St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-06-12
BISHOP EDWIN w. PARKER.
Death of the Well known Missionary 10
India.

A cablegram received in New York las
week announced the death of Bishop E
W. Parker, at Naini Tai, India. Th
exact date OF his death is not known bu
in all probability it occurred the latter
part of the previous week. His friend.
here have not as yet received direct news
of the sad event. Recent letters havt
been hopeful but the nature of the disease
against which Bishop Parker has strug
gled ever since he returned to India last
summer was such that his complete re
covery could not be expected and the an
nouncement of his death did not come as
a surprise. Before leaving New York
Bishop Parker was quite feeble but had
no idea that any disease was fastening
itself upon him. During the trip across
the Atlantic he gained somewhat but on
the way from London to Bombay he
grew worse again, and reached India in
an enfeebled condition. He remained in
Bombay a few days giving directions
concerning the work, then went to
northern India, where, for over 40 years,
he had labored as a faithful missionary
of the cross. At the mission station here
he was received with great enthusiasm
by the missionaries and native christians.
At the Aligarh district conference on Oct.
20, he presided for two hours, then was
taken seriously i'll and was removed to
Merrut where he remained nearly a
month and rallied sufficiently to go to
Lucknow. He planned to preside at the
Bombay conference at Baroda which
opened on December 10, but a relapse
came and he was forced to give up all
thought Of work. After this be improved
somewhat, but as the hot season ap-
preached it was thought best to remove
him to Naini Tai which is among the
mountain regions of northern India. Dur
ing the months spent there the weekly
letters have indicated that there was a
ray of hope, but the disease could not be
checked. During the illness of Bishop
Parker the native churches in the districts
over which he has presided have been
holding meetings OF prayer for the recov-
cry of their beloved leader.
Edwin W. Parker is one of St. Tohns-
bury's sons of whom she may we'll be
proud. He was born January 81, 1888,
on the old Parker farm which is now
known as the Ladd farm. His first
school days were spent in the old Pad
dock Village schoolhouse which stood
near the Concord avenue bridge. Later
the Summerville school was established
and he attended that for some years.
Then he spent two years at Newburv
Seminary and completed his academic
course at st. Johnsbury academy. His
wife, Lois 5. Lee, was a student at the
Academy at the same time. After this
Bishop Parker spent some time at the
Concord Biblical Institute, Concord, N.
H., which school was later merged into
the Boston University. He married Miss
Lee, March 2, 1856. In the spring OF
1857 he joined the Vermont Conference
and was stationed at Lunenburg. He
was returned to this charge the following
year but before the close of the year the
call came for workers for the new mis-
sionary fields OF the Methodist church in |
India, and Mr.. and Mrs. Parker res
ponded.
Rev. William Butler, D. D., the famous
pioneer of Methodist missionaries in
lnd1a, after two years work in that
country, issued call for six young min
listers and their wives to begin active
operations. In that lit.
tie company which sailed from Boston
on April 10, 1859, in the ship Boston,
were Mr.. and Mrs. Parker. Another one
Of the company was Bishop Thoburn.
Bishop Parker's first appointment was
at BUnour. Shortly afterwards he was
presiding elder and went to
Moradabad. Here he had general charge
OF the work and supervised the founding
OF schools. Mrs. Parker founded a girls
school here which is still fourishng.
After several years at Moradabad, Bis
hop Parker was made presiding elder of
the Oudh district with headquarters at
Lucknow. His last appointment before
being ordained bishop, was as presiding
elder OF the Barely district with head
quarters at Shahjahanpore.
Last year he came home to attend the
general conference at Chicago. He ar
rived in New York in April and attended
the Ecumenical conference in that city,
then he visited his native town for few
days and later in the summer spent some
time here. All the time he was hard at
work in the interests of the India famine.
fund and the general welfare of the work
in the great mission field, where the
greater part of his life had been spent.
At the Chicago conference last year he
was created missionary bishop of for
India.
Bishop Parker was one of the strong
men in the mission fields of the Methodist
church. For nearly AZ years he labored
IN India and was regarded as one of the
most successful missionaries of his time
He has visited his native land seven
times since he took up the mission work
III India. His three last visits were as a
delegate to the general conference. On
these occasions he always spent con-
siderable time in st. Johnsbury and so
was well known here even to the
younger generation, and the sincere sym.
pathy OF the entire community will 20
out to Mrs. Parker in her sad bereaye-
ment in far away India.
Bishop Parker leaves one brother and
three sisters. Ezra T. Parker Of Lopans-
port, Ind, Mrs. Caleb H. Marshall and
Mrs. Warren Powers of St. Ionsburv,
and Mrs. Orange S. Laid of Waterford.
VI course nothing is yet known concern
ing the funeral and burial, but it is
thought by his friends here that his
remains will rest i'll India, where he
worked so long and which he loved so
well.
County Sunday Schools.