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."