The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-14

Bishop BeckWltn mad little sympathy Tor Inc
changes which many desired 20 make in short
ening or modifying the services. IL seemed to
him there was none too long time spent in
our old-fashioned method Of the Common
Prayer. / suppose there was no desire for abb
breViation felt in any congregation where he
might off1ciste. IL could never have besn in
any case, personal question But, alas, al
the clergy do not read rhe services with his
wonderful power. II was said Of him when he
first came to New Orleans that words tnat had
bsen familiar from childhood were illumined
with deep and unexpected meanings Men
said that no man could know the pathos aud
sublimity of the Litany till he heard il read by
Beckwith. That he read the Decalogue and made
men feel as II It had Just been enacted. and the
two tables just published and the Lessons from
his lips seemed fresh utterance Of prophet or
apostle.
EFFECT OF RITUAL sN.
! am sometimes inclined to think that our
more elaborate services of song, the chant ID
psalter and the intoned PRAYERS. have done
much to destroy the plain, good reading of the
clergy. / am quite sure, at all events, that
there is a great deal of very bad reading, and
know that much of the power of the Liturgy is
lost in consequence.
When a man is ordained all his faculties and
powers are set apart made divine Offering.
be owes it to his VOWS and to the Log he
serves to cultivate every power to its highest and
noblest expression. Careless, vicious reading,
mumbling 1ndstinctness, sing-song drawling.
painful to all who hear. are inexcusable There
are few men who cannot become earnest AMI
impressive readers; few faults that care aud
ltltHulJ neiD VIII NOT cure, anu one becomes
impatient with men who have taken upon them
selves high and solemn function, and are yet
content to take no pains to discharge that func-
tlon respectfully.
Endowed by nature with marvellous voice,
that ranged through the whole realms of hui
man emotion, Bishop Beckwith felt it duty to
develop the gift and use it for the good Of man
and the glory of God.
A loyal churchmau he was churchman unhy
phendted; a churchman pure and simple. There
IS something IN our southern air which Is not
"a f1YI RI. t. L.
born in the old North State and educated in
Connecticut, Bishop Beckwith should be a con-
sentative churchmau. He loved not new
methods nor new ways nor any new manner of
speech; his position on any question was never
doubtful. The whole temper of the man was
of one loyal TO traditions, reverential of the
church's past fixed in his faith, settled in his
convictions
And he bal the courage of his convictions
There were few Drawer man. He never shirked
responsibility. 1t was Inevitable that he should
many times be misjudged, be msrepresented.
He never complained, and he never stopped to
weak apologies. The man was strong with that
silent endurance which goes with all true
strength and as one of your own presbyters has
said in his loving and eloquent sermon on his
bishops memory. he illustrated In his life the
motto on the seal of the diocese of Georgia as
It's first bishop placed it there. almost prophetic
OF his succ sssor. He was prepared for the
toll and the sacrifice equally
And yet your strong, self-contained reticent
bishop was one Of the most gentle and pitiful of
llSIl y CO4u OF udrSn act was Impossible TO
him. The union of strength and gentlen 4ss was
wonderful IL is his helpful, ptiful kindness to
all that was weak, helpless or needy that hear
most dwealt upon In the loving words of his
people. He was fatherly bishop, and meekly
ruled as remembering mercy, which we all need
from our Father In heaven.
DUTY HIS WHOLE AIM.
One trait in your bishops character, when
of self Inconsistencies. think he had absolutely
no ambition but that of doing his duty in that
state of life TO which it had pleased God to call
him.
He had no desire for prominence or repre-
sentation among men. He declined to preach
| before the Queen Of England, it has been said,
as he declined to preach in Westminster abbey
1t is an open secret that during the interval
following mis- election and his decision to accept
| the episcopate of Georgia he received calls
from three great parishes one of them Grace
church, New Hork-and scarcely seriously con-
sidered them. His work was in New Orleans
| on his relatively scanty salary, should he de-
cline the harder work aud the relatively scanty
salary you offered.
Simple In his tastes pure In word and work,
firm to his integrity steadHast, fearless to his
duty, and utterly unworldy in his desires and
aims, he impressed himself and the sacred dig
nifty OF his office upon the church in the diocese
indeed, upon all good and wise men who knew
him in Georgia.
Without pretense OF asceticsm--for he en-
| joyed all good and fair things in his Fathers
world all kindliness of friendship and all social
grace and gracousnesS and all innocent joy
without pretense to extraordinary devoutness
or saintliness, he yet impressed you all as a
sadly serious, earnest, pitiful and tender SOUL
bearing. after the Masters example and follow
ing in his steps, his burden of the sorrows
weaknesses and sins of men; and he bore the
burden patiently and uttered no complaint,
gave no sign!
YOUNG IN THE EPIsCoPACY.
Your bishop was young man for bishop
when he came among you. He was an old
bishop when still young man Twenty-three
a long
| finds most men old.
1t never seemed to his brethren that the
| bishop of Georgia was other than young man.
| When l met him in the last General Convention
he seemed in full and robust strength. A stall
wart man, of powerful frame, bearing his load
| cheeriy. We call such deaths as his sudden.
| We pray against them. Yet can any death be
| sudden which finds the work done and the
| workman ready?
There is nothing in such deaths of weakness
| or of the pitfuiness of slow decay. With his
harness on, soldier armed and In the field your
| bishop was mustered out.
| With all his faculties In their full vigor in
| the midst OF his work and his usefulness the
sudden summons came, the door opened and he
passed through to the larger work and the
| Vaster usefulness of the life eternal
| We gather round his grave, and thank God
| for the good example of another brave true
| servant of his, saved By the blood of the Re
| deemer.
The ancient church kept sacredly on her
| dyptch rolls the names of her dead. She held
the church. visible and invisible, to be one.
Part of the host had crossed the flood, and
part are crossing now"
LOVING REMEMBRANCE.
| It is our Inheritance as churchmen that we
shall lovingly and reverently remember our
dead-our dead who are with Christ alive for
| ever more!
We keep their graves green in memory here,
| Their souls are held safe in the hands of God.
We drop our warm tears upon the coffined dust
1t is right we should. Our Lord wept at the
grave of Lazarus aud so recognized and con
secrated our homsly human sorrow But on
their graves breaks the light from the shivered
marble in Josephs garden. And the church
lifts her voice and chants glory TO God in the
highest when the clods fall upon the coffin lid
Whsn the prayer is uttered and the chant is
ended we stand with bowed heads in the silence
round that grave upon the sunny slopes OF Oak.
land, and through the gathering mist of our
tears see once again the strong, sad, kindly face
that brightens now in the light where true
hearts are Joined, never to be parted in "the
land of the leal." We hear once more the
echoes of that voice that thrilled and moved
the hearts of men to nobler living and higher
faith, the voice forever stiled on earth but
tors who have gone before, the goodness and the
mercy of our Lord--"the song of Moses and oil
the Lamb"
THE souls of the righteous are in the hands
Of God" Amen!
And SO a widowed diocese bids her dead
bishop farewell. She speaks words of tender
love and self-pity over his honored dust. So she
hangs his likeness upon the walls of her history,