Coming as it did towards the end of his life, this expression of appreciation from the colored people was a fitting close to the Bishop's work among the Negroes. He understood and respected his colored people, and in return they loved him and gave him their loyalty and confidence.
CHAPTER IX
Development and Conclusion of the Bishop's Work
In the first decade of his episcopate Bishop Cheshire laid the foundation for almost all of his future work. The remainder of his life was devoted to expansion and improvement. This program demanded all of his thought and energy and, as it progressed, became almost more than one man could administer. The Bishop never complained of being overworked, but when he realized he was no longer physically able to meet the demands of his office, he did not hesitate to ask for assistance.
A pleasant and interesting interlude in the routine of the Bishop's busy life was a trip to England in the summer of 1908. The object of the trip was to attend the Pan-Anglican Congress and the Lambeth Conference. The Bishop and Mrs. Cheshire sailed from New York and landed at Liverpool on May 28. Since the Pan-Anglican Congress was not to open for about two weeks, they spent the intervening time sightseeing and visiting friends. Among the many interesting places they visited was the old Abbey of Valle Crucis in Wales for which Bishop Ives had named his mission school in the mountains of North Carolina. The Bishop observed that here, however, there was no natural cruciform arrangement of valleys and streams which so distinguished his Valle Crucis mission.
The Pan-Anglican Congress was opened on June 15 by an impressive service held in Westminster Abbey. The Congress was composed of bishops, clergymen, laymen, and laywomen representing the Anglican communion from all parts of the world. There were six thousand delegates present, but they were divided into a number of sections for the discussion of every phase of church work. Bishop Cheshire attended the sessions of one of these sections every day, but he did not have time to enter in his journal much about the proceedings. On one occasion, when the topic for discussion was the church's work among the Negroes of North America, he was one of the speakers. He later remarked that he had scarcely warmed to his subject before his allotted time was gone.
On another occasion the Bishop was invited to a breakfast given by the Church Temperance Society. At the breakfast he was seated next to the Bishop of London, who was to preside over a meeting of the Society following the meal. In the course of conversation Bishop Cheshire remarked to the Bishop of London that "in America at least as far as concerned my part of it, drinking was unknown among women." The English prelate seemed to be greatly impressed by this statement. After the breakfast there were several scheduled speakers who talked on the problem of intemperance. They all agreed that the use of intoxicants in England as a whole had improved, but that the discouraging feature of the situation was the increased use of them by women. The Bishop of London announced that the meeting would like to hear from the United States, and he would, therefore, call upon Bishop Cheshire for a few words. As he rose to speak, the Bishop of London said to him, "Tell them what you have been telling me." After commenting on the work of the Church Temperance Society, he complied with the request and added: "I believe it to be true of all parts of the United States that among the descendants of the original English, Scotch, and Scotch-Irish settlers of America, intemperance or the use of intoxicating drinks among the women is unknown, or so extremely rare as to amount to nothing in looking at the situation in its general aspect."[54] His audience displayed a keen interest in his views.
The Pan-Anglican Congress closed on June 24 with a service in St. Paul's Cathedral. Bishop Cheshire thought that the Congress was "the most remarkable religious gathering of recent times." He was particularly impressed by the deep interest the British public and press took in the proceedings of the Congress. The capacity of the great Albert Hall was taxed to hold the average daily attendance of twelve thousand persons.
The Lambeth Conference, which opened on July 5, did not attract as much attention as usual, since it followed so closely upon the Pan-Anglican Congress. Its work, however, was none the less significant in the life of the church. Bishop Cheshire considered its proceedings more interesting than those of 1897. He noted that the younger bishops took a more active part than they had in the previous Conference. He served as a member of the Committee on Foreign Missions.
Bishop Cheshire returned to England in the summer of 1920 to attend his third and final Lambeth Conference. He was then seventy years old but in good health and still capable of doing a full day's work. He regularly attended the sessions of the Conference, and manifested as much interest as ever in its work.