The sun., 1898-10-09


ever circumstances may arise He further
displayed this trait in the way he turned
his hand to mending clocks wherever he
found occasion. At his residence, Bishop
stead, this city, he has twenty-five clocks
which actually keep time. An interesting
description of these appeared in The Sun
recently. Through association with them,
so to speak he has acquired an aversion to
clocks that do not go. Consequently, if
he noticed silent clock at the house
where he happened to be stopping he
offered to set it going, if he could. His
offer was gratefully accepted and upon
his successful tinkering with the clock,
in some instances, money was offered to
him, which he invariably declined.
While repairing a clock in one house the
news that he was SO engaged reached the
adjoining dwelling and the occupant
thereof asked him to repair dilatory
clock there, which he did.
Twice the bishop stopped at school
houses where school was in session, and
addressed the children, giving them good
advice.
Several times the Bishop invited peo-
pie on the road to accompany him on
part of the tramp, but they declined,
preferring to take some conveyance.
Occasionally he secured reduction in
the price Of meals at wayside places be-
cause the people thought he could not
afford to pay as much as others. The
Bishop was in the habit OF accepting
concessions of this kind with thanks.
The expenses of such trip are very
inconsiderable. For obvious reasons
hlgh.priced hotels were avoided and as a
rule comfortable accommodations could
be secured in town at 81 day; at farm
houses the charges were even less. In a
charming little village, which reminded
him of a village in Switzerland, the
Bishop secured supper, lodging and
breakfast for thirty-fve cents, which he
learned was the usual price.
He finds such tramp beneficial in the
freedom from care and in the absence of
any engagements, giving him the ability
to go in any way and at any, time he
pleases, without being bound down, as
in the rest of the year, by daily, if not
hourly, engagements. Instead OF life on
the timetable and schedule plan it
allows liberty of movement. In the un-
bending of the proper enough restraints
of the society in which he mingles
he secures recreation, which other
wise could not be secured. And in ad-
dition to the personal benefits the Bishop
finds a wide and rare opportunity OF
studying human nature Not knowing
what he is people speak to one another
and to him without that restraint that
would be imposed upon them did they
know they were in the presence of a
clergyman. With the disdain already
spoken of they would speak freely as if
the traveller was a person of no especial
account, and in that way the Bishop
would get an insight into human nature
obtainable in no other way, at least by a
clergyman.
The tramping idea is not a recent one
with Bishop Coleman. AS far back as
the Sos he won two belts, one for making
the best time in a walk around Fair
mount basin, Philadelphia, and the
other for running half mile at the same
place. He began his regular tours in
1862 and has covered on an estimate
1000 to u, 1000 miles. His tramps have
taken him through the New England
States, the Middle States and the South
ern States, the White, Green and Blue
Mountains, and along numerous rivers,
including the Hudson, Delaware, Poto-
mac, James and Susquehanna.