Bishop Cheshire never went to extremes in anything. In spiritual as well as in material matters he believed in preserving a sense of proportion. He advised his clergy to use practical judgment in the observance of Lenten services. Very few clergymen were capable of preaching good sermons for forty or more consecutive days and, in his opinion, few congregations desired them. Even in those cases where a preaching Lent had been successful, he thought that a change would have a salutary effect upon the people.

On the subject of church music he tried to preserve an equilibrium of opinion. The Bishop was very fond of good ecclesiastical music and thoroughly enjoyed singing himself. While his standards of church music were high, he did not at all approve of too elaborate arrangements of the old chants and hymns. He wanted them sung properly, but also in such a way that at least a part of the congregation would be able to join in with the choir. On several occasions he was known to have stopped the organist and choir in the middle of a hymn or chant because the tune was either too difficult or too decorative.

Bishop Cheshire's interest in domestic missionary work was by no means limited to the zeal which he had displayed when working in the mountains of North Carolina. In his report on missionary work to the convention of 1898, he made a strong appeal for domestic missions and missionaries. He called to the attention of the convention the fact that the growth of the church in the Diocese was chiefly through its missions. Since there were no large city parishes, its strength lay in the towns, villages, and country districts. "In these," said he, "has been our growth, and in these is our hope and strength for the future." The missionary clergymen had presented for confirmation during the past year more than half of the total number of persons confirmed. He concluded these remarks with an urgent plea for adequate salaries for the missionaries.

Up to 1901 the administration of the diocesan missions was in the hands of the Bishop and the Executive Missionary Committee of the convention. Bishop Cheshire reported that under this system the missionary work usually showed an annual deficit of from four to five hundred dollars, even after he had used funds for it which should have been reserved for special work. With the advice and approbation of Bishop Cheshire, the convention of 1901 divided the missionary work of the Diocese into three divisions—the Convocation of Raleigh, the Convocation of Charlotte, and the Convocation for Colored Work. These convocations, each with an archdeacon at its head, were given full control of diocesan missions. The archdeacons, under the supervision of the bishop, had the direction and control of the missionaries in their respective convocations. Under this new organization the diocesan missions progressed steadily, and the treasurers of the convocations seldom reported a deficit. Some fifteen years after this plan was inaugurated, Bishop Cheshire declared that the missionary work had been "prosecuted with greater vigor and system than ever before in my knowledge of the Diocese."

At the close of the first decade of Bishop Cheshire's episcopate, a large number of clergy and laity gathered at Good Shepherd Church, Raleigh, on the evening of October 14, 1903, to celebrate the occasion. At this service the Bishop made an address in which he reviewed his work for the period. During the decade he had held more than 4,000 services, preached 1,400 sermons, delivered 500 addresses, confirmed 4,400 persons, consecrated 27 churches and chapels, and ordained 27 clergymen. To him the greatest achievement of the past ten years was the acquisition of St. Mary's and its establishment as the church school of all the Carolina dioceses. In 1897 his Diocese had assumed in behalf of St. Mary's an obligation of fifty thousand dollars to be paid in twenty years. At the end of six years only eighteen thousand dollars of the debt remained, and in addition ten thousand dollars had been spent upon permanent equipment for the school. Since the Diocese took over St. Mary's, the number of boarding pupils had increased threefold. In conclusion, he declared that they should not look too much to the past but should press on to the future with the work of the church.

Representatives of the clergy and laity congratulated the Bishop upon his tenth anniversary, pledging their loyalty and devotion to him, and expressing the appreciation of their respective bodies for his splendid work. Mr. Richard H. Battle, in behalf of a number of the Bishop's friends, presented him with a beautiful pectoral cross and a silk cassock. In acknowledging the kind expressions and gifts, the Bishop remarked: "I have one single desire, it is to serve God in this Diocese. It was the interest that I took in the work here that brought me into the ministry, and I have no desire to labor elsewhere. I love my people, and I appreciate the kindness, sympathy and aid that has been given me...."[41]

The following day the colored clergy and laity honored the Bishop in a service at St. Ambrose Church, Raleigh. Resolutions expressing the confidence and affection of the colored churchmen were presented to Bishop Cheshire by Rev. Henry B. Delany. Rev. Primus P. Alston, on behalf of the colored clergy, gave the Bishop a handsome stole, accompanying it with an address expressing the gratitude of the colored people for his work among them. Afterwards, the Bishop observed that nothing during the past ten years had been more gratifying to him than "the unvarying respect, courtesy and loyal support" which he had received at the hands of his colored clergy and laity.

CHAPTER VI
Man and Bishop

In addition to his accomplishments as a clergyman, prelate, and scholar, Bishop Cheshire attained considerable skill and reputation as a sportsman. Fishing and hunting were the sports he liked best and the only ones he indulged in. He once remarked that he had been fond of fishing from his boyhood, but he thought his liking for it increased with age. His prowess as a fisherman was well known to his churchmen from the coast to the mountains of North Carolina. During the 1890's, when he was building up his mountain work, he would sometimes allow himself a few hours of relaxation to fish for the fine trout in the cold mountain streams. As a good fisherman should, he always carried his tackle with him when traveling near promising streams. In later years, whenever he had the opportunity, he returned to the mountains for a brief vacation of fishing.