The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-02-25
BISHOP eTEY.
From Review of Bishop Green's Me-
moir.


his death, civil war ragged betwet
the north and south, and it was
sad and singular fortune that thr,
of the four bishops who took pa
in his conservation, were the sub
iects of serious accusations, upo
the house ofS bishops wer
whicn :. -"t. The wars an
compelled to thirty year
conflicts of twenty or ~.
ago are past, and if men will IL
rashly thrust them upon US, we car
calmly say, let the dead past bury
it's dead.
Two honest and homely extracts
the first from a letter and the othel
from Bishop Otey's journal, illus
trate the first bishop of Tennessee
q 81 wish you, my dear wife, tC
keep Mercer (his son) with your
self, and teach him yourself, as
much as yon can. Let him read
the bible to you, and learn the mul-
tiplicationatable. ~ LEFT home
this morning, for the visitation oi
Mississippi. 1 first burned out al
the chimneys; and mmended my
dear wife and children to God, in
voking His gracious and merciful
protection"
(D He was an effectionate man
(2) very practical, not forgetting
the importance of the muItiplica-
tion table to boy. and of clean
chimneys to honse. (3) He was
faithful in his work, and was sin
cere believer in prayer, in the bible
and in God.
He was, indeed, man of the ten
derest and most sympathetic feel
ings. He wrote a member Of his
family, after one, at least of the
great church troubles of his day
was over: You seem to wonder,
my dear child, that L should have
felt SO much trouble about this
matter. 1t was not in reference to
myself, Ior the line of my duty,
that 1 felt concerned 81 have
often wished that l possessed
less sympathy for others; but that
is wishing not to be myself" One
of the prettiest scenes described in
the Memoir, is that of the great tall
bishop (six feet and four incnes
higb), walking up and down his
hall, with his little1daughter Fanny,
who was not much higher than his
knee, the two singing together.
MY father" says his daughter
Henrietta, chad a fine voice; and
the soft, ringing, childish notes of
little Fanny, mingled in unison with
his own, was one of the sweetest
sounds l have ever heard Sym
pathetic as he was, he was not
weak. He could be stern and could
administer the discipline which'the
purity of the church and the honor
ofChrist's cause demanded. In an
guish of heart he wrote to one of his
presbyters; "As DIR. Pise said to me
the other day, bishop, bad men
come here to be disciplined; good
men come here to die Such has
been the history of my poor afflicted
diocese"
The practical character of the
bishop was doubtless due, in good
part, to the very practical, training
he received. His father was g
blacksmith, as well as q farmer.
One morning when James, who was
then boy of sixteen years, COM
planned at the breakfast table that
he had been kept awake during the
night by pains in his chest, his
mother gave deep sigh and look
ed at his father, who said nothing
at the time, but when breakfast was
over he then said, James, | must
send away my 'striker' for awhile; /;
step down to the blacksmith shop
to-day, and strike till he gets
back The striker did not get
back for three weeks, and by that
time the future bishop was cured.
The knowledge thus gained was of
use to the Bishop, for at a time
when he was iourneyiug to Florida,
to make a visitation of that state,
the main cross-tree Of the stage
broke, and driver and passengers
were compelled to stop st the first
blacksmith shop for repairs; 1t was
the bishop who brought his accom-
plishments into use and acted as
the striker" on that occasion.
he lived before the days of small
dioceses. Pretty much everything
from Florida to Arkansas; and from
Tennessee 10 Louisiana, was under
his charge, and he attended to it all.
He went over his own diocese twice
a year. Besides this, he was lectu-
rer or teacher at a school for young
women; and the extent of his
income is illustrated by the fact
that one year his salary was less
than five hundred dollars. But his
wants were provided for, and with
that he was content. He asked
Others not to spare themselves, and
he set the example by leading a la
borious and self denying life. He
was ever ready to preach, to travel,
or to do any kind of work for the
advance of the church. Preaching
was one of his gifts, and sometimes
his sermons would be an hour and
a half or even two hours long. He
did not enjoy his his laborious jour
news, but he went through them
with determination. One night,
when occupying bed to which he
been assigned by a landlord, he was
reused by the rightful owner, who
had not been expected to return SO
soon. and who, with much vehe-
mence of language, threatened
to pitch the bishop out oi
the window. The bishop stretch
ed out his arm, and thus spoke
"Before you throw me out feel
that" Peace was established
Difference aDd oourageousness were
strongly mingled in him. Bishop
Coke mentions two occasions (ir
! England) on which Bishop Otey''
humility and Difference appeared t.
be excessive" and seven more
than was becoming" and yet, soor
! .sAr-.rds at a great meeting q
the S, P. G. Society, at st. Martini
! Hall, Prince Albert presiding, thli