gathered, the sermon. Snch
the rule fifty years ago, we
told, in beginning and carrying
on the missionary work OF the church. surely
such mode OF presenting the church at the
outset to strangers must have operated as a
great drawback to her success. II ia not sur
prisng thar she did not draw to her fold those
VINO were not already prepossessed in her favor.
Under sucn restraints did Bishop Talbot WORK
during the greater part of his episcopate.
MINISTERIAL DRIFTwooD.
Another difficulty heset the pioneer bishop, and
for many years the Bishop of Indiana was near
II not actually on the frontier of organized church
life and worn. He is the unhappy recipient of
what may he called the driftwood of the minis