The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-11-05
A SOLDIER BISHOP.

The selection OF an army Chaplain
the Rev. Charles c. Pierce. u s A..
to be Bishop Of North Dakota. by the
House Of Bishops Of the Episcopal
Church. Is an unusual occurrence.
says the New York Sun in speaking
Of the work Of the recent Episcopal
convention at San Francisco Com
paratively few prelates Of any Church
have stepped directly from the mill
sary service 70 their ecclesiastical
thrones. though there are Bishops on
record who have worn armor. and
others who have served as soldiers
before they entered the Church Hen
~ Spencer. Bishop OF Norwich. is a
famous type OF the FIRST kind. though
his title TO the fighting prelate. /"
should be shared by Leonidas Polk.
who died of wounds received in battle
while a Lieutenant General in the
Confederate Army Cardinal Waugh
an. head OF the Roman Catholic
Church in England. is living type of
the second kind; he served in the
British Army for a short time before
he entered the priesthood.
Archbishop Ireland OF St Paul serv-
ed during the war as Chaplain of
Minnesota regiment; but he had left
the Volunteer service and returned to
his civil station before he was pro-
NOTED to the Catholic hierarchy in
this country; and possibly other Vol
unteer Chaplains have been raised
to the purple" after leaving the army.
DR.. Pierce's ecclesiastical promotion.
however. is almost unique. only one
other similar case having occurred
the promotion Of the Rev. Robert
Brindle, d. S O.. a Chaplain in the
British Army. to be Bishop Auxiliary
Of Westminster. assistant to Cardinal
Vaughan.
The promotions OF DR.. Pierce and Of
Dr. Brindle appear TO be due to their
service in war. DR.. Brindle distin-
guished himself In the Soudan. espe
cially at the battle of Omdurman.
when Kitchener broke the power of
the Mahdi; the British Government
made him a Companion of the Dis
tinguished Service Order. but his
Church promptly made him a Bishop.
Similarly. DR.. Pierce's selection seems
70 have been connected with his la
bors IN the Philippines. where he
for nearly two years in charge
Of the transportation of the soldiers
bodies to the mainland. and personal
" saw to the Identification of every
body sent to its home. Last spring
he returned to his home. much broken |
down by his arduous- and most dis ]
agreeable work: the post chaplaineies
being abolished, he was assigned to
The Eleventh Cavalry. at the time in |
process of recruiting. and for some |
lime he has been stationed at Fort
Myer. near Washington. While Bish-
ID Potter was in the Philippines last
year. Chaplain Pierce was of consid- |
srahle assistance to him: and his |
work there displayed an executive
ability which he win have to call up
IN as Missionary Bishop in West
srn diocese. Bishop Pierce entered |
he army first In 1882. and was as
signed as Chaplain to the Ninth Cav
Try. the chaplaincies in the four me-
yro regiments not then being kept for
'olored clergymen. He resigned in
sS+. but was reappolnted in 1884 to /
! post chaplaincy He is not yet AZ
ears old. and would not retire for
Ige until Feb. s. 1922. Both he and
lr. Brindle had attained the highest
lil'tary rank open to them in their
espective armies: and the ecclesias-
cal promotion. to both men. is an
violence of appreciation by their
hurches of work which their Gov
could not reward in any
larked degree