New-York tribune., 1893-12-31
LEONIDAS POLK.
rf3 CAREER As a ursIIoP AND GEN.
EEAt


,.EoHipAs PORK. BISHOP AND GENERA. ny
William M Polk. NJ. D.. III. D. Two Volumes
J.. in. <. SO: viii. III: I.ongr.ans. Green q Co.
In the far future. when the affairs of the pres
.nt century may he viewed with philosophical
Indifference. II will perhaps occur to son,e s'"-
dent OF mankind that the career of Lron'cas
Polk. was OF Significance in the history OF CIV
iIixat,on Such student will bc reminded that
only certain periods have been marked by the
apprarance, an warriors. ~ men NJ rank III any
religious system. In Europe this phenomenon
has hardly been observed sir'c the ci"fe "i
tho Middle Ages. and the tendency thcre % we
nineteenth century has been such "a to give
rhararterjstic value to the case oc Itus IX. who
left a military career for the Church but {"
the coming philosopher should deem tie exam
pie Il Polk sufficient to put the civilization OF
the American Slave States on a level with that
OF the medieval chivalric period. he should nev-
erthelcss not be allowed 10 overlook the fact
that the bishop who became general had earlier
turned from military life to become a priest.
Thus II ne rcscmbled the bishops or feuda!
times IN his old age. he was in youth as COM
Iletc a symbol OF modern tendencies as the POPE
whose name has been cited. In fact he was
n,orc-for the physical reasons which affected
the choice Of a career for Plus would in Polk's
Ills life a. a rector was interrupted by Ill
health. and everything went 10 show that his
physical weIi-being required activity out OF
doors In putting aside the ambitions OF
soldier he not only did violence TO his own
preferences but to "a family tradition which was
exceptionally strong, both his father and grand,
father having served with distinction In the
War Of Independence. The present generation
cf Americans can perhaps hardly realize how
much nearer the European ideal In force ara
tcnacity family tradition was century Az"
than II Is now In this country. America was
then 1ust out Of colonial leading strings. She
had barely begun to diverge from habits which
under previous conditions she would only TO-"
gladly have strengthened and perpctuated
When Leonidas Polk. after completing an
honorable course Of study at West Point de-
cided to enter the ministry Of the Protestant
Episcopal Church he gave his father shock
OF surprise such as he could have given him In
no other way.
DR.. Polk gives a deeply interesting narrative
OF the incidents which attended his fathers con-
version 1t came about through the influence Of
q new chaplain at West Point. Mclva!ne. later
the eloquent Bishop Of Ohio The professors and
cadets who had idled their way best they could
through sermon. time in other days listened with
open.eyed interest to a preacher who had a mes
sage and who knew how to deliver II. Polk-tai'
handsome, soldier by heredty not less than by
ducation-was the flrst TO yield. When he kneit
for the nrst time in chapel to take a courageous
part in the service his act was the beginning or
what seemed almost like a religious revolution at
the post. Other young men followed his ex-
ample and In nearly every case they were
prompted by his zeal. DR.. Polk suggests that his
father had been sceptcal In early youth. bu'
there eeem to have been no doubts Pf stubborn
sort. What happened was that the soldierly In
ss.ncts and training OF the young cadet were
turned TO q new purpose. He realized IN himself
the favorite figure OF speech about the soldier
OF the Cross He troubled himself little about
d,fscuit questions What ne looked for from the
time when he decided to enter the ministry was
crders At the theological seminary In Alex
ardria he gained only a smattertng OF Greek and
Hserew little insight into speculative problems
and no philosophy.
His health soon broke down In the ministry
An interval Of foreign travel was followed by
years IN which Polk was a. much farmer "a
a clergyman. Then came the appointment as
Missionary Bishop Of the Southwest and later
tbs care Of the Diocese Of Louisiana. These not
only satisfied his religious aspirations but met
the physical necessity for life In the open air
HIS field Of labor was almost boundless. and his
travels were t0Ce008ut 0ut NIB 0oSSbhu tdShS
are Of interest here mainly because at the out
Get they included territory which was not part
OF the United States Churchmen and doubtless
others viii remember the position assumed By
Bishop Polk at the time Of Lcusia mas secession
respecting tho relations Of his diocese to the
Protestant Episcopal Church Of the United
States He held that the constitution Of the
Church limited Il to the boundaries Of the Ma
tion II by any accident the Nation lost con-
troll Of any region the churchmen Of that re-
g5Sn became Independent Of the Church as u
national body In the light Of such decla-
ration ono recalls With giee the fact that Folks
arst jurisdiction as bishop included the Repub-
Nc Of Texas. In his episcopal visits he went into
. foreign country perhaps annually; yet 1t prob
atty never occurred to him that he passed on
ehsos occasions beyond the pale Of the Church
% which he owed allegiance. Subsequent events
made his distinction In one case as futile as It
would have been In the other though. as Dr.
Polk points out u the States in rebellion had
achieved their Independence the division in the
Episcopal Church. North and South. would have
been q practical fact. whatever method canon
lawyers might have taken TO account for or to
ignore t. The Bishops haste and eagerness
however, TO mako his point doubtless did as
much a anything to fx upon him the accusa
taon which his biographcr deeply rescnts. that
- was one Of those who were said TO be
ssotting the dissolution Of the Union" The alb
sorbang interests Of his growing diocese aud par
ticuiariy the effort to carry out the plans which
he had studied for years for a great university.
are indicated as occupations vast enough even
for q man Of Bishop Polk's activity. Americans.
~ time proceeds. will perhaps be less and less
certain a. to the deliberate purpose OF any
man or any group Of men to bring ON the Civil
War In tho light Of what happened aftcrward.
bishop POlk's own letter to President Buchanan
on the right Of peaceable secession reads almost
Ike q nnissive from one distraught: but unques-
tionably II expressed the hope Of many Southern
mcn OF intelligence. The mere subpostion that