The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-11-06

This interview was enjoyed by San
Francisco Call man recently with Bish-
op Potter, who is so widely and favor
| ably known in Worcester:
Bishop Potter sat upright in the cud-
dly chair Of the hotel parlor. The chair
relax tension, it seems. He was gray of
temple and gray Of lip. The features
of his face We're as precise in outline
as young mans, but the face was
very weary. 1t seemed to say: 80
much trouble in the world-so much
trouble, always trouble"
But the voice rang out clear and
firm still. Its tone resounds, Let us
sweep away the trouble; let us bring
cheer" The first impressions of the
man are as full of contradictions as
are those of any man who has seen
both sides Of many questions.
You are still as busy as ever. Bish-
op Potter"
why shouldn't l be? Rest has not
yet been forced upon me. 1t will be
hard enough to bear patiently when it
Is At present 1 am granted the
strength to continue my work, which is
also my pleasure-not always, though.
There's the pain that one must see.
The pleasure is in the little that one
can do to relieve it"
Don't you think you have earned a
rest after all these years of labor?'
"All these years? Why, l am only
sixty-four, l am young yet; at least l
am in heart. Sometimes I find that I
tire more easily than used to; that is
all that makes me feel old. l am part
ly a boy yet, believe. Look at that
| muscle"
Behold, the prelate displayed his BIZ
ceps. Verify, partly boy
What do you remember, Bishop
Potter of the time when you were all
a boy?"
Il remember a roomy, sunny home in
a New York state town and father
who had the biggest and broadcast
| shoulders that a youngster ever rode
upon. After l got past the time for
such riding 1 used TO look enviously at
the shoulders and wonder when mine
would be as strong. That time has ne
| yer come, although I could pull pref
ty good oar in my day"
You come of an ecclesiastical family,
do you not?'
There have been many ministers
| among us. l am proud to claim rela-
| tionship with some of my ancestors, al
| though | have never expected their yir-
tue to stand for mine A mans soul is
his own.
"One thing I owe to those GRANDPA
| theirs and great grandfathers, and that
! is the love Of preaching. l began it
before kits gave place to trousers. My
| pulpit was an empty stall in the barn
| and my congregation consisted of a
! duck, several chickens, and sometimes
he 70 Il ,af ,l,r
the preaching, but likewise the singing
Of hymns, and l did it all in dead ear
nest l would study for days before on
| the illustration of the text, and I
meant what l said None of those
| sermons are extant, for l preached
without notes then, as now.
MY theological studies followed in
natural sequence. My ministerial ca
reer seemed a matter of course and
! hardly to be questioned. But the ma
| terial needs appealed strongly to me
even when a theological student, and
! felt deeply even then that spiritual food
| is not all that a pastor should give his
| flock. The conviction has grown with
| experience and observation.
Il began my work with the charge
of small church, and then l took a
| large one, and so on. At last came
the bishopric, and then the charge of
the New York diocese. It was an
honor which my church conferred upon
me. and it was a heavy responsibility
There is much to be done every
wherein fact, there is everything tc
be done. But in New York the need is
so bitter, so crying. To take away the
trouble is like dipping out the ocean
but there is nothing for it but to keeI
on dipping.
II have been wonderfully helped in