The National tribune., 1908-11-05
THE BISHOP OF WASHINGTON.
trouble I'm Securing q Prelate Who VIII
Serve at the National Capital.

tHe CITY or washington and District OF
Columbia, is having great difficulty in
securing q Bishop 20 fill the place left
vacant at the death Of Bishop Satterlee
Last June the diocesan delegates met
in Washington and elected Bishop
Brent, of the Philippine Diocese. to the
head of the Washington Diocese, which
was a distinct raise in honor and sal
larry. Bishop Brent was informed by
cable of the honor which had befallen
him, and by cable declined IL, stating
that q letter would follow. In the let
ter Bishop Brent explained that while
his work in the Philippines was hard
had called him to II, and that 1t was
his Christian duty to remain where
he is.
The Diocesan Convention was again
called together, and again Bishop Brent
was elected to the head, and the second
election cabled him. Bishop Brent
cabled back that he would consider the
call to come to the United States, and
would make known his reasons for hav-
ing declined previously. and his desire
to remain in the foreign field, but
after long and prayerful consideration
declared that he could not accept.
A new convention was called on Oct.
i, and new names were presented for
consideration. Resolutions of regret
were also adopted, in which 1.-The Pres
ident Is requested to convey to Bishop
Brent our heartfelt regret that he was
unable to accept the call to be our
Bishop and to thank him for his full
and gracious revelations of the motives
that inspired his action and the cir
cumstances which under God deter
mined his course, and, lastly, while
more than ever conscious of the loss
this diocese sustains by Bishop Brent's
declination of the Office of Bishop, we
congratulate ourselves and the whole
Church on the impetus and strength
given to the missionary cause by the
splendid example of devotion and self
sacrifice which Bishop Brent has given
to the world"
The convention then proceeded to
elect to the office of Bishop of the
Diocese of Washington Rev. Alexander
Mann, who is now filling the pulpit of
historic Trinity Church, in Boston. DR..
Mann, who is brother of the Right
Rev. Cameron Mann, Bishop of North
Dakota, is much attached to his work
in Boston. and after taking a month to
think it over declined it in q letter,
stating his high appreciation of the
honor, but also his belief that his duty
kept him in the field of usefulness,
where he had been laboring three years,
and where he felt he could be of greater
service to the Church.
Some discussion was caused by the
declination of DR.. Mann, 1t being stated
that he declined because he is not a
rich man, and the salary of the Bishop
of Washington Is only nominal, about
$4,000 all told, and that he felt that he
could not support the dignity of the
office on that sum. 1t was also stated
that Bishop Satterlee had private In
come of $4,000 a year, most of which
he spent upon his office. The Cleve-
land Leader gave credence to this state
ment in an editorial, which brought
forth the following spirited reply from
Rev. DR.. McKim:
II have read with indignation an artf-
Gle in your issue Of Monday last. taken
from the Cleveland Leader, and headed,
be difficult to pack more erroneous
statements into so small a space. In
the first place, 1t is not true that the
Rev. DR.. Mann gave as reason for
declining the Bishopric of Washington
that he is too poor a man. The ques-
ton of dollars and cents did not enter
at all Into the discussion. His reason
for declining was the superior claim Tin
his opinion) of his position as Rector
of Trinity Church. Boston.
I'm the second place, the salary Of
fered Dr. Mann was not $4,000. but
$4,000 year, with the use of the Epis-
copal residence and $1,000 more for
necessary expenses.
"In the third place, the statement
that Bishop Satterlee's salary of $4,000
was not sufficient to pay the wages of
the servants in the Episcopal residence
is absurdly and grotesquely untrue.
I'm the fourth place. Bishop Satter-
lee did not have a private income of
$4,000 a year. On tire contrary, his
Income was very modest one
'In the fifth place, 1t is a cruel libel
upon Bishop Satterlee's noble life and
splendid work to say that his social
duties 'dwarfed his religious activities
He exercised an Informal and gracious
especially to visiting clergy
men and Bishops, but his entertain
nents were never lavish in expenditure,
Tor did he in any wise come into COM
petition with the millionaire leaders
)f society in Washington. It is a cruel
perversion of the truth to represent
Bishop Satterlee as occupying such a
relation to the fashionable society of
the metropolis. He was a man of deep
spirituality. His episcopate was laid
out on spiritual lines. Instead of cring-
ing to wealth, he boldly rebuked the
sins and foibles of fashionable society.
He never played the role of a social
diplomatic but always that of a man
Of God and a Bishop of the Church of
Christ. His duty demanded that to
some extent he should be I'm the world
but he was never of the world nor
was he ever 'aloof from the troubles,
the sorrows, the sins and pressing needs
Of the day.
"The citizens Of Washington know
full well that our late lamented Bishop
was man Of consecrated and apostolic
spirit and not caterer to the demands
Of fashionable society.
'"The article to which you give cur
rency. Mr. Editor, is nothing less than
4 libel upon the memory of our noble
Bishop, and libel on the Episcopal
Church in the city of Washington. Why
IS it that reputable newspapers should
construct editorials on no better basis
than the vaporings of irresponsible
Is there no sense of obliga-
lion to the truth on the part of those
hat control the press? Does not COM
non honesty demand that editors should
verify such serious statements as these
before passing them on as facts? Is
ne writer who gives currency to such
alse and libelous statements as con-
aimed in the article commented on any
,etter than man who utters counter
cit coin? Nay. is he not worse by so
much as mans character is of more
'alue than his money?
You will pardon me if say in con-
,lusion that it is lamentable that the
Herald, published in the city of WASH
ngton, and having opportunities of
moving the libelous character of the
Lrticle in question, should have been
Wiling to give 1t place in its columns.
Randolph H. McKim.
President of the Standing Committee.