Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-12-05
ROWE MADE A BISHOP.
A Michigan Man Takes Charge
Of the Alaskan Do
CeSe,

New York, Nov. 30.-Rev. Peter Trim
BILE Rowe, formerly of Sault Ste. Marie,
Mich, missionary bishop-elect of Alaska,
was consecrated in st. Georges Episco-
pal church today. The church was
crowded to the doors when Bishop
DOane of Albany, the consecrator, as
sisted by Bishop Potter of New York
and Bishop Davies of Michigan, COM
menced the service. The following bish-
of North Dakota. Brooke of Oklahoma,
Brewer Of Montana. Wells of Spokane
and more than twenty rectOrS of the
city and neighborhood. A vested choir
of thirty voices sang the service. The
prosecutors were Bishop Walker of North
homa.
Story of the Creation of the Sec.
The conservation today in this city
serves to recall an episode likely to be-
come historic that transpired during the
duration of the triennial convention of
the Protestant Episcopal church at Min
neapolis last month. This was the
lengthy, bitter criticism upon the exist
ing conditions and prospects of the de-
nomination in Alaska. made in the first
joint session of the Houses of Bishops
and Deputies by the venerable Bishop
Medley of Maine, who is probably bet
ter acquainted with that far-away
territory than any other of the
distinguished men that sat in the con-
vention. In the speech in question Mr..
Medley took the ground that the money
so far spent in Alaska for the interests
of the church had been practically
wasted; that the large additional sum
asked for by the missionary who had
been there for several years would go the
same way, and the other denominations
had so covered the field that there was
no mis-
copal effort Prior to this speech, al
though no initiative action had been
taken, there had been rumors that an
effort would be made to erect the terri
tory into missionary see, and there
| were those among the delegates who
thought that they read between the lines
of the venerable bishops energetic speech
Il suggestion that there We're wheels
within wheels in the proposal to create
| this see. So profund was the impress
| sion created by the speech that when the
| matter of an Alaskan bishopric was sub
sequently brought up in the House of
! Bishops, action was indefinitely post
| poned and the subject was supposed to
| have been dropped. A couple of days
later. however, the deputies were electri-
| fed by the announcement that the bish-
ops had rconsidered their action and had
| ton, with Rev. DIR. Rowe as bishop.
A Change of Front.
| The proceedings of the House of Bish-
| ops are transacted with strict secrecy
| and it was not until several days later
| that it leaked out that the change of
| front was due to an earnest plea made
| by Bishop Potter of New York and
| which he supplemented with the an
| nouncement that a wealthy layman,
| whose name he was not at liberty to dis
| close had offered to bear the entire eX-
penses of the bishopric (about $15,OOO
| for period of three years. or until the
next triennial convention at Washington.
| This layman, it subsequently developed,
| was none other than J. Pierpone Morgan,
| the New York fnancier and head of the
recent bond syndicate, who was a dele
gate to the convention. Although both
| the creation of the new see and the cleo
ton of DR.. Rowe as its first incumbent
were ratified by the House of Deputies
| there was a good deal of quiet comment
during the remainder of the conven-
| ton which has not entirely sub
| sided, concerning the manner in which
| the matter was forced in the face of the
expose of Bishop Neeley, and there have
been various suggestions as to the ma
ture of the wheels within wheels that
some of the delegates imagined they dis
cerned. 1t is said that some of the mis-
sionaries of other creeds now working in
the territory combine with their ministe-
rial functions a Watchful eye over GER
| tain commercial or mining interests in
| which wealthy Americans of their own
denominations are concerned, but there
has been no direct charge that: back of
| the creation of a new Episcopal see and
| the selection of a bishop of that faith
to reside in the territory, is any other
| motive than a desire to promote the
growth of the church among the natives.