WELLS, LEMUEL HENRY: Protestant Episcopal bishop of Spokane; b. at Yorkers, N. Y., Dec. 3, 1841. He began his college education at Trinity, Hartford, but left in 1861 to enter the Union Army, in which he served three years as second and first lieutenant. He was graduated from Hobart College (1867), and Berkeley Divinity School, Middletown, Conn. (1869). He was ordered deacon in the same year and priested in 1871. Spending the year 1871-72 in study in Europe, he was curate at Trinity Church, New Haven (1872-73), and .rector at Walla Walla, Wash. (1873-82). He then resided in the eastern part of the United States for a year and a half, but in 1884 became rector of St. Luke's, Tacoma, Wash., where he remained until 1889. In the latter year he accepted the rectorate of Trinity Church in the same city, and in 1892 was consecrated first missionary bishop of Spokane.

Christen der Augsburgischen Konfession, etc.; Einladungstrieb zum lzerannahenderc grosser Abendmahl and Vorschlag zu einer christlicheu Jesus Gesellschaft; and Wiederholte treulzerzige and ernthafte Vermahnung, die Bekehrung ungldubiger Volker vorzunehmen, etc. (all 1864).

These three works were written to prove the necessity of missions, to dispose of the objections of opponents, and to give practical suggestions for the realization of his ideas. He presented the first and second of these works to the Corpus Evangelicorum at Regensburg, but failed to secure any results. He wrote his third work and went to Holland. At Zwolle he had himself solemnly ordained apostle to the heathens by the Lutheran preacher, Breckling, and went out into the field, where he found a lonely grave. His ideas found no appreciative reception until Spener took them up.-

(G. Warneck†.)

Bibliography: W. Grossel, Der Rfzssiorcswec.C-ruf des Baron J. van tYeltz in . . . Wiedergabe des Origanaldrucka vom

Jahre 166.¢, Leipsic, 1890; idem, Justirsian vorc YYettz, der

WENCESLAUS, ven'ces-laus, SAINT: Sponsor for Christianity among the Czechs; d. Sept. 28, 935 (or 929). The Czechs compose the branch of the Slavic family which penetrated farthest west. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, however, they were separated from central Germany by a more advanced Slavic line of Wends. The Bohemians came in contact with Christian territory only in the south, at the Bavarian frontier. This circumstance accounts for the fact that the Czechs came relatively late into contact with Christianity. According to the oldest narrative, fourteen Bohemian lords received baptism on Jan. 13, 845, from Louis the Fat. But the Frankish power was shattered in the East in the second half of the ninth century and the Czechs entered into relation with their eastern neighbors. The religious consequence was that Methodius (see Cyril and Methodius) or his pupils extended their activity into Bohemia. In 895 Spitignew I. once more recognized the suzerainty of Germany, and Bohemia became part of the bishopric of Regensburg. But the people remained heathen,- while the nobles were divided between heathenism and Christianity. Upon the death of Spitignew and Wratislaw, Dragomir, wife of Wratislaw, assumed control of the government and opposed German Christianizing influence. The power was wrested from her and given to her eldest son Wenceslaus. The legends portray him as a devout Christian, who invited priests into the country, built churches, and cared for all ecclesiastical concerns. But he was not able to convert the Czechs or to suppress the opposition which was headed by his younger and abler brother Boleslaw, by whom he was murdered (Sept. 28, 935?) at the entrance to the church at Bunzlau, whither he had gone as his brother's guest. Boleslaw was chosen count and the Czechs lapsed from Christianity, nothing resulting from an interference by Henry I. In 950 Boleslaw again recognized the suzerainty of the empire, and later Wenzel's body was transferred to the Yeitskirche which he had built in Prague.