A Bishop's Message

By ETKELBERT TALBOT '70. George W. Jacobs' Co., Philadelphia.

Bishop Talbot has written four books: "My People of the Plains," 1905; "A Bishop Among his Flock," 1914; "Tim," 1914; "A Bishop's Message," 1917.

The first of these was widely read and highly praised. It struck a distinctive n ote. It disclosed to the reader an earnest, vigorous, very human ecclesiastic making friends, in a most unconventional manner, of the rough frontiersmen who made up the scattered parishes of his missionary diocese of Wyoming and Idaho. The second book, reviewed by the present writer in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE of May, 1914, is of a very different character from its predecessor. It is a series of instructions addressed to his "Flock'' on theological and ecclesiastical subjects, quite orthodox in its doctrine and phrase, and yet by no means jejune, narrow, or partisan. It shows the writer to be a man of catholic temper, one ready to use quite unconventional methods for promoting the larger interests of religion, and ready to cooperate with men of other "communions" than his own towards the ends that are common to all Christian workers.

The third book, "Tim," a tiny volume, is a life sketch of a favorite dog. The story is in, autobiographic form.

The fourth book, the one we are now specially concerned with, presents the author in the character of counsellor to the younger clergymen of his diocese, on matters pertaining to their professional success and efficiency. It is the outgrowth of much close contact with the men who have worked with and under him in the pastoral office. The subject matter of these homilies having been presented, as the author says, in familiar talks at "retreats" and "quiet hours" held at various times in the quarter century and more of his episcopate.

These instructions are of a very practical nature. They begin at the threshold of the ministerial career. The first chapter discusses the question, "What constitutes a valid call to be a minister of Christ." The following chapter captions give one a pretty clear idea of the general character of the volume: "The Foolishness of Preaching," or answers to the questions, why, what, and howshall I preach? "The Parson and His Devotional Life"; "Parish Visiting"; "The Parson as a Business Man"; "The Parson as a Citizen"; "The Parson Among His Books"; "The Parson and His Choir"; "The Parson and the Institutional Church." There are seventeen chapters and all are as practical and didactic as those mentioned.

A very tolerant, sympathetic, simpleminded, and earnest soul utters himself through these pages. They do not reveal a striking originality of thought or phrase. The author is pretty evidently not striving for that, but goes straight to the practical end that he has in mind. We seem to see a Christian minister of wide experience and large responsibilities eager to help his younger brethren to avoid mistakes and adopt wise methods, to the end of serving their day and generation up to the full measure of their ability and opportunity.

The form in which these instructions are conveyed, if not especially original, is forceful; and emphasis and interest are often enhanced by pertinent anecdote or question. The following sentences are examples of telling and pointed expression:

"But while it is not desirable, even if it were possible, for a man to hide his office, it is equally reprehensible to allow the office to hide the man, or to make the man an object of dread to society, or an incubus on the natural flow and buoyancy of young life." "It is always a bad sign to see young people take to their heels when they see the parson coming." These sentences occur in the chapter on, "The Parson as a Man Among Men." In urging "relaxation of mind and spirit which comes from being out in the open air," he especially recommends golf, cautioning against discouragement by reminding the reader that "the worse you play the more exercise you get." The present writer can from personal observation bear witness to the Bishop's enthusiasm for and success in the "ancient and royal game."

"Speaking of the fault of prolixity in preaching he says : "It is certainly possible to preach a congregation right spirit and then out of it again."

The following will bear quoting to show how the author frequently uses anecdote to illustrate or enforce his thought.

A bishop was once being driven from the railway station to a country church by a rather notorious horse jockey. The bishop had been brought up on a farm and was a good judge of a horse. This knowledge soon became evident to his driver and established between the two men a spirit of cordial comradery. As they drove along the voluble jockey said, "Well, Bishop, you have sent us a fine parson this time. Why, our preacher is" a hustler. He can do anything. He raises pigs and chickens, keeps a cow, has a fine garden, and is one of them fine fellows what everybody likes. He is jolly and sociable like and pats you on the back like a real man. Of course he ain't got no more religion than you nor me."

In closing we can heartily recommend this "manual" to young clergymen as deserving a place among those books on preaching which some of our great pulpit orators have, with a like purpose, produced, such as the "Lyman Beecher Lectures" at Yale, by Beecher, Phillips Brooks, and others. L. S. HASTINGS

The Madrigal for January 18 contains a poem, "Plea," by H. Thompson Rich '15.

Walter S. Adams '98 is co-author with A. H. Joy of "The Luminosities and Parallaxes of Five Hundred Stars," first list in the December Astrophysical Journal.

The December number of The SchoolReview contains "How to Keep in Touch with the Quantitative Literature of Education," by Harold O. Rugg '08.

"Composition and Literature," by Eugene R. Musgrove '05, published by Longmans Green and Co., will be reviewed in a later issue.

The All-Story Weekly for January 5 contains a story, "Trapped," by Ben Ames Williams '10.

Part I of "Fragments from Parnassus" being parts or the whole of great and good poems edited more or less by Charles L. Dana '72 has just been published by the Elm Tree Press.

The George H. Doran Co. have issued a twenty-page pamphlet "The Sword of Jesus and the Present WorldWar," by Professor George H. Gilbert '78.

The Bartlett Publishing Co., Wantagh, N. Y., have issued a volume of poems, "The Call of Honor," by the Dartmouth graduate who uses the non de plume, "Percival Wells."