The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-11-29
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
An Interesting and Instructive Service by
Bishop Hare, Assisted by Rev. Mr..
Jones-Unique Altar Oonseorated
An Indian Legend.

Ri. Rev. Bishop w. H. Hare arrived
in the city Saturday evening and yester-
day morning held service in Grace Epis-
copal church, assisted by Rev. w. H.
Willard Jones. the rector. The service
consisted of Morning Prayer, sermon by
the Bishop, conservation of the new altar,
and the celebration of the Holy Com
munion. The Bishops sermon was e.
pec,ally appropriate to the occasion,
based upon the Holy Communion. the
Office of the altar in the church, the
church distinctively q house of prayer.
The discourse was both instructive and
pleasing. Rev. Mr.. Jones, recently from
Chicago, has been in charge of Grace
church little more than a month, the
rectorsh1t having been vacant for several
months previous. He is rapidly gaining
the respect and admiration of the church
people and by his genial name attract.
ing friends throughout the city, with
Aattering prospect of a successful pas
toral career in the new work undertaken.
At the conclusion of the Bishops SER
mon yesterday, a most unique altar was
oonsecrated. Unique in being perhaps
the only one of the kind in the world.
Rev. W. j.. Cleveland, former rector OF
Grace church. and dearly beloved in this
community. planned the altar, the ma
terials used being antique oak inlaid
with Indian pipestone. The pipestone
slabs were prepared at the hands Of an
Indian. and strange to relate, honey is
the ingredient used by the native for
polishing the stone. The altar is very
beautiful, symbols Of the church being
engraved upon the stone panels, and no
doubt many worshipers present yester-
day regretted that Rev. Mr.. Cleveland
was not present to enjoy the placing and
conservation of the altar be had planned
and seleoted the materials for.
The Indian pipestone quarries, situa-
ted only q few miles east Of here, deal
Pipestone, MIMI, have been the source
OF many Indian legends and romantic
stories, our attention being attracted by
the following from the new book recent
ly published by Col. Harry lnman, late
quartermsster, u. S. A.:
"Indians make smoking q part OF their
religion. The red sandstone quarries in
Minnesota are the source from which for
untold centuries the Indians from all
sections of the country obtained the ma
terial for their pipes. Because Of the
venerat,on in which these quarries were
held, no battles could possibly occur in
those sacred precincts, and all hid their
weapons on approaching the holy ground.
Before digging for the stone the Indian
made humble s~upplication Of the guar
dian spirits for permission. The author
quotes this legend Of the Knis-te-neu's
tribe (Crees), a very small band in the
British possessions, in relation to the
quarry:
In the time Of q great freshet that &C.
CURED years ago and destroyed all the
nations Of the earth, every tribe of III.
dians assembled on the top Of the Co.
teau des Prairies to get out of the way
OF the rushing and seething waters.
When they had arrived there from all
parts Of the world, the water continued
to rise until it covered them completely,
forming one solid maaa NJ drowrna vr
die ne, and their flesh was converted by
the Great Spirit into red ~pipestone;
therefore, it was always considered neu.
trail ground, belonging to all tribes alike
and all were to mako their p pes ont Of
it and smoke together. While they were
drowning together, = young woman,
Kawptan, . virgin, caught hold OF the
= ~ - ~ a.rsf ssY. ~ ssas,- -, =