Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-11-24
HOWD[N WRITES
Interestingly
OF CHURCH WORK
Bishop Tells Some Of the Re-
suits of His -Four and a Half
Years Of Labor; His District
Is Unusually Large

An interesting article from the penI
of Bishop Frederick James b. How
den of this city appears in the Mo-
vember issue of 1.-THE Spirit of Mis-
sions.' the official publication of the
domestic and foreign society of the
Protestant Episcopal church in the
United States of America, The title
Of the article is "America-Ancient
and Modern" The writer has dealt in
a rather brief but quite comprehen-
sive manner with the early history
of New Mexico, the struggles of the
missionaries who, as far back as 1912
tried to eyangelize the various
tribes inhabiting what is now New
Mexico, and the accomplishments of
the Protestant Episcopal church since
the first service was held in 1863.
1t was in 1914 that Bishop Howden
came to New Mexico, succeeding
Bishop Kendrick, who died in 1911,
there being a period of about two
years when no bishop was assigned to
this territory. Since he assumed
charge, Bishop HoWden has this to
say of the growth Of the churches UNI
der his CHARGE.
AT that time Tin 1910 there were
not moro than nine active clergy in
the district, with four parishes and
twenty-one organized missions. The
communicates numbered 2,056 Dur
ing the four and a half years that
have elapsed since then the mission
airy district has grcwn considerably
Upwards of $50 persons have been
T {f1f a
increased about % per cent. New
churches have been built and the
number of active clergy has been
more than doubled There are now
five parishes, thirty five organized
missions and some twenty five unor-
ganized or preaching stations.
District Q Large One.
$50 far as the area is concerned,
the district of New Mexico is, next to
Alaska, the largest Of any of our &C.
clesiastical jurisdictions in this coun-
try, embracing not only The state of
New Mexico but a considerable por-
ton of Texas. From Langtry, a small
town on the Pecos river, which marks
4he extreme eastern point of the dis
trict, il is more than a thousand miles
70 Pennington, in the northwest, and
it takes more than four and half
days to make the journey by railroad.
With The exception of the city of FL
Paso. which now has a population Of
some 5000, the Texas portion of the
district is compare +tvely sparseiy set
tied, the towns or VILLAGES being along
the two lines of railroads, In this sec
ton also may be no ed great changes.
The old border conditions have passed
away and exist now only in popular
story magazines The tourist may still
see the famous saloon near the station
at Langtry with it's quaint sign, Roy
Bean, dealer in wines and liqcurs and
law west Of the Pecos,3 end it Is easy
to recall how this famous dispenser of
Justice only few weeks ago was lin-
ing dead mon for carrying concealed
weapons and pocketing the funds, and
rendering decisions that the killing OF
a Chinaman was not a punishable
crime because no mention of them was
made ! nthe statutes, Instead of these
conditions we now have laW-abidine
citizens, schools and churches, and
with the exception of a Mexican ralo
| now and then, life moves as peacefully