The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-23

member on one occasion there was ( convocation of the clergy. As secretary 1t was my duty to arrange the seats ac cording to the grade. In one corner Of the room were three or four bishops, all of whom, as Bishop Harris. had been officers in the Confederate Army. Many of you here are too young to remembe. the keen animosity and recollections of those who had consecrated their lives to that struggle. What said to those gen tlemen was not gracious or courteous; Gentlemen remarked. I think shall nail up . copy of the United States flag in this corner of the house. If one O: them had said that was an impudent fellow he would have done right. But in stead Bishop. Harris. and I remember II so we'll, looked at me with a singulariy benign and kindly expression on his face and made me a playful answer that fell in with the spirit of the occasion. That was the beginning of our acquaintance, which grew more close. and when be- came bishop of New York it developed into a fraternal friendship.
 My recollections of him shape them selves as Illustrating three characteris- tics, first of which I believe was his ab- was big. but he did not dilate himself officially. and he never rubbed into you the fact that he was a bishop. The great charm of intercourse with him was the beautiful and gracious simplicity that characterized him always. He was a Southerner, and has the charm of gra- cious manner. He had again, if l may venture to say 50, a rare endowment of bishops-a philosophic mind.
 As a Philosopher.
 You men of busin sss look at the world from a business sta adpoint; you women of society from a social standpoint and you men of letters from a professional standpoint, so you must not be surprised if bishops look at the world from an ec- clesiastical standpoint The fine thing about Bishop Harris was that while God called him to the ministry he looked at life-social, political and religious-as a philosopher. and he recognized all the forces which make up modern civiliza- ton. He never wrote or spoke about them without Illuminating that point he had in view. Bishop Harris died too young a man to leave behind him any considerable literature, but venture to prophecy that what he has written and what has been printed will live. More and more as the days go by men will recognize in Bishop Harriss works the voice of a true seer Bishop Harris also
 
 into the future with a keen perception similar only to Davids
 How absolutely characteristic of him this church is Bishop Harris had not my dear brethren, is an education in sim a tawdry note in him, and this edifice plicity-the walls are without color ex- cept for what nature has given them. 1t is not like what you and I are used t, six days out of the week. The effort 70 make a church loo'S like a drawing room simply vulgariEes religion. No one whe enters here is left in doubt as to what the building is reared for. It means re- ligion; 1t means worship. It is a place where the soul may come to hearken to the voice of Gcd. He, whose r.ame vii, ever be connected with this church as his memorial. I am sure in his heart would rejoice at what you have done, in the way you have done 1t, and the high fu- ture to which 1t bears witness
 In addition te the church itself, the memorial to Bishop Harris. there are numerous other in iividual memorials which go to make up the perfection ot the structure. A movement is on foot to make the chancel a memorial to Her. vey c. Parke, who gave so much of his time and money to the church, and who was the first to suggest that the building be erected as a memorial to Bishop liar. ris.
 The stone altar Is erected in memory of Bishop Harris by his children, while the stone altar in the chapel is the | memory of Mrs Samul Smith Harris erected by MT. and Mrs George N l Brady.