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 DIOCESE OF NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 
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THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 THE COLLECTION OF 
 NORTH CAROLINIANA 
 
 C P 283 
 A87d 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 00034004390 
 
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 The Bishop of North Carolina, having been requested by some friends, 
 with whom he was conversing on the work, needed to be done in his Diocese, 
 to reduce to writing the substance of what he then said, lest it might escape 
 from their memories, submits to them, and to some others, who, he hopes, feel 
 an interest in the subject, the following statement : 
 
 The State of North Carolina, in extent of territory, exceeds New York, 
 which has five Bishops, and is about equal to England, excluding Wales, 
 which has twenty-eight, including two Archbishops, and three Suffragans.— 
 The Diocese-of North Carolina, co-extensive in territory with the State, has 
 but one Bishop, and labours under the further disadvantage of having no 
 large city within its borders, in which the means, and the energy, necessary 
 for vigorous missionary effort, can be concentrated, and from which they can 
 be diffused. The population of the State is sparse, and as a consequence, an 
 unusual number of the congregations are not self-supporting. These things 
 hinder very much Diocesan Missionary effort. At the same time there is 
 a part of the State which seems especially to demand, and to be likely, richly 
 to reward christian labour and christian liberality. It is the country lying 
 West of the range of mountains, which separates the waters flowing into the 
 Atlantic, from those that empty into the Grulf of Mexico. In this District, 
 with an area larger than that of several of the States in the Union, there is 
 a population of more than 100,000 souls. It is a land of surpassing beauty, 
 with a climate, to which nothing superior, perhaps nothing equal, can be 
 found on this continent, in healthful ness, in uniformity of temperature, and 
 in its bracing and tonic effects on the human system. The population, as 
 might be expected in such a country, are an active, vigorous, bold race of 
 men. But this whole region lies under the great disadvantage of inaccessi- 
 bility from the want of navigable streams and railroads. The people have 
 thereby been, to a great extent, precluded from the benefits of commerce, 
 and intercourse with their fellow men. from the acquisition of wealth, conse- 
 quently from the establishment of schools and colleges-, and the benefits of 
 education. Their religious instruction has been likewise, much neglected. 
 Their ministers have been, with some striking exceptions, men from among 
 themselves and very little, if at all, above themselves in religious knowledge, 
 and capacity to teach. Our own church has made gratifying progress so far 
 as it has been known, but it has not been much known. Bishop Ives estab- 
 lished a mission in behalf of these mountaineers, at a place which he called 
 " Yalle Crucis," and it seems for a time to have accomplished a good work, 
 the traces of which are not altogether effaced, even at this day. But unhap- 
 pily for him, and for his work, Romanizing ideas and usages came to be 
 favored by him, and to be introduced into his mission. He at length re- 
 
nounced the church, and the mission failed and lias, for some years, utterly 
 ceased to exist. In the meantime a prosperous congregation lias been estab- 
 lished at Asheville, the principal village of this trans-montane country, by 
 the Hew Mr. Buxton, and a very active missionary is laboring successfully at 
 various points in the surrounding region, and still a third clergyman of the 
 church, mainly self-supported, is ministering to another congregation not 
 far from the same village. "But what are these among so many." The wish 
 and the plan of Bishop Atkinson is to provide for the spiritual wants of these 
 very interesting, and much neglected people, in the simplest, most econom- 
 ical, and therefore most practicable way possible, it is to raise up young 
 men from among themselves, (for thus only can a, sufficient supply be obtain- 
 ed) and to instruct them that they may be able to teach others also, not aim- 
 ing at a thorough theological education, but yet at such a measure of know- 
 ledge, as by God's grace may make them "able ministers of the New Testa- 
 ment/ 1 Something has been done toward this object already. We have in 
 x\sheville an excellent building in a large lot, with accommodations for a 
 teacher, and several pupils. We need the means of supporting two teachers 
 who, however, it is proposed, shall also labour as missionaries, and if the 
 work shall prosper, it will be necessary to build another house for the second 
 teacher, and some of the students. It is now asked that aid be given, accord- 
 ing as Clod has prospered you, to help forward a cause, which it cannot be 
 reasonably doubted, is the cause of God, for that it is the cause of charity, 
 and of piety. Our Western Dioceses, notwithstanding their marvellous 
 growth in wealth and population have needed such aid, and the chui'ch has 
 bestowed it piously, liberally, and most wisely. And see what the church is 
 now reaping from the seed thus sown ; missionary stations have become 
 strong, self-supporting Parishes. Theological Seminaries have been estab- 
 lished, such as Gambift^ Jubilee, Nashotah and Faribault, like a chain of £j 
 forts stretching across the Continent, from which bands of young men go 
 forth every year to fight the battles of God, Truth and Righteousness, against 
 Infidelity and Heresy, Sin and Death. What has been done for them, we 
 ask, may be done for us, as our great object is the same, our wants are equal 
 and our resources less. 
 
 THOMAS ATKINSON, 
 Bishop of North Carolina. 
 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2013 
 
 http://archive.org/details/dioceseofnorthcaOOatki 
 
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