Evening star., 1897-01-05
CHURCHMAN'S LEAGUE
Bishop sattsrlee's Address in Trinity Parish
Hall Last Night.
story of the Presentation of a Petit
tion in Behalf of the Armen-
ians to the Gar.

the narrative of the trip he made to ST.
Petersburg last summer for the purpose of
presenting to the Car of Russia a petition
asking for the interference of Russia on
behalf Of the prosecuted and suffering
Christians in the Turkish empire But lit
tie has been told of this remarkable mis-
sion. The bishop said last evening that the
success which had attended the mission
was largely owing to the secrecy which
surrounded 1t, and which preserved it's re-
ligious character. Owing to the delicate
situation of affairs, it is possible that no
authoritative statement would ever have
been made with reference to his visit to
St Petersburg had it not been that while
abroad woman, the correspondent of a
Chicago paper. got hold of the facts and
violated the promise of secrecy by cabling
OF inaccuracies that, after a conference
with representatives of the Church of Eng
land. 1t had been decided that no harm
could be done by publication of the story.
Purely n Religious Movement.
The meeting of the Churchman'S League
was held In Trinity Parish Hall, and at
tracted large audience of men. Bishop
Satterlee's address was an informal sort of
talk, but none the less interesting on that
account. He held the attention of his hear
ers to the end, and several times when he
possible he was given to understand by
enthusiastic applause that they wanted him
to go into the most minute details.
In commencing his address, Bishop Sat-
terlee said that the petition which was en-
trusted to him for presentation to the Gar
of Russia was prepared with the greatest
secrecy. 1t was entirely a religious move
ment. and its leaders realized that nothing
would defeat the desired end so surely as
publicity. To present petition to the Car
or Russia Is matter that requires no lit
tie diplomacy, and all the details of the
affair were prepared along that line. The
more than 40,O00.OO0 Christians. 1t was
largely signed by bishops of the Episcopal
Church. by the thirteen bishops of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, and by many
dignitaries of the Church of England
Bishop Satterlee said that he was in
Venice when he received letter from an
American bishop asking him to go to St.
Petersburg to present petition in behalf
of the prosecuted Armenians. He wired
back that he had gone abroad solely for
the purpose of rest and recreation in order
to fit himself for his duties in the new
diocese of Washington. He said that he
could not, therefore, take the rip to Rus
sia. He received another dispatc IN urging
him to go, and stating that there was no
one else to carry the petition. He then re-
piled that he would go on condition that
the Archbishop of Canterbury would at
tach his signature to the petition. The
archbishop had held off from signing it,
on the ground that the matter was state
affair as we'll as a religious one, but he
finally wrote letter, in which he said that
he would have signed the petition had it
not been for the position he occupied in
a church so peculiarly and closely con-
nected with the state This was equivalent
to signing the petition, and Bishop Satter-
lee then accepted the mission.
Treated With Great Courtesy.
On the 10th Of last July he started from
Venice, accompanied by three other gentle
men, who were very much interested in the
matter. The journey from Berlin to ST.
Petersburg was a long, tedious and rather
uninteresting one. When it came to pass
ing the customs house on the Russian bor-
der Bishop Satterlee said he was in great
distress for a while for fear that the Deti-
tion might be discovered, which would
have defeated the very purpose of the mis-
sion. He had carefully concealed the paper
at the very bottom of his trunk, and for
tunately the customs house examination
was OF a cursory sort and discovered moth
ing. Here, as elsewhere throughout Rus
STA, ne was treated with the greatest cour-
tesy and consideration.
During his stay of a month or more in
Russia awaiting an opportunity to have an
audience with the cZar Bishop SatterIee
was treated in a manner that must have
been something of surprise to an Ameri-
can Churchman. He was received with all
the dignity and display which would have
marked the reception of a Russian metro
politan bishop. Summing it all up. Bish-
op Satterlee said that never n all his life
had he been treated with greater courtesy
than was shown him during his stay in
Russia.
On the morning after his arrival in st.
Petersburg the bishop sought out Minister
Breckenridge at the American legation.
Mr. Breckenridge treated him in the kind
est possible manner, and, after learning
the nature of the bishops mission. did
everything in his power to aid him. He
began by introducing him to young men,
Der of the Russian nobility Prince Andro-
nikoff, who seemed to be on terms of inti-
macy with pretty much everybody who
was anybody in ST. Petersburg and in
touch with all the life of that great capital.
Princes Interest.
Prince Andronikoff seemed to take a
great interest in the bishops visit and
devoted a great deal Of time and thought
to make it a success. Prince Andronikof
early in his stay introduced Bishop Sat
terlee to the Metropolitan of Tarsus, and
the similarity of views of the two men
and the common interest they took in the
cause of Armenia brought about more than
passing friendship between this great
dignitary of the Greek Church and the
head of the diocese of Washington. Bishop
Satterlee described the Metropolitan of
TarSuS and Slllcld as man Oh great power
and influence. When he came to St. Pc
tersburg last summer the metropolitan was
treated with the greatest consideration by
the authorities at the capital until he be-
gan to talk about Armenia; then he was
given the cold shoulder.
Beside the Metropolitan of Tarsus and ST.
licia a number of other prominent Rus
slams became interested In the bishop S
object, and when the nature Of his visit
was made known to them they showed the
beartiest sympathy and aided him in many
ways.
The metropolitan had an interview with
the Empress Dowager of Russia,a sister of
the Princess Of Wales. who listened with
the clos est attention to all he had to say
In behalf of the poor Armenians. In the
course of his audience with the empress
dcweger the metropolitan said:
II Rave come from the far east to tell
the story of suffering in Armenia. Since
have been here / have met the bishop of
Washington, who has come from the far
west with the same message"
Bishop Satteriee said that after consider
ing the matter very carefully and discuss
Ing it with others, he decided that 1t would
be best for him to tell Prince Lobanon pre-
cisely what he had come to st. Petersburg
for. Lobanotf was the most powerful man
In Russia, and his influence was far reach
Ing in every direction. II was he who for
mulated the policy of Russia toward Tur-
key. This policy is a very simple matter.
explained Bishop Satterlee; Russia knows