Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-12-08
NJ RESPECTS 70
MEMORY or LITE
BISHOP FUNSTEN
Useful Life Of Honored Idaho
Ohurchman Held Out as Elk
ample by Dean Award
Chamberlain.

ample by Dean Award
Chamberlain.
Pointing to the many charitable and
humanitarian institutions erected in
Idaho under the Influence OF the late
~. Rev. J. B. Funston. bishop Of Ida
no. as the greatest memorials to the
bishops willingness to sacrifice per-
sonal comfort and spend his life in
the helping of others. Dean Award
Chamberlaine, at a memorial service on
the first anniversary of Bishop Fun
stems death. paid a beautiful tribute to
the former churchman's memory at st.
Michaefs cathedral Sunday morning.
In Tart, Dean Chamberlain said:
BISHOP FUNSTEN'S EARLY LIFE.
THE life of Bishop Funston was
markedly successful. even as men count
success. He was born in Clark county.
Va, In 1856. the son of Colonel oliver
Rid9way Funston and Mary Funston.
He attended the Virginia Military in
stttute and graduated in 1875. He en-
tered the law school and graduated in
1873, and practiced law in Baltimore
in conjunction with that eminent jurist,
Hon. Tickle Wallace of Maryland. He
gave no the law, however, after a
years practice, and entered the old
Virginia Theological seminary at Alex
andria, "a seminary which has produced
nearly all the great missionaries OF the
Episcopal church. He was ordained
deacon in 1882 and priest in 1888. His
first charge was Bristol, Va. In 1884
he Travelled in Europe for six months.
In 1884 he became rector of Christ
church. Richmond, Va. In 1886 he mar
ried Miss Ida Vivian Pratt of Camden.
Va. In 1880 he accepted the work of
general missionary in southern Vir-
ginia, and later became rector of Trim
ity church, Portsmouth. Va. At the
general convention of the church which
met at Washington in 1898 he was
elected bishop of the missionary dis
trict of Boise. which comprised south
ern Idaho and western Wyoming.
Knowing but little of these two states,
he was undecided for more than six
months, and then declined the election.
However, little later he reconsidered
and finally accepted He was conse-
Grated a bishop in the church Of God
July IS, 1899, by Bishops Whittle, Pen
lex, Randolph, Paret, Talbot, Cheshire
and Gibson. He arrived in Boise late
in July 1899.
HIS WORK AS A BISHOP.
Twenty years is a very brief period
in the history of a country writes
the bishop, but it is a long time in
the life of an individual. II life is
measured by events rather than by
time, the many and amazing changes
in Idaho would be like reviewing a
half century rather than few busy
and anxious years that have flown
swift winged into the past
when reaching Boise, st. Michaefs
church was offered to him as his cathe-
dral. as it had previously been offered
to Bishop Talbot, and one of his first
acts assist IN hrAalxinn
ground on September T., 1899, for the
laying the foundation Of the present
stone cathedral at State and Eighth
streets. The bishop. rector, vestry and
visitors each throwing a spadeful of
earth. The building was completed and
ready for occupancy in April, 1901.
WAS A GREAT BUILDING.
THE bishop was a great builder. Few
Of our people realize the immense
plished during the twenty years of his
life. The bishops house at 100 Idaho
had been the old rectory of st.
AIichaers church; this was bought and
entirely made over by gift of $4,000
from a friend in Norfolk, Va. ST.
Michaers deanery was built. Old St.
Michaers church was moved to it's
present site on Ridenbaugh and Fiji
teenth streets, and renamed Christ
church. the Indian missionary work at
Fort Hall was next taken over from
the Connecticut Indian association. In
1902 ST. Luke's hospital was started
in small cottage on First and Ban
mock through the gift of $500 made by
a worker in the Indian mission. This
work has been the Joy and pride of
the bishops life. He watched 1t with
loving care, and had the satisfaction of
seeing it develop into a splendid plant
of usefulness for suffering humanity.
Today it is an institution covering al
most the whole block and valued at
800 00G.
He erected an addition to ST. Mar
sarets hall which doubled its capacity
and wiped out an old debt on the build
ing amounting to $4,000. About $685.
600 has been expended on the iustitu-
ton during the past twenty years
through gifts from friends In the east.
1.-THE beautiful Bishop futile church
house was erected in 1se7 in memory
OF that great man who. y-on 1867 to
1887 gave his life~to the ceop:e of this
state. Very recently the rev nurses
home was completed, ana las proved
a. blessing to the nurses In training in
the hospital. Grace church in East
Boise, Trinity chapel On st. M1rgaret's
block. Trinity Mission bouEe south of
the tracks, and other property and
lands have been obtained in Boise His
work throughout the state has been
enormous. The number of churches
chapels. parish houses, etc. has been
ouadrupled. The old latin proverb,
Isl monumentum quaeris, cisc.nspice
af you seek his monument. look around
is most true of Bishop FGnstea's worl,
in Idaho. A splendid new mission
building costing $4,000 at Fort Hall
was erected two years ago, the arch
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