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FROM THE LIBRARY OF

REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON. D. D.

BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO

THE LIBRARY OF

PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

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trait, 8vo, cloth, 4s 6d 1898

BISHOP WALSHAM HOW

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SEP 2A: 1931

X

Bishop Walsham Ha

A MEMOIR

BY

FREDERICK DOUGLAS HOW

WITH PORTRAIT

LONDON
ISBISTER AND COMPANY Limited

IS & i6 TAVISTOCK STREET COVENT GARDEN
1898

Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson <&» Co.
London 6^ Edinburgh

TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS

PRINCESS CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN

IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF HER SYMPATHY

WITH THE WORK OF BISHOP WALSHAM HOW

THIS BOOK IS BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

PREFACE

It has been a great privilege to be allowed to compile
this memoir of my Father, the first Bishop of Wakefield,
and it has been undertaken with the desire that no hands
less loving than those of one of his children should turn
the pages of his private letters and diaries. Further, it
has been my happiness to call his house my home for
some five and thirty years of my life. These must be
my excuses.

I am fully aware of the many short-comings which will
be readily detected by the numbers of people who knew
and loved my Father, and which must of necessity
occur in the work of one possessing no literary skill or
experience.

It would have been impossible to accomplish even
this inadequate volume had it not been for the kindness
and help of many members of my Father's family, and
of a large number of his friends.

In some cases I have quoted what they have written
verbatim, in others I have ventured to blend their words
into my own narrative, for which I ask their indulgence.

I desire especially to thank the Lord Bishop of Ripon,
the Ven. Archdeacon Brooke, the Ven. Archdeacon

8 Preface

Thomas, Rev. Prebendary Kitto, Rev. Prebendary Shelf ord,
Rev. Canon Grenside, Rev. H. L. Paget, Rev. B. Waugh,
Rev. the Hon. W. R. Verney, Rev. R. B. Dowling, Rev.
E. S. Hilliard, Rev. W. Eraser Nash, E. J. Hanbury, Esq.,
Rev. La Trobe Bateman, Rev. E. Barker, Rev. W. J. W.
Marrow, Rev. Canon Ridgeway,iH. W. S. Worsley-Benison,
Esq., and Rev. A. E. Jalland.

Those who were connected with my Eather by closer
ties will need no thanks for their invaluable help.

F. D. H.
October 1898

CONTENTS

CHAP.

I. EARLY LIFE ....

II. OXFORD

III. KIDDERMINSTER ....
IV. VVHITTINGTON ....
V. HIS POSITION AS A CHURCHMAN
VI. CONVOCATION COMMITTEES, ETC.
VII. OFFERS OF PREFERMENT .
VIII. RETREATS AND MISSIONS .
IX. EARLIEST SUGGESTION OF EAST LONDON .
X. APPOINTMENT TO EAST LONDON
XI. CONSECRATION AND DEPARTURE FROM WHITTINGTON
XII. EAST LONDON ....

XIII. EAST LONDON (CONTINUED)

XIV. ,, „ „
XV. THE BISHOP A BRIDGEMAKER .

XVI. LAST YEARS IN EAST LONDON .

PAGE
II

29

43
59
69
87

95

109
126
142

152
166
182
197
204

10

Contents

CHAP.
XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI,

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV.

XXV.

XXVI.

XXVII.

XXVIII.

XXIX.

XXX.

XXXI.

ACCEPTANCE OF WAKEFIELD — FAREWELL TO EAST
LONDON

WAKEFIELD, ORGANISATION, ETC. .

WAKEFIELD — THE SEE HOUSE

WAKEFIELD — RELATIONS WITH THE CLERGY

COLLIERY STRIKE, ETC.

REFUSAL OF THE SEE OF DURHAM

THE BISHOP AND LEGISLATION

A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS

THE LAST YEAR

THE BISHOP AS AN AUTHOR .
HYMNS AND HYMN-WRITING .
THE children's BISHOP
THE BISHOP AS A FISHERMAN
THE BISHOP AS A BOTANIST .
LETTERS ON SPIRITUAL MATTERS .
INDEX

ETC

226
240
256
279
302
312
322
338
346
381
410
418

432
448
460
481

CHAPTER I

EARLY LIFE

William Walsh am How was born on December 13,
1823, in a house that is one of two standing a Httle back
from the street, on the right-hand side as one ascends
College Hill, Shrewsbury. Those who are familiar with
the beautiful old town, the Severn winding beneath its
walls, its spires and towers, its castle, its ancient black
and white architecture, and especially with the views of
the Shropshire and Welsh hills in the distance, will
recognise it as the fitting birthplace of one who greatly
loved all things that are beautiful. Indeed, there can
be no doubt that the fair surroundings of his childhood
did much to create and develop this love, which found
expression in his earliest boyish verses, and was one of
the chief joys of his existence.

He was the elder son of Mr. William Wybergh How,
solicitor, of Shrewsbury, who sprang from an old
Cumberland family, having as his direct ancestors two
John Hows, father and son, who were mayors of the
city of Carlisle in 1683 and 1725 respectively.

His grandfather was the Rev. Peter How, Rector of
Workington, and for a short time Vicar of Isell in
Cumberland, who married his cousin Margaret, daughter
of Mr. William Wybergh, of Clifton Hall, Westmoreland.

12 Bishop Walsham How

Mr. W. W. How's first wife was Frances Jane,
daughter of Mr. Thomas Maynard, of Wokingham, by
whom he had two sons, William Walsham and Thomas
Maynard. When these children were about two and
a-half and one year old, their mother died, and in 1828
their father married again, his second wife being the
only daughter of Mr. Samuel Allsopp, of Burton-on-
Trent. By her he had two daughters, Frances Jane and
Margaret, and it is after their birth that we get the
earliest glimpse of the happy family life at Shrewsbury,
in which the eldest boy, Walsham, first found oppor-
tunities of displaying many of the qualities which en-
deared him to so large a number of friends in after life.

His stepmother proved a very real mother to both
the boys, and no difference was ever felt in her relations
towards them and her own little daughters, while the
latter were a source of infinite interest and delight to
the two boys. Walsham's boyish letters of 1836 to his
little sisters, during their absence at the seaside, are
remembered as being brimful of fun and tenderness,
especially, perhaps, those to the " dearie small Margaret,"
who, always delicate, died the following year at the age
of seven. The affectionate relations of the remaining
three children were of the closest, and lasted to the end
of the elder brother's life ; indeed, few days seem ever to
have passed without the two brothers either meeting or
writing to one another.

There is only one slight verbal picture given us of
Walsham How at a very early age. " I can just re-
member him," writes his surviving brother, "as a little
child in a white frock with a broad purple sash." After
that there is no record until the time when he went
for lessons to the Rev. T. B. Lutener, then curate of

Early Life 13

St. Mary's, and afterwards, for many years, incumbent of
St. Michael's.

At that time the family had moved to Claremont
Buildings, and on his way between the house and Mr.
Lutener's lodgings one of his delights was to make
friends with all the dogs — a characteristic that was life-
long, for he was rarely without some special dog pet
from the time of his clever " Duchess," and his beloved
brown spaniel "Tom," the companion of his early
clerical days, down to the last year of his life, when many
at Wakefield will remember the little black Schipperke
"Skipper," which was so often seen nestling in the
Bishop's arms.

While he was under the tutelage of Mr. Lutener, he
began teaching his little brother Maynard all that he
learnt, and continued this after he had gone to the
Shrewsbury Schools — then under the Headmastership of
Dr. Butler — so that, when the younger brother went to
school in his turn, the boys in his class were astonished
at his learning.

The family had made another move before the boys
went to the Schools, this time to the Stone House,
which was a very short distance from the school build-
ings. Walsham was placed at first in the second or third
class, but he always did well, especially in composition,
and rapidly rose until he arrived at the sixth form at an
early age.

But a somewhat remarkable home-life was going on
side by side with the school work and play. The in-
fluence of their father was great on all three children,
and from him Walsham seems to have acquired in a
marked degree many of the qualities which went to form
his character and colour his whole life. He shows early

14 Bishop Walsham How

a devoutness and an earnestly religious temperament,
a love of nature, an aptness at verse-writing, a keen
sense of fun — all doubtless acquired from his father,
from whom, too, he learnt that strict attention to money
matters, and those methodical habits, which were observ-
able in later life, and enabled him to get through the
vast amount of work which fell to his share.

All three children seem to have been from the first
deeply religious, and, when quite young, it was common
for them, if prevented from going to church, to hold a
service of their own, one writing the prayers to be used,
and Walsham composing the hymns.

The first of his hymns of which there is any record
was composed before he was thirteen, the subject being
the transformation of the butterfly as a type of the
Resurrection. About this time he wrote a great number
of other verses and poems, both playful and serious,
such as rhymes about the school games, and a capital
parody on Southey's " How does the water come down
at Lodore," written for a bazaar. But his favourite com-
positions were hymns, to be repeated in the family circle
at "Hymn time" on Sunday evenings. One — by no
means the least poetical — on " Heaven," was written
when he was fifteen, or possibly a year earlier. Some
of the titles of his first hymns may be of interest, as
showing the bent of his mind at that time : "The Book
of Nature," " Winter," " The Repentant Sinner," " Christ
Our Example," "Death," "The Blessings of Religion,"
and " The Butterfly," an amended edition of his twelve-
year-old hymn. The thought of death was always a
familiar one : there are several more poems on the same
subject : yet nothing of a morbid character could be
attributed to the bright, lively boy, keen at lessons and

Early Life 15

at games, and singing, as he went, in gladness of heart
and with a pleasant voice. In his early fondness for
flowers, "the boy was father to the man." Some lines
written by his father, with which the three younger
children were to greet " brother Walsham " on the morn-
ing of his thirteenth birthday, make his sister say :

'* The flowers he loves he gives to me,
And tells me all their names."

The little farm near the Column, opposite to which his
father afterwards built a house, " Nearwell," was an
immense delight to him, and there he gardened in his
play hours, taking special pride in his pansy beds ; and
frequently in later life, while walking in his garden, he
would stop and notice some pansy blossom, saying,
" That is a clearly marked one, just the sort I used to
try to grow when a boy." Wild flowers, too, soon won
his heart, and great was the joy at finding a new plant,
or at welcoming an old favourite, such as the lilac
saffron, when it came into bloom each autumn in the
meadows of the Severn. He formed a little horti-
cultural society amongst some of his schoolfellows, and
very proud they were of their " shows 1 " It was not
long before he became an expert botanist, his sister act-
ing as a humble assistant in drying and mounting the
specimens, for which sort of manual work he himself had
particularly neat fingers. Of his botanical studies there will
be more to say later on, but it is interesting to note how
in this, as in so many other things, his tastes remained
unchanged, and his ways of life consistent to the end.
One of the first things that is apparent in a survey of his
life is its consistency. There seems to have been an
early choice of that which is good, both in matters of
greater and of less importance, and an almost precociously

i6 Bishop Walsham How

early grasp of the truth in matters of controversy, from
which he never let go his hold through life.

In school games he readily joined at all times, but
never to any great degree excelled, though he played in
cricket matches until he had been for some years Rector
of Whittington.

During the latter part of his schooldays Dr. Kennedy
became headmaster, and Walsham How was one of his
favourite pupils, his verses and epigrams both in Latin
and English meeting with special approbation. In 1841,
after matriculating at Oxford, but while still at school, he
wrote for the Newdigate Prize Poem at that University.
Owing to an accident his composition was sent in too late,
but Dr. Kennedy thought so highly of it that he had it
printed with the next " Speeches." The following extract
from a letter to his sister probably refers to this, and is an
instance of the modesty with which he always regarded
his own work :

" Wadham, yz^;?^ 9, 1841.

"The Warden asked me to call upon him yesterday,
and gave me some little advice, but I had a short confer-
ence. He has been away till now, or I suppose he would
have seen me before. Tell Maynard I shall be much
obliged to him to ask the Dr. (or perhaps a note would
do) whether Jones has written to prevent his poem being
printed : Alston says he has. If his is not to be printed,
I will not have mine on any account ; and make haste,
lest it be too late."

" The Dr." is, of course. Dr. Kennedy, and " Jones " is
Basil Jones, afterwards Bishop of St. David's.

Other interesting schoolfellows of Walsham How were
Thring, afterwards Lord Thring, K.C.B., who, with Cope

Early Life 17

and John Bather, all Shrewsbury boys, headed the
Classical Tripos at Cambridge ; Fraser, afterwards Bishop
of Manchester, and James Riddell of Balliol.

It had always been intended that he should enter his
father's profession, and on that account he left school and
went to Oxford at the early age of 17. He took with him
the affectionate esteem of his master and schoolfellows,
and the honour of having won in his last year the Butler
Scholarship, of which he did not avail himself. Though
going up to Oxford with the full purpose of becoming a
lawyer, yet it was during the early part of his life there
that he changed his mind and determined to take Holy
Orders. The Tractarian movement was in full force at
the time, and interested him greatly, though he was never
carried away by it. It is, however, just possible that it
may have in some degree influenced his decision, though
it is hard to conceive that with the devout feelings and
religious bent, which are conspicuous from his earliest
childhood, any other future than that of a clergyman
could have been before him.

CHAPTER II

OXFORD

The Summer term of 1841 was Walsham How's first term
at Oxford, and, though it might be supposed that a boy
of his disposition would have been enthralled with the
beauties and delights of the place, yet there is no record
of any special appreciation to be found in his letters. In
fact, at first he seems not to have been entirely happy, and
to have found himself a little lonely. This soon wore off,
and he became exceedingly fond of his surroundings, a
fact to which a fine water-colour drawing of his College
garden and chapel, which he ordered as a memorial of
his Wadham days, bears witness.

It would have been difficult for one with so many
interests in life to have felt dull for long. The varied
pursuits, of which mention has been made, were all con-
tinued at Oxford. It will be noticed later on how deeply
he lamented his want of the power of application —
a want with which the manifold nature of his interests
may have had something to do. It is pretty certain that
this, in conjunction with the fact that he was taken away
from Shrewsbury School when his faculties were scarcely
sufficiently mature for the heavier strain of University
Examinations, accounts for his obtaining nothing higher
than a third class for his degree.

Oxford 19

But though his occupations were many, yet through
them all — his reading, his botany, his music and singing,
his keen interest in getting to understand whatever subject
presented itself — there was ever the same deep religious
feeling. In a letter to his brother written about this time
he says with reference to his love of Nature :

" I myself am exceedingly variable in spirits, and I
always find nothing is near so delightful and inspiriting
when I am in low spirits as praising and thanking God in
the midst of His works. Often and often at the farm have
I stood between the cottage and garden door, and thanked
God for making the world so fair and myself so suscep-
tible of its beauty. I am generally quite happy after that.
.... Oh ! my dear Maynard, if Heaven itself had no
greater glory and joy than standing in the midst of some
exquisitely beautiful scene, and there, with only sights and
sounds of Nature around you, blessing God and glorying
in His presence, it would be perfection."

The intimate frankness between the two brothers —
indeed between all three children — on religious subjects
is exceedingly striking, and it would be hard to realise a
present-day undergraduate of eighteen writing in the
following strain to a brother a year or so his junior. The
letter refers to his brother's confirmation, and is dated
from Wadham College, June 4, 1842 :

" Let me only give you two little pieces of advice.
Often renew your solemn vow privately and solemnly ;
2ind always renew it by attending the Sacrament when
you can. You have my prayers for you, and may God
bless you."

And then again, in a letter to his sister, dated Wadham,
Friday, February 18, 1842, he says :

20 Bishop Walsham How

" Tell Maynard to write a moral essay (if he wants a
subject) on one of the following theses: 'There is no
such thing as morality without religion ; ' or ' To what
extent are the relative or external duties of a layman
different from those of a clergyman ?' or, in other words,
* The difference of obligation in being in the Church and
in the ministry ; ' or ' On the full extent and meaning of
" Idle words." '

" If M. does not like any of these I will send some more
next time."

It is difficult to imagine the feelings of a modern lad on
being sent such a message by his elder brother. But
with them such things were ever matters of the deepest
and closest interest, and show that consistency of thought
and life to which attention has already been drawn.

In February 1842 "Smalls "were successfully passed,
and in the Long Vacation of that year Walsham How read
with Arthur Hugh Clough in Ireland. The following
extract from a letter dated from Ireland in September
1842 gives some idea of their doings there :

" Our plans are entirely altered. Clough's father and
mother are going very soon to America, and wish, of
course, to see him before they go. Now, the expense of
coming over here by packet is very great, costing about
£^, and Clough does not wish to come back again, since
it would cause two more journeys. . . . Our lodgings
here are up next Tuesday week, and, if Clough leaves us
then, he will just be in time to see his parents. ... I am
now managing to read pretty steadily, and am getting on
well ; Clough and I have refused several parties, two or
three balls, at strange houses. Nevertheless, to-morrow
is the Regatta ball, and I shall go to that. Clough and I

Oxford 21

took a delightful walk of about six miles out and six back
on Monday evening, along the banks of the Carrigoline
River, which is very beautiful. We walked through
Aquiline Grove, as I call it — i.e., a fine wood where the
Pteris aquilina, or common mountain fern, grows con-
siderably taller than I am, and in abundance ! It is
exceedingly beautiful. C. [another member of the party]
is exceedingly fastidious and nice about food, diet, water,
beds, &c., and so, when he was absent to-day, Clough,
with very great difficulty, drove a flock of geese out of the
road into his bedroom ! They made a terrible mess.
What a trick for a tutor ! We were obliged, unfortu-
nately, to drive them out again before C. appeared, or it
would have been capital fun."

In this same year he seems to have won an Exhibition
for botany, for, writing in January 1843, he says :

" I had to pay only £22, 5s. for battels this morning,
£2 being taken off for Goodridge's Botanical Exhibition."

Some letters written during the Christmas vacation
about this same period show that he was ready to take
part in every amusement and sport that offered itself.
He was fond of dancing, and danced well, and, though he
did not hunt at Oxford, yet at home he used to do so,
and, when mounted well, was good across country ; in
fact, on one occasion with the staghounds he kept a
leading position during an exceedingly long run, and was
one of two or three only to be in at the finish.

In after life, though he never hunted or shot — his sole
sport being fly-fishing, in which he was remarkably skilful
— he was always exceedingly interested in his sons' doings
in the hunting-field, mounting them on capital ponies, of

22 Bishop Walsham How

which he was an excellent judge, and always wanting to
know on their return all that they had been doing.

During the year 1843 he seems to have seen a great
deal of Mr. Richard Congreve, then a well-known tutor
at Oxford, who afterwards drifted into Positivism, and to
have been much under his influence for the next two
years, though he was preserved from following in his
footsteps. Writing to his sister from Wadham about
December 1843 he says :

" I took a walk with Congreve the other day, the first I
ever did, and we had more serious talk than I have ever
had before, at least upon higher subjects. You remember,
perhaps, the character that I gave him in a letter recently^
and how I accounted for his apparent inconsistency. He
fully corroborated my opinion by his own mouth. He
told me a great deal about his ideas and opinions on the
nature of life, profession, the Church and religion. . . .
That inner, higher, and pure life, which he says should be
so separate and unaffected by external things, seems to
be in him especially, though few would think it at first
sight. Yet still, I cannot but think much he said very
ideal, or rather impracticable, and but one or two in a
hundred, I should say, could be found to act up to his
theories in any way. And yet he and I always quarrel
about our ideas of other men, I always despairing, he
hoping, and where he has had such wonderful experience
of men I can say but little. He goes amongst, and talks
to, rich and poor, man and woman, High Church and
L,ow, Dissenters and Romanists, infidel and Christian, and
in every case tries to verify, or correct, his theories,
and attain a true knowledge of man. He intends soon,
if he can afford it, to take a curacy for a year in some

Oxford 23

manufacturing district, and see what he can do for infi-
dehty there."

In the Long Vacation of this year he accompanied Mr.
Congreve to Dresden to read under him there, and after
that there is Httle to record till the Long Vacation of the
following year, when he spent some time with a reading
party at Talyllyn in North Wales. Of this party he was
made a sort of chief, and laid down strict rules for attend-
ance at family prayers, punctuality, &c. His brother
joined them there, and that the time was very happily
spent is proved by the fact that in after life Walsham How
frequently alluded to this special summer, and used to tell
how they raced up the mountain side to see the sun set
over again, and narrated many other small incidents
which impressed themselves on his memory.

His well-known fondness for amusing stories begins to
show itself about now, as well as the fact that at Wadham
he joined in other than " reading " parties. Thus, in a
letter written about December 1844, he says :

" A Merton man was told at dinner one day that he
'ought to leave off hungry,' and he said he would as
soon wash his face and leave off dirty ! A man in the
schools this time was asked what works the Jews were
allowed to do on the Sabbath, and answered * Works of
supererogation ' ! Several of us went and made hay in
Simcoe's rooms to-day, wheeling his bookshelves round
with their faces to the wall, turning all the tables and
chairs with their legs up, &c. &c., and when I came in I
found all mine done too ; every book turned in the
shelves with its back to the wall, and my desk on the top
of one bookcase and my coat on another ! "

24 Bishop Walsham How

In the following year his final schools were drawing
near, and were causing him much anxiety. When he first
went up to Oxford he had an idea of reading for double
honours, but soon discarded mathematics. He was no
doubt quick at grasping any subject before him, and his
excellence in composition, coupled with the power, which
he always possessed, of stating things simply and clearly
in writing, encouraged his tutors, and notably Mr.
Congreve, to hope for a fairly good class for him. But
he was probably too young, and had also occupied him-
self in too great a variety of subjects, to do justice to his
powers. One Sunday afternoon, early in 1845, he sat
down and wrote to his sister the following lament :

"Congreve's note surprised me, as he never told me
more than that I had a decent chance of a second, and
ought not to look higher. I thought he meant that I never
should be able to do more ; but I hope, as his opinion is
so flattering, that my 'growth' wont stop with the schools,
though I know his estimation of men is always inclined to
be sanguine. Henderson never lets out a word of what he
thinks about his pupils, so his opinion was news. It is
gratifying to be well thought of, though I don't think it
much alters my estimation of myself, which is pretty well
settled by this time, and doubtless at far too high a
value. . . .

" It is just the end of term ! Only fancy ! Collections
begin this week ! I must work. There I hear of Riddell
working himself to death, reading all day, and seeing no
one ; while he has read very hard ever since he has been
up ; and other men doing their ten hours' — one even six-
teen hours' — reading a day. Only fancy ! I seldom get
above eight ! I luitst work ! Oh ! those horrid schools ! I

Oxford 25

take plenty of exercise — i.e., two hours a day, go to bed
about twelve, live very moderately, and don't think reading
would hurt me, do its worst ! And then I find I can't. I
have not the power of working very hard. Working can't
hurt me, but I can't work ; while men, who always get
headaches and pains and biliousness by reading, can stick
to it like wax, and do nearly twice as much in the day as I
can. Oh, for that application ! If one could but read
two hours together without raising one's eyes or taking off
one's thoughts, and then begin again and do two hours
more ! Never mind. I must make the best of a bad job,
and be thankful for health."

It may be an encouragement to others who suflfer from
this same difficulty to know how completely it was after-
wards overcome by him, so that in after years he was able
to do many hours' consecutive hard work on his writings.
His diaries of the years between 1863 and 1868 speak of
many a " good^morning's work on Commentary " (S.P.C.K.
" Commentary on the Four Gospels "), and there are
numerous other records of a power of application to one
subject for hours together acquired by perseverance in his
after life.

His fears as to the result of the final schools were
amply justified. During the examination a brief line sent
home says ;

" I have just come out from the science paper, and have
been completely nonplussed by it. I expected to do it
and logic best, and all my hopes are gone. I believe I
could not have made a more decided failure in it. I feel
sure that I have lost all chance of a second."

This foreboding proved correct, for, on the list being
published, his name appeared in the third class. His

26 Bishop Walsham How

testamur for this examination is dated May 5, 1845, and
the first of the signatures of the examiners is that of
H. G. Liddell, for so many years afterwards Dean of
Christ Church.

His letter to his sister on the subject has been preserved
and in it he says :

" So it is all over now, and the class list has sealed my
certain conviction. I suppose it affected me much less
than most who were disappointed, from that very previous-
certainty, but altogether the whole affair is very disappoint-
ing to look back upon. I fancy there were not above two
or three at the most who did unexpectedly well, Jacobs,,
a first, being one. A considerable majority were below
their expectation. Such a number as fourteen gulfs was-
never before heard of : there are generally five or six.
Relatively to others, what annoys me alone in the list is
Williams' second. I am very glad Riddell was not dis-
appointed. I put on my Bachelor's gown yesterday, and
took my degree as a ' petty compounder,' because I had
more than ;^5 per annum income, but less than j^soo."

He was now only one and twenty years old, so that
it was impossible for him to be ordained for some time
He therefore determined to go to Durham for the theo-
logical course there, and took up his residence in October
for that purpose. Meantime, after the work and anxiety
of his examination, he took a long holiday, proceeding first
of all to Belgium and Germany with his father and other
members of his family, and then paying Mr. Congreve a.
visit at Rugby. Finally, immediately before entering at
Durham, he went with his brother for a tour in Cumber-
land, a county full of happy recollections of their boyhood,.

Oxford 27

for at Workington, and at Isell Hall and Vicarage, several
of their holidays had been spent.

There is very little to record of the quiet year now spent
in going through the theological course, but it is interest-
ing to note that (though it was not until afterwards, when
curate of Kidderminster, that he became intimate with the
Douglas family, the eldest daughter in which he married),
his future father-in-law was Canon of Durham at this time.
There is just one little bit of testimony which bears upon
this period, contained in a letter from the present
Bishop of Aberdeen to Canon Douglas of Salwarpe, dated
"Feast of St. Stephen, 1897." He says, speaking of
Walsham How, " Ever since I first met him, when he was
reading Divinity at Durham, he has been a great help to
me. At Durham, though he was reading Divinity, and I
was only a ' freshman,' I felt his influence for good,
and he gave a distinctly higher tone to the college life of
his year."

He proceeded to an ad eundem degree at Durham, but
meantime was anxiously engaged in considering what
curacy he might obtain. With a family so closely united
in affection it was only natural that there should have been
some wish that he might find work in Shrewsbury, but to
this course he was clearly opposed, as is evident from the
following letter to his sister written from Durham in 1846.

" I wish the subject of the curacy was settled. I must
confess the proposal of staying at home for the first year
has rather damped the (perhaps rather exaggerated) ardour
with which I looked forward to entering upon my clerical
duties. I should begin with very different feelings there
and the considerations of being of use at home, and in no
httle degree the prospect of your society, would in some

28 Bishop Walsham How

measure usurp the place of the thoughts of active employ-
ment and deep interest with which I had invested the
duties before me. It would be altogether a different thing
to me ; but I won't say any more about it to-day, for I
think perhaps my feelings are stronger, now it is new to
me, than they will be in a short time.

" L., the curate of St. Margaret's here, to whom I took
my situation, said, though he thought it would be only from
a strong sense of duty that he would live at home as curate
at first, yet, if a man could resist all petty inducements to
idleness, and could so far command himself as to make any
change in his mode of life, which he might feel it his duty
to make before those who have known him intimately, it
would be the best training possible for his character :
yet he did not think he could do all this. Let us wait and
see about Mr. Claughton at any rate first. I wish I knew
of any good way of applying to him."

Fortunately some way was found, and it was speedily
arranged that Walsham How should join the band of
curates at Kidderminster under the Rev. T. L. Claughton,
afterwards Bishop of St. Albans — a decision of the
greatest importance in influencmg his future life, for he
shared to the full the allegiance felt by all Kidderminster
curates to their vicar, of whom (when Bishop of
Rochester) he said in the great speech he delivered at
the Wolverhampton Congress of 1867: "One thing I
know — that none of his old curates (and I thank God I
am one) have any ambition to be other than he."

CHAPTER III

KIDDERMINSTER

It having been settled that Walsham How should pro-
ceed to a curacy at St. George's, Kidderminster, he went
to stay at the Star and Garter in Worcester for the
examination for deacon's orders, an ordeal which im-
mediately preceded the ordination, and did not, as in
well-ordered dioceses at the present day, take place some
weeks before, so that candidates may have their minds,
free from anxiety as to the result of the examination at
such a solemn time. It does not appear either that in
other ways things were managed as they are now, for^
writing to his brother from there, he says :

" Two days of the examination are now over ; six
men's names were given out as having done best in the
first day's papers, mine not being among them. I rather
expected to hear mine, I confess, but I hope there is a
very good set of men this time. All things are done in
a very indecorous, off-hand, careless way, and they say
the ordination is too. • • .

"A very, very little distracts my thoughts, and un-
nerves me for my duty. What could we do without
externals, without forms and rules and observances ?
If there are many like me, as I fancy there must be, we
should get on badly without them."

30 Bishop Walsham How

On December 20, 1846, he was duly ordained deacon,
and licensed to the curacy of St. George's, Kidder-
minster, exactly one week after his twenty-third birthday.
He went straight to his work, and one can picture the
" cheerful, earnest young fellow," as he is described by
one who knew him there, going on Friday evenings at
six o'clock, before evening service, to the vestry, with the
rest of Mr. Claughton's large staff of curates, to receive
his first instructions as to the duties and responsibilities
of parish work. One of the duties in which he was
quickly engaged, and in which he was singularly success-
ful, was the getting together and instructing a large class
of youths, and, though it is now half a century ago, there
still linger in Kidderminster some grey-headed men who
attended this class, and who say of him that he had a
happy knack of attracting to him almost every young
fellow with whom he came in contact. Quite recently
one of this class came and spoke to him in Wakefield,
and many were the questions asked by the Bishop after
others who were still remembered by name, and with
affectionate recollection.

In connection with this side of his work, it may be
mentioned that he was instrumental in helping to found
a Mutual Improvement Society in Kidderminster, which
in latter days has developed into the Workmen's Club
and Institute, one of the most successful institutions of
its kind in the country. His portrait is still to be seen in
the club album, with those of the late Lord Lyttelton,
Dean Boyle, and many others of its early patrons.

He had not been many months at Kidderminster
before he longed to pay a visit to his home, which
was now at Nearvvell. This is the subject of the
following letter to his sister, and many who knew him

Kidderminster 31

well will recognise the allusion to the "cuckoo," for it
was a favourite habit of his to signal to those at a
distance, or to amuse little children, by imitating the
sound of a cuckoo with his hands before his mouth.

"Kidderminster, Feb. 8, 1847.

"Dearest Minny,

"If I had not to preach on Wednesday, I am not
altogether sure that you might not have been rather
startled at hearing the cuckoo outside the window at tea-
time this evening. I had vanity enough to think what
fun it would be to get off the coach, run up and listen in
the verandah, and hear one of you say, ' I wonder what
Walsham's doing about this time ? ' Wouldn't I have
made you jump ! How often have I run up and down
the almanack with a sort of hope that some spare week
had appeared in it since I last looked, and turned again
sadly to my sermon, saying : ' No, there's no day till
Easter Monday,' and then perhaps old Maynard and I
may pop in together — who knows ?

" My mother says she should like to look in upon me
sometimes. I think she would be amused to see me
sitting at dinner by myself, with a black cat on the table
close to the side of my plate. It is a most unsnubbable
cat. It likes anything you do to punish it, and seems just
as happy and purrs as loud, whether you put it in the
coal-box, or rub its fur the wrong way, or step on it
when asleep, or anything. The worst of it is that it
sometimes takes a running jump at you from a great
distance, and sticks its claws very tight in to keep itself
up. It often goes and gives its own shadow on the wall
a reproving pat with its paw, and pursues its own tail
with the excited pirouettes of a dancing dervish.

32 Bishop Walsh am How

" You have no idea what funny little fellows we have
in the school. They look so fat and wise and solemn it
always makes me laugh to look at them. And they have
such funny dresses, too. One very little chap comes,
with his hair combed smooth down, in the cape of his
father's great coat, which makes him look like a fat sugar
loaf in its dark blue paper. Yesterday I made a bold
incursion into the girls' Sunday School, and heartily
repented it, for all the lady teachers, who were strangers
to me, rose up and delivered the head class into my
hands to teach. Several of them are girls about your
age, and many grown up, and they were shy and giggled,
and wouldn't answer, and even laughed at my beginning
at the wrong end of the class, or something of that sort.
I think I must leave that department in senior and graver
hands, or at least go for some time at first under their
protection. It is horrid to be stuck on a stool in the
centre of twenty big girls, drest in their Sunday best, who
laugh when you ask them a question."

The very next day he writes again to his sister, and this
time on more serious subjects. It will be seen from this
letter how he grasped at once the secret of preaching,
and from the very first endeavoured after that simple
lucidity which marked his sermons throughout his life.

" Kidderminster, Feb. 9, 1847.
"My aim and object [speaking of his sermons] is
just to hit the nail on the head, to make as plain as
possible the subject I have chosen, and keep as well as
possible out of all others. . , , I am quite of my mother's
opinion about descending low to meet the common
understanding of people, especially the poor. Ideas that
seem almost wearisome to us from their commonness

Kidderminster 33

must be put into our sermons, for the people will not
supply in their minds what we omit as a matter of
course. Dr. Jenkyns told us that St. Chrysostom, speak-
ing of plain language in sermons, said he would rather
use a wooden than a golden key if it better fitted the
lock."

Very early in this same year — in fact, only a month
after his ordination, he wrote a long letter to his brother
on the observance of Friday. As the views expressed in
it are exactly what he held all through his life, it will be
well to quote it, especially as it affords yet one more
instance of the early adoption of views never to be
changed. Writing from Kidderminster, January 22, 1847,
he says :

" The chief point to be answered is about the observ-
ance of Friday, a subject so delicate and difficult to speak
about that it had better perhaps be indirectly. The diffi-
culty of it lies in its being so completely personal, and in
speaking of it you must unveil things in your own
practice, which, according to the Bible, had better be
left in secret. But I am certain in one's own family,
when an occasion of this sort is given, it is one's duty to
speak out. My mother suggests that not going out to
dinner on Friday may be to make us better prepared for
our Sunday duties. She is right so far as Sunday duties
are only a part of all duties, its object being simply to
make one better. There is no lecture or service here on
Friday evening, beyond the daily afternoon prayers.
But there is such a thing as the duty of fasting. No one
can possibly deny this who reads Matt. vi. 16-18, Mark
ii. 20, 1 Cor. vii. 5, 2 Cor. vi. 5, xi. 27. Besides these more
positive passages we have the practice of the Apostles and

34 Bishop Walsham How

the early Church recorded in the Acts ; and, to crown
all, the great fast of our Blessed Saviour Himself, which
is the more instructive if considered as immediately pre-
ceding His Temptation. It is to my mind as plain a
duty as anything else, and has always appeared so. I do
not think I ever once had a doubt about it. Next, as to
its nature : the above passages show that it is utterly
different to general self-denial ; that, in short, it is a
particular self-denial in the matter of eating and drinking
at particular times. Each person must judge for them-
selves what is really imposing a restraint upon them
without any detriment to health. If there are particular
seasons for fasting, when are they ? If we knew nothing
beforehand, should we not readily decide that of all days
the day on which Christ suffered the extreme of His
Passion, the day of His death, was the most appropriate ?
The Church of England has in a table at the end of the
Calendar in the Prayer Book pointed out particular
times. . . ,

"... I have earnestly wished that Friday were
properly observed as a day of mourning, as Sunday is of
rejoicing and happiness (both being necessary to man's
soul). At Oxford and Durham I seldom forgot the day
altogether, and though I do not pretend to have done my
duty in this point in any degree, yet I always found that,
when in the best and most serious state, I observed
Friday most. And I state most earnestly that it is a good
thing to do so. Yet we must observe most carefully the
directions given by Christ Himself. It must be to our-
selves, and as much as possible unobserved. We must
never (if possible) speak of it, except when it requires
vindicating or impressing. ... If people would but
believe the words and experience of our best and wisest

Kidderminster 35

men, of the saints of our Church, such as Jeremy Taylor
and Bishop Andrewes, and numberless others, they would
not neglect fasting so much as they do."

Two or three letters, undated, but written just about
this time, tell how intensely happy he was in his life at
Kidderminster, and how warmly he appreciated his vicar
and his fellow curates ; thus, writing to his sister, he
says :

" I see Government promise the three new bishops, that
were so much talked of, as soon as they have money. I
do hope Lord John won't have the appointment. As long
as they keep making bishoprics rewards for old dons and
clever writers and schoolmasters, what can they expect of
the Church ? . . . A woman told me yesterday that the
vicar and Mrs. Claughton had called upon her and
* behaved very pretty.' Please write soon.

" Your very affectionate brother,
"Wm. walsham how."

And soon after :

" I like all the curates better the more I see of them.
Whateley, Douglas, Kewley and Tate, are four you might
pick out of all England as fellow-workers, and good and
pleasant friends ; and I am sure if Carlyle knew Claughton,
and thought as we all do, he would write a new chapter
in his ' Hero-Worship ' on the ' Hero-Vicar.' "

Then to his brother he writes :

"Douglas is a really delightful fellow. How extra-
ordinarily fortunate we are ! We unquestionably are a
very pleasant set of fellows. If ... is another, I shall

36 Bishop Walsham How

consider it a law of nature that Kidderminster curates
must be nice."

The intensity of his devotion to and affection for his
vicar comes out strongly in an unpublished poem called
"A Day's Influence," of which the Rev. T. L. Claughton
is the subject. The poem was written many years after
leaving Kidderminster, and thus records the lasting
influence of the place upon his mind :

" At morn I saw a well-remembered scene,
Lov'd well, and safely stored, long years ago ;
Black fir-trees framing all the burnish'd mist
That drap'd the hollow of the sloping town.
The high church-tower, upshooting, sunny, clear,
And gleaming uplands softly fair beyond ;
But not in lustrous day-dreams lay the spell.

At night I saw God's host, the angel-stars,
Marching their awful march through infinite space,
Serenely pure, divinely beautiful ;
But not in glorious starlight lay the power.

For he was there, who of all men the most

Swayeth my inmost heart with love and power.

Shall painter teach to stranger eyes the smile

That draweth sweetness from its varyings ?

And shall I with rude handling and dead words

Mar the soft spell, rending the delicate flower.

To scan the secret of its loveliness ?

Yet this much known, that as the wavering maze

Of tender sunlight under vernal woods

Fills all the soul with love, so love is born

From all his gentle moods of graceful mirth ;

And from his graven thoughts upsprings such'power

As silence breathes beneath the vivid stars.

About this time Walsham How saw something of the
family of W. W. Douglas, his fellow curate, and must have

Kidderminster 37

been making up his mind that the eldest Miss Douglas
should, if possible, be his wife. The special mention of
" Douglas," whenever writing about his fellow curates,
seems to foreshadow this, and a letter written after being
best man at Mr. Tate's wedding may have been meant in
a subtle manner to prepare the minds of those at home
for what was coming in the near future. Writing to his
brother on June 21, 1848, he says :

" We had a great dispute at dinner on Monday as to the
bridegroom's man's office, which one person contended
was to carry the ring ; but I believe that my idea was
generally voted a sounder view of the matter, namely,
that he and the bridesmaids were as seconds in a duel,
and that if anything happened to the principals they were
bound to have it out. I do think it an iniquitous piece
of gynocracy that there should be eight bridesmaids to
one bridegroom's man ! , . . I am sure I congratulated
old Tate most heartily, for I had no notion before
how much the wedding of a friend makes one feel. I
don't know how I should hold out if you or Minny
did such a horrid thing, and, as for myself, the very
thought of being in such a ticklish position quite
frightens me ! "

Not so very long after this — probably in the autumn of
this year — matters had evidently advanced a good deal,
for we get in the following letter a clear intimation that
his hopes were known at all events to his brother :

" I rode over to Worcester (for the Festival) after
breakfast, got my ticket, and went to the cathedral. As
long as very few people were there, the behaviour was

38 Bishop Walsham How

reverent enough, but I confess after a while it became far
more hke a concert-room than a cathedral, and I am
sorry to say the bishop's party, who came early, did their
best, by talking and laughing, to make it so. . . .

" Mr. Douglas (as I had fully intended before I started)
asked me to go round by Salwarpe, which is not much
out of the road between here and Worcester, to dinner,
so I rode with his carriage, and spent a very pleasant
evening there, renewing my acquaintance with lots of
little Douglads, who used to fight me when I met them
out walking at Durham. There appeared to be dozens to
come into dessert, and dozens who appeared in the
drawing-room afterwards, too old for dessert and not old
enough for dinner, besides lots of babies too young for
either, and the four eldest who dined with us. I never
encountered such a houseful in my life ; but after all
there were only eighteen children and a Swiss governess,
besides a gentleman and lady and their daughter who were
staying there, and another stray lady ditto. Of course I
took Miss Douglas in to dinner."

All this time the controversy about the Tractarian
movement was raging, but Walsham How had found a
safe shelter and sure guidance with Mr. Claughton.
Yet the ripples of the storm were felt even there, and
some lines written by Mr. Baptist Noel " To a Youthful
Anglo-Catholic," and published in the Guardian, drew
from him a letter couched in language perhaps the
strongest and most indignant that he ever used. Here
it is :

" Have you read Mr. Baptist Noel's rhymes in the
Guardian f I laughed at it at first, and wrote to Maynard
under the impression that it was extremely ludicrous, but,

Kidderminster 39

since reading over the ' Lines to a Young Anglo-Catholic '
again, my feelings have changed very much. I can hardly
conceive anything so horrible being believed, much less
expressed. They would be utterly monstrous in the
mouth of a most bigoted Papist, who believes in our
everlasting death as a certainty ; they would disgrace a
Mohammedan, and coming from a professing Christian
they make one shudder. Read them line by line and
think of their meaning, and ask yourself if you ever saw
in print anything so fearful, so almost Satanic. My first
thought when I read them carefully last night was, * His
delight was in cursing and it shall happen unto him : he
loved not blessing and it shall be far from him.' My
next, * That it may please Thee to forgive our slanderers,
and to turn their hearts,' not that I identify myself in
any way with the party he attacks ; but if there be a love
of the Cross, and a voluntary taking it up day by day, if
there be an ardent and over-strained searching after truth,
if there be hours and hours of earnest absorbing prayer,
if there be a quiet hope, and looking for a better country,
it is to be found in that party, whose errors arise rather
out of an over-heated imagination, a too engrossing earnest-
ness, and a too great concentration of the thoughts on
certain ideas, which at last warps the mental powers. If
any man is sincere, and has his heart brimful, it is the
Anglo-Catholic. I believe the party thus designated to
be in great error, but where is the slighting of the Cross?
Where is the shrinking from the light ? Where is the
hate of Dissenters ? Where are the heartless prayers?
Let him talk of * heated brain,' ' fervent fancies,' * false
dreams of unity,' ' erring notions of the old,' &c., if he
likes. But this is not the worst part. God forgive the
man that could write the line * By the heaven thou canst

40 Bishop Walsham How

not gain.' What is all this but, in the words of David,
' cursing and lies ' ? " *

But the happy Kidderminster days were soon to end,
and his share in the services there, which he describes as
the most enjoyable he had ever known, to cease. There
was some idea of his leaving to undertake the curacy
of the Abbey Church at Shrewsbury, but for a time this
was put aside. Writing from Kidderminster to his sister
he says :

" I thought of going into several of the points you speak
of, but really I am so glad to get the matter off my mind
that I will only say shortly that I should not have let the
particular objections you have dwelt upon weigh with
me at all, had I thought it right on wider grounds to
accept the Abbey. I think it is not so hard to see what
the vicar means by urging that / am placed here. A
change is always accompanied by so much evil to the
people, as well as unsettlement to oneself, that I do not
think one has a right to accept a more desirable curacy,
merely because it is so."

But an event occurred to alter his determination. In
the autumn of 1848 his stepmother died, and he resolved
to go and live at home to be a comfort to his father and
sister. He at first volunteered to assist the curate in charge
of the parish of Holy Cross (The Abbey), Shrewsbury,
which then included what is now the separate parish of

* The lines referred to included the following verse :

/• By the prayer in which thy heart
Ne'er consents to take a part :
By the heaven thou canst not gain ;
By the hell of endless pain :
Turn thee from thy follies quick,
Youthful Anglo-Catholic ! "

Kidderminster 41

St. Giles', but, on this gentleman shortly leaving, he was
appointed to the curacy, living at Nearwell, his father's
house in the parish.

Application had, however, to be made to the bishop
for permission to leave his curacy, for he had not con-
cluded the usual two years, so that he writes :

" I took occasion to speak to the bishop in the vestry
about resigning my present curacy, and he said certainly
I might, as soon as I could do so without inconvenience
to the vicar. I visited several poor people yesterday
evening. They all know I am going to leave, and quite
pain me by their kindness."

It should be mentioned here that on December 19,
1847, he was duly ordained priest at Worcester, so that at
the time of his death, which occurred on August 10, 1897,
he had completed his fifty years since his ordination as a
deacon, and was within a few months of keeping the
jubilee of his priesthood.

He now settled down quietly at Shrewsbury for two or
three years, until the living of Whittington (about seven-
teen miles north of that town), of which his father had
purchased the next presentation, should be vacant.

Here is his own description of his position at this
time :

"Shrewsbury, 1848.

" But, to be in earnest, it does make us very happy,
dearest Minny, to think that we are in any degree making
you so, and, as I can only judge of your feelings by my
own, I must conclude that you do not feel the less so for
knowing what deep and true happiness you give to us.
For both these reasons, I am very thankful that I can now
look upon my position in this parish as somewhat more

42 Bishop Walsham How

permanent than it seemed to be before. Mr. Burton *
came yesterday afternoon and offered me Mr. Panting's
place, which I at once accepted, and I trust it may
please God to give me health to work usefully here for
some time to come. I am in some anxiety about a fellow
curate, a good one being so very hard to get. Wm. Douglas,
Mr. Hilton, Mr. Pardoe, and Edward Thring, being all
immovable, I shall make one attempt to get Mr. Fletcher
to take the place, and then I am utterly at a loss. I can
think of nobody else, and I really should dread facing
the Abbey for any length of time by myself."

These years were marked chiefly by two events : in the
first place, by his marriage at Salvvarpe on November 6,
1849, to Frances Ann, eldest daughter of the Rev. Henry
Douglas, Rector of Salwarpe and Canon of Durham, and
in the second place, by the writing of the first volume of
" Plain Words " — the book by which he first became
known as a writer. It was the custom at Nearwell to read
a sermon at prayer time on Sunday evenings, and the short
sermons contained in this volume were originally written
for these occasions. His father was so much pleased
with them that he urged their publication, and even offered
to defray the cost thereof, but there is no record of their
publication in his diaries until we come to November 17,
1858, when there is the brief entry, " looked over first proof
of ' Plain Words.' " This first series of the book was
published by Wells Gardner in 1859, and the forty-eighth
edition is just about to be issued, showing the great
popularity his first book achieved.

* VicEir of Holy Cross, Shrewsbury.

CHAPTER IV

WHITTINGTON

On September 23, 185 1, Walsham How was instituted by
the Bishop of St. Asaph to the Rectory of Whittington in
the county of Salop.

His ministerial work may be divided into three periods,
of which by far the longest began at this date, for he
remained in his country parish for twenty-eight years.
The other two portions — viz., his episcopate in East
London and that in Wakefield, each lasted but nine
years. Thus the very prime of his life and energies was
spent at Whittington — a long preparation perhaps for the
more important positions to be filled afterwards. It was
a critical time in the history of the Welsh diocese to
which he now belonged. The evangelical movement
had taken a firm hold on most of the clergy : forms and
ceremonies were considered of little importance, and
even orders and sacraments were of secondary account.
The religious census of 1851 made out the contrast
between the attendance of Church people and Noncon-
formists at public worship to be very glaring, and it
registered the high water mark of Dissent. But the old
order was changing ; the Oxford movement began to
make itself felt even here ; men had arisen of the type of
Henry Glynne of Hawarden, and Henry Ffoulkes of

44 Bishop Walsham How

Buckley, afterwards Canon and Archdeacon of Mont-
gomery ; and under the sway of Bishop Vowler Short
the Church in the diocese was beginning to claim its
proper position.

Walsham How's predecessor at Whittington had been
rector for more than forty years, and was a strong
adherent of the old Evangelical School. He had had
texts of Scripture painted in large white letters on the
outside of the old red brick church, and also of some of
the cottages in the village. The hymn book in use was
"The Christian Hymn Book," compiled by himself, and
was a wonderful volume. The preface contains the
following passage : " Many hymn writers have fallen into
the mistaken notion that man is formed of clay, or have
taught it for the convenience of rhyming. It is, however,
quite false that man is made either in whole or in part of
clay I " One of the hymns was written by the editor, and
the following couplet may be quoted as a specimen of
its quality :

" Earth's axis thou placed in position inclined.
Thus the seasons contrived with benevolent mind."

In a large volume of Parish Papers the new rector gave
the following description of the church as he found it :

"Rebuilt 1804. It is a curiously ugly brick building,
completely devoid of style or taste, with large round-
headed windows, &c. So completely ignorant of church
architecture was the generation which saw the present
church built, that Lord Dungannon has told me that he
remembers being brought to this church when young,
soon after it was finished, that he might see a specimen
of all that could be desired in a church both as to
beauty and as to excellence of arrangement."

Whittington 45

The pulpit was the front part of a platform on square
wooden props running along the south wall of the
chancel. The organ was a barrel organ. The font was
a shallow oval basin on a three-cornered wooden
pedestal. The chancel seats were two long common
benches on either side. " Such," wrote Walsham How,
" is our poor parish church, and, having partly rebuilt
the rectory house, I often think of 2 Sam. vii. 2." *

If the church was in a remarkable state, the house was
no less so. In the same papers we find :

" Near the front door a fox was chained to a kennel,
but was shut up whenever the hounds met in the neigh-
bourhood. It was very odorous. The garden was more
of a thicket than anything else, being filled in all parts
with 'dense shrubs, small paths leading about amongst
them and bringing you to arbours, grottoes, &c. Five
small streams of water were also conducted in channels
through the garden, and altogether it was a damp wilderness
apparently made for hide and seek. When I came, there
was a very nice swimming bath of considerable size and
depth on the flat grass plot opposite the dining-room
windows. It could be filled and emptied at pleasure, and
in a more convenient place would have been a great
luxury."

The house itself was singularly inadequate and incon«
venient, and, before the young rector could bring his
bride to live there, considerable alterations and additions
were made under the direction of Mr. Ewan Christian,
the architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, Mr. and
Mrs. How meantime occupying lodgings in the village.

* " See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth
within curtains."

46 Bishop Walsham How

Changes were of course quickly made in the garden :
shrubs were cleared away, the swimming bath was filled
up, the small streams were united in one, and a pretty
course made for it down two little falls and between
large mossy stones, where ferns were planted and rare
flowers grown, of which some account is given in the
chapter on botany. The one thing that was not changed
just at first was the church and its services. Although
the new rector's training at Kidderminster was not
calculated to make him content with things as they were,
yet, acting under the advice of Bishop Short, he deter-
mined to make no changes for a year, so that the people
might begin to know him and have confidence in him
first.

With so much that was quaint in the rector of
Whittington's new surroundings there were also many
strange characters among his new parishioners. The
following words are given verbatim as spoken by an old
woman on the occasion of his first visit to her, soon after
ibecoming rector.

"The old man and me, sir, never go to bed without
singing the Evening Hymn. Not that I've got any voice
left, for I haven't, and, as for him, he's like a bee in a
bottle ; and then he don't humour the tune, for he don't
rightly know one tune from another, and he can't re-
member the words neither ; so, when he leaves out a
word, I puts it in, and when I can't sing I dances, and so
we gets through it somehow."

Superstition was extraordinarily rife. Cures were
supposed to be effected by such means as the being
swung nine times under a donkey, the taking of any
remedy recommended by a man on a piebald horse, &c.

One day the rector called at a house next door to one

Whittington 47

in which an old man had recently died. The woman on
whom he was calling told him she had seen her neigh-
bour go past just after he died. Mr. How expressed his
surprise, and asked for further particulars. " He walked
down the road, sir, in front of the house," said the
woman. " But what was he like ? " asked Mr. How.
" Oh ! he was exactly like a cat ! " was the reply.

During his twenty-eight years' residence in Whittington
the rector saw a great change and enlightenment come
over his parishoners. Probably at the present day it
would require a diligent search to find even a trace of
many of the. strange old customs and beliefs that were
prevalent in the middle of the century.

In 1852 his work was increased by his being appointed by
the bishop to be one of his voluntary inspectors of schools,
a position which he held for eighteen years, until in 1870
the Elementary Education Act was passed. He was fond
of quoting Mr. Forster's remark when preparing this Bill,
that " if every diocese had been as well provided for as
St. Asaph there would have been no need for that Act."

From the following year (1853) his diaries date, and
although they are strictly confined to events and never
contain one single sentiment from beginning to end, yet
they are extremely characteristic and interesting. They
were evidently kept chiefly as a guide to his work, so
that he might be satisfied that he was day by day doing
as much as he had set himself. Thus we find each day
a note of the services he had taken, of his attendance at
school, of what writing work he did, and of what
parochial visits he paid, the latter being carefully entered
by name. He laid great stress on school attendance and
on parochial visits, and in his last charge to the clergy of
the Wakefield Diocese, he says :

48 Bishop Walsham How

" I cannot understand any clergyman with a high ideal
of his work and office not doing all in his power to teach
and train the children in his parish. . . . Our ideal
clergyman will therefore be most regular and punctual in
assisting in the religious teaching of the day school."

And of pastoral visiting he says :

"The ideal clergyman will be constantly in his parish.
, . , I think St. Paul would suggest a good deal of very
earnest personal dealing with souls when he speaks of
' warning every man, and teaching every man.' "

His own practice at Whittington was to attend the
schools every morning at nine, and to visit so diligently
that at the end of the year a calculation on the last page
of the diary would show that he had made an average of
twenty-two visits per week for the whole fifty-two weeks,
of which time a portion was taken up in an annual
holiday and in work outside his parish, making the
average for the weeks spent at Whittington considerably
higher.

The other entries in his diaries consist of notes on the
weather, the date of bedding-out plants, attendances at
night school as well as at choir and cricket practices^
fishing excursions (with the number of fish killed), and
all the varied occupations of a country clergyman.

Thus these diaries are filled with small details of every-
day life, and show his close attention to little things, and
the order and method with which he arranged his time.
Few, if any, of what some would consider the more
important events are mentioned at all. So, of all the
many offers he received, large town parishes, canonries,
colonial and home bishoprics, &c., there is scarcely even

Whittington 49

a note. The very date of his becoming a bishop is
simply marked with the two words " My consecration."
It was typical of the man. His modesty shrank from
any acknowledgment of his own worth. He was
happiest in quiet routine work, while he had the keenest
enjoyment of all legitimate pleasures and holidays.

It is thus that he must be pictured for many of the
first years of his life at Whittington. The parish was of
large area — some seven miles from point to point — and
contained numerous hamlets and outlying farms and
cottages. All these were regularly and frequently visited,
and the rector on his cob, with one or other of the
children on a pony by his side, was very generally to be
met with in the lanes or fields on his way to visit a sick
person, or to call upon a distant parishioner.

From the very first his wife proved a most valuable
assistant in his work. Not only did she carry on the
usual mothers' meetings, clothing clubs, &c., but she was^
indefatigable in nursing the sick. Wet or fine, night or
day, no one ever hesitated to send for her at once, and
one of her sons has a distinct recollection of being got
out of his bed in the middle of a cold winter's night to
accompany her to a cottage a mile and more away, from
which a messenger had come to summon her to the bed-
side of an ailing child.

In their joint work and happy home life many years
passed quietly away, while children came to them, and
the joys and sorrows that are common to mankind.
Meantime certain events occurred which must not be
passed over.

The church services began to be improved, and a choir
to be regularly trained by the rector. Some grey-haired
men will remember a photograph of themselves that was

5© Bishop Walsham How

taken in very early days, when seven little boys in Eton
collars and bright blue ties stood in a line, psalters in
hand, before a new-fangled instrument called a camera.
This was the first regular choir trained by Walsham
How, who used to conduct their practices in the village
school with the help of his flute. Extra celebrations of
the Holy Communion, and week-day evening services,
were introduced, and were, to judge by a note of the
excellent attendance, much appreciated.

In 1854 the Bishop offered him the Rural Deanery of
Oswestry — by no means the least favourably circum-
stanced of the deaneries in the diocese — and it may
surprise the present generation to learn that on his first
visitation he found no less than three churches without
fonts. This office of Rural Dean he retained for a
quarter of a century, until, in fact, he became Bishop
Suffragan for East London.

In this same year the first heavy domestic sorrow befell
him. He and his two children, with Mrs. How and her
father and mother, were spending a holiday at Barmouth
— a place afterwards to become most familiar and most
dear to him — in an ivy-covered house called Bellevue,
not far from the site of the present new church.

The two children were but three and one years old
respectively, and the elder, " little Maynard," is described
as a particularly pretty and engaging boy. On August 8,
there is an entry in the diary, "little Mayney ill." For
many days after this there seems to have been great
anxiety; then, on August 30, he is described as "certainly
a little better" ; but on September 3, a Sunday, we read :
"At II our beloved child died quite suddenly, from the
heart. I went through the whole service with Communion
without knowing anything."

Whittixgton 51

They buried him in the churchyard at Llanaber, just
overlooking the sea, and many and many a visit was paid
in after years to the httle grave where the first of their
children was laid.

Immediately after the funeral Mr. and Mrs. How paid
a short visit to another spot which became a favourite
afterwards, and stayed at the Inn at Llanbedr, kept for
so many years by Mr. Richards. The holiday was thus
slightly prolonged, but September 16 saw the Rector of
Whittington back again at work in his parish.

Among many of the devices employed by him to get a
better acquaintance with, and to give pleasure to, his
people, none was more popular than the "Old Men's
Dinner," of which the first mention occurs on January i,
1855, and which was continued on or about New Year's
Day during the whole of his residence there. In a parish
of 1500 people there were always a good number to be
invited as "old men," and very cheery gatherings they
were, though the rector invariably spoke a few solemn
words to his guests in the course of the little speech with
which he welcomed them. Many customs and associa-
tions became connected in the course of years with these
dinners. It was always a special observance to drink the
health of one man who had been born with the century,
and no one would have considered that the occasion
had passed off properly without a beautiful old song
called " To-morrow," piped with many an old-fashioned
shake and run in the high tenor of the venerable rectory
gardener.

Besides these functions there was an annual tea to the
old women, a school feast — and such a school feast ! — for
the children, with concerts and lectures and every kind of
useful and enjoyable gathering for the parish at large, for

52 Bishop Walsham How

it was not the nature of either Mr. or Mrs. How to neglect
the brighter and the social side of life. The rector him-
self was fond of lecturing, and his diaries give one an
idea of the variety of his subjects. From 1857 onwards
he gave lectures on " Modern Poets," " Astronomy,'^
"Geology," "Visit to Rome," "Sir Humphrey Davy,"
" Books," &c., both in his own and in neighbouring
parishes, and, though after 1870, his time became so much
taken up with missions, retreats. Convocation, Congress,
and literary work, that the lectures were dropped, yet in
his last years he was delighted to resume them, and to
give one of his bright chatty discourses on Astronomy to
the Grammar School boys or the girls of the High School
in Wakefield.

The marvel is that he found time for everything even
in these earlier and comparatively freer days. He wrote
at this time several series of " Plain Words," and from
1863 to 1868 was hard at work on the S.P.C.K. "Com-
mentary on the Gospels." One of his old curates says that
he used simply to make time for literary work by employ-
ing all odd minutes at his writing table. His parish work
was never interfered with. He seemed to have time for
everything, and this was only accomplished by dint of
great care and method. He had the greatest horror of
wasting any time, however short, and it has been said of
him that he could not " loaf " even for ten minutes. The
orderliness of his life was shown in numberless ways. He
kept exceedingly accurate and minute accounts. He had
maps of each district in his parish with which he supplied
every new curate. These maps he had always corrected
•up to date, and every house was numbered, with an index
giving the name of every man, woman and child in the
parish, with sufficient particulars to make it unnecessary

Whittington 53

for the new clergy to pester people during a first visit
with questions as to their family and belongings. Then
how punctual and orderly he was in his correspondence.
All who wrote to him will readily acknowledge that they
were never kept waiting for an answer to their letters.
His habit was, on receipt of a letter requiring an answer,
or on finding in course of conversation that a letter had
to be written, immediately to address an envelope for the
purpose, and thus to provide himself with an effectual
reminder. It has been said that his very handwriting was
a type of his character — strong, energetic, systematic,
sympathetic. One who had never known him might
have picked his letter out from a hundred others as written
by one who felt he had a work to do and knew how to do
it. He was, too, very regular in his habits, so long as he
was still at Whittington, and never late for, or absent
from, services, meetings, or even meals. This habit of
orderliness ran through the smallest details of life, and
the misplacement by a housemaid of even a small article
of furniture would cause him daily vexation, while he
never allowed any one to put his clothes away in his
drawers, doing it with his own hands all his life long, that
he might be sure of finding them in the right order. These
seem small matters ; but they serve to show by what
method he ruled his life, and how close was his attention
to little things.

In 1858 he was able to see St. Andrew's Church at
Frankton (a district of his parish) consecrated, the first
step towards the formation of the new parish of Welsh
Frankton. The complete severance did not take place
till some years had elapsed, and till a difficult and dis-
agreeable contest with some of the local landowners had
been won.

54 Bishop Walsham How

In i860 he was installed as an honorary canon of St.
Asaph, and retained the office until, in 1878, he was
admitted to the prebendal stall of Llanefydd with the
Chancellorship of St. Asaph Cathedral. Needless to say
these appointments brought no emoluments with them,
but were conferred merely as an honour. Canon Walsham
How (as he may now be called) was always comfortably
off, for the living of Whittington was at this time worth
more than ;^iooo a year, and his father was able at his
death to leave him considerable private means. The death
of his father occurred in 1862, and in writing to his brother
immediately after so great a bereavement and sorrow,
he says :

" This must draw us three closer together than ever,
dear Maynard, for, though it has truly broken one link
which drew us often together, yet the common grief we
have shared will add one of a different sort ; and the more
loved ones are taken from our sight here below, the
more precious I think the rest become."

In 1865 the inhabitants of Whittington were somewhat
startled to learn that their rector had undertaken the
chaplaincy of the English church at Rome. He was
away for four months of the spring of that year, taking
with him Mrs. How and their little daughter and her
governess. It was his invariable custom when enjoying
any scenery, or travels, or indeed almost anything what-
ever, to write long accounts of all that he hked best, or
that amused him most, so that others might share in his
pleasure at second hand. So diligent was he in this that
on one occasion, when passing in a steamer through
some of the loveliest scenery off the west coast of Scot-
land, he was found in the saloon writing a long description

Whittington 55

of his enjoyment of the scenery, the best part of which
he was missing at the very time ! So from Rome he
sent numberless letters home, and a few of the more
interesting and amusing extracts must find a place
here.

"Rome, March 20, 1865.

" I must tell you of a very absurd sight I saw the other
day. I went to call on an English sculptor, a Mr. Adams,
in his studio. He was working at a statue of Mr. Glad-
stone, in his Chancellor's robes. Mr. Gladstone being in
England, a model was needful (the head having been
taken before in England), so a regular Roman model was
standing on a platform for him. You would have roared
to have seen him. He was a handsome dirty Roman with
beard and moustaches of course, and as Mr. Adams
wanted legs and drapery, this fellow was divested of his
trousers, and stood there with naked legs and feet of
extreme shagginess and ruddiness, having on of his own
only a shirt and a gay open waistcoat, but duly robed in
a mock Chancellor's robe of state, which he had to hold
in an attitude. I should like Mr. Wm. Lyttelton to have
looked in. He would have shook the place down with
laughing. . . . We see a great deal of the Mackarnesses,
and are going with them to Tivoli to-morrow. Bishop
Forbes of Brechin is one of the most taking men I have
ever met, so very kind, and nice, and thoughtful, and
interesting. He is very learned and full of information
of all sorts, talking well on every matter. He is going
with us to-morrow."

56 Bishop Walsham How

"151 Via Bambino, Rome, March 24.

" I am going this evening to a friend to be introduced
to Mr. Wm. Palmer,* the * Vert.' He is a very dangerous
man, being very learned and a most unflinching champion
of Rome. I want to get him to take us over some of the
Catacombs, to which he is about the best guide here. He
is not the Wm. Palmer who wrote the Church History,
but ' Deacon Palmer,' as he used to be called, because he
never would take priest's orders in our Church. He
was at one time very nearly joining the Greek Church.
I certainly do not feel the least attracted by Rome as a
system here, and I imagine it is really made much more
attractive to English ideas in England.

P.S. (Annunciation.) We went last night to tea, as I
said, and met Mr. Palmer. There was no one there but
the lady who asked us, and another clergyman and his
wife. Mr. Palmer . . . abused the Church of England,
and said very hard things. He sadly wanted some one
of age, talent and authority enough to put him down.
However, on some subjects he was interesting and
pleasant enough. The chief thing I fought him on was
his attempt to defend the absurd assertion of some
Romish manual that the Times is the organ of the Anglican
Church. He tried to make out that it fairly represented
the dominant spirit of the Church."

" Rome, April 11, 1865.

" The only possible addition in the way of a ' Diary ' is
a glorious moonlight walk to the Coliseum. I walked
about with Nelly [his daughter] and a little friend of hers

* This Mr. Palmer was elder brother of the late Earl of Selborne and the
late Archdeacon of Oxford, and was equally distinguished in his University

Whittington 57

here, and they asked me to tell them a story. So we sat
on an old broken slab of stone, and I told them the story
of the martyrdom of St. Ignatius in that very spot by wild
beasts, which they seemed to appreciate. By the way,
you might be interested in a little matter showing the
suspicion and the weakness of the present Roman Govern-
ment. There were races in the Campagna last Thursday,
and the winning horse in the steeplechase, which was
Prince Doria's, was ridden by an Englishman, a Mr.
Spears, a horse of his own being ridden by his groom.
Mr. Spears had lilac and green colours, and when he
stripped to ride, people said they could not tell him from
his groom, so he tied a white girdle round his waist.
When he won the Italians were in raptures, shouting that
he had the Italian colours, which are red, green, and
white. On reaching home he received notice from
Cardinal Antonelli to leave Rome in twenty-four hours,
and though Mr. Odo Russell went with him to Antonelli,
he would listen to no explanation, and Mr. Spears has
gone. It was entirely unintentional, and, besides, the
colours were not right."

On May 27 the parishioners of Whittington welcomed
their rector home again, and showed their appreciation
of him and emphasised their welcome by presenting him
with a silver salver.

In 1866, instead of taking his usual holiday. Canon
Walsham How went into residence for six weeks at the
Canonry, St. Asaph, and while there saw a good deal of
that neighbourhood, making several life-long friends. On
August II, 1866, he thus wrote to his brother :

" On Wednesday last I went to Hawarden (Mr.
Glynne's), at which church I intoned a.m., and preached

58 Bishop Walsham How

P.M. on Thursday. Hawarden Castle, Sir Stephen
Glynne's, is lent to the Bishop of Chester, so its owner
was at the rectory with his brother. The rectory is an
immense place, the endowment being ;^30oo a year, and
the Gladstones, who generally live with Sir Stephen, were
there too, all but the ex-Chancellor, who could not leave
town, which was a great bore, as I wanted much to meet
him, and have missed him there twice before. Mrs.
Gladstone was very pleasant. She received such a jolly
letter from the Princess of Wales while I was there.
Archdeacon and Mrs. Bickersteth were there, he preaching
A.M., and the charming Mrs. Wynn of Cefn. . . .

" Charley [a small four-year-old son] went to the
cathedral service this afternoon. He has been very
anxious to see the bishop, so we took him, and the bishop
gave him a small wooden horse, so that he considers
episcopacy quite a desirable institution ! "

Early in the following year one of the many little visits
of his brother to Whittington occurred, and drew forth
the following letter :

"Whittington Rectory, Feb. 6, 1867.

"My dear old Fellow,

" I value much your appreciation of a Sunday here.
I really feared I had bored you with three services. My
morning sermon ought to have been more useful than
most of mine, for it was no essay, but a comment on a
real case, and discussion of a real difficulty ; and I always
find those 'sermons from the life' do most good.

" I am so glad to see the Government does not shirk
reform. I believe to have done so would have lost the
Conservatives popular confidence for long to come, and
have given the Radicals a fatal triumph."

CHAPTER V

HIS POSITION AS A CHURCHMAN

The year 1867 was one of great influence on the subse-
quent career of Walsham How. Already loved and
appreciated by a growing circle of friends, it was not till
the Wolverhampton Church Congress of this year that he
became generally well known.

There was to be a debate on Church Ceremonial, and
Canon Erskine Clarke, then Vicar of All Saints, Derby, had
been worried with two sets of extremists in his choir,
some believing in the Church Times and some in The
Rock — both of which were in those days strongly and
bitterly partisan. Feeling that it was very necessary to
define the sort of churchmanship which could keep these
two sets of men in one choir, he asked Mr. How to come
and see him at Derby the night before the Congress.
They talked it over, and it was arranged that on the par-
ticular subject which gave the opportunity Canon Walsham
How should set forth the Anglican position. This he
did in a speech which has been described as " epoch
making."

He spoke as follows :

" My lord, — I stand up to express one conviction which
I hold very strongly. It is this — that the strength and

•60 Bishop Walsham How

backbone of the Church of England lie in that very large
party (' if party ' that can be called which eschews and
repudiates all party names and party practices) — that very
large party (for I must use the word, having no better)
which has learnt many things from the great Church
movement which has burnt its mark ineffaceably upon the
history of this generation ; but which is startled, and to
some extent repelled, by the rapid and excessive develop-
ment of that movement, which is marking, perhaps no
less ineffaceably, the present movement. This large party
has been trained in a system which they find rudely ques-
tioned and shaken by some in these days. They have
learnt to love the Church of England as they have learnt
to know her. They have learnt to love the Prayer-book
as they have seen it interpreted by wise and loving hearts
for many years past. They are now asked to unlearn
many old things, and to learn many new. I said that this
party has gained much from the great advance in Church
doctrine and practice of the present age, and they gladly
acknowledge the debt. They have gained a clearer and
firmer grasp of some very precious truths. They have
gained the love of higher and more beautiful services, and
of the musical offering of praise in choral worship. They
delight in hearty congregational services. They love
hymns heart-stirring and affecting, like Neale'sand Faber's
— hymns which can, and do, draw tears from eyes unused
to weep. They hate all slovenliness and coldness and dry-
ness. They are thankful to have escaped from the old
reign of dry dignified proprieties. They seek, and I hope
they attain to, life and warmth and love in their worship.
They aim at short, stirring, and, where possible, extempore
preaching. They accept without grudging much that will
render their services attractive to the indifferent and

His Position as a Churchman 6r

elevating to the devout. They decorate their churches, and
arc not ashamed of the blessed symbol of our salvation.
(Loud cheers.) Above all they are continually multiplying
the opportunities of daily prayer in their churches, con-
tinually making more and more frequent the celebrations
— especially the early celebrations — of the Holy Com-
munion. (Cheers.) They are learning — and thank those
who teach them for the lesson — more and more to set
forth that as the great act of worship in the Church of
Christ. (Loud cheers.) But, fellow Churchmen, what is
said of us ? We are behind the age ; weak, timid com-
promisers ; sadly in the dark, and needing much enlighten-
ment. Nay, we are even stigmatised as * Anglicans.'
Horrible imputation ! A little while ago, when men
wanted to call bad names, they used the word ' Protestant :'
now it seems 'Anglican' is to become the term of reproach.
And why are we called such bad names ? Why, because
we will not adopt a ceremonial which we believe to be
neither required by obedience to the laws of the Church
nor edifying to our people. (Loud cheers.) Now we do
not wish to abridge any man's lawful liberty, though we
do think such liberty ought to be self-abridged by obedi-
ence to authority. (Renewed cheering.) We shrink with
horror from persecution, moral as well as physical. But
we do claim this for ourselves, without judging others ; we
do claim our position as faithful, honest exponents of the
Church's mind and practice. Doctrine has been most
wisely excluded from our discussions, and I hope I shall
not transgress this wise rule if I say, what indeed it is
impossible not to say — namely, that we know very well
this is no question of mere ceremonial. If it were, neither
ritualists nor anti-ritualists would attach to it the import-
ance they do. Doctrine does underlie the whole question.

62 Bishop Walsham How

And I honestly state that many with whom I should agree
shrink from this new (or, if I may not say ' new/ this
unusual) ceremonial, partly because they shrink from a
certain definiteness and localisation which characterise the
doctrine sought to be expressed by very advanced ritual.
(Cheers.) Let me not be supposed to doubt the zeal, or
devotion, or sincerity of those who hold such doctrine
and use such ritual. I know well, and love and honour,
some among them; but yet I must protest with all the energy
at my command against the tone of somewhat scornful
superiority with which the ' mere Anglican ' is sometimes
spoken of as a sort of minimist, holding but a small portion
of Catholic truth. Why, I heard the other day a bishop
[Dr. Claughton of Rochester], lowest indeed on the bench,
but not lowest, I think, in the hearts and in the honour of
the land, spoken slightingly of as a ' mere Anglican.'
Well, one thing I know — that none of his old curates (and
I thank God I am one) have any ambition to be other than
he. (Loud cheers.) I protest, too, against the exclusive
assumption of Catholicity by one party ; against being
supposed unfaithful, and twitted as uncatholic, because I
will neither utter nor enact the Shibboleth of any party.
My lord, we love the name 'Catholic' and we refuse to
narrow it to a party watchword. We have long said to
Rome, ' You shall not have exclusive possession of this
title ;' we now say the same to others. We love the doc-
trine of the Church as we love nothing else, believing it to
be ' the truth as it is in Jesus ;' we refuse to narrow it to
mean Church doctrine as set forth in one particular de-
velopment, and in one peculiar phraseology. We desire
io treat candidly, and in a spirit of brotherly love, those
with whom we find ourselves unable to agree in many
things. And we desire to remain, what we hope we are

His Position as a Churchman 63

now, plain, faithful, honest members of our ancient and
purified, and therefore dearly beloved, Church of England."
(Loud cheers.)

This speech established his position in the Church as
one who could not brook slovenliness or inadequacy in
her services any more than he could approve the practices
of the extreme Ritualistic party. The Guardian com-
menting on it said :

"The advocates of this cause (the Ritualistic) do not even
acknowledge the force of the remonstrance so earnestly made by
Mr, Walsham How against the habitual contumely with which
they treat the old ' High Church ' school. We could have wished
that some one of the ceremonial revivalists had come forward to
state in answer to Mr. How's appeal that the scorn and contempt
heaped on so-called Anglicans by their organs would be repudiated
by the more earnest and temperate men among them. They seem
to have no ears for such pleadings in favour of toleration or
peace. . . . On either side perhaps the speakers proved too much ;
it would be as easy to defend a multitudinous Congregationalism
by weapons taken out of one armoury, as it would be easy from
the other to find arguments in favour of Rome. If it had not
been for Mr. How's speech it would have seemed as if the old
English via media, with its long array of orators and divines, its
massive learning and dignified integrity of character, had no place
in a Church Congress of our time. For our own part we do not
believe in the probable extinction of what has had so much to do
with our national progress, our manliness of temper, and our
reputation for truth and honesty throughout the world."

It is remarkable that immediately after this Congress he
received the first offer of a bishopric. After the deposi-
tion of Dr. Colenso, Bishop Gray of Capetown offered
the Bishopric of Natal to the Rev. W. Butler, Vicar of
Wantage, and afterwards Dean of Lincoln. Mr. Butler
at first accepted the post, but afterwards, on the advice of
Archbishop Longley, withdrew his acceptance. Bishop

64 Bishop Walsham How

Gray, who had been authorised by the synod of the
diocese of Natal to appoint a bishop, writes in his diary
(see Life, vol. ii. p. 371) :

" 1867. Nov. 26. Offered Natal to How.
Nov. 29. How declines Natal."

This is the only record there is of the offer having been
made, it being, in common with other subsequent offers,
ignored in Mr. How's own diary.

It may be well here to observe that the views put forth
by this Congress speech are, after all, only those which
he had held all along. In the first sermon he ever pub-
lished he explicitly set out the duty of staunchly uphold-
ing the Church of England, while guarding against
dangers from Rome on the one hand, and infidelity and
carelessness on the other. This sermon is worth quoting
as once for all explaining his position in the Church.
To the last days of his life he was urgent for more
frequent and more careful services wherever he found a
low standard in his diocese, while he not infrequently
preached sermons warning his hearers that danger from
Rome existed still. The sermon was preached in the
Abbey Church, Shrewsbury, on the i6th Sunday after
Trinity, 1850, and was printed by request of the parish-
ioners. Its subject was " The Church Movement of the
Present Day." Taking as his text the words, " Prove all
things : hold fast that which is good," he proceeded to
explain that there is ever a " spirit of the age " spreading
onwards and around, like leaven leavening the lump.
He went on to say :

" On the whole I doubt not the principle of reaction
will be found to govern the great movements in question.
To put this more simply, when men find by degrees that

His Position as a Churchman 65

they have fallen into some extreme, they are startled and
hasten to retrace their steps, but in their eagerness about
this, as well as in the narrowness of their views and one-
sidedness of their feelings, they forget to stop at the
truth when they come to it, and so generally fall quite as
much into the other extreme, and have again to retrace
their steps with again the same result as before. . . . The
chief danger (next, of course, to that of neglecting these
questions altogether) is the danger of being carried too
far by the powerful influences at work amongst men.
The greatest difficulty (next, of course, to that of learn-
ing to care for such things at all) is the difficulty of
stopping at the truth when we arrive at it.

*****

"The least observant cannot fail to have marked the
great change of feeling which has for many years been
spreading over our country in religious matters — a
change which, by God's mercy, has (I hesitate not to say)
very mightily advanced the cause of God's truth. But if
that which has for a time advanced the cause of truth be
found to go beyond truth, and so run into the error of
extreme, it is the duty of those whom God has appointed
especially to guard and to dispense the truth to raise a
voice of warning and to point out the danger which is
at hand. Nor can we close our eyes to the necessity of
this warning at the present time. We have seen from
time to time waves washing up beyond the boundary
line ; there have not been wanting here and there in-
stances of those whom the surf has carried forward far
into the region of error. . . . Now, this movement very
plainly began in reaction. . . . The Church fifty years
ago was cold and seemingly lifeless. Her doctrine was
lax ; her practice cold and formal. In doctrine, the

E

66 Bishop Walsham How

sacraments were lowered and neglected, the unity and
reality of the Church forgotten, the divine delegation of
ministerial grace lost sight of ; aye, and worse than these
omissions, was the too common substitution of a cold
and heartless morality for the life-giving doctrines of the
Christian faith, the ever-blessed spiritual truths of the
Atonement by the sufferings and death of the Saviour,
and sanctification by the indwelling presence of the Holy
Ghost ; truths on which our very salvation hangs, and to
take away which from our teaching is verily to take away the
sun out of the heavens. And as to practice — the services
were often slovenly, often few in number ; communions
were at long intervals, and scantily attended, &c. &c.
. . . And then we must take shame to ourselves likewise
for the scandals caused by the clergy themselves, whose
neglect of their flocks, whose worldly bearing and pur-
suits, whose niggardly bestowal of their time and trouble
in their Master's service, but too often led the careless to
rest in their carelessness, and the zealous to seek spiritual
guidance elsewhere. The tide had long set that way, and
few there were that stemmed it. But, God be thanked !
all life was not extinct. And thus . . . there began that
wider, and for long also truer, movement, which has
spread now more or less fully into every part of England.
. . . Doubtless many who felt the truths that were
beginning to be felt so keenly, outran their wisdom in
their zeal, and fell into divers dangerous excesses. Many
set their affections too much on outward forms ; . . . many
naturally gave a very undue prominence to doctrines that
had been before unduly kept in the shade. . . . Every
good has its attendant evils ; and if men are roused to
thought, even in the right direction, how can it be but
that some think wrong ?

His Position as a Churchman 67

" But, you ask, wh^t has been the good ? My brethren,
is it nothing that apathy has changed to earnestness,
coldness to zeal, deadness to life ? Is it nothing that
the services of God are multiplied in number, are
improved in decency and beauty, are frequented by more
and heartier worshippers ? Is it nothing that the clergy
have their duties and responsibilities so brought home to
them that they cannot, they dare not, neglect them if they
would ? Is it nothing that in every corner of our land
churches are being made more worthy .of the worship of
God, more fit to affect the heart of man ? Is it nothing
that the saving doctrines of our holy faith are now
preached more earnestly and constantly than of old ?
Is it nothing that Christ's own blessed sacraments hold
now a more worthy place ? Yea, cold or bigoted indeed
must that heart be that cannot thank God for all that He
has done for the Church of England in late years.
Verily He hath looked down from heaven, and beheld,
and visited this vine.

" But now I must, alas ! change my voice ; for the
flood that enriches may rise too far and devastate. If a
righteous abhorrence of the deadly errors of Romanism,
amongst other causes, led our forefathers to shrink back
too far in the opposite extreme . . . we, in restoring
some good and true things, have unquestionably weakened
the righteous abhorrence of those errors. The tide has
swept some in this direction beyond the line of truth,
and stranded them on the shore of error. God in mercy
grant its waves rise no farther ! Perhaps there was much
need at first to soften men's asperity towards the Church
of Rome ; . . . certainly many required teaching that,
however corrupt and cankered, still the Roman Church
is a branch of Christ's Catholic Church, and to be re-

68 Bishop Walsham How

garded as a deeply erring sister. . . • But within the last
few years men have been found who could bear nothing
said against Rome, who wilfully blinded themselves to
her evil, and would only contemplate those points in her
which they considered good — men, who on the other
hand, loved to find fault with their own Church, and to
hold her deficiencies up to censure and her weaknesses
to scorn — false-hearted sons, who gloried in their own
mother's shame.

« # » « »

" Yes, brethren, it is a time to remember that our
Church is a Protestant Church — i.e., a church which pro-
tests against the perversions of Rome, as well as a
Catholic Church — i.e., a true and living branch of Christ's
one Catholic Apostolic Church. . . . Till the Church of
Rome has reformed herself we can neither hold com-
munion with her, nor shut our eyes to her grievous sins.
May God give us the spirit of wisdom and moderation,
that, while we let not slip anything that is good and true,
we be not led away by any false tide of feeling to such
fearful errors."

CHAPTER VI

CONVOCATION COMMITTEES. ETC.

In the summer of 1868 the whole family from Whitting-
ton Rectory migrated for their holiday to Douglas in the
Isle of Man, and took up their abode temporarily at
Derby Castle, which was at that time a quiet house
situated at the further extremity of Douglas Bay. While
there Mr. How was very nearly drowned while bathing —
but it will be better to let him tell the story himself in the
letter to his brother, written on the following day :

" Derby Castle, Douglas,

"Sunday, Aug. 9, 1868.

" My dear Brother,

" I must write and tell you how merciful God has
been to me, as I was nearly drowned yesterday. I know
you will offer your thanks to God for my escape, as we
have in church this morning. It was exceedingly rough
yesterday, and when we went to bathe in a little rocky
bay near this house, where we have bathed hitherto, the
waves were so great that I would not let H. A. and E. W,
go in, but only F. and F. C, both of whom can swim.
As 1 passed F. trying to get out beyond the tremendous
breakers, I warned him not to try to go out far, as I
felt the sucking back of the return waves so strong.

yo Bishop Walsham How

Happily neither attempted to swim out. However, I got
well beyond the breakers, and then it was glorious to be
carried up so high, and let down into the hollows
between. I supposed that, as the tide was coming in,
and nearly full, I could easily swim back w^hen I pleased,
and that the waves would help me ; but directly I turned
I found myself further out than I thought, and felt a very
strange current drawing me outwards, against which I
could make no progress at all. Then my feet got en-
tangled in a quantity of floating seaweed, which I shook
off with a violent struggle, and I suppose this took it out
of me, for I was very soon exhausted, and conscious that
I was drowning. Several waves went right over me, and
I lost my breath, and could only just shout to a man on
the rocks, ' Help ! help ! I am drowning ' ; and then I
quite gave up all hope of life. It was a very awful
moment, old fellow, though I think I was too frightened
to feel all its awful ness at the time.

" But there really seemed no chance. The man
shouted to me to keep off the rocks and swim across the
bay, but I was utterly spent and suffocated, when, most
mercifully, I found myself close to a small bit of rock,
which appeared for a few seconds between the huge
waves which swept over it, and this I seized somehow,
and, though I was washed off it once, I caught it again,
and managed at last to get one leg over it, and so to
cling to it better. It was still a dangerous place, and
you have no idea how the great waves going right over
you take your power away, when you are trying to get
breath again. However, finding I could not hold on
much longer, I got over the little rock, and to my great
thankfulness found rocks and stones by means of which
I dragged myself to the main rocks. I was, as you may

Convocation Committees, etc. 71

suppose, tremendously exhausted and knocked up all
day. I did not recover my breath for half an hour, and
how I scrambled up home and got on my bed I hardly
know. It is a solemn thing, my dear brother, to have
been so near death. God grant I may not forget the
thoughts and resolutions of yesterday ! Do pray for me
that I may give to God the life that He has again given
to me far more thoroughly than I have done. You
cannot conceive the intensity of the love one finds in
one's heart for those one has nearly left. Fanny was out
on the shore, so I saw no one, till, when on my bed, I
found C. taking his day sleep in a crib by the side of my
bed. I got him in my arms, and had such a good cry
that it did me good, though I think he was rather
astonished. Then you can't think how loving they have
all been, especially dear old F.,* who was always stealing
up to kiss me as I lay quiet yesterday evening."

This incident gave him the motive for "The Last
Bathe," which is to be found in his book of published
poems.

In December of this year Canon Walsham How was
elected a proctor in the Southern Convocation, and
during the ten years of his office he did a vast amount of
work in committees and otherwise. He was immediately
put upon the joint Committee of Convocation on the
Revision of the Authorised Version, and writing on this
subject to the late Rev. D. P. Evans, then one of his
curates, he says :

"We had in Committee to-day the Bishop of Win-
chester [Dr. Harold Browne] (in the chair), the Bishops
of Gloucester [Dr. EUicott], Salisbury [Dr. Hamilton],

* One of his boys.

72 Bishop Walsham How

and Llandaff [Dr. Ollifant] ; Archdeacons Grant, Rose,
and Bickersteth ; Deans Warley and Alford, Dr. Kay,
and some others — sixteen in all out of twenty-four — a
good muster. It was most interesting work, though
to-day we had really only to discuss two points : (i) Is it
wise and right to attempt revision now f (2) What form
should it take ? We were unanimous in favour of the
first, and on the second were also unanimous (which
astonished me much) in concluding that a revision could
not be adequate, if confined to marginal readings, and
must ultimately embody the more important corrections
in the text. These, it appears, would not be very many,
but we could not go into details."

Within the next year or two he also served on " Arch-
deacon Freeman's Third Service Committee," and on the
Committee on the Rubrics. To this latter he gave an
immense amount of time and labour, and published a
valuable pamphlet on the subject, as well as a series of
articles in Church Bells. Many of these are pasted into
the Book of Parish Papers at Whittington, and the
following extracts will explain the views he held. In
1874, after the Purchas Judgment, writing about the
Ornaments Rubric and that immediately preceding the
Prayer of Consecration, he said :

" One thing became manifest. If laws are to be sum-
marily enforced, they must be clear. Moreover, it was
seen and admitted that at least the two important Rubrics
referred to are not clear, and that their want of clearness
was a great excuse for diversity of practice.

" And now, once more, ought not this uncertainty to
be an element in our judgment of those from whose
practice we differ on either side ? Have we any right to

Convocation Committees, etc. 73

dogmatise and condemn in so uncertain a matter ? Is it
not at least lawful to hold diverse views of the meaning of
the Rubric we are discussing ? I signed (as many others
signed) the Remonstrance against the Purchas Judgment,
not as agreeing in views or practice with Mr. Purchas,
but because it appeared to me monstrous that a man
should be subjected to severe criminal penalties for
adopting interpretations of Rubrics which could not be
said to be strained or unnatural in themselves, and in the
case of one of which a former decision of the Court of
Appeal appeared to prove the interpretation correct.
Whatever its merits in law (and that is questioned by
very high authority), the judgment appeared to me
morally indefensible. My English sense of justice re-
belled, and I protested, and protest still.

" To the question * Who should undertake to clear the
Rubrics ? ' I answer : This is, in the first instance, the
plain duty of Convocation. Convocation must at least
be prepared to say what seems to the clergy of the land
desirable in regard to the disputed and ambiguous
Rubrics.

" I must honestly confess to my extreme dislike to
vestments. I can hardly imagine circumstances under
which I could be induced to wear them. But, having
resolved to judge, as far as I am able, independently of
my own views or feelings, I have to ask myself this
question : ' Can the Eucharistic vestments be reconciled
with the views of any party legitimately embraced within
the wide boundaries of our Church ? ' This question I
am unable to answer in the negative. Undoubtedly
there has always been a succession of divines, such as
Bull, Wilson, and Andrewes, who have clung to the
primitive sacrificial language, not, I think, using it in

74 Bishop Walsham How

the extreme sense in which some would use such lan-
guage in these days, but rather explaining it as used in
the secondary sense of the pleading and representation of
the once perfected Sacrifice. Such divines, if now living,
would in all probability defend the vestments as not
implying more than the memorial of the Sacrifice — as not
unsuitable to the 'showing of the Lord's death till He
come.' "

Writing again in 1877 on this subject, after the Ridsdale
Judgment, he says :

" The amended Rubric, enjoining the surplice, per-
mitting the black gown in preaching, and permitting the
cope in Holy Communion with the sanction of the bishop,
was passed by 41 to 7. We are not sanguine enough to
expect that this compromise would satisfy all concerned.
Feelings have been too deeply stirred, and positions
too firmly established, for this to be the case. Yet we
would fain hope that here may be found a common
ground on which opposing parties may meet. The law-
fulness of a distinctive garb, wherewith to do honour to
the most sacred service of our Church, is yielded, subject
to the bishop's sanction, while the present vestments are
disallowed. The Ritualist would have to give up his
stand on the old Ornaments Rubric, and to be content
with a robe, not associated with specific doctrine, and
allowed to be one 'for glory and for beauty' only. The
Evangelical would have to give up his stand upon the
recent Ridsdale Judgment, and to allow of a grander and
more ornate ritual in certain churches with the bishop's
sanction. It would be no triumph to either side, and
might surely bring brother nearer to brother. Our
differences are not so wide as they seem. It is surely our

Convocation Committees, etc. 75

wisest course to minimise them in all external things.
The spirit which loves marks of distinction and difference
for their own sake is not the spirit of Christ. His spirit
is a spirit of love and forbearance and self-sacrifice.
Could we only approach these questions (in one sense
how trivial !) in this Christ-like spirit, there might yet be
peace within the walls of our Jerusalem, and her children
might dwell together in unity. ' Oh, pray for the peace
of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee.' "

Thus he wrote and laboured for some modus vivcndi.
Party spirit and insubordination in the Church were ever
hateful to him, so that when, in 1877, a number of clergy
openly defied all episcopal authority, he got up the follow-
ing address to the bishops, and secured a list of influen-
tial signatures :

"AN ADDRESS TO THE BISHOPS.

" To the Most Revei-end and Right Revere?id the Archbishops
and Bishops of the Church of England.

" We, the undersigned clergy of the Church of England,
desire to assure your Lordships of our sincere loyalty to
our spiritual rulers, as well as of our true sympathy with
them in the difficulties of the present times.

"We believe that any revision or amendment of the
Church's rules, and still more, that any readjustment of
the relations of Church and State to matters either legisla-
tive or judicial, however much to be desired, must be a
work of much time and patience, besides being in itself
surrounded with difficulties.

" Meanwhile we believe that there is grave peril in the
practical non-recognition of any existing and immediately

76 Bishop Walsh am How

available authority having a rightful claim to obedience in
matters affecting the ritual of the Church.

" We hold, however, that the very constitution of the
Church provides for all its faithful members in the Episco-
pate itself an immediately available authority, having a
rightful claim to obedience in matters affecting the ritual
of the Church. We recognise in the words of the Preface
to the Prayer-book ' Concerning the Service of the
Church,' as well as in our own ordination vows, a very
broad and stringent obligation to submission to the
authority of our bishops in all disputed matters of
external order.

" We therefore desire to assure your Lordships of our
acceptance of this principle, and of our resolution to bow
to the decision of our bishops in ail matters concerning
the service of the Church, in which, the same having been
diversely taken, and having been referred to them, they
shall authoritatively declare their judgment.

" {Signed)

"John Bramston, D.D., Dean of Winchester.
G. M. YoRKE, D.D., Dean of Worcester.
J, S. HowsoN, Dean of Chester.
B. Morgan Cowie, Dean of Manchester.
J. A. Hessey, Archdeacon of Middlesex.
J. B. LiGHTFOOT, Canon of St. Paul's.
Alfred Barry, D.D., Principal of King's College.
W. H. Lyttelton, Rector of Hagley.
E. Capel Cure, Rector of St. George's, Hanover Square.
Augustus Legge, Vicar of St. Bartholomew's, Sydenham.
J. G. Lonsdale, Canon of Lichfield.
A. P. Purey-Cust, Archdeacon of Buckingham.
J. E. Kempe, Rector of St. James', Piccadilly.
E. F. Prescott, Vicar of St. Michael's, Paddington.
J. H. Iles, Archdeacon of Stafford.
Arthur Brooke, Vicar of Holy Trinity, Brompton.

Convocation Committees, etc. 77

G. Hans Hamilton, Archdeacon of Lindisfarne.

E. H. GiFFORD, Rector of Much Haddern.

J. Hannah, D.C.L., Archdeacon of Lewes.

Lovelace T. Stamer, Rector of Stoke-on-Trent.

John Gott, D,D., Vicar of Leeds.

H. M. LuCKOCK, Canon of Ely.

G. S. Palmer, Rector of Newington.

A. C. AiNSLiE, Vicar of Henstridge.

David Williams, Canon of St. David's.

A. T. Lloyd, Vicar of Aylesbury.

Alfred Pott, Archdeacon of Berks.

E. Carr-Glyn, Vicar of Doncaster.
W. H. Ridley, Rector of Hambledon.

J. C. Miller, Vicar of Greenwich, and Canon of Rochester.
James Randall, Proctor in Convocation for the Chapter of

F. PiGOU, Vicar of Halifax. [Bristol.
J. R. T. Eaton, Proctor in Convocation.

Philip Hoste, Rector of Farnham.

E. T. Leake, Chancellor of Lincoln.
George Venables, Vicar of Great Yarmouth.
J. Erskine Clarke, Vicar of Battersea.

W. D. Maclagan, Vicar of Kensington.

W. R. Clark, Vicar of Taunton.

J. P. NoRRis, Canon of Bristol.

W. FoxLEY NoRRis, Vicar of Buckingham.

F. W. A. BowYER, Rector of Clapham.
J. T. Birkett, Rector of Gravely.

T. B. Lloyd, Vicar of St. Mary's, Shrewsbury.

Marsham Argles, Canon of Peterborough.

W. J. M. Ellison, Vicar of St. John's, Battersea.

J. F. Wichenden, Prebendary of Lincoln.

Charles Bellairs, Rector of Bolton Abbey.

H. W. Burrows, Vicar of Christ Church, Albany Street.

Temple Hillyard, Canon of Chester.

H. CoTTiNGHAM, Vicar of Heath.

Richard Gee, D.D., Proctor in Convocation,

W. Walsh AM How, Rector of Whittington."

A glance at this list of signatures will show how

78 Bishop Walsham How

influentially the address was signed, and how widely
representative the names were of various schools of
thought. At least nine of the signatories afterwards
became bishops, and men are included of such diverse
views as Canon Luckock, now Dean of Lichfield, and
Mr. Carr-Glyn, now Bishop of Peterborough :

But to return to Canon Walsham How's Convocation
work, we next find him at w^ork for the Committee on the
Athanasian Creed. In the Whittington Parish Papers we
find the following extracts inserted by himself :

" ATHANASIAN CREED.

" Paper drawn up by W. W. H., and presented to the Committee,

of which I was a member, ivith a view to helping

the discussion, viz. :

Synodical Declaration.

*^ The attempt to frame a Synodical Declaration concern-
ing the Athanasian Creed is an attempt to meet and to
remove popular misconceptions. Therefore, to be of any
use, the Declaration must be popular in character and
simple in words. It must be such as can be shown to a
superficial objector without itself requiring explanation.
The popular objections to the Creed are concerned with
the condemnatory clauses, which are by some understood :
(i) As consigning to everlasting death all, without excep-
tion, who do not hold the true Faith. (2) As pronouncing
such condemnation upon all who may err with regard to
any single clause in this exposition of the true Faith.

" The subjoined form is an attempt, put forth very
diffidently, to provide a declaration which shall meet these
popular objections. It is thought well also that the
Declaration should in its first clause set forth the general
nature of the formulary, and that there should be added a

Convocation Committees, etc. 79

clause dealing with the words which have appeared to
some to involve a condemnation of the doctrine of the
Eastern Church with regard to the Procession of the
Holy Ghost.

" It is then suggested that, after a preamble, stating that
misconceptions have existed, and do exist, concerning
this Creed, and expressing the earnest desire of the
synod to remove, so far as may be, all such misconcep-
tions, the Declaration should be as follows :

"i. That this Creed is of the nature of an instruction
concerning the true faith, rather than of an actual con-
fession of faith.

" 2. That the warnings of this Creed are addressed only
to such as have already received the Catholic Faith,
declaring faithfully to such the peril of sinful rejection or
perversion thereof.

" 3. That by the ' Catholic Faith ' must be understood
the great fundamental doctrines of our holy religion, as
set forth in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, and herein
expounded for the instruction of the faithful.

"4. That in the words 'the Holy Ghost is of the
Father and of the Son ' no denial is to be understood of
the truth that the Father is the eternal source of all being."

The following letter will serve further to describe his
attitude on the question :

[To Canon W. W. Douglas.]

"Whittington Rectory,

" MarcA 13, 1870.
" My Dear William,

" Many thanks for your letter. I am glad you have

spoken about the Athanasian Creed, as it gives me the

opportunity of telling you about it. I am a member of

8o Bishop Walsh am How

an association for promoting unity among Christians at
home, of which Mr. George Venables is secretary. It
originated at the Wolverhampton Church Congress, and
was a suggestion of the Bishop of Ely's [Dr. Woodford].
We had several very interesting and instructive meetings
at various places, and at Derby, Mr. Crompton, an Inde-
pendent minister, read to us a letter, which was after-
wards printed, and of which I send you a copy. There
was a discussion upon it, and I spoke strongly as to my
desire to retain the Creed in our services, as well as in our
Prayer-book, and expressed myself in favour of trying
the explanatory note or rubric, which Mr. Venables
suggested at Wolverhampton, and which Mr. Crompton
advocated in his letter.

" I should (as almost every one would) much prefer to
have had the Creed without the ' damnatory clauses,' but
there they are, and although I freely allow I use them in
rather a non-natural sense, I, for one, see no way of remov-
ing them. (You remember perhaps that the late Bishop
of Lichfield resolutely shut his lips during those clauses.)
Well, after this meeting Mr. Venables wrote to ask mc
whether I would join in a petition for such an authoritative
note as was suggested, and I said I would most gladly.

" I afterwards saw the form of petition printed, and
found he had named three plans, instead of the one I
agreed to. So I wrote asking to withdraw my name.
However, he wrote most strongly urging that, if I agreed
to the general principle that some relief would be desir-
able, and approved of one of the forms of relief suggested,
I ought to sign. I did not think this quite sound reason-
ing, but, not considering it of much importance, I never
answered his letter, and allowed my name to remain.

" As to the three plans, I thoroughly disapprove of an

Convocation Committees, etc. 8i

optional rubric ; I would thankfully omit the clauses and
begin 'This is the Catholic Faith,' if I saw any way to it,
but I don't ; and the third only— the explanatory note, of
which we have already several examples — seems to me
practicable.

"At our dinner of the writers in The Church and the
Age the subject was largely discussed. Bishop Ellicott
being in favour of using the Creed only on Trinity
Sunday, and almost all the others wishing for some
action in the matter, except Dr. Irons. It seemed felt by
most that the Creed would be infinitely grander, if it was
positive only. I have no sympathy (and none of us,
except perhaps Mr. Maclagan and Sir Bartle Frere, had)
with the popular objection to the minuteness of defini-
tion in it. What so many do feel is the terribleness of
saying (as the primary sense of the words seems to say)
that all are lost who cannot subscribe to this minuteness
of definition. It is absurd of Mr. E. Stuart to say that it
is the same thing to say * Whosoever believeth not ' — a
perfectly wide and general saying — and 'Whosoever
believeth not a large number of distinct propositions
concerning the Faith . . . shall be damned.' Any one
can see that unless every one of these is of necessity in-
cluded in our Lord's intention in the word ' believeth ' — a
very difficult thing to prove — the parallelism fails. But
I do not want to argue the matter. I only want to let
you know what I did, and what I think about it. I have
not seen Pusey's declaration ; can you send me a copy or
give me the words of it ? . . .

" Ever, my dear William,

" Your very affectionate brother,

"Wm. WALSHAM HOV^r."

82 Bishop Walsham How

It was always a trouble to him that nothing was ever
done to remove the difficulty felt by many to joining in
the damnatory clauses. Walking back from a cathedral
service at Wakefield in the last year of his life he was
asked whether it would not be a good thing to have
some explanatory note to them. " Yes," replied the
Bishop, " or better, omit them altogether."

While speaking of the views he held on controverted
subjects, in order that it may not be necessary to return
to matters which he always disliked, it may be well to
quote here (again from Church Bells) what he wrote
upon the vexed question of Fasting Communion.

" We trust," he says, " sincerely that early celebra-
tions will continue to become more frequent, and that
they will be more and more prized by our people. Still,
later ones are at present a necessity, and we as earnestly
trust that these may never be transformed from a blessed
Communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord into a
hearing of the Mass. And as to fasting, it is a means
and not an end. It is meant to bring the body into a
state helpful to a prayerful and watchful spirit. Let it
be so used when it effects its purpose. But is it better to
lie in bed till church time, as some do, because they
cannot otherwise go through the long morning service
fasting, or to take such simple food as may be found
needful to enable both body and spirit to engage profit-
ably in the worship of the Church without impairing
their fitness for the ordinary duties of the morning ? We
really cannot help recoiling with a shudder from the
gross carnalism (we can call it nothing else) of words
which now lie before us, and which we almost tremble
to repeat ; in which we are warned that ' when we are

Convocation Committees, etc. 83

about to receive the Body and Blood of Christ into our
bodies, we should take care that the resting place of the
sacrament be not pre-occupied ' ! "

On ritual generally the words of the Bishop's Charge
at the Wakefield Diocesan Conference of 1892 must be
quoted, for one of his latest acts was to leave instructions
to that effect. An envelope addressed to his eldest son
was found on his library table after his death with,
amongst other enclosures, the following words written
across a half-sheet of note paper. " If my views on
ritual matters are ever wanted, I would refer to my
Charge in vol. ii. of the bound volumes of the Gazette^
pp. 92, &c."

This must have been written just before he left home
for Ireland, and not more than ten days before his death,
of which he seems to have had a presentiment. The
whole Charge is too long to quote, but the following are
some typical passages :

The subject was the recent Lincoln Judgment, and in
the course of his address the Bishop said :

''Quite apart from any opinion as to the particular
points upon which the Archbishop and his Assessors
pronounced their judgment, I hold it to be a matter of
great thankfulness that there should be perfect accord
between the Spiritual Court and the Civil Court of Final
Appeal. I rejoice that the learning and acumen of the
Archbishops have been approved by the highest legal
authority, and that the Supreme Court has set its seal to
his Grace's fairness and impartiality.

"... I am not one of those who decry or despise the
verdicts of civil courts in ecclesiastical matters. The
State has its rights as well as the Church. The Crown is

84 Bishop Walsham How

bound to see that justice is done in all matters, eccle-
siastical as well as civil. . . .

" In the first place, I shall expect that the restrictions
of the judgment be observed wherever I myself officiate.
In the second place, I earnestly hope no one will feel that
the larger liberty allowed in certain points will justify the
taking advantage of such liberty to the distress or disturb-
ance of good people in our congregations. There is a
difference between lawfulness and expediency.

* * * * «

" I think such a body of faithful, earnest, loyal clergy
and laity as I now have the privilege of addressing may
rightfully claim to know their bishop's opinions on such
matters as these which I have briefly passed in review.
Let me, then, say plainly that, in endeavouring to show
the reasonableness (I should feel it presumptuous to deal
with the legal arguments) of the decisions arrived at, I
have not done so from any love of, or desire for, such
things as have been pronounced not unlawful. I have
no doubt of the rightfulness of such pronouncement. It
seems to me to be based on common sense, right prin-
ciple, and, as far as I can venture to judge, on law. But
personally I am happier with a very simple ritual.
Minds are differently constituted, and to some, no doubt,
ornate ritual is devotionally helpful, while to others it is
welcome as dignifying the most solemn of our services.
And I repeat what I have said on a former occasion, that
my enforced familiarity with services of all sorts of types
has, I am thankful to say, enabled me to enter into the
spirit of the worship without much distraction from
variety of outward form. But, even with this advantage
I feel an over-elaborate ritual is distracting ; and the

Convocation Committees, etc. 85

introduction of unusual or fussy or extreme practices
does mar my enjoyment of the services ; sometimes more
from the feeling, which I cannot suppress, that these
things are very likely disturbing or distracting others,,
than from the effect they have directly on myself. And
then I shall not wholly have liberated my soul if I do not
add that I have, and have all my life had, a great and
sincere dread of Romanism, in protest against which I
join with all my heart, and I would urge that great
tenderness be shown towards those who may, even igno-
rantly, imagine certain practices to be of a Romeward
tendency. I cannot too often or too strongly urge the
high and holy duties of charity, sympathy, self-repression,
and self-denial. . . .

" If the spirit which animates us be one of love and
.forbearance, and humility and obedience, the host of the
Lord will go forth ' conquering and to conquer.' "

This exposition of his views on controverted questions
may well be concluded by quoting his reply to a question
asked him by the Rev. J. F. Kitto, now Rector of
St. Martin's, Charing Cross.

The question was as follows : " I am regarded as, and
believe myself to be, a strong Low Churchman, and you are
regarded as a moderate High Churchman. Will you please
say what you suppose to be the difference between us ? "

In his reply the Bishop said :

'* I am sure, in the first place, that men who are ranged
by themselves or by others under different appellations
are really more in accord than they think. The common
ground is much the larger part of their creed, but even
in the other part it is very comforting to find that, while
using phrases which seem far apart, there is mostly a

86 Bishop Walsham How

large amount of agreement in their underlying truth. I
suppose I should in my teaching make more of the
Sacraments than you would, and that one of the real
divergences among Churchmen would be the tendency
on the one hand to magnify, and on the other hand to
depreciate, ordinances. Again, in regard to the Holy
Communion, possibly I may value the Godward comme-
moration, the pleading and representing before God (which
is said to be typified by the Eastward position) more than
you. But I fancy in doctrinal definition we should not
be far apart, if at all. I cannot hold views or language
concerning Holy Communion which imply a localised or
defined presence of Christ's Body and Blood. I take my
stand on St. Paul's 'The cup which we bless, is it not,' &c."

" Perhaps another divergence would be as to the pro-
minence and value relatively of the corporate and indi-
vidual life, and I might lean to the side of making more
of the Church and ' Kingdom ' than you.

"Then again I suppose there is a difference in men's
minds as to outward ceremonial, and I might value
greater attention to it as a help to reverence and devotion
than you. I don't at all relish trying to find out points
of divergence, but am trying to see why we should rank
respectively as a strong Low Churchman and a moderate
High Churchman. I wonder whether I am not rather
* Broad,' in the sense of trying to see and appreciate the
good and true on every side. What I dread in the so-
called Broad School is the indifference to positive truth,
and readiness to surrender the old Faith. In its sym-
pathy and charity I can go with it."

With this statement in the Bishop's own words the
subject of his position as a Churchman may well be left.

CHAPTER VII

OFFERS OF PREFERMENT

As will be gathered from the general tenor of Canon
How's position set forth in the preceding chapter, his
inclination was towards gently winning souls for Christ
rather than towards alarming his parishioners by insisting
upon matters of ritual which he considered of secondary
importance.

When in early days an uneducated inhabitant of
Whittington objected to the use of flower vases in the
church, the junior clergy wished to have no attention
paid to what they considered impertinent interference.
But the rector went and reasoned with the man, and,
when this failed, removed the vases rather than lose his
influence for good with a single parishioner. Not long
afterwards this very man was attacked by a painful
disease, and in his paroxysms of agony none but the
rector could bring him the comfort and help he needed.

The same tenderness and consideration came out in all
his dealings. One of his curates remembers preaching a
vague and rambling discourse when the rector was
present in church. In the evening it was customary for
all the clergy to have the texts and subjects of their
sermons entered in a book. Mr. How conveyed his
rebuke for this particular effusion by looking up as he

88 Bishop Walsham How

entered the text, and saying with a twinkle, " Let me see,
what was your subject ? "

Of his thoughtfuhiess towards all there is a story told
that on the formation of a Guild of Church Workers he
presented a card of membership to the rectory cook,
greatly to her delight and surprise. He told her that he
did so because she so willingly did extra work and
employed her best skill in compounding delicacies for
the sick poor, and in that way was as truly a church
worker as the district visitor who conveyed the fruit of
her labours to the cottages.

He made little difference in his attitude towards
Church people and Dissenters, of whom in a parish on
the Welsh border there were not a few. He was great
friends with one old woman, the wife of a local preacher
among the Primitive Methodists, and he was always
delighted to tell how, seeing her one day in church, he
asked her how it was she had deserted her chapel.
" Well, sir," she replied, " you see my old man be preach-
ing at our chapel to-day, and I can't abide he ! "

Mrs. How once said of her husband, " He never can
see evil in any one ; he is always making the best of them,"
and this accounts in great measure for the affectionate
regard in which he was held by so many. At the same
time this tenderness for others was apt occasionally to
lead him into difficulties. He could not bear to refuse a
request, and sometimes lamented over his inability to say
*' No." Thus his time was often taken up by unimportant
engagements, which he had not liked to decline, to the
sacrifice of more serious matters which presented them-
selves afterwards. He could refuse by letter, but a
personal application was usually successful. To this, as
well as to the busy life he led, may be ascribed what many

Offers of Preferment 89

considered his rashness. Thus, a curate would be inter-
viewed and on a very short acquaintance accepted. One
of the best of his Whittington curates says :

" He came to see me at Cambridge, and said that he would
write to me after our interview. As I walked with him to the
station I was very anxious, wondering if I should have the blessing
of being his curate, and how long it would be before I should
hear. Perhaps his kindly nature noticed this, for, laying his hand
on my shoulder, he said ' Well, my dear friend, I do not think I
need keep you in suspense : I shall be very glad if you will come
and work with me.' And then he blessed me."

He would decide important matters with what appeared
to be reckless rapidity, sometimes appointing a man to
a vacant post on hearsay only — and the marvel was that
his decisions and selections were so often successful.
That he knew how difficult it was for him to refuse any-
thing in a personal interview, the following letter to his
brother shows :

" The Manor House, Penmaenmawr,

"Atig. 9, 1873.

" I have now before me, to be answered to-day, two
letters which make me uncomfortable, one from the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury [Tait] pressing me to go to Cape-
town, and one from the Bishop of London offering me
All Saints, Margaret Street. The latter is comparatively
simple, as I am too much out of harmony with the whole
system there to be able to work there happily or usefully.
In declining the other I cannot help dreading lest I should
be refusing a work God would have me undertake. Yet
I really cannot. The Archbishop begs me to go to Adding-
ton on Monday to see him. I dare not do that, lest I
should be unable to withstand the personal pressure. A

90 Bishop Walsham How

long letter from the Bishop of Edinburgh (late of
Grahamstown)* also presses me to accept it. Do you
think I am wrong to stay where I am so much happier,
and where I hope I am not useless ? "

The Archbishop's letter referred to was as follows :

" Addington Park, Croydon,

"A7ig. 6. 1873.
" My dear Sir,

" I am very anxious to speak to you on the subject of the
vacant See of Capetown, and to ascertain by a personal conference
what prospect there is of our persuading you^to accept the post.
The Bishop of Edinbro' and Mr. Bullock are to-night with me,
and would at once concur in your appointment. May I ask
whether you could visit me here on Monday next to stay the
night ? Our line is from Victoria to East Croydon.

" Yours sincerely,

"A. C. CANTUAR."

The Bishop of London's letter is interesting as showing
the estimation in which Canon Walsham How was held
as a Churchman of sound moderate views.

" FuLHAM Palace, S.W., Aug. 6, 1873.

" My dear Sir,

" Most thankful although I should be to have your help
and influence in this diocese, I do not think 1 should have ven-
tured on the following proposal, involving a possible sacrifice of
ease and comfort which I have no right to ask you to make, had
it not been suggested to me by a friend of yours, and warmly
supported by Maclagan. It is that you would undertake the very
difificult and important charge of All Saints, Margaret Street.

"I am very anxious, as you may suppose, to place there an
incumbent who will satisfy (as much as may be) the reasonable
requirements of the congregation ; will maintain the services in
their beauty within the allowed limits of the Anglican ritual ; will

* Cotterell.

Offers of Preferment 91

sympathise and co-operate with the large and varied charitable
machinery of the parish ; will be a ready and experienced coun-
sellor in all cases of spiritual distress and difficulty without
encouraging (as I fear has been done there of late) the enervating
habit of confession ; and who will introduce a somewhat more
evangelical (I am not using the word in its party sense) and
experimental tone of preaching than has been the ordinary tone
there.

" That this will satisfy all the congregation I do not expect.
No one whom I could concientiously place there would. Some
would go to St. Albans and elsewhere. But it would satisfy many,
and what is more it would benefit them. And if you went, the
gap, I believe, would soon be filled, and the congregation, if not
the same, would be as large and influential.

" I am bound, however, to lay before you the difficulties. The
system of All Saints is the voluntary system on the most extreme
scale. Not only are the services, the curates, and the charities
maintained by the offertory, but the endowment is only ;^i5o

with a house (which Mr. gave to his curates), and the income

has been made up to (it is supposed) a considerable sum by an
offertory on one Sunday in the year which was delivered uncounted
to the incumbent. All this, of course, may fail, and the church
might be left to sink to the ordinary level of an ill-ordered district
church. I do not think this probable with your incumbency ; but
no doubt to accept such a post would be a venture of faith, and as
such only I lay it before you.

" I ought to add that this is the first time I have offered the
incumbency to any one, excepting that I ascertained from my old
friend Henry Burrows, after the newspapers had given it to him,
whether he would accept it or not.

" I mention this because the Church newspapers have amused
themselves and their readers by filling up the benefice from time
to time out of their own imaginations. I should say too, as I told
the churchwardens, that after what has fallen from the Chancellor
and others, as to the desirability of the point being reargued and
redecided, I should not think it necessary to inquire whether the
incumbent I appointed consecrated at the north or west side of
the Holy Table.

" I believe that I have now laid the case fairly before you, and

92 Bishop Walsham How

leave the decision in your hands, not doubting that God will guide
you aright,

" Believe me to be,

" Sincerely yours,

"J.LONDON.
" Rev. W. Walsham How,"

That he was able to decline offers made him, when he
felt that it was right to do so, is plain from the fact that
besides the two Bishoprics of Natal and Capetown already
mentioned, he refused that of New Zealand on the return
home of Bishop Selwyn, of Montreal, and of nomination
for that of Jamaica. Of appointments in England he also
at various times declined the Bishoprics of Manchester
and Durham, a canonry at Winchester, and such livings as
Brighton and Windsor with the Readership to the Queen.

Among the eminent men who began to esteem him
highly and to extend their friendship to him was Samuel
Wilberforce, then Bishop of Oxford, visits to whom at
Cuddesdon were among his greatest pleasures. Here is
an excellent account of one of them written in the train
on his way home in June 1869.

" I have had a most delightful visit and S. O. was in
immense force. Our party in the house {i.e., the Palace)
were the Archbishop of Dublin with Mrs. and Miss
Trench, the Bishop of Lincoln with Mrs. and Miss
Wordsworth (but they left yesterday), the Bishop of
Derry with Mrs. Alexander ('Hymns for Little Chil-
dren'), the Dean of York with Lady Harriet, Miss
and a young Mr. Duncombe, Mr. Hubbard, Arch-
deacon Randall, Lord Rd. Cavendish, Dr. Woodford,
Mr. Basil Wilberforce, and such a charming wife, Mr.
Wayland Joyce and myself. The Vice-Chancellor of
Oxford, Dr. Leighton, dined each evening, and some

Offers of Preferment 93

others. They were all excessively pleasant and friendly,
and we had such talk as is not often to be had. Each
evening, after the ladies had left, we had a long and
most deeply interesting conversation, formally introduced
as a topic for consultation, upon the re-organisation of
the Irish Church. Of course I took no part, though the
Bishop of O. called on me to do so, but the Arch-
bishop, the Bishop of Derry, the Bishop of O., Arch-
deacon Randall, and Mr. Joyce, all said much, and the
great question as to the mode of admission of the
laity, and the relation they should bear to doctrinal
questions was very fully discussed. The Bishop of O.
seemed to have more clear and decided opinions than
the two Irish Bishops. ... I think the general result was
that the laity should be a constituent part of the synod
(against Mr. Joyce's view, who would only admit them to
* conferences '), but that in all doctrinal questions they
should take no part, except that, since nothing would be
enacted without the consent of all three orders, they would
have a veto upon any change proposed, whether affecting
doctrine or no. . . . Yesterday, the anniversary of the
College there, was a most glorious day, everything was so
hearty and happy and full of life and hope. . . . The
Bishop of Lincoln preached a very remarkable, but a little
fanciful, sermon on the numbers used in the Bible and
their mystical meaning. It was curious that one of his
main examples was the 153 fish in the second miraculous
draught of fishes, and we were 153 clergy in surplices in
the procession, as it was afterwards discovered. The
great lunch and speeches in a tent followed, and I do
not know which I enjoyed most — Miss Wordsworth's
delightful talk (I was lucky enough to take her in, and the
Bishop made us sit nearly opposite him at the high table)

94 Bishop Walsham How

or the Bishop's exquisite and ceaseless humour. His
sayings want the wicked twinkle of his eye to give them
point, but I must try to tell you two or three. He was
proposing the preacher, Bishop Wordsworth, and he said,
* Not only did he arrive here yesterday, after a long and
wearying journey, too late to refresh the natural man — if
indeed (which I greatly doubt) the good Bishop has any
natural man capable of being refreshed, but also to-day
he is going to leave uS' after nothing better than the
sparse and crude entertainment of this our tent in the
wilderness.' You know, I daresay, that Bishop W. is a
most spiritual looking man.

^ TflP ^ tF ^fr

" I must tell you about Mr. Hubbard. In proposing his
health, the Bishop spoke of his utility on the Ritual Com-
mission, and said, * Mr. Hubbard and I have been sitting
side by side on the Ritual Commission. Now uninitiated
persons must not think that this is at all like sitting on the
ordinary egg. That is generally exceedingly undemon-
strative, and sits under you in the most peaceable way,
till you suddenly find the small downy creature you have
been expecting emerge into innocent vitality. Not so
wath our egg. We have been experiencing incessant
progues and pokes and oscillations ; there have been
squeaks, and cries, and reports, and records, and some-
times we have even sat upon a Rock, though we never
found that as hard as you might expect. In fact, the Rock
was about the softest thing we encountered,' &c.

" We had an evening service at 6.30 and then dinner,
The Principal, King, came to dinner. He is a most
delightful person. I got a few nice private talks,
especially with Bishop Wordsworth and Mr. Hubbard."

CHAPTER VIII

RETREATS AND MISSIONS

In 1869 Retreats were far from common in the Church of
England, and had, unfortunately, been associated in men's
minds with the extreme Ritualistic party. Canon Wal-
sham How saw in them, and in parochial missions, ready
instruments for deepening and quickening the spiritual
life among clergy and laity, and was one of the first to
take a leading part in their promotion. He has left the
following note concerning a Retreat held at Whittington,
and conducted by Mr. King, the present Bishop of
Lincoln :

" A Retreat having been held at Llandyssil for two or
three years previously. Archdeacon Ffoulkes asked me to
allow of its being held at Whittington in the summer of
1869. I had so long felt that the great need of the Church
(and certainly not least in these parts) was the deepening
of the spiritual life in its members, both clerical and lay,
but especially clerical, that I could not refuse my consent.
I had already attended one Retreat of a somewhat infor-
mal character, and I knew from experience how precious
such times of retirement and instruction are to busy men.
I have since attended others, and, indeed, have (though
terribly unfit to do so) conducted one myself at the
Palace at Lichfield, and so blessed do I hold this instru-

96 Bishop Walsham How

mentality to be, that, if God spares me, I mean to
encourage this practice as far as I can, and to do what in
me Hes to rescue it from anj'thing of a party character.
No doubt, having been taken up by men of an extreme
school of Church opinion, it has aroused a certain amount
of suspicion in opposite quarters."

During this Retreat at Whittington he wrote the follow-
ing description of the addresses delivered :

" Mr. King's ' meditations ' — three daily, about half an
hour each — in church — are perfectly marvellous in their
searching of conscience, and probing of motives, and
knowledge of human nature and of spiritual things. They
are also exceedingly clever and thoughtful and interesting,
but his whole tone of personal holiness, with a loving,
beautiful brightness of manner, makes what he says to us
most touching and heart-stirring. I am sure he bows the
hearts of us often as one man, and few have had dry
eyes all the time."

In spite of a knowledge of Mr. How's character and
views, and in spite of the fact that during his eighteen
years at Whittington he had sought to be friends with his
brother clergy, and had ever borne himself humbly as one
who desired the welfare of others rather than of himself,
so bitter was the party feeling among some of the ultra-
Evangelicals that an attack, which would have been
outrageous if it had not been for its absurdity, was made
upon him in connection with this Retreat. The local
papers were full of letters crammed with abuse, and it was
freely stated that the gathering at Whittington was for
the purpose of secretly celebrating the Roman Mass.
A neighbouring clergyman, under the pseudonym of

Retreats and Missions 97

** Rusticiis," led the van in this attack ; but the intensity
of the opposition very quickly died away, and five years
afterwards the following letter appeared in the same paper
which had published those of " Rusticus : "

"Whittington Rectory, Dec. 9, 1874.
" Sir,

" Some years ago, when a Retreat was held at
Whittington, certain letters appeared in your paper, of
which I will say no more than that they were written in
entire ignorance of the subject they treated. That sub-
ject has become more familiar to men's minds since that
time, and one result has been that which I have more than
once earnestly pleaded for at Church Congresses — viz.,
that ' Retreats ' are becoming divested of all party charac-
ter. I have been quite sure from the first that the Evan-
gelical School in our Church would not long withhold
their approval from a means of spiritual strength so
blessed, and indeed so needful, in these days of many
labours and many controversies. If you can find room
for the enclosed letter of my friend Mr. E. H. Bickersteth,
with whom, as with the conductor, Mr. Thorold,* I have
had most interesting private correspondence on the
matter, I am sure your readers will be glad. I will only
add that the letter describes, in all main points, the object
and nature of our own observance at Whittington.

" I am, &c.,

" W. WALSHAM HOW."

Then follows the letter referred to, which gives an
account of an Evangelical Retreat held at Christ Church,
Hampstead.

One of the chief uses which Canon How made of

* Afterwards Bishop of Rochester, and then of Winchester,

G

98 Bishop Walsham How

Retreats was to make them part, whenever he could, of
the preparation of candidates for Ordination, and, when
Bishop of Wakefield, he always appointed at least one of
the days immediately preceding the Ordination to be
observed by the candidates as a " quiet day." But long
before that, when examining chaplain to Bishop Selwyn
of Lichfield, he introduced the plan and conducted the
Retreat himself. Again, when asked by his old vicar
(then Bishop of Rochester) to address the Ordination
candidates at Danbury, he tried the same method. There
are two interesting letters to his brother, written by him
at this time, which may be quoted here :

"Whittington Rectorv, Feb. 18, 1874.

" I am too full of work. [This was just after the London
Mission.] Next week I go to Danbury on Thursday to
conduct some services and meditations for the young
candidates for Ordination on the two last Ember days. I
preach in St. Paul's on March i (I tried, but could not
get out of it), and go to a mission at Stratford-on-Avon
for March 7 to 16. I have resolved never to take more
than two missions in one year. These come dreadfully
near together, and it takes it out of me too much to be
quite wholesome. It taxes spirit more than flesh with
me."

"Whittington Rectory, March 3, 1874.

" The attempt to make the last two Ember days a sort
of lax Retreat for the young candidates for Holy Orders
at Danbury was (I hope and think) very successful.

^(t fl? flP tp ^

" I want to tell you one thing which startled and moved
me much. On Friday I was alone with the Bishop, when

Retreats and Missions 99

he put his hands on my shoulders and said, ' Do you
know I have had a great disappointment about you.' I
could not tell what he meant till he told me that Lord
Selborne had promised him that I should have the
Canonry at Rochester, to which Dr. Miller was moved
from his at Worcester last year, but Gladstone had pledged
himself to Dr. Miller, so it could not be. I did not then
for an instant dream of what the dear Bishop meant, but
he burst into tears, folded me in his arms, and said, * And
then you would have been my suffragan, and it would
have made all the difference in the world to the rest of
my life.' It was very upsetting. Just think of my nearly
being his curate over again ! "

He continued to conduct Retreats and Quiet Days long
after he had ceased altogether to take an active part in
parochial missions. In fact, as lately as 1896, he con-
ducted a retreat at Workington, his grandfather's old
parish, and a warm letter of thanks from the Rural Dean
of Cockermouth and Workington has been found amongst
his papers. Probably the most anxious work of this kind
that ever fell to his lot was in 1891, when he was appointed
to give all the addresses at a gathering of bishops at
Lambeth. From this he shrank, overpowered by the
feeling of his own unfitness, but did not like to decline it,
although, as he wrote, the Archbishop's request filled him
with " great dismay and distress." His special qualifica-
tions for work of this kind were numerous. He always
felt himself to be the unworthiest of all, and therefore his
words gained force as expressions of his own difficulties
and needs. He was a master of simplicity of language,
making obscure and intricate matters plain. He was full
of love and sympathy, so that he repelled none, but rather

loo Bishop Walsham How

attracted the confidence of all, while his natural brightness
and humour prevented his addresses from ever being
monotonous or dull.

The following extract from a letter to his daughter,
Mrs. R. LI. Kenyon, written after conducting a Retreat at
Durham, gives some idea of the spirit in which he under-
took such things :

" Durham, July ii, 1886.

"The Retreat is over this morning. We had about
sixty-five clergy. The grand old Castle is a perfect place
for it, and the men seemed a very nice set. It is very
humbling work thus addressing so often such a set of
earnest men. It seems to turn one inside out, and make
one feel one's own wretched insufficiency. I could only
do it by trying to speak to my own soul as much as to
others. I am, however, very thankful for some evidence
of real help given to some of the men. Some I saw
privately were very nice and very grateful."

A much more recent letter written to the Rev. W. F.
Norris, Vicar of Almondbury, and brother to Mrs. F. D.
How, the Bishop's daughter-in-law, gives further evidence
of the spirit of humility in which Dr. Walsham How
undertook this class of work :

" I am groaning in despair at being kept from Bowden
this week. [He was to have conducted a Retreat for
clergy at that place, but was prevented by his doctor.]
I shall have to write all my addresses out in full, and send
them to be read. It is a terrible disappointment to me.
I was hoping so much to find the days very profitable to
myself."

Another agency for spiritual welfare which attracted

Retreats and Missions ioi

Walsham How's attention was that of Parochial Mis-
sions. As in the case of Retreats, so in this matter also,
he saw the usefulness of these special efforts before many
members of the Church of England were altogether
prepared to approve of them. The following entry made
by him in the Whittington Parish Papers, and dated 1873,
explains clearly his opinion :

" Missions have been used with great advantage for
long, both by Roman Catholics and by Dissenters. It is
only of late that the Church of England has begun to
recognise their power. They are, in fact, a sort of Church
' revival,' conducted generally (not always) upon sober
Church principles. In some particulars, especially in the
prayer-meetings, they startle, and even offend, old-
fashioned Church people of conservative instincts, but
they win souls for Christ, and deepen the reality and
earnestness of many. There can be no doubt at all that
God's blessing has attended them in numbers of places.
My own experience of those I have myself conducted,
leads me to believe that they may be the greatest possible
blessing to a parish. It is important to remember that all
parishes are not fit for a mission. There must be a
foundation of deep and true religion, and of genuine
Church feeling and life, to make a mission safe or
profitable."

In this year (1873) a mission was held at Whittington
by the Rev. F. Barker, now Rector of St. Giles' near
Salisbury, who was called upon at the last moment to
supply the place of the missioner who had promised to
conduct the work, but who was unavoidably prevented
from doing so. Writing about this mission, Mr. Barker
says : • •

I02 Bishop Walsham How

" After much hesitation I consented to do so {i.e., take the
missioner's place), and so began a friendship and a devotion on
my part which has lasted ever since. It was my first mission, and
I had to ask for guidance at every turn. What struck me then, and
has often struck me since, was the desire of the dear Bishop to
bring young men forward, in whom he thought he saw any apti-
tude for special work. In my own case, while always ready to
advise and help, he left me to do the work he had asked me to do,
with a free hand and with an entire trust. . . .

"When I think of the Bishop in connection with missions,
certain features of his work — shall I say of his character ? — stand
out at once before me. The first thing to strike one was the great
love of the man. He had a love for everything : not only for the
children in the village lanes, but for the birds and flowers in the
rectory garden. How well I remember, soon after his consecra-
tion, his meeting a little girl in the village, who dropped him a
curtsey and smiled up with a happy confidence into his face.
'Ah, Janey,' said the Bishop, 'what shall I do when I have no
little girls to make bob curtseys to me in London ? ' And this
great love of his entered into all he said and taught. His natural
theme seemed to be the love of God. . . .

"Another feature of his preaching was what, for want of a
better word, I must call ' subjectiveness.' His appeals were to
the heart and the conscience, and personal religion seemed always
the great end he had in view. This came out very markedly in
what was then called the ' after-meeting.' In these, at the
Whittington Mission, the Bishop (rector he was then) took his
part. He spoke with the utmost reverence and earnestness of
voice and manner, and begged the people to pray really for them-
selves, and while they remained upon their knees he would walk
quietly up and down the church, uttering words of help and
encouragement, such as 'Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief;
• Lord, I repent, help Thou mine impenitence ' ; and the like. On
the second or third evening he would speak to any one whom he
had noticed as present on some previous day, sometimes to find a
welcome, sometimes, I can remember, to meet with little encour-
agement. The after-meeting was purely devotional in its character,
and exhibited in a marked degree that subjectiveness to which I
have already referred. . . .

Retreats and Missions 103

" I shall always esteem it one of the greatest happinesses of my
life that I was permitted to begin my mission work under one,
and with one, who was so full of the Spirit of God, and who put
in the foremost place the sanctification of the individual soul."

The first mission conducted by Canon Walsham How
was the one held in the parish of North Malvern in 1872.
Canon C. J. Ridgeway, now of Christ Church, Lancaster
Gate, was then vicar of the parish, and gives the following
interesting account :

"The mission held in 1872 by the late Bishop of Wakefield,
then Rector of Whittington, still lives, I know, in the memory of
many. He was a complete stranger to me, except by his writings,
when I wrote and asked him to conduct a mission in my parish.
His answer was characteristic of the man. ' He had never,' he
said, ' done such a thing, and greatly distrusted his fitness for the
work ; but if he could be of any use to a brother, specially to one
young in the ministry, he would, God helping him, do his best.'

" Assisted by the late Canon Howell Evans (then Vicar of
Oswestry), he entered on the work with the humility and holiness
which were inseparable from him. His methods were simple, but
carefully thought out. There was no sensationalism, but they
were marked by a quiet earnestness. His mission sermons on the
evening of each day were pointed but persuasive. The after-
meetings, always conducted by himself, were quiet and reverent,
free from excitement but most impressive. His personal dealing
with souls was wise and healthy.

" The most striking feature of the mission was his instructions
each morning on the spiritual life. They told of a wide experience,
and a deep sympathy with the longings and difficulties of others,
and I know many, some now at rest in Paradise, others still
' toiling in rowing ' (the text of his closing sermon) here below,
who were helped to live closer to God, and to persevere more
hopefully.

" Looking back on this mission, as one who has himself since
then conducted many missions, I am much struck by the wisdom
with which he planned the arrangements, for in those early days
he had httle or nothing to guide him."

104 Bishop Walsham How

Among the Bishop's papers after his death was found
one inscribed with the following touching lines, which
refer to this mission at North Malvern.

"To a child of four years old (' Una'), who was a great
delight to me in my few spare moments during an eight
days' mission which I conducted in her father's parish."

" Parvula quam felix lusus agit Una, laboruin
Nescia ! Pernici me pede Cura premit !
Vox tamen ignotas pellit tua garrula curas,
Subditus et risu fit levis, Una, labor."

This has been happily translated by Canon Foxley
Norris as follows :

" Little Una ! with your gambols

Ah ! how happily you play,
Nothing knowing of the labours.

Nor the cares which on me weigh.
Cares pursuing, swiftly, sadly.

Haunt me, but your merry voice
With the music of its chatter

Makes my weary heart rejoice.
Chasing thoughts you cannot dream of.

Little Una, far away,
While the toil your laughter conquers

Sweetly turns from grave to gay ! "

Until 1878 his parish work at Whittington was greatly
broken into, though not lessened, by missions which he
conducted elsewhere. In 1873, besides the one in his own
parish, there were those at Malvern and Brighstone ; in
1874 at Christ Church, Albany Street, during the London
Mission of that year, and at Stratford-on-Avon ; in 1875
at Wolstanton, and at Holy Cross (the Abbey) and St.
Giles', Shrewsbury ; in 1876 at Berkhamstead ; in 1877 at
St. John's, Chester, and at Minchinhampton ; and in 1878
at Warminster. After his consecration the only mission

Retreats and Missions 105

he conducted was that at Hackney during the London
Mission of 1884.

Of these it will be sufficient to refer to that at Christ
Church, Albany Street, in 1874.

The Rev. E. B. Penfold, now Vicar of St. Michael's,
Camden Town, was at that time one of the assistant clergy
of the parish under Canon Burrows, the vicar. Mr.
Penfold remembers how, when Canon Walsham How
proposed a somewhat long list of services, he did so with
the remark " giving addresses never tires me."

In a mission address delivered in St. Paul's Cathedral
in 1884, when he was Bishop of Bedford, he referred to
this mission, saying :

"A man came to me in the last London Mission, when
I was conducting the mission at Christ Church, Albany
Street. He was a middle-aged man of business, and he said
to me, ' Oh ! sir, my trouble is my prayers. I want to pray
to God, but when I kneel down it seems to me as if the
devil was busiest. I cannot collect my thoughts ; I can-
not find any warmth and fervour. Oh, tell me, sir, is
prayer to be a failure ? ' This he said with all intensity and
earnestness. Well, poor fellow, of course I tried to com-
fort him, and I prayed with him. I hope he found more
help afterwards. I cannot tell. I never heard more of
him. But when a man comes to one in that way, one at
once looks at one's own prayers, and asks oneself, ' Do /
pray so fervently ? Do I even long to pray so fervently ? ' "

From these last words it is evident that he felt it spe-
cially necessary to keep a strict watch upon his own life
while engaged in mission work. The necessity of this
was enforced upon him by a letter from Archdeacon

io6 Bishop Walsh am How

Norris of Bristol, a close friend of many years standing,
to the following effect :

"Jan. 7, 1874.
" My dear Walsham How,

" If you were here (how I wish you were !) I should venture
to whisper * Is it well, this constant forcing to the surface of your
very deepest emotions ? ' I mean * well for your own spiritual
self?' But who and what am I to speak so to you? Only I
should so dread it for myself, such frequent mission engagements,
developing disproportionately (it must be) the emotional half of
one's finely strung nature. . . .

" It were too bad to try and urge you to come here in the face
of such a Lent of labour.

"God bless you,

•' Ever thine,

"J. P. N."

It was surely the humility, marking all he said and did,
which saved him from the dangers suggested in this
affectionate letter.

But to return to the Christ Church, Albany Street,
Mission. Another of the clergy then working under Canon
Burrows was the Rev. F. La Trobe Bateman, now Vicar
of St. John's, Upper Norwood, who has contributed the
following graphic account of Canon Walsham How's
mission work, and with his words this subject may be
fittingly concluded. He says :

" My first knowledge of the late Bishop of Wakefield's work as
a mission priest was in the year 1874, when he took the mission
at Christ Church, St. Pancras, where I was at that time one of the
assistant priests. This was in the early days of missions. If I
may venture to say so, it was not so much his brilliant oratory as
his simple affectionate earnestness, the largeness of his sympathy,
and the sunniness of his smile, which won our hearts en masse.
Children looked at him, listened to him for a minute or two, and
loved him ever afterwards. Young priests, somewhat ecclesiasti-

Retreats and Missions 107

cally and doctrinally strained, became quiet and natural again
under the influence of his personality. The laity were strangely
attracted by the naturalness and humanity of the man, a humanity
enriched indeed by the beauty of personal holiness, but intensely
and refreshingly human for all that.

" He was good enough to associate me in missions with himself
on several occasions subsequent to that mission in London.
There stand out in my memory with special vividness two of these
missions, at Stratford-on-Avon and at Warminster. We were
indeed at different churches, though in the same towns ; but we
used to meet daily. Never shall I forget the humility and self-
forgetfulness which shone out in those little morning meetings for
prayer and ' comparing of notes.' One thing always puzzled him,
how to deal with morbid and despondent people. ' What do you
do ? ' he used to ask of me, his subaltern. Morbidness was so
altogether contrary to his own bright faith in God. And I
have reason to know that it was this very fact which made him
specially helpful to the morbid. It shamed them out of their
self-introspection .

" I think that his special success in mission work lay rather in
his ' instructions ' and * after-meetings ' than in the mission sermon
proper. He used to feel this himself. The pulpit is associated
with a certain amount of formality ; but down in the nave, one
can speak heart to heart. And to that mission priest the hearts
of his audience answered back. I have notes of some ' Mission
Instructions ' of his lying before me now. It seems but as
yesterday that he talked to us : yet twenty-five years have elapsed
since then. There he stood, in that London church, on the
chancel step {I never remember him, in his missions, making use
of the modern chair), and he started with the words, ' The begin-
ning, the middle, and the end of the spiritual life is self-surrender
to God.' The words caught hold of us all. With that unerring
human instinct which is hardly ever at fault, and which to myself
constitutes one of the deepest mysteries in human nature, we knew
perfectly well that the man who began with that sentence was
himself ' self-surrendered.' It was his frequent custom to conclude
his missions with a meditation on ' the Mount of Transfiguration,'
in the course of the final celebration of the Holy Eucharist. ' We
will go up with Thee, our Master, to purer regions : we wish to

io8 Bishop Walsham How

ascend the mountain with Thee, but our steps are so faltering,
our faith is so dim.' And then his last simple words, ' Many have
made and signed formal resolutions, many others have made them,
but not written them down. Let us offer them to our God before
this altar. We will pause after the words " We offer and present
unto Thee ..." Then we will offer them to Him, and pray
that He may accept them, and give us grace to do them. I com-
mend you all to that grace of God. I shall never forget you, nor
this week. I shall always intercede for you, and I ask you to do
for me the same act. Will you sometimes ask for me that God
may strengthen me to do my work for souls more faithfully ; that
I may be more ready to help others ; that we may all meet at the
last on that Mount of Transfiguration, where we shall together
see Him in His glory.' Very simple it was, but therein lay its
power. It is not to be wondered at that, when he ceased, there
was hardly a dry eye in the church.

"He never, in his missions, preached confession with the same
directness that most missioners adopt at the present day ; but, for
all that, a considerable number of people sought him out for this
purpose in all the missions that he took ; and a very large number
of others came to him for advice and help. He had no need to
invite them to come, they came of their own accord. They knew
that a man of God was in their midst, and that God had sent him
to them.

" I have known many mission priests. More brilliant mission
preachers there have been and are. But for helpfulness, and ten-
derness in dealing with souls, and entire healthiness of teaching,
and bright attractiveness of personality, the dear Bishop of Wake-
field (the ' Canon Walsham How ' of the old mission days) stands
alone — at least in the affections of the writer."

CHAPTER IX

EARLIEST SUGGESTION OF EAST LONDON

The last seven or eight years of Canon Walsham How's
life at Whittington were exceedingly busy ones. To take
one year as an example : in 1875 he took two missions,
one in Wolverhampton and the other in Shrewsbury.
He conducted Retreats at Bowdon and at Hawarden.
He took the Ember addresses at a gathering of clergy
in Market Harborough. He addressed Lay Church
Workers in St. Paul's Cathedral. He spent several days
in speaking to the candidates for Ordination at Ely in
May, and at Lincoln in December, preaching the Ordi-
nation sermon in each case. He spent four days at
Bangor giving " meditations " to a large gathering of
clergy. He visited St. Asaph for meetings of the Diocesan
Societies. He attended Convocation, and committees on
the Lectionary and on the Rubrics. He preached twice at
Great Yarmouth, and three times on one day at Bradford,
while on Sunday, December 9, he gave four addresses
and one sermon in Worcester Cathedral. He attended
and spoke at the Stoke Church Congress. In August
he had a good holiday at Barmouth, and yet, with all
these multifarious engagements, his parochial visits at
Whittington kept up to the high weekly average of
twenty-two for the fifty-two weeks, and they were not

no Bishop Walsham How

merely "calls" (these he hardly counted), but visits for
advice, reading, and prayer, by a faithful parish priest.

This will give some idea of how work was pressing
upon him more and more until he took up the greatest
work of his life in 1879.

Meantime some few letters may find a place, written
during these years upon various subjects :

"Whittington Rectory, Dec. 13, 1873.

" My dear Brother,

" I was very glad of your brotherly greeting this
morning [his birthday]. I thank you for it. It always
cheers me up. At fifty one's look is a good deal back-
wards, and these greetings wake up memories of dear
old times. As I passed the Stone House on Thursday I
looked at the windows, and thought of the old 'book-
room,' and the * play-room,' and the strange old days
when we were little chaps playing at ball against the
jessamine. Oh, how the years run by ! It will soon be
over, 'and then ? ' well, I hope then we shall be allowed
to remember old times still — only better than we do
now."

"Whittington Rectory, April 19, 1875.

" I went on Friday evening with Mr. John Oakley, of
St. Saviour's, Hoxton (S. S. H. of Church Bells), to Moody
and Sankey, and was agreeably surprised. It was a most
marvellous sight to see 20,000 people packed in the
Agricultural Hall ; and the singing of the hymns by such
a mass of voices was very grand, though the tunes were,
of course, rather secular. It did not sound the least
secular. Mr. Moody preached a very simple, but vivid,
almost dramatic. Passion sermon — a sort of historical

Earliest Suggestion of East London hi

narrative of the Passion, interspersed with httle pointed
appHcations. It was very Hke a sermon of Mr. Body's
I have heard, though simpler, and with less rhetoric and
less excitement. It was quite a Passion service, begin-
ning with * Rock of Ages,' and most suitable for a Friday
evening, to which he even alluded."

In the course of a letter to his brother as to conducting
a men's Bible class, written in 1876, he says :

" I should say they (the men) should not be kept more
than an hour altogether. The real difficulty is just what
you name — to make it interesting and helpful. I should
read about half an hour of the Bible, talking as much
as possible about various points, and giving all the illus-
trations I could. I should ask them whether they would
like to read in turn, or for you only to read, and ask them
to ask questions, saying you will try to get answers if you
cannot answer at once. Afterwards I should read with
them some book for about twenty minutes. That abbre-
viation of Patteson's life, called 'A Fellow Soldier,' would
do. So would the life of Hedley Vicars, some of Smiles'
books, &c. It is a great thing, when you can, to break the
reading with a little familiar talk, especially out of your
own experience — i.e.y of things that have happened to you,
places you have seen, &c. Try, too, to be sympathetic and
friendly with them. You need not fear the appearance of
superiority. Tell them you want to learn and study with
them, but somebody must lead, or they would have a
Quakers' meeting."

The following extracts from letters to some of his
curates. at Whittington are also of interest.

112 Bishop Walsham How

[To Rev. F. G. I., as to his coming to Whittington.']

^'Dec. 14, 1870.

" I certainly fear you will be disappointed here. Please
do not raise your hopes too high. . . . You will find
much very unsatisfactory here. Former curates have set
in motion some good plans of work, and I can go on
pretty well in a groove, but I am constantly feeling my
want of real success in many ways. When I try to
decide in what I get on best, I fear I must come to the
humiliating conclusion that it is in visiting old women.
I don't win the confidence of young men. They feel me
cold and reserved. And with the squirearchy I am
cowardly, and do not speak out my mind as I ought. In
fact, while I am busy enough, I doubt if I do any part
of my work thoroughly. You will soon see this, and I
cannot ask you too strongly not to think of me as an
exemplary or successful parish priest. As to the time of
your coming, I should not like to put your good vicar to
any inconvenience, yet I shall be thankful to have your
help whenever you can be spared. And now I must say
good night. I trust and pray God's blessing may be upon
this decision."

[To the same.^

"Whittington, March 30, 1871.

" I am rather sorry you will come to us for the idle
time of year first. I am working pretty hard now, and
got through fifty-seven pastoral visits last week, the most
I ever did in any one week, except just when I was first
making acquaintance with the parish."

Earliest Suggestion of East London 113

[7b the same, concerning the revision of the Lectionary.'\

"'WnvmnGTO'ii, January 1871.

" What I feel as even more important than the details
of the scheme (important as these are) is the manner in
which it may possibly be made law. It seems to me it
would be very wrong and unconstitutional to force it
upon us without the concurrence of both Convocations,
and I believe no such concurrence has been accorded by
York. Church legislation is a great puzzle at present,
and most unsatisfactory."

^ % ^ ^ ^

"The course I should like best would be that a
sensible joint Committee of the two Convocations, con-
sisting of men generally approving the new Lectionary,
but quarrelling with its defects of detail, could be
nominated, that they would agree upon a schedule of
suggestions for improvements of details, and that the
Royal Commission could be revivified to receive and
consider (and, one would hope, adopt) these suggestions.
Then that both Houses of Convocation in both Pro-
vinces should give their assent to the amended Lec-
tionary before the Houses of Parliament are asked to do
so. This is, I know, a visionary dream, and I suppose
hardly one of the steps I have named could practically
be taken."

[7J? the same, on his engagement^

" We are so very glad to hear the good news, and we
all most warmly congratulate you. R. D. once said that
there were two things indispensable to an engagement,
which he never could acquire, and the non-possession of
which was fatal to all his hopes. The first was an un-

H

114 Bishop Walsham How

limited sense of inferiority, and the second an unlimited
capacity for letter-writing. I trust you are making pro-
gress in both these branches of education."

[To the Rev. D. P. J. E.]

''May 1870.
" My dear E.,

" I think you will be interested to hear what I
heard to-day from the Bishop of Llandaff (Ollifant) about
our new bishop.* He was on our Committee, which was
a joint Committee of the two Houses, and at lunch time
I asked him if Llandovery was in his diocese. He said,
' No, but I know it very well, and Mr. Hughes is a great
friend of mine.' So I had a talk about him, and he told
me we should like him very much, for, though a decided
Evangelical, he is by no means a party man. ... So I
do trust he will be a good bishop.
" Good-night.

" Yours ever affectionately,

"Wm. walsham how."

\To the same^ ivhen Vicar of Carmarthen!]

" I have for some time had a vision of a visit to you,
and my idea was to persuade you to take me to see
St. David's. I have seen all the cathedrals except that
and Canterbury. I cannot possibly come in Lent, having
refused many others, since my almanack was as full as I
can let it be for that season, so I can make no definite
plans. But it would be great fun if we could have a run
of two or three days, and get a little fishing as well as see
your cathedral. Mrs. How came home from Barmouth
for Christmas, having kept up well so far, but this very
* Of St. Asaph.

Earliest Suggestion of East London 115

cold weather has been too much for her, and she has
been laid up for the last few days with bronchitis."

During all these last years at Whittington, and, indeed,
more or less until her death in 1887, Mrs. How suffered
greatly from bronchitis and asthma. Probably the
severity of these attacks was increased by her courageous
determination to continue her parochial work, and
especially her nursing of the sick. At times, however,
she became so ill that protracted residence in other
climates became necessary, and thus we find that the
winters were usually spent at Barmouth, or Cannes, or
some other resort recommended by her doctors.

In 1877 Canon How's diaries show the following entries :

" May 7. F. very ill, the worst day perhaps she ever had."
"May 13. F. came downstairs, the first time since
October, except for journeys."

It is not, therefore, surprising to find that on Novem-
ber I of that year they started for Cannes, where Canon
How acted as assistant chaplain.

This visit marks an interesting period, for it was then
ihat the idea of the East London work was first pre-
sented to him, although it was not until eighteen months
afterwards that he was actually consecrated Bishop
Suffragan. Extracts from letters of this period will give
the circumstances in the best possible way.

[To Mrs. W. W. Douglas.]
" Private.

"Cannes, Feb. 19, 1878.
" My dearest Sister,

" I want your loving and wise advice, and William's
.too, in a matter which is causing us much anxiety to-day,

ii6 Bishop Walsham How

but which you will, of course, not talk about to others.
I had seen in the newspapers some vague notions of a
scheme for a bishopric for East London, but had no idea
it had taken any definite shape, or was among actual
probabilities, till last night, when I received a letter from
Mr. Maclagan, asking me, in the name of the Bishop of
London, whether I could see my way to accepting this
most difficult and responsible post. He gives me no
particulars of any sort, and I do not even know what the
proposed status would be, but I presume simply that of
Suffragan to the Bishop of London. It is not an
attractive sphere, except as presenting a field for hard
self-denying work. But I want to abstain from naming
any of the pros and cons, which come crowding into our
minds, that I may have your fresh unbiased opinion
upon the momentous question. I am writing for more
information, partly as a means for obtaining more time,
and I know I shall have your prayers that I may be
guided aright. I am also consulting the Bishop of St.
Albans [Claughton], partly because his own brother*
would seem to be so obvious a man, being on the spot,
that I should wish to understand how matters stand in
regard to him."

[To Rev. H. W. Burrows, aftenvards Canon of Rochester^

^'■Private.

"Cannes, Feb. 21, 1878.

" I saw Plumptre here as he passed through the other
day. He had not then had the offer of the professorship,
but a rumour has come since to the effect that it has
been offered to him. But rumours at Cannes are such
treacherous things. Fancy you, in your kindly hearty

* Bishop Piers Claughton.

Earliest Suggestion of East London 117

thinking of me ! Why, I should not dream of such a
thing for a moment, even were they deluded into such
an insane idea as to offer it. I am totally unfit through
ignorance. . . . But I must come to the reason for head-
ing my letter ' private,' as I am anxious for your kind
counsel in a very serious matter. The same post which
brought your letter, in which you speak of the rumour of
Gregory being Suffragan for East London, brought me
one from Maclagan asking me, for the Bishop, if I could
see my way to consenting to be nominated for the
post. I know I am very unfit for such a position, but I
suppose it is right to some extent to let others judge in
such a case, and Maclagan, who knows me very inti-
mately, presses it upon me. He tells me nothing what-
ever about it, and I have written to ask him for as full
particulars as he can get me. It is very possible it would
involve such a loss of income as I could not afford with
all my sons (four still under education), but, supposing
that difficulty removed, I am still in sore perplexity.
Were I to think of myself alone it would be no very
great sacrifice to give up our delightful country home,
and to live and work in the East of London. But for
my dear wife it would be terrible. She would be buried
there (even if, as Maclagan says, we were to get a house
at Clapton or Stoke Newington), without friends, and
without the sort of people round, rich or poor, of whom
she could make new friends. At home she has so
many dear friends of various ranks that in all her illnesses
she was never lonely. I fear she is never likely to be
strong again, and, though she says she is quite ready to
make the sacrifice, it is so great a one that I do not know
whether I ought to allow her to make it. It would of
course be a very great change for N. [his daughter], but

ii8 Bishop Walsham How

she says it would be far grander than a regular bishopric
with a comfortable palace and good society. I shall be
truly thankful for any thoughts that strike you in the
matter. I do really wish to do simply what is right and
for God's glory, but He has given me my wife and
children, and I dare not leave them out of the considera-
tion. You will pray, too, that I may be guided aright.
Write as soon as you can, please. Mrs. How has been
less well of late, and has had a tedious, though not
severe, attack of asthma, lasting eight or ten days now.
I think the anxiety of this matter makes it worse."

The following was the Bishop of St. Albans' character-
istically affectionate reply to the letter seeking his
advice :

" Danbory, Feb. 22.

"Ml CARE HOVI,

"I am most thankful, and so will my brother Piers be,
for the solution of the Eastern Question. I am not so sure that
it is a Suffragafi. It may be a bond Jide Episcopus Orientalis, and
you will be my next door neighbour. I don't think it will make
any difference to Piers, except the very desirable difference of his
having less work. But that you should be the vir desigtiafus will
be a delight to him as it is to me. I will write more fully on
Monday ; meanwhile, mi care Hovi, do not hesitate to accept
the position. It is not necessary that you should have great
influence with the roughs. It is the clergy who are most to be
considered. And they will all cleave to you. Mind, it may be a
Suffragan after all. I know nothing really about that, but I know
my brother is favourable to the idea.

" Ever yours affectionately,

"T. L. St. ALBANS."

That from the Rev. H. W. Burrows contained the
following passages :

Earliest Suggestion of East London 119

"3 Chester Place, Regent's Park, Feh. 25.

"My dear How,

" I think you are admirably fitted to be a bishop in
London, and would be acceptable to all. I know of no one so
much to be desired for the post, and, as it is somewhat of an
experiment, it is very important that the person first appointed
should win confidence. . . .

" I advise you to say that you consent. My wife sends her
love ; she is much obliged to you for letting her hear about it.
She cannot venture to give advice, but it has to her clearly the

sound of a call.

" Yours affectionately,

"H. W. BURROWS."

In answer to this, Canon How wrote:

''Feb. 27, 1878.

" You think and speak, in your kindliness of heart, far
too favourably of me, and your words make me ashamed
of myself, as so little like them."

It was during this visit to Cannes that Canon How first
made friends with Miss Jean Ingelow, a friendship lasting
till their lives ended so nearly at the same time, almost
the last public act on his part being to take the service at
her funeral. Another friendship formed there was that
with the Crosbie family, and before leaving Cannes he
was to receive the print of " St. Augustine and Monica,"
which hung in his library at Wakefield afterwards.

\^To his sisfer.]

"Cannes, March 11, 1878.

" The other day Nellie and I were at five o'clock tea at
Lord Courtown's, when Lord Brougham, whom I had
not met before, came up to me and shook my hand,

120 Bishop Walsham How

saying, ' Well, Cumberland, and how are you ? ' He
then began to talk of my grandfather, the Lawsons, &c.
He is brother to the great Lord Brougham who invented
Cannes.

" N. and I have been to a very pleasant five o'clock tea
(the Lenten dissipation) to-day at Lady Plunkett's, where
we met all sorts of nice people, among them the nice,
gentle Jean Ingelow, Mrs. Pollock (the Geranium) with
her very pretty daughter, herself even prettier, and C.
One of the nicest families here are the Crosbies (no title
for a wonder ! )."

[To Rev. H. W. Burrows.]

"Cannes, March 26, 1878.

" The other [day in giving an address I illustrated my
subject by a description of Ary Scheffer's picture of ' St.
Augustine and Monica,' and I was told afterwards that
the lady who sat for Monica was in church. I have
since received from her a present of a beautiful print of
the picture."

But things were far from being settled yet. The
formation of a Suffragan Bishopric for East London
depended on a good many different people. The consent
of the Crown had to be obtained, and that meant con-
siderable delay. Further, the scheme could not, as at
first contemplated, be carried out without the generous
contributions of certain wealthy London laymen. This
became, in the end, unnecessary, the income of a city
living being afterwards devoted to the purpose ; but at
first this condition of things appeared likely to prove
fatal to the selection of Canon Walsham How for the
post, inasmuch as one of the most liberal contributors to

Earliest Suggestion of East London 121

the proposed fund objected to his appointment. This is
explained in the subjoined letter to the Rev. H. W.
Burrows, and some idea is given of the attraction which
East London work had from the first for the future
Bishop.

" Whittington, May 11, 1878,

" My dear Burrows,

" It is all over, so far as I am concerned, with
regard to East London. It appears (I hope I am not
revealing secrets, but you will not talk about it) that one
of the chief promoters of the scheme, upon whose money
much depends, does not wish to have me. I hope they
will make a much better selection, if the scheme takes
effect at all. I am a little disappointed, for I had been
planning in my mind various schemes of usefulness, and
hoping to go among the overburdened and often dis-
heartened clergy of East London as a brother, giving
them a helping hand, encouraging, and gathering them
together, and perhaps brightening their too dreary life
and work a little. It seemed to me a very grand work,
and a very real work, with no show or luxury about it,
and, were it not for my family, I think I should prefer it
to any post I can think of."

When Mr. Maclagan was appointed to be Bishop of
Lichfield it appears that he was anxious to be succeeded
by his friend. Canon Walsham How, at Kensington, for we
find the following passage in a letter from the latter dated
from Whittington Rectory, May 21, 1878.

" I may venture to name to you that one of the members
of the Cabinet (Lord Cranbrook) told Archdeacon
Ffoulkes that he thought the probability of my moving

122 Bishop Walsham How

on before long would be a bar to my being selected for
Kensington, which Mr. Maclagan was very anxious for.
Kensington would be a much happier resting-place than
any * moving on ' could bring one to. However, it is a
bad thing to be speculating about the future, and I trust
all these kind wishes about East London and Kensington
may not unsettle me. I am buckling-to to my old steady
work here pretty well."

Immediately after the temporary disappointment about
East London his thoughts were turned in another direc-
tion by the offer of the Vicarage of Windsor with a
Readership to the Queen.

[To his second son?\

"Whittington Rectory, May 27, 1878.

" Monday night.
" My dear Harry,

" I am offered the Vicarage of Windsor with

a Readership to the Queen. Mr. Maclagan presses me

not to decline without going to see it, and the Dean of

Windsor asks me to go and see him and talk it over. So

I am going to run up to town to-morrow evening, and

mean to take mother by surprise, talk it over with her,

run down to Windsor by the 10.30 train on Wednesday

morning and take notes of all things. . . . The question

as to Windsor will turn on its healthiness for the mother.

In no other respect does it offer much attraction, but the

Dean says the vicarage is a good house and high up.

The population is 7000. The Readership does not involve

much, the Dean says, just a sermon now and then.

" Good night,

" Your loving father,

"Wm. walsham how.

Earliest Suggestion of East London 123

" P.S. — Tuesday morning. A letter from mother,
very much against Windsor, so I expect it will come to
nothing."

The expectation contained in this P.S. was fulfilled,
and Whittington kept its rector for yet another year, in
spite of various attempts to lure him away. Thus he
received the following letter from the Bishop of Win-
chester containing an offer that at first tempted him
greatly.

" Farnham Castle, Sept. 14, 1871.

"My dear Mr. Walsham How,

" In 'the Diocese of Winchester it is proposed to
establish a mission machinery for the evangelising the great towns
of the diocese. Portsmouth, Aldershot, &c., are in great want
of more help than the regular parochial machinery can give
them. ... It has been arranged to have a mission house at
Winchester, with a canon residentiary at its head, the missionary
clergy to be sent from thence to work where it is thought their
work is most needed and will be accepted. It is wished much
that lay workers, male and female, should be associated to the
house and the work : young men training to be clergymen,
deaconesses, mission women, &c, I do not know whether you
would be willing to undertake the guidance and management of
such a work, taking the canonry (about ^800 or ;^9oo a year
and a good house) as your payment or provision and your locus
standi. If you would, I feel sure that the diocese would gain
much by your accession to it, and that the mission would be
likely to succeed under your care and direction. Will you kindly
consider this and reply as soon as you can? The maturing of the
scheme has already kept the canonry too long vacant.

" Believe me,

" Ever very sincerely yours,

"E. H. WINTON."

This offer caused its recipient considerable anxiety, and

124 Bishop Walsham How

it was not until after a close inquiry into the proposed
scheme that he finally decided upon its impossibility.

[J^rom E. F. How {Ais daughter)^ to one of her brothers^

" Has father told you of this new offer ? The Bishop of Win-
chester has offered him a canonry with the headship of the
Wilberforce Memorial Mission College. Father is rather smitten
with the idea of the work. ... I hear that the Bishop of Lichfield,
Mr. John Oakley, and others are pressing him very strongly to
undertake it, and the doctor's report of the climate for asthma is
fairly satisfactory."

\From W. W. H. to his sister.]

" Whittington, Sept. 15, 1878.

" I am again in a trouble of doubt. This morning's
post has brought me a most kind letter from the Bishop
of Winchester offering me the vacant canonry in his
cathedral with the headship of the Wilberforce Memorial
Mission House, which is at once to be transplanted to
Winchester. It is in many ways an attractive offer, but I
fear Winchester is very low and flat and damp. It would
not do to take F. [Mrs. How] to live there if it is un-
healthy. Do give me any help towards deciding."

[To the same.]

" The Deanery, Winchester,

" Oa. I, 1878.

"The Bishop has been here all day to-day,and after much
talk with him I have finally declined to come here. My
reason is that I think the scheme for the Mission House
quite impracticable. I have not time to tell you all about
it now. Much here is exceedingly attractive ; but I am
glad the suspense is over."

Earliest Suggestion of East London 125

There was to be yet one more attempt in this year to
induce him to accept preferment. Several of the clergy
in Jamaica, on learning of their bishop's proposed retire-
ment, wrote to him requesting that he would allow him-
self to be nominated for the See. As in the case of other
colonial offers this was at once declined with an expres-
sion of gratitude for the kind thought of him. Mrs. How's
bad health and the education of a large family of sons
always proved sufficient barriers to his undertaking per-
manent work out of England.

CHAPTER X

APPOINTMENT TO EAST LONDON

Early in 1879 the subject of East London was brought
again to the front. The Bishop of London found himself
with the valuable living of St. Andrew's Undershaft in St.
Mary Axe in the city at his disposal, and at once proposed
to utilise the income as the stipend of a suffragan bishop,
provided that the consent of the Crown were obtained.
Being no longer hampered by having to consult the
wishes of those who would have, under other circum-
stances, provided the necessary funds, the Bishop at once
offered the post of bishop suffragan for East London to
Canon Walsham How in the following letter :

" London House, St. James's Square, S.W.

March 3, 1879.
" My DEAR Canon,

" I know that when Bishop Maclagan was with you
at Cannes last year he had some conversation with you about a
proposal for a suffragan bishop to take charge of the eastern
portion of London, and he then thought that you might not be
indisposed to accept it. Some misunderstandings afterwards
arose, and some indiscreet talk outdoors threw obstacles in the
way, and the matter dropped. The project has, however, lately
revived, and one most munificent offer made it probable that in
twelve months or so it might be carried out. But now the death
of my old friend F. Blomfield has put the matter entirely into

Appointment to East London 127

my own hands, subject only to the consent of the Crown. The
living of St. Andrew's Undershaft in the City of London is worth
^^2500 net, after paying Queen Ann's Bounty and other outgoings,
and as the population was only 580 in 187 1, and can scarcely
be 400 now, of whom none are poor, a curate's stipend is the only
other deduction, excepting, however, the possible rent of a house.

I am not, however, without hope that a house in a suitable and
healthy situation may be provided free.

" I now, therefore, ask whether you would be disposed to help
me in the work of this unwieldy diocese, and that in a part where
from various circumstances many of the parishes are spiritually
in a very depressed and unsatisfactory state. It would not be fair
to conceal the difficulty of the work ; but that God's blessing
would be on it, when undertaken, as you would undertake it, in
a spirit of pious self-distrustful earnestness, I do not for a moment
doubt.

" As the Crown has not yet been approached on the subject,
and there is some jealousy about reckoning too confidently on the
Queen's pleasure, I must ask you kindly not to mention this except
in confidence. I may say that both Bishop Maclagan and Mr,
Wilkinson of St. Peter's, Pimlico, are very anxious that you should
undertake this work.

" Believe me to be,

" Sincerely yours,

"J. LONDON."

This proposal was kept secret, for the ultimate appoint-
ment would of course remain with the Crown, but in spite
of all precautions the fact became known, and paragraphs
appeared in several papers, with the ultimate result of still
further delaying the settlement of the business. But before
these were published, the Bishop-designate could not resist
mystifying some members of his family as to what was
going on. For instance, on March 5, he [writes to one
of his sons, and says (referring to St. Andrew's Under-
shaft) :

128 Bishop Walsham How

" I have been offered a very good living further south,
with only 400 population, and think of accepting it.
What should you think of your old father settling down
in a parish with that population to spend his declining
years in idleness ? I really mean that I shall probably
take it."

Ten days later he writes to the same son, and says :

" Dearest Harry.

" It is too bad to keep you mystified so long.
The truth is that I thought I should be able to tell you
something definite by this time, but it seems it may be
weeks before the question will be finally settled, so I cannot
let you remain in suspense all that time, and am now going
felem de sacco liberare. The long and the short of it is
the Bishop of London has offered me St. Andrew's Under-
shaft, a city living, with a population of about 400, and an
income of ;£25oo. Of course you will guess that this means
that I am to be Bishop of East London. (N.B. — You must
by no means let anybody else get a sight of even pussy's ear
or the tip of her tail.) I have consented, after consulta-
tion with the Bishop of Lichfield and the dear mother, and
now the Bishop of London is applying to the Crown for
their sanction of the scheme, and when that is obtained he
will submit my name, which also requires the approval of
the Crown. All this takes much time, and the Bishop writes
that it may be difficult to get at the Queen about it just at
present, so we must be patient. It is such a comfort to

learn that Mr. who had offered ^^ 10,000 towards

the fund on condition of having Canon Gregory, a few
weeks ago withdrew his condition and offered the sum
with the knowledge that the Bishop would select me. It
would have taken a year or so to get up the subscription

Appointment to East London 129

and complete the scheme, but now the Bishop is quite
independent, and no subscription is needed, as, on Canon
Blomfield's death, he at once resolved (if the Crown con-
sents) to endow the suffragan bishopric with that living.
There is a curate in charge, and the church is in excellent
order. There is hardly any parochial work. The house
will not do, and that will be one of the first things to look
out for. I am going up on Monday to see the Bishop of
London and talk it all over. I shall be at London House,
St. James's Square, till Wednesday. It is a tremendous
responsibility, and the work will be very heavy, and, I
fear, very disheartening. The Church is noivhcre in East
London. God grant I may have grace and strength to
do some little good, and at least to cheer and encourage
the poor broken-down clergy there. The mother is so
good about it, and the daughter, of course, takes the
noblest view of it. But oh ! how one finds out one's love
for dear old Whittington 1 No time for more. Mother
pretty well. Such a perfect day to-day !

" Your loving father,

"Wm. vvtalsham how."

Mrs. How was ready, as ever, to take her part in all
her husband's anxieties, and writing from Barmouth on
March 5 says :

" I wish I could say anything to help you. I feel myself that
the work at the east of London is what you could do, and
that God is calling you to do it. We must not give one thought
as to whether we should like to live there or not. If God permits
us to be together, we shall be happy anywhere. I can only pray
God to direct you right. I am so thankful you are with the dear
good Bishop [Lichfield]. He has the Master's work so much at
heart that I am sure he will try to give the best advice."

I

130 Bishop Walsham How

It was the Manchester Guardian that somehow ferreted
out the fact about the proposed appointment to East
London, and the Oswestry Advertiser of March 25, 1879,
pubHshed the following paragraph :

"The London correspondent of the Manchester Guardian
writes : ' I understand that the frequently expressed wish for the
appointment of an additional bishop for the eastern division of
the diocese of London is at last likely to be gratified, and that
Canon Walsham How will in all probability be selected for the
post. At the time when the proposition was first made, some
years since, Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. Maclagan, and Mr. How were
named for the post ; but I have reason to believe that the choice
will fall upon Mr. How, and that, unless an obstacle is raised by
the Premier, the bishop will present the canon to the valuable
rectory of St. Andrew's Undershaft, an old city church in Leaden-
hall Street, which is worth about ;^2ooo a year.'"

This paragraph caused great consternation. It was
known that the Crown was naturally strongly averse to
its assent being taken for granted, and it had been
thought that the matter was being kept a dead secret.

" Whittington Rectory, March 28, 1879.

" My dearest Sister,

" I was at Wolverhampton giving addresses to the
clergy, and preaching at night, on Wednesday, and never
knew of that paragraph in Wednesday's Oswestry Adver-
tiser till I was visiting in the parish yesterday afternoon,
when I was startled and horrified to be asked about it.
I rushed home just in time to cut it out and send it to
you, for I have been longing to tell you, but was under a
pledge of secrecy to the Bishop of London, who says the
Crown are exceedingly jealous of their assent being
assumed, so he begged I would consider it secret till that

Appointment to East London 131

consent was obtained. He wrote to Dizzy quite three
weeks ago, hoping he would get an opportunity of laying
it before the Queen before she left England, but he has
heard nothing. The consent at present asked for is only
to the general scheme for a suffragan, no name being
mentioned, and when that is obtained the whole process
will have to be gone through again as to the name. I
fancy the first step cannot now be taken before the
Queen comes back. I went up last Monday to see the
Bishop about it, and went on the Tuesday to see St.
Andrew's Undershaft, which is in the corner of Leaden-
hall St. and St. Mary Axe. Oh ! such a soot-begrimed,
iron-railing-beguarded, dim, dingy, dirty edifice ! I got
in, having w4th great difficulty found the verger, and,
under the assumed disguise of an archaeologist, looked
over the church. It is better inside than out, being nicely
open-seated, and properly arranged, but heavy and
gloomy. The population is about the same as Salwarpe
[Canon Douglas's country parish], the parish consisting
chiefly of warehouses, offices, &c. St. Mary Axe forms
the parish, and I should have very little to do with it, and
there is no rectory, the old one being made into offices,
and let at ;^30o or ;^400 a year. There is said to be a
good curate, and the verger said the choir was excellent.
Of course I do not the least know yet where I should
have to live. I stayed two nights with the Bishop, who
was very kind and told me all he could about it. I never
told a soul in London, not even where I was staying,
and no one here, except Nellie, knew where I was, so it
cannot have got out through me. It is very provoking
its coming to the knowledge of one's people in this way.
I did so wish to go and tell my best people myself, as
soon as the Bishop gave me leave."

132 Bishop Walsham How

[To Canon Douglas.]

" Whittington Rectory,
^^ JEaster Tuesday, 1879.
" My dear William,

"Early last week I heard from the Bishop of
London that Mr. Foster had been to him to say he had
an offer for his house (Stainforth House) at Upper
Clapton, and had postponed giving an answer till it was
considered whether it would answer for a residence for
the future suffragan. He asked if I could come and see
it, so I have fixed to do so next Thursday. I go, self-
invited, to John Oakley's (St. Saviour's, Hoxton) to-
morrow, and Mr. Foster calls for me there to take me to
the house. He says he will lend it for a year or two, if
we like, till we can judge of its suitability. I fear it is
rather far from the centre of work, but it may be a great
boon to have a house to turn into all ready. Mr. Foster
has left already, and gone to live at Chislehurst. He will
be a great loss to East London."

This is the first mention of Stainforth House, on
Clapton Common, which, owing to this generous pro-
posal on the part of Mr. Richard Foster, became the
home of Bishop Walsham How and of Bishop Billing
during their respective tenures of office as suffragans for
East London.

[To his sister.']

" Whittington, April 18, 1879.
" Dearest Minny,

" Of course it is a grand thing to have a house to
turn into at once whenever one may want one, so that
one cannot but gratefully accept the offer. Otherwise it

Appointment to East London 133

is not quite what I should have selected. It is, to begin
with, at the extreme N.E. corner of the district, and
a more central position would be much better. The
chief trouble of all, however, is the church, which is very
advanced, and will cause me some difficulty. It would
be very marked to go a mile beyond it to a church I
should like far better, and scarcely well to be supposed
to sympathise with the very advanced type. So I am
perplexed. The house is a very good one : there is a
nice garden, and a small field capable of supporting two
cows. The house stands high, and on gravel, so is very
healthy. It is quite rural at the back, looking down the
slope of the ridge to the river Lea."

Time went on, and yet no appointment was made.
These months must have been exceedingly trying ones to
the future Bishop, for there was still great uncertainty as
to whether he would be selected by the Crown, and at
the same time there was the prospect that he might be
leaving the beautiful home at Whittington where he had
spent twenty-eight happy years.

\_To his brother^

" Whittington, yi<;«^ 3, 1879.

" I may be going to leave this parish, and it seems to
me, in looking back, that, though I may have been more
or less busy, I have in reality scarcely touched great parts
of a clergyman's true work. I have failed entirely to win
the labouring men, probably — nay, certainly — because I
have not sympathised enough with them, nor gone
among them when I could, and have been reserved with
them. And I have failed to win the lads for the same
reasons."

134 Bishop Walsham How

[To the same.]

" Jerusalem Chamber, Westminster,

'"'■June 24, 1879.

" I believe, after all, it is quite true that the difficulty as
to East London arises from my name getting into the
papers. . . .

"The Bishop of London has just called me out, and
told me he has been inquiring from Lord Beaconsfield's
private secretary the cause of the delay, and is sorry to
say he has learnt that the Queen was greatly offended at
the paragraphs in the papers, that she has been told by
some one that I teach private confession, and that Lord
John Manners, who has been with her, and who was a
parishioner of Mr. Burrows [Rev. H. W. Burrows, after-
wards Canon of Rochester] in his late parish, has been
pressing him strongly upon her."

The Bishop of London had submitted two names to
the Crown, as is the rule in such cases, placing Canon
Walsham How's first and Mr. Burrows' second. It is
usually, but not invariably, the first name that is selected.

The suspense was, however, soon to be relieved.
Convocation ended on Friday, July 4, and that night
Canon How returned to Whittington. The next morning
brought him a letter from Lord Beaconsfield in the
following terms :

" 10 Downing Street, Whitehall,

" July ^. ■LZ^q.

"Sir,

"The Queen having been pleased to approve of the
appointment of a suffragan bishop, to be styled suffragan of the
See of Bedford, for the purpose of assisting the Lord Bishop of
London in the duties of his diocese, and having had under con-
sideration the two names submitted in accordance with the statute,

Appointment to East London 135

I have the pleasure to inform you that her Majesty has, on my
recommendation, been graciously pleased to select you to fill that
office, and that I have requested the Secretary of State for the
Home Department to take the necessary steps to give effect to the
Queen's commands.

" I have the honour to be

"Yours faithfully,

" BEACONSFIELD."

It was a happy chance that there was a small family
gathering at Whittington Rectory at the time the above
letter was received. Canon How's eldest son and his wife
were there on their honeymoon, besides other members
of the family, so that the news arrived at an opportune
moment. The entry in the Bishop designate's diary for
this day is characteristically simple :

" Ju^y 5- Saturday. — Heard from Lord B. of my appoint-
ment." Then follows a list of some half-dozen sick people
to whom he paid visits, and the entry closes with : " Small
lawn-tennis party."

He wrote at once to his sister telling her that the sus-
pense was over :

"Whittington Rectory, y?^/^ 5, 1879
" Dearest Minny,

" It has come at last. A formal letter from Lord
Beaconsfield has announced to me by this morning's post
that her Majesty has been graciously pleased to select my
name for the suffragan bishopric of London, with the
title of Bishop of Bedford. ... And now, my one dear
sister, I know that you will pray for me, even more than
ever, that I may have grace and wisdom for this great
responsibility and laborious work ; and I ask this great

favour of you all.

" Your affectionate brother,

"W. w. H."

136 Bishop Walsham How

His brother seems to have got earlier intelHgence, for
on the same day the following letter was written :

" My very dear Brother,

" I do value your brotherly greeting and sympathy
most truly, and am very glad that your letter should be
the first after the news has been definitely received. I
am myself thankful that the trying suspense is over ; but it
would have been a great deal more convenient if they
had made a little more haste about it, for it is too late
now to get things ready by the 25th (St. James' Day), and
the next Saint's day falling on a weekday is Michaelmas
Day. I shall doubtless hear from the Bishop of London
in a few days. It was the last thing I expected to have
any letter this morning, as I did not leave London till
6.30 yesterday evening, and, as the Bishop was sitting
among the bishops in conference with us in the afternoon,
I felt sure that, if anything was decided, I should hear it
from him. I do hope we have, for the present at least,
done with that wretched Ornaments Rubric. Though I
cannot agree with Dean Stanley's contemptuous and
insolent protest against wasting our time on a question of
* clergymen's clothes,' yet I do think it very sad that the
matter should have been forced upon us by the converg-
ing currents of ambiguous rubrics, contradictory rulings
in the Law Courts, extravagant practices, and impractic-
able parsons. But there is truth in the strong assertion
of the Denison School that they are not lighting for a
vestment, but for a faith which it symbolises, and for a
link of continuity with the ancient Church of the land.
However, I think what we passed yesterday will, if ever it
become law, be a great discouragement to the extreme
ritualists."

Appointment to East London 137

[To Rev. H. W. Burrows.]

" Whittington Rectory, y«/^/y 5, 1879.

"My dear Burrows,

" At last the suspense is over. I have heard this
morning, having only reached home after midnight last
night, that I am selected. I believe, in many ways, you
would have been a wiser and a better man, but I am
younger, and so I dare not shrink from a labour which,
in a few years, I might not unreasonably dread to under-
take. I know that you will sympathise with and pray for
me, as I should have done for you had it been reversed.

With love to all.

" Ever your affectionate friend,

"W. WALSHAM HOW."

As may readily be supposed, letters from friends poured
in as soon as the appointment to East London became
known. Some few of these are of special interest, and
are given here.

[From Bishop Harvey Goodwin.]

" Jidy 18, 1879.

"My dear Walsham How,

" I address you by this name because it is a pleasure to
do so before it vanishes into the somewhat apocryphal title of
Bishop of Bedford. I really feel ashamed of not having written
you one line of welcome before, but other necessary matters have
somehow claimed precedence. You have a fine field before you,
one really to be envied if you have strength, as I pray God you
may, to cope with the work. There is no field in which there is
more to be done.

" It strikes me as very curious, the change in feeling and
opinion about bishops. I can remember, and so can you, the
time when the cry was, ' We don't want ornamental men, we want
working clergy,' and the notion of applying the bishops' own estates

138 Bishop Walsham How

to an increase of the episcopacy was scouted as a heresy. Now
people are beginning to find out that what they call working clergy
do not work successfully without leaders. It seems common
sense, and not to require much appeal to argument or to primitive
antiquity, but it has cost the Church of England some years and
some loss to find it out.

" God bless you, my dear brother, in your new and arduous work.

" Yours sincerely,

"H. CARLISLE."

\Fro77i Bishop Claughton.]

" Danbury Palace, Chelmsford, July 7.

" My dear Walsham,

" I could not tell what had befallen, when from day to
day we heard nothing of the East London Bishopric. It is now
settled as we all wished, and I am most thankful that your ad-
ministrative powers will be exercised in a sphere where they are so
much needed. Moreover, I am very thankful for the relief your
establishment there will be to my brother [Bishop Piers Claughton]
who has a great deal too much to do. Moreover I am glad
you succeed John Bunyan, and not Stern, the last Bishop of Col-
chester, for, though I should have been delighted to have had you
as suffragan to me at Colchester, I did not want them to fill up
my * sedem suffraganeam si quando ingraviscente infirmitate ' I
needed help. I only wish you came into the Upper House of
Convocation. . . .

" Dear How, it is a great pleasure to think that I may see you
now and then. Where shall you live ? At St. Mary Axe, or St.
Andrew's Undershaft, or in Finsbury Square ? Some day let me
hear from you. My three daughters and my wife send their love
to you.

" Yours affectionately,

"T. L. St. ALBANS."

\From Bishop Christopher Wordsworth.]

" RisEHOLME, Lincoln, July 9, 1879.
" My dear Canon How,

" Allow me to express the thankfulness that I feel for
your appointment to the office of bishop suffragan of and for the

Appointment to East London 139

diocese of London, and to assure you of our hearty prayers for the
divine blessing upon you and your episcopal work.

" Yours sincerely,

••C. LINCOLN."

\From Bishop Harold Browne.]

" 78 Portland Place, W., July 7, 1879.

*'My dear Canon Walsham How,

" I am rejoiced to learn from the papers that you are
really to be the bishop suffragan for East London, with a title
from my old diocese. There was supposed to be some hitch, and
I did not like to say anything to you about it. I hope now that
all will run smooth. Every one must rejoice that you are to
occupy a position of so much importance and influence. I only
regret that it is not to a diocesan bishopric that you are to be
consecrated. I am reconciled to losing your help in my diocese,
which, as you know, I once coveted, for I feel that what I lose
London more abundantly gains. May it please God to give
health, strength, and wisdom, and to bless all your labours for
Him and His people.

*' Ever most sincerely yours,

"E. H. WINTON."
\From Bishop John Selwvn.]

" Mv dear Canon How,

*****

" You won't mind me telling you how deeply I sym-
pathise with you in your self-sacrifice. I went from smoke and
dirt to sunny climes,* you from one of the prettiest places on
earth to what ? — well, one of the grandest works a man could be
called to. You must be very bright and never look at the dark
side of things or you won't get along, and those East-enders, they
tell me, are very depressed. The herewith sent doggerel {vide
infra) is, I trust, a prophecy of the help you will be to them.

" At any rate you are not fewer there than were the Apostles on
the Day of Pentecost. I hope your example will lead a few others

* He left a parish in Wolverhampton to become Bishop of Melanesia.

140 Bishop Walsham How

to give up what I call the luxury of religion — plenty of services
and nice rectors and all the rest of it. I know two right good
men who want to come to the East-end, but they must not leave
their work in the north yet : Pelham at Beverley and Kennion* at
Bradford. The latter had 100 mill hands at early celebration on
Ascension Day, so he has got some stuff in him.

" What are they going to call you ? Poplar would not be a bad
title — I. Because I hope you will be a pop'lar bishop in the best
sense. 2. Because poplar goes straightest and points straightest to
heaven of any tree I know.

" Believe me, yours most truly,

"J. R. S.,Bp."

"THE CRY OF THE EAST LONDON CLERGY.

" How shall we reach these masses dense,
Beneath whose weight we bow ?
At last a light breaks through the gloom
And we will show you — How."

{From Dean Burgon.]

"The Deanery, Chichester, July 15, 1879.

" My dear Walsham How,

" I have been for five weeks ill — ill with fever. Only
this day have I felt energy enough to totter into my library, and
stare at the familiar books, and rejoice at the sight of the blazing
fire. Laxis Deo ! This is my first letter — written in the old
place and with the old tools, and it is, as you see, to you.

" Congratulations, and all that kind of thing, are out of place
between men like you and me. I hope your new duties are
acceptable to you, and that your new station will prove congenial
to you. Will you wonder if an old bachelor feels strongly tempted
to add — and to your wife ?

" I am at least pretty sure that your presidency will be a blessing
for the district over which you will have episcopal supervision, and
I pray that the Father of Light will send you divine wisdom, and
give you ' a right judgment in all things.' To which I must add

* Now Bishop of Bath and Wells.

Appointment to East London 141

a prayer that you may be blessed with health, and (if it is God's
pleasure) length of days.

" I am ever, my dear Walsham How,
" Very faithfully your friend,

"JOHN W. BURGON."

There were also, of course, numberless letters from
relatives, which it is not necessary to notice, except to
quote one expression in a letter from the Bishop's brother,
which confirms the impression of the congenial nature of
the new work : " I must send you," he says, " the earliest
expression of my earnest and best wishes on your new
calling, and my thankfulness that your heart's desire has
not been disappointed."

CHAPTER XI

HIS CONSECRATION AND DEPARTURE FROM
WHITTINGTON

As has been shown in the last chapter, the appointment
of Canon Walsham How to the suffragan bishopric for
East London met with the hearty approval of his personal
friends. It will be well now to turn and see how it was
received by those over whom he was to preside. The
idea of the formation of some such office was no new one
to the Church people of East London.

In a magazine called The Worker (now defunct) we read
that some years before

" There were gathered in the committee-room of the Addi-
tional Curates Society, at the old offices in Whitehall, a little
body of clergy and laity, whose attention was being called by the
then secretary of the society (Rev. Canon A. J. Ingram) to some
returns as to the number of candidates presented for confirmation
by certain of the parish churches in Bethnal Green. . . .

"There is such a thing as the idolatry of statistics, and the evil
results of the idolatry of spiritual statistics are conspicuously fatal.
. . . But it is equally easy to make too little of them. We see
the value of a wise study of statistics when we look back to that
dingy little dark office in Whitehall, and see that committee
bending over those confirmation returns from Bethnal Green,
placed before them by Canon Ingram ; see them startled and
appalled at that tremendous revelation of spiritual destitution ;

His Consecration, etc. 143

see them rise, resolved to take action, which, by the mercy of
God, and under the leadership of Bishop Jackson, resulted in the
consecration of Bishop VValsham How as Bishop of Bedford."

Public attention had, therefore, been called to the wants
of East London for some time. The work of many lay-
men and clergy in and for that region had also thrown
into deeper contrast the spiritual barrenness of a large
part of the area. Of these it is only necessary to name
such men as the great Lord Shaftesbury ; Mr. Denison, the
member for Newark ; Dean Champneys, formerly Rector
of Whitechapel ; Prebendary Harry Jones ; the late
Bishop of Bedford (Dr. Billing) ; the Rev. Charles Lowder,
the Rev. J. F. Kitto, &c. These men, and many others,
whose names are still household words in many a poor
home in East London, were all there before Bishop
Walsham How came, and had done a great work in
laying a foundation on which he was enabled to build.
But what did these and other workers know of their new
Bishop ? Some few, but very few, knew much of him,
and viewed his appointment with hopefulness. The
larger number knew of him as a writer of simple sermons,
an occasional mission preacher, a cheery, kindly, country
clergyman, whose tastes and interests and experience
were not likely to give him any insight into their needs,
and whose health and spirits they thought would soon
succumb to the depressing influence of his new sur-
roundings.

Probably no better idea of the general feeling can be
given than that contained in a short paper written by
Prebendary Shelford, Rector of Stoke Newington. He
says :

" I remember well the circumstances under which the suffragan
bishopric of Bedford was revived in the diocese of London.

1.44 Bishop Walsham How

" Efforts had been made for many years to bring the influence
of the Church to bear upon the vast populations in the East-end,
which for various reasons had been too much lost sight of and
too little cared for, in the rush of modern life.

" First under Bishop Blomfield, and then under Bishop Tait,
many new churches had been built and new parishes formed,
with a proportionate increase in the number of clergy, who with
much zeal and self- sacrifice devoted themselves to earnest efforts
for the good of the people committed to their spiritual charge.
In Bethnal Green, Spitalfields, Shoreditch, and Stepney, the sub-
divisions of huge parishes proceeded rapidly, and many able men
were found ready to devote themselves to winning back to the
Church the multitudes who had lapsed from her in days of
supineness and inactivity.

" Yet, somehow, the success attending on these efforts had not
been equal to the expectations which had been formed by those
who planned or carried them out. The churches which had been
built at great cost were not filled with worshippers. The clergy,
after years of disappointment, were in many instances growing
weary and disheartened. The results of their labours were dis-
heartening. Certain statistics, relating to some East-end parishes
which the A.C.S. had assisted, came under the notice of the com-
mittee about the year 1877, and were considered so important as
to demand the attention of the bishop of the diocese.

" On his visit to the society for the purpose of consulting with
the committee, Bishop Jackson, in reply to suggestions made to
him, expressed his desire to obtain further episcopal help in the
supervision of his vast diocese.

'* In that proposal he was warmly supported by the com-
mittee. . . .

*' Dr. Walsham How was, on St. James' Day, 1879, consecrated
Bishop of Bedford. At that time certain titles named in the Act
of Henry VIII. alone could be used, and although Bedford is far
removed from the East-end of London, it was nearest to the
metropolis which was then available for the purpose. Since then
the Act has been amended, so that the two last of the suffragans
who have followed Bishop Walsham How have received the more
appropriate designation of Bishop of Stepney.

"It is undeniable that the appointment of Bishop Walsham

His Consecration, etc. 145

How was received by many, who did not know him, with some
doubt and even fear. It was thought that one, who had spent
most of his ministerial Hfe in a country parish, would not be
sufficiently in sympathy with his toiling town brethren, or would
quickly succumb to the unwonted strain on his physical, mental
and spiritual faculties. Very soon, however, were the clergy satis-
fied that in this they had been mistaken. The Bishop threw
himself at once with ardour and enthusiasm into the work."

Those only who knew him chiefly by reputation
were moved by such fears as these. Walsham How
had indeed for twenty-eight years been a ^"country
parson," but scarcely one of the type usually signified
by those words. He had always been a worker, and
the sphere of work did not make so very much differ-
ence. From morning service at 8 a.m. until at about
midnight he laid down his pen in his study, each day
at Whittington was fully occupied, and a man can after all
do no more than work his whole time. The nature of
the work was to change, the quantity was only slightly
increased. The burden of a bishop's correspondence was
to take the place of the writing of " Commentaries " and
series of "Plain Words." The visits to country farms and
cottages were to be changed to expeditions to cheer the
workers in Limehouse and the Isle of Dogs. His way to
church past the old Castle and its shady pools at Whitting-
ton was to give way to a more noisy route by tram or
train or 'bus. But he was to show that the training and
habit of work to which he had disciplined himself all his
life long would help him to bear the new conditions and
added strain from which so much was feared. The great-
ness of his heart never for a moment failed him, the
loving brightness of his disposition was never dimmed by
dreary surroundings or London fog, but shone with fresh

K

146 Bishop Walsham How

lustre as more frequent calls were made upon it to cheer
the lives of his fellow workers in his new sphere.

The following letter from the then Rector of Hackney,
who was to become one of the Bishop's dearest friends
and warmest supporters, shows that there were some at
least who rejoiced and feared not at his coming :

"The Rectory, Hackney, E., July 5, 1879.

" My dear Sir,

*' I have been anxiously longing for the announcement
which has to-day appeared in the Times.

" I thank God that you have been chosen as our suffragan
bishop, and pray that His blessing may rest upon you and upon
your work. We shall give you a cordial welcome, and I rejoice
to think that you are likely to reside so near us. We hope that you
will make any use of this house in arranging your future plans.
It will be a great pleasure to my wife as well as to myself to receive
you here at any time. . . .

" Yours most faithfully,

" ARTHUR BROOK.
" Rector of Hackney, and Rural Dean."

Meantime the preparations for his consecration were
being hurried on. It had been feared that it would be
impossible to have everything ready by July 25, but great
haste was made, and on Wednesday July 23, Canon and
Mrs. How went to stay at Fulham Palace for the event.
On the day of their arrival a large party of incumbents of
the chief parishes of East London was invited by the
Bishop to meet them, and thus they were introduced to
many with whom and whose work they were shortly to
become intimate. On the following day the Bishop
designate was instituted to the living of St. Andrew's
Undershaft, and also to the prebendal stall (that of
Brondesbury) in St. Paul's Cathedral, to which he had
been presented by the Bishop.

His Consecration, etc. 147

On Friday, July 25, St. James' Day, he was consecrated
in St. Paul's Cathedral :'with three other bishops — viz.,
Bishop Barclay for the Anglican Church in Jerusalem,
Bishop Speechley of Travancore, and Bishop Ridley of
British Columbia. It was the first time since St. Peter's
Day, 1847, that as many as four bishops had been conse-
crated together, and the interest taken in the ceremony
was very great, though it naturally centred chiefly in him
who was to labour in London.

The Archbishop of Canterbury (Tait) performed the
ceremony, assisted by the Bishop of London (Jackson),
the Bishop of St. Albans (Claughton), the Bishop of
Rochester (Thorold), and the Bishop of Lichfield
(Maclagan). The sermon was preached by Dr. Fremantle,
Dean of Ripon, who spoke mainly on the subject of the
Church in Jerusalem. The Bishop of London presented
his new suffragan to the Archbishop, and it must have
added much to the emotion of the Bishop of Bedford to
feel that, besides the bishop under whom he was to serve,
other participators in his consecration were his beloved
old vicar, Dr. Claughton, and his intimate friend. Dr.
Maclagan.

After the ceremony the new Bishop with all his family
returned to Fulham, the Bishop of Lichfield also coming
to spend the evening.

It is to be noted as characteristic of the man how little
time he lost in getting to work. The next day, Saturday,
July 26, he spoke at the opening of a Mission and
Sunday-school Room at All Saints, Clapton, he attended a
garden meeting for the Additional Curates Society, and
he preached in Hackney Parish Church at night, this
being the first sermon preached by him in East London
as suffragan bishop.

148 Bishop Walsh am How

On the following day he read himself in at St. Andrew's
Undershaft, and on the Monday took Mrs. How to see
Stainforth House, their future home.

His consecration had been so rapidly hurried on that a
return to Whittington was necessary, and the next six
weeks were spent busily there in saying many farewells
and setting everything in order before finally leaving.
During this period Archdeacon and Mrs. Ffoulkes of
Llandyssil, who were to succeed the Bishop and Mrs.
How at Whittington, paid a visit of inspection, and the
Bishop of Lichfield (Maclagan) and other friends came to
stay once more in this beautiful country home.

On Sunday, September 7, the Bishop preached his fare-
well sermon in Whittington Church to what was described
as " an unprecedently crowded congregation." Preaching
on the words" Being confident of this very thing, that He
which hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ," he thanked God that he had
been privileged to watch many souls in the parish, and to
see their fellowship in the Gospel from the first even till
then. But he would not pretend that all had been bright
and hopeful, that in his survey of his parish and of his
own work he had nothing but thanksgiving to offer up.
He knew, he said, that for himself he had something very
different to offer up — he had to offer up a confession
before he could speak of thanksgiving. He had to tell
his God of many things left undone that he might have
done, and of many things done slackly and unworthily
that should have been done more to His glory. . . .
There were days of brightness and days of clouds and
darkness in every clergyman's life. And yet he thanked
God upon every remembrance of them, because he shut
from his thoughts the sadder side, and he chose that night

His Consecration, etc. 149

to look on the brighter side. He would recollect the joys
he had had, he would recollect the encouragements they
had given him. He would recollect the dear, dear friends
who so often had spoken to him of their souls, and
whom he had seen growing and persevering, and coming
nearer and nearer to their God.

The sermon ended with a prayer that God might lead
them all upward and nearer and nearer to Him, the final
words being :

"O God, when the end shall come, still let it be the
same, still nearer and nearer to Thee ; yea, and at last
through the grave and gate of death lead them all, and
lead me with them, nearer, O God, to Thee, through Jesus
Christ our Lord, Amen."

Thus his last words to those for whom he had laboured
for twenty-eight years breathed the same spirit of humility
and hopefulness and prayer which his life among them
had shown forth from day to day.

Before he actually left his old home, however, his parish-
ioners wished to give him some token of their affection
to take away with him, and at a large meeting in the
National Schools he was presented with a beautiful silver
epergne of the date of 1775, to the purchase of which all
classes and all denominations among his people had
subscribed.

The late Mr. Edmund Wright, of Halston, in making
this presentation concluded with the following words :

" His life here has been a busy and an active one. It has not been
a negative, but it has been a positive thing, and positive things
rather invite than avoid discussion. And yet, although this life
has been so active in doing many things that have given rise to
discussion, I can say honestly I do not believe there has been

150 Bishop Walsham How-

half an hour's interference with, or interruption of, that [friendly
intercourse which has existed between the pastor and his flock for
twenty-eight years. Now this denotes certain qualities of mind
and heart of great value. They are most attractive qualities ; but
they are much more than this. They are qualities which give a
man power and influence in his work. I believe that these
qualities will attend the Bishop of Bedford wherever he goes — to
East London or anywhere else. ... I know no man who can
do so much work with so little moral friction, if I may use a
mechanical rather than an ecclesiastical expression, as the Bishop
of Bedford."

The truth of these words has been amply proved. In
the organisation of new work — a most difficult and
delicate process — both in East London and afterwards at
Wakefield, these qualities enabled him to accomplish
much in a few years, and to overcome difficulties that
would have proved stumbling-blocks to one less favour-
ably endowed.

Besides this presentation from his parishioners, the
Association of Church Workers in Whittington gave him
a handsome service of communion vessels for use in his
private chapel, and the clergy of the Rural Deaner}' of
Oswestry asked his acceptance of a combined library
table and desk. The clergy, too, of the diocese of St.
Asaph presented him with his portrait by Mr. Edward
Taylor, in connection with which may be quoted the
words of Archdeacon Thomas of Montgomery, who
says :

" It would be ungrateful to omit to mention the more than
friendly welcome so readily extended at Whittington Rectory to
the younger clergy in general, and especially I would name one
whom I knew, who in days of weakness found there a very home,
and to whom Mrs. How's parting words, on what seemed to be
the coming of the end, were, ' You will come to us to die.' For the

His Consecration, etc. 151

diocese of St. Asaph, none rejoiced more than they, for they knew
him best, at his well-deserved promotion ; and, as they would not
have the connection altogether severed, they sped him on his way
with a presentation portrait to be for them an abiding link between
his future and his past."

His episcopal ring was the gift of his old curates, a
matter of the greatest pleasure to him. By a happy
thought it arrived on his next birthday accompanied by
the following letter :

[jFrom Rev. H. Trevor Williamson.]

" Bredwardine, Hereford, Dec. 12.
" My dear Bishop,

" The ring has arrived. As there has been already too

much delay I shall send it you. It is hopeless to try and arrange

a meeting of us all to present it. To-morrow being your

birthday I decided to let you have it at once. If I am doing

wrong I hope the other subscribers will forgive me. In their

name I ask you to accept this ring — a token of the loving esteem

which we bear to you. We thank you for all you have done for

us in the old Whittington days, and pray that God may bless you

in all your work as a bishop of His church, and give you many,

many days of health and happiness in the years to come.

" {Signed) F. P. Johnson O. M. Fielden

H. D. NiHiLL G. E. Sheppard

Charles Bridges J. J. Turner

D. P. Evans F. G. Inge

F. D. Hall R. B. Dowling

M. J. Burrows H. T. Williamson

W. R. Verney R. Willoughby"

[The last two signatures are those of men who had
read at Whittington for Holy Orders,]

CHAPTER XII

EAST LONDON

In the middle of September 1879, Bishop Walsham How
finally left his country parish, and plunged into his East
London work.

His title of " Bishop of Bedford " was always a source
of annoyance to him, as being inappropriate and mean-
ingless. He often told the story of a correspondent who,
after reading a speech in which the Bishop of Bedford
described the wide extent of poverty, congested popu-
lation, courts, alleys, &c. amidst which his daily duties
lay, at last in despair wrote and appealed to the Bishop to
explain how such things could possibly exist in a " purely
agricultural diocese ! " However, it did not take many
years for the title to become known to all as identified
with one who has been described as being, under God,
the " leader of an East London Crusade."

It was not unfitting that his introduction to his new
sphere should take place from Whitechapel Rectory,
where he was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Kitto for some
days before taking up his residence at Upper Clapton.
During this visit the eagerness and avidity with which he
embraced every opportunity of learning what were the
conditions of life of those amongst whom his work
would lie, went far to remove the not unnatural anxiety

East London 153

which liad been felt on the appointment of a country
clergyman to this onerous post.

It was an appropriate circumstance that one, who
gained for himself the name of "The Children's Bishop,"
should have had an early opportunity of speaking to
some of the little ones in his new area of work. During
these first few days Mr. Kitto invited all the Board-school
teachers in the neighbourhood to bring the children
to church one week day afternoon after school was
over. The Bishop expressed some doubt as to whether
there would be a congregation, but his fears were
quickly dispelled when he entered the great White-
chapel church, and had the delight of finding it filled
from end to end with some of the poorest children in
East London. Some account of this, and other bits of
early experience of his new life, are contained in the
following letter to the Hon. Mrs. Maclagan.

" Stainforth House, Upper Clapton, E.

''Oct. 4, 1879.

"My dear Mrs. Maclagan,

" The leaves and the flower with the smooth stem
are certainly Saponaria. The single flower with the
woolly stem is, I should say, not a wild flower at all, and
certainly has no connection with the other.

" I am not in our house yet, being really with a clergy-
man at Dalston, but I have been up there this morning.
It is a scene of frightful confusion, but I hope to sleep
there on Monday. I have spent this week in the south
part of the district, chiefly at Whitechapel, and have been
initiated into a little real East London life. Among a
multitude of other things, I addressed 1200 children,
rows and rows of girls without anything on their heads,

154 Bishop Walsham How

and many without anything on their feet, in Whitechapel
church one afternoon at a quarter to five. All of them
came voluntarily, in answer to our invitations sent round
the parish. Mr. Kitto said it was a discovery he had
made, that they would come, if asked, any time. They
behaved very well, and sang very well, and attended very
well, though there were no grown-up people among
them, except a few officials posted here and there.

" I went one night, late, to address the men in the long,
low kitchen of a Whitechapel lodging-house, where they
make up two hundred beds (by no means one of the
largest). It was a curious sight, some of the men were
smoking, some drunk, some snoring, many with hats and
caps on, and one combing his head all the time with a
bit of broken comb. But they listened.

" I also attended the Feast of Tabernacles in a large
Jewish synagogue. I am afraid they gave Mr. Kitto and
me the ' chief seats in the synagogue,' and we were the
only Gentiles present. It was the very oddest sight I
ever saw, and I must some day tell you about it, as it is
too long a story to write. I find I want a secretary
already, for I can hardly get through my correspondence.

" My best love to the dear Bishop.

" Yours very sincerely,

" V^M. WALSHAM BEDFORD."

In speaking of the Bishop's visit to the lodging-house,
Mr. Kitto, who accompanied him, says, " Never before had
he preached in such a place, or to such a congregation,
and his evident pleasure, and his keen and active sympathy,
made a great impression."

These were the introductions that he had to East
London. The state of things that he found, and his first

East London 155

impressions of how to meet it, are so well brought out in
a contribution to The Worker for July 1890, that the
words of that article must find a place here :

" A church cruelly under-manned, and struggling to provide the
bread of life for 700,000 people, mostly poor; this was the church
over which Bishop ^Valsham How was called to preside. The
clergy were too few^ and many of them were disheartened ; jaded
by the overstrain against too great odds ; jaded by the unlovely
pressure of their surroundings ; jaded sometimes by illness, some-
times by old age. The endowments were sufficient for the incum-
bents in almost every case, but were not sufficient to provide
assistant clergy, or lay workers, male or female. The paid Church
workers, therefore, like the clergy, were too few. In parish after
parish the necessaries of Church life were lacking or inadequately
provided. In the very corner of England, where the Church
needed her fullest equipment, was that equipment utterly in-
adequate. . . .

^ ^ ^ "jp" ^

" The result of Bishop Walsham How's preliminary inspection
came to this : people too many and too poor ; churches enough ;
clergy and paid Church workers too few ; the Church unequal to
her task.

"The Bishop's movements were watched with enthusiastic
interest from every corner of England. In East London itself
every one who was in earnest about Church work began to think
upon 'songs of deliverance.' And so it came to pass that when
the Bishop, after full conference with his East-end councillors,
delared his policy, it was most cordially welcomed, and help from
many quarters was spontaneously and generously proffered.

" The policy was to Jill up the gaps ifi the ministry, clerical and
lay. A sufficient ministry, the Bishop argued, is ' the first thing
needful ' for Church work ; a sufficient ministry will strengthen
whatever exists for good all along the line ; and each minister of
such a ministry, whether in holy orders or not, whether male or
female, ought to become a centre of energy and hope, a bread-
winner of the necessaries of Church life.

" The machine by which this policy was to be carried out was
the East London Church Fund. This fund has been, from the

156 Bishop Walsham How

day of its birth, in an increasing degree, the centre of Church life
in the Bishop of Bedford's district. . . .

" If it be difficult now to speak much of Church work at the
East-end without frequent allusion to this fund, it is just because
the fund has supplied, from the human side, the power which
enabled Bishop Walsham How to develop his policy.

" On June 18, 1880, the East London Church Fund was founded
at the Mansion House, which, being the centre of the City of
London, was the fittest birthplace of an agency which was in-
tended to supply with the- bread of life those thousands whom
the influences of the City had in so great a degree focused to its
gates.

" The fund being created, a council of clergy and laity was
immediately formed to assist the Bishop in the administration of it.
This council declared, without delay, that the one object of the
fund should be the provision of that which the Bishop had said the
Church in East London so obviously needed- — a sufficient staff of
resident clerical and lay workers. The wisdom of that programme
has been demonstrated more and more from that day to this.

" (a) Large parishes, in which sub-division was inexpedient,
have been suppHed with additional curates, wholly or partly paid
by the fund.

" (/3) In parishes, where sub-division was considered expedient,
mission districts have been formed and placed under mission
clergy.

" (y) Incumbents who from old age or other adequate cause
are unable any longer to do their duty to their parishes, have been
enabled to retire ; the Bishop of Bedford has taken over the charges
of their parishes, and has placed over them curates licensed to
himself.

" (8) An East London diocesan deaconess' home, with a series
of branch homes, has been established at a cost to the fund of
something more than ^^looo a year.

** (e) Scripture readers, lay evangelists, and parish nurses, have
been and are being provided here and there, as the needs of the
various parishes require them, and the income of the fund permits
the expenditure.

" And all these new workers came to the work bringing new
power of their own, and they strengthened the hands of those

East London 157

already there, and they attracted new workers to the East-end,
over which the light of a new dawn was beginning to glow. And
among them, at every turn, they found their Bishop a spiritual
force ; the author of Plain Words, preaching, as he had written,
forcibly, because simply and spiritually ; always cheery, always
hopeful, always busy about ' My Father's business.'

" And the contagion spread. The colleges, the public schools,
the counties, began to plan their missions. , . . The clergy and
laity of the Church in richer parts of the world espoused the new
cause with generosity, such as is obvious in the records which tell
how the Archdeacon of Middlesex, Dr. Hessey, raised ;!^iooo to
provide the stipends of two mission chaplains to be practically
diocesan missioners for the district ; how a certain lady has for
many years placed in the hands of the Bishop of Bedford ;^2ooo
a year to build mission rooms in parishes where such machinery is
required ; and how, in a West-end church, in which Bishop Wal-
sham How was once pleading for his fund, some one placed in the
offertory bag a cheque for ^500, across the back of which was
written, 'A thank offering for Plain Words.' . . .

"Thus the Bishop's wise policy of 'fill up the gaps in the
ministry ' became possible, under God, chiefly through the agency
of the East London Church Fund. . . .

" But not all the funds in the world, nor all the clergy, nor all
the lay workers, nor all the eloquence, nor all the tact, nor all the
activity, nor all the organisation, can effect anything unless the
motive power is ' the promised power from on high,' the power of
the Holy Ghost. We are thankful, therefore, to record here the
anxiety with which Bishop Walsham How always sought to
emphasise the claims of the spiritual life. . . .

" He was, on coming to East London, quickly recognised to be
a spiritual force. During a long period of preparation he had the
will and the opportunity to cultivate those ' spiritual gifts ' with
which he was in an unusually high degree endowed. This was
the secret of his power in the pulpit, on the platform, and in
personal intercourse. And what he was himself he sought to
make others to be, not only under the normal process of ' spiritual
attraction,' but also by using every opportunity of speaking or
working on behalf of the spiritual life. His devotional gatherings

158 Bishop Walsham How

of the clergy, for instance, at the Ember seasons, on which
occasions he usually gave the addresses himself, will long be held
in dear remembrance, as precious moments snatched from ' this
hurrying hfe ' for the highest purposes of all. Such quiet morn-
ings— for they were scarcely more than that, and indeed were only
' quiet ' by comparison — offered an authoritative protest on behalf
of the spiritual life, and emphasised the other precious protests
made, here and there, by the isolated lives of those saints on earth
whose worship is something like what it should be even in a nine-
teenth-century age."

It will be observed that in the foregoing article reference
is made to the Bishop's " East London councillors."
His position when he came to London was not exactly
that of other suffragans. He found himself practically in
charge of the East-end, and was allowed to confine his
work to that portion of the diocese. The Bishop of
London also handed over to him such patronage as
he possessed in that district. He did not hold ordi-
nations, or license men to curacies, &c., but in most
things he exercised episcopal supervision over a certain
accurately defined portion of the diocese of London.
It was largely owing to this arrangement that he was
able to devise schemes and plan his work in such , a
manner as to ensure the large measure of success that
attended his efforts. Owing to this he was also able to
concentrate his energies, sympathy, and affection, in a
manner to which many a despondent East London
worker owed not only practical assistance, but fresh
courage to renew the struggle.

Finding himself in this position he wrote to consult the
Bishop of Truro, Dr. Benson, afterwards Archbishop of
Canterbury, and to his advice was partly owing the body
of East London councillors who were of so great an
assistance to Bishop Walsham How. Dr. Benson's letter

East London 159

is of so great importance that it cannot be omitted. He
wrote :

" Kenvvyn, Truro, Aug. 30, 1879.

" My dear Bishop of Bedford,

" I have read and re-read with love and care your most
interesting letter. It is very good of you to talk to me on such
subjects, and I would fain be worthier to reply.

" If I understand your position properly it must be almost, if
not quite, unique. Is it not the case that East London is quite
appropriated to you, and that you are not asked to fly to and fro
over the whole of the rest of the diocese ? If this, or something
like it, is the case, it is clear that according to the true idea of
episcopal governing you do want, and (supposing it to be true, as
it surely is, that we suffer mainly from our desertion of the old and
essential idea) you must have, a quasi-chapter, or a real chapter
rather, though not consisting of the canons of a cathedral
church.

" (It would be ^^^^ye ideal, I conclude (in both senses), to dream
of re-erecting in these days a collegiate church : else of course in
old times St. Andrew's Undershaft could have been at once erected
into a collegiate church, of which you would appoint canons and
assign them duties, such as you could. . . . But this I suppose
must be looked on as visionary, and you must find your concilium
elsewhere. Those collegiate canons might be parish priests or
others, with perfect propriety, or a mixed body.)

" Well then, the natural body for you to take as your co7icilium
is undoubtedly the rural deans. How many of these have you ?
This is an important point. It does not seem to me to matter
that they are not representative. The idea of representation is
running away with us : it is not the only form of government, nor
in monarchies is it the best. It is a fiction really because of the
minorities, which contain often the wisest individuals.

" It is far more important that they should be men of weight,
and that they should earn a character for fairness, than that they
should represent opinions on such debatable matter.

" But whatever they may be at the present moment, undoubtedly
they are your natural concilium — (they would be members of your
collegium, if you could get one) — and in many matters you would

i6o Bishop Walsham How

consult them as rural deans without the presence of any others.
It would be wisest in all cases to consult them for advice not for
votes, the decision of an irresponsible majority cannot be the
guide absolute for a responsible individual. . . .

" Next you seem to want first a larger, and secondly a smaller,
circle than that concilium. You want the larger to include lay-
men, you want the smaller for the sake of special help and unity
of spiritual life. I look on both as essential.

" Thus you would have : i. A body of rural deans. 2. A series
of ruridecanal conferences of the clergy and laity of each rural
deanery, and this, I fancy, would give you a perfect knowledge of
opinion and feeling and intimacy with the best men. As to the
smaller circle of spiritual priests who would more live about you,
have frequent communion with you, and the like, these would not
be, I suppose, a formal body ; they would be sometimes larger,
sometimes smaller. I should think it would be well to form it in
quite quiet ways, and to let a spiritual purpose rule all, or nearly

all, the talk. . . .

*****

" My dear bishop, I feel that this is a very inadequate answer
to such a letter. But all our work must be tentative perhaps. The
principle cannot be wrong. It is Koivavia [fellowship], frequent,
constant, sustained, living, loving, consulting, self-withdrawing,
corporate, and conscious of, and exerting its corporeity, which
breathes from every line of the Acts of the Apostles. And the
one function of the bishop is surely in its essential indea * Con-
secration,' to consecrate everything that needs consecration or
admits of it, and then subordinately, for he has to be two men at
once, the Church man and Church ruler, to prepare all for conse-
cration, and to keep up its energy after consecration. And for all
these things he is distinctly promised 8vvaixis avadev [power
from above] fireKTdvuneda ovv [let us, then, stretch forward].
"Yours ever, most sincerely and brotherly,

" E. W. TRURON.

" The offer you had of a man's life and means for work to be
found by you, is most delightful. I hope T<iTrfivo(ppo<TvvT) [lowliness
of mind] is his virtue."

East London i6i

Partly, no doubt, as a result of the above letter the
Bishop of Bedford surrounded himself with various bodies
of advisers. The principal one was the Council of the
East London Church Fund, a body composed of both
clergy and laity ; then, for other matters, the rural
deans were called together as a " quasi-chapter," and, for
a short time, a smaller body still met to advise the Bishop
in the matter of appointments and patronage.

This was the machinery, by the aid of which the East
London crusade was carried on, the East London Church
Fund being, in the words of the Rev. E. S. Hilliard (for
some years its secretary), " a sound channel, through which
Churchmen outside the district can express their home
missionary zeal, and a treasury of East London thank-
offerings for the Church revival among themselves."

The growth of the fund has been such as to warrant
the Bishop's audacity in daring to found a new Church
fund in the London diocese. The Bishop's faith in his
own cause challenged the faith of the laity in the Bishop,
and both were found true.

The first eighteen months (1880-1881) brought in
;^i 1,527, the following year (1882) ^5319. From that
time onwards there has been, with one or two exceptions,
a steady increase, the receipts for 1896 reaching the con-
siderable total of ;^i8,266.

Commenting upon this Mr. Hilliard writes :

" In every sermon for the fund, at every meeting in town hall,
drawing-room, or garden, the Bishop's power to commend his
cause was made quite plain ; but his hold upon the confidence
and sympathy of the people at large was never more strikingly
illustrated than once, when, just at the time of Mrs. Walsham
How's death (1887), the fund had fallen so low, through a change
of secretaries, that it seemed likely that money for the quarter's
salaries would not be forthcoming. Six careful letters were written

L

i62 Bishop Walsham How

to six influential ladies and gentlemen with an earnest request that
the Bishop might be spared all financial worry at that time of great
sorrow. The prompt replies to these letters contained ^^, ^£30,
^5°} ;^2 5o, p^5oo, ;^iooo ! The financial crisis was over before
it was known."

While considering the vastness of the Bishop's under-
taking as suffragan for East London, it must not be
forgotten that he was also Rector of St. Andrew's Under-
shaft. It would have been impossible for him to have
carried on the double duty of rector and bishop had it
not been for the able assistance of the Rev. W. Frazer
Nash, assistant curate of the parish. Inhabitants of St.
Mary Axe will be the first to acknowledge that Bishop
Walsham How never allowed his wider duties to swamp
those which he owed to his parish. Twice in each month
he preached at St. Andrew's, besides taking the whole
duty during Mr. Nash's holidays. He also gave addresses
to city men at mid-day on the Wednesdays in Lent. He
took the greatest possible interest in the splendid choir,
and from time to time entertained the members of it at
Stainforth House. He visited the schools as often as
possible, and his diaries give evidence of his attendance at
their treats. Once a month, or oftener, he used to accom-
pany Mr. Nash in a round of parochial visits, chatting
with some, praying with others. His visits were much
appreciated, for his bright smile and genial cheery ways
brought a bit of sunshine into the homes of the care-
takers, who formed the main portion of his parishioners,
and who, though inhabitants of the busiest city of the
world, lived isolated lives. Mr. Nash writes that he remem-
bers well one Christmas Eve, when the Bishop came down
from Clapton to visit and pray with a poor housekeeper
who was dying.

East London 163

This brings to mind Bishop Walsham How's invariable
custom, wherever he Hved, of spending much of Christ-
mas-tide, and especially of Christmas Day, in trying to
bring a bit of happiness to the sick. Many a lonely in-
valid has had a cheerless Christmas brightened by the
Bishop's sitting awhile by the bedside and talking about
the joy that comes to all Christian people on that day.

A society in which Bishop Walsham How took im-
mense interest, although unconnected with his special
East London work, was that called " Watchers and
Workers." Of this association he was one of the
founders, though the idea originated in the minds of a
few friends in the diocese of Winchester. The object
was to form a guild of invalids who should write to one
another, intercede for one another, form correspondence
classes for the study of Holy Scripture, natural science,
art, &c., and, in fact, try to break down in any way the
barriers formed by long seclusion, and give the members
the wholesome stimulus of a feeling of responsibility and
of " being wanted," In addition to this, it was proposed
that chaplains should be attached to the society to whom
members might have access in time of need.

It was first intended that the league should be con-
fined to the diocese of Winchester, and Bishop Harold
Browne gave his warm approval to its objects, but sug-
gested that the question of chaplains should be submitted
to some clergy of approved judgment before being finally
adopted. It was then that Canon Walsham How (as he
then was) first heard of the proposed society. A paper
was sent him setting out the whole scheme. " His
reply," says Miss Eidth Jacob [sister of the Bishop of
Newcastle], who has kindly supplied most of the history
of his connection with Watchers and Workers, " was

164 Bishop Walsham How-

characteristic and immediate. ' If anything comes of
that guild/ he wrote, ' I hope I may be admitted as a
priest-associate.' "

Shortly after this he became Bishop of Bedford, and
presided at the new society's first annual meeting, at
which he explained that he welcomed the guild with
special satisfaction, because, when it was first brought to
his notice, his approaching consecration as bishop suf-
fragan for East London seemed about to put an end to
further visitation of the sick, a branch of pastoral work
which he had always loved. He expressed his hope that
through this society he should find, as indeed he had
already done, some to whom he might minister as of
old.

He made an appointment with the writer of the paper
which had originally been sent him, in order to consult
as to the working of the guild. Less familiar with
London then than he became afterwards, he missed his
way, and arrived late, " but," says Miss Jacob :

" Nothing could be more encouraging than his cheery ' Here I
am at last, but I have been two hours getting to you, and you
must be quick in telling me how I can help you. What can I do
for you ? '

" The need of the moment was to make the society known in
the right quarters. His name would give confidence. Would he
write to the Guardian for us ? Yes, he would do that and more,
for he was convinced of the need and value of such a guild, though
he must honestly add that his wife did not share his opinion.
(Mrs. Walsham How afterwards entirely changed her view on the
matter, and the Home for Fallen Girls at Walthamstow, founded
by her, has been helped by the Society of Watchers and Workers
ever since her death.)

" Asked if he thought that the ' chaplain ' part of the scheme
would give offence to the parochial clergy, he answered with an
amused smile : ' Nine out of every dozen will be thankful, the

East London 165

other three will be vexed — and ' (with a merry twinkle in his eyes)
' do them good.^ "

For seven years Bishop Walsham How celebrated at
every anniversary of this society, and presided at every
meeting. Once only, after becoming Bishop of Wake-
field, was he able to do so again. On this occasion it
was characteristic of him that, hearing of a very poor
member in South London who had been unable to
obtain a private celebration for nine months, he should
offer at once to go to her himself, although he had only
two days in London. "And so," says a report of the
society, " he left us, and we saw him again no more."

" The last note I had from him," says Miss Jacob, " was
a burst of joy and thankfulness at my brother's appoint-
ment to Newcastle."

CHAPTER XIII

EAST LONDON— CONTINUED

It was the Bishop of Bedford's first aim to know and be
known by the clergy of East London, in order that he
might understand their difficulties, appreciate their work
and cheer their sorrows. He set about this in two ways.
First of all he encouraged them to feel that his house
and garden in Upper Clapton were ever open to them.
He was ready every morning to receive calls from those
who came to him for help or counsel, and it was notice-
able on these occasions that not only was spiritual advice
and help ever at the disposal of his visitors, but that,
owing to his orderly and methodical habits, business
matters also were most promptly attended to. He knew
exactly where to lay his hand on a required paper : he
never seemed in any confusion or haste. His interviews
were frequent, and his correspondence immense, but he
was never impatient of interruptions, or anxious to be
rid of his visitor.

" On Thursdays," writes Prebendary Shelford, " he was accus-
tomed to entertain his clergy and their wives at luncheon, and
this exercise of a simple but bountiful hospitality did much to
inspirit the toil-worn and weary, and to endear their Bishop to
them."

East London 167

Naturally, those who came to him during the mornings
did not always come to discuss pleasant subjects, for,
besides the despondent, there came also those whom he
had been obliged to summon to him for admonition or
rebuke. His sympathies were ever on the alert to soothe
the suffering and cheer the downcast, but he could be
stern when occasion required, and severe in condemna-
tion of what he thought wrong. It was the cause of real
suffering to himself that there should for a single day
cease to be kindly relations between him and any one of
his clergy. On one occasion, after administering a
rebuke to an East London clergyman, he wrote the same
night the following letter :

^'- Feb. 1 6, 11.30 P.M.
" My dear

" I wrote in a great hurry, on coming in from one

confirmation and starting for another to-day ; but, before

I go to bed, I want to say just this — come and let us join

together in the Holy Sacrament on Monday at

Church at 8.30 A.M. That is the best re-knitting of the

broken thread.

" Yours sincerely in our dear Lord,

"W. w. B."

Rebukes from such a man must have gone home,
because it pained him so much to give them, and that
pain roused all his great tenderness.

Occasionally a letter or request from one of his clergy
would draw a playful reply, especially when it found him
in one of his happiest moods. An instance of this was
his answer to a request made by an East London incum-
bent that the Bishop would permit a slight irregularity —
trivial in itself, but illegal. The applicant was probably
astonished to receive the following answer :

i68 Bishop Walsham How

" May I ? May I ? " shyly blushing,

Love-sick Damon sighs :
" No, Sir ! No, sir ! " brightly flushing,

Phyllis quick replies.

Silly Damon ! Had you done it.

Saying not a word,
You had ne'er, depend upon it,

That refusal heard !

Prebendary Kitto, in writing about the Bishop's deal-
ings with the clergy, says :

'• He made it evident from the very first that he intended to be
a help, as far as he could, to all who were working for the Lord.
It was impossible to discover the slightest difference in his dealing
with men of various opinions and various practices under his
guidance and direction. Himself a thoroughly loyal Churchman,
he was, from first to last, ready to sympathise with all, of whose
loyalty he felt assured. But he was impatient of those who
seemed to him to have passed beyond the fair boundaries of the
Church of England, and although he was ready to be of help to
these, he let them understand that he could not approve of their
services or their teaching."

The second way in which the Bishop tried to get to
know his clergy was by visiting them frequently in their
own homes.

" There was probably no part of his work," continues Mr.
Kitto, " in which his influence was so much felt as in his personal
intercourse with the clergy. In every kind of domestic or parochial
anxiety the Bishop was always amongst the first to sympathise, if
he could not help ; and he seemed to know, as if by instinct, what
other persons would most wish to have or to do in exceptional
circumstances. If there was illness, he was always amongst the
earliest visitors. He would carry off the children to his own home,
lest they should be a trouble in the sick house ; he would arrange
to have services and meetings taken, and would lay himself out
to do whatever could be done to help."

East London 169

His rule was to spend a Sunday with one or other of
his clergy in turn, and see all the details of his parish
work, to preach in the church, address the Sunday
School teachers, and talk to the children. Besides these
visits, he gave many week-day afternoons and evenings
to parochial gatherings and meetings, thus gaining yet
further acquaintance with his fellow labourers in the
East-end.

But this was not enough for him. The main purpose
of his life was distinctly spiritual, and he never allowed
it to be forgotten. Prebendary Shelford tells of this in
the following words :

" He loved to spend a quiet day at the Ember seasons with his
clergy, to gather them round him and speak of the deep things of
God. We remember still how in loving zeal he urged us to self
scrutiny as to our own spiritual conditions, and how he held up
Christ Jesus before our eyes as claiming our devotion and our
service. I have still some pregnant sentences in my Prayer-book
as I took them down from his lips at some of these clerical gather-
ings. He bade us beware of ' a full hand and an empty heart, a
busy life and an idle soul,' or reminded us that ' the spiritual life
is not an elaborate system, but a divine life — not a book of
Leviticus but a gospel of St. John.' ' A man who makes religion
a gloomy thing is guilty of treason against religion.' ' We are not
to live among the tombs, but we are even now to be caught up to
meet the Lord in the air.' His spirit even more than his words
impressed itself upon his hearers. His intense reality, his
humility, his simple-hearted devotion to all that was good, his
love for God, were felt in all he said. One could not be in his
company without realising that he was a man of God. This was
manifest in his sermons and confirmation addresses as well as in
his intercourse with his clergy. ' I have attended a good many of
these mission services, but of all the preachers I have heard, the
root of that man's tongue seems most closely connected with his
heart,' was the criticism of an American who heard the Bishop
give an address at Hackney during the London Mission of 1884.

lyo Bishop Walsham How

" Another instance of the effect of his preaching is given in the
story of how during a confirmation, which he was holding in an
East-end church, a poor hawker of infidel literature strolled into
the church, and listening to the Bishop's address was struck by
his assertion of the fatherhood of God, At the close of the service
the man asked a churchworker at the door, with much earnestness,
'Is what the Bishop says true? Is God indeed the Father of
men ? ' 'Of course it is true,' said the lady. * Then,' said he,
' my occupation is gone ; I have been teaching the reverse of this
for years, but I can do so no more.'

" The effect of such a personality in East London was striking.
He attracted all spiritually minded men round him, so that they
forgot their differences, and worked together in unity for the pro-
motion of what he and they had at heart. Party spirit was to a
great extent slain, and, though all remained faithful to their own
convictions of the truth, they learned to look with more charitable
eyes on such as differed from them.

" In the exercise of the patronage which the Bishop of the
diocese placed in his hands, he was always anxious in the first
instance to appoint an incumbent best suited to the special
requirements of the district, but in all cases he sought for such
among those who were working under him already before he pro-
moted others from outside. Hence both the elder and younger
clergy felt that he was their father in God, and that he made their
interests his own. He was the pastor pastoriwi. No wonder
that strong men loved him, and that sad faces smiled in his
presence.

"As an example of his extreme thoughtfulness in small details
I may say that, when staying with me this last summer, he noticed
the difficulty I had in growing flowers or plants beneath the trees
of my garden, and recommended some particular kinds which he
thought would be successful. After his death I received a parcel
of these plants from his gardener, who stated that he had been
instructed by the Bishop to forward them to me on his return."

Thus in every possible way Bishop Walsham How
sought to win the love and confidence of the clergy in
Fast London. But there remained the masses. "A sort

East London 171

of ecclesiastical Botany Bay," was the somewhat ex-
aggerated description of the sphere of work to which
he had been called. Although this phrase was
perhaps too strong, yet the fact remained that the
hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of his district were
for the most part untouched by the Church's work, and
were, to a sadly large degree, living without any visible
religion.

It must have appalled the Bishop at first. In his old
Shropshire parish he had had Dissenters, he had possibly
from time to time met with a stray unbeliever, he had
parishioners of various ranks. But, after all, they were
either squires, or farmers, or artisans, or labourers, and
he knew them all, and, what was more, they all knew and
trusted him. But here, in London, he was face to face
with a great multitude who knew him not, and cared
nothing for him or his office. He had to do with a
population who, while for the most part belonging to
the poorer classes, differed vastly amongst themselves.
Shrewd artisans, hard-headed and sceptical ; factory
girls, hard-worked, gregarious, pleasure-loving ; men and
women out of work, honest, starving, despairing ; a
criminal population, suspicious, drunken, dangerous ; a
dockyard and seafaring contingent, reckless and ever-
changing — these were some of the many varieties of the
sheep over which he had come to be the shepherd. Of
their religious opinions (those who had any) the number
was beyond reckoning ; probably few denominations
were unrepresented. What wonder, then, that to the
question " How are these masses to be won to Christ ?"
he replied " Anyhow ! " And by this he did not mean
to encourage reckless or spasmodic efforts, nor any that
militated against the Church to which he belonged, but

172 Bishop Walsham How

it was a cry for freedom which rang through all he said,
and planned, and taught, and did, in East London. To
illustrate this, it may be sufficient to quote a sentence
from the literature of that fund which was his right hand
throughout this portion of his ministry :

" The object of the Church in East London is to secure the
welfare of the spirit, the soul, and the body of every man, woman
and child of the East London district in this world and in the
next.

"The methods of Church work in East London, as we now
understand them, may be thus described : We will always main-
tain, in the first place, and upon a divine level of their own, the
Gospel and the Sacraments of Jesus Christ, beginning, continuing,
and ending all work in Him. As loyal and practical members of
a Church which must preach a present salvation, we will reject no
opportunity of developing social, educational, and recreational
agencies for the good of the people ; we will fear no experiment
which is justified by Church order and common sense ; and we
will always work, not on the chance that ' something may be
saved,' but on the principle that ' nothing be lost.' "

The versatile and sympathetic mind of the Bishop
caused him to enter heartily into any scheme which
seemed to further his one great end, and no doubt this
fact helped greatly to break down barriers and to pro-
mote cordial relations between him and his people,
though there were some who, with minds cased in a
buckram ecclesiasticism, thought it was inconsistent with
his ofBce that he should engage in any so-called "secular"
work.

It was a totally new experience that a bishop should be
seen continually in the streets of East London. Hurry-
ing along, bag in hand, with his quick springy step, he
was to be met with continually. The occupants of tram-
car and omnibus found something new to stare at in a

East London 173

bishop seated opposite in shovel hat, apron, and gaiters.
At first his episcopal dress caused much amusement and
many queries as to who he might be, but after a time he
was pleased to hear it said, "That's a bishop." Then
there came the time when he was still better pleased to
hear, " That's the Bishop," and he would often tell of his
delight when at last the familiar phrase became, " That's
our Bishop."

Prebendary Shelford tells a story of how one poor
fellow, who had wrecked his life by evil habits, and
became a degraded outcast, told him with unfeigned
pleasure that he counted it the highest honour to have
been permitted to carry the Bishop's bag and walk by his
side through the streets of an East-end parish.

Many stories might be told of how he attracted mem-
bers of the less educated classes by his genial presence,
and also no doubt (though they might not be conscious of
it) by the power of unaffected holiness. He was present
on one occasion at the opening of a home in London
Street, Ratcliff, under the auspices of the Women's
Help Association, and a number of the roughest of East
London girls were there. A lady seated near some of
these girls overheard one of them say, " Ain't he a nice
old gentleman ? " and, as a proof of the way he won
them, several of their number came forward afterwards,
and actually wished to be confirmed ! No one, who does
not understand what this means to a low class girl in that
district, can properly appreciate the effect which the
Bishop's words and presence must have had upon his
hearers that day.

The men, too, were struck by his downright simplicity
in speaking to them. When addressing a working men's
meeting at Carlisle he told this story :

174 Bishop Walsham How

"A great compliment was paid me the other day in
East London. I had been preaching to about eight
hundred men in a church in Bethnal Green, and after
the service a son of mine walked by the side of two
men as they left the church, and he heard one say to the
other, 'That seems a straight chap.' Now, I hope he
didn't mean stiff and starched. If you can give two
meanings to a word, always choose the best. So I took
it as a compliment. I hope he meant ' straightforward,
no humbug.' I like a man who says what he means, and
means what he says, and so I try to do the same."

Bishop Walsham How was probably the only bishop
who ever preached to the Salvation Army. Dr. Belcher,
who was, in 1882, Vicar of St. Faith's, Stoke Newington,
tells the following story of the way in which this came
about :

" It was," he says, " in the time when sermons of that sort
were being given in various churches, before the ' Army ' had
developed into an organised sect. When in Rome in the spring
of 1882, I got an anonymous letter, asking me, for the glory of
God and for the salvation of souls, to give a sermon in my church
to the local corps of the Salvation Army. I replied to the chief
ofificial of the Salvation Army in London, asking if that application
had his sanction, and, on being informed that it was so, on my
return to England, I repaired to the Bishop at Stainforth House,
and had a long consultation with him as to whether the sermon
ought to be given or not. In the end the Bishop said, ' I think,
Doctor, that it ought to be done.' ' Well, then, my Lord,' I rejoined,
' will you come and do it ? ' He turned round in his chair, had a
good look at me, and said, ' You have me now — I will.' And so
he did. We soon arranged the details, and the service and sermon
came off as fully reported in the Guardian^ the Church Times,
and the War Cry, which had a large engraving of the church
with the Bishop in the pulpit."

East London 175

The Bishop preached from the words, " Unto a perfect
man/' and his sermon was printed with a preface by Dr.
Belcher. Three hundred copies were sent to the local
Salvation Army corps, but it was said that an order came
from head-quarters prohibiting its distribution !

Bishop Walsham How had a happy knack of gaining
the confidence of his hearers by his first few words. He
had more than once the trying ordeal of addressing
gatherings of men who were met together for matters
which might have been supposed to be out of sympathy
with his aims. For instance he was several times allowed
to speak to men's associations in the East-end, and he
himself bore witness that he had a hearty welcome even
in a democratic club. It was on an occasion of this
kind that, on rising to speak and finding a small table
in front of him, he had the happy thought of pushing it
to one side, saying, " No ! we won't even have a table
between us ! "

Amongst the many and various meetings addressed by
the Bishop was one of an unusual character. " Mothers'
meetings " are common enough, but a " Fathers' meet-
ing " has not often been tried. Mr. Jay, of Christ Church,
Watney Street, however, uses these among his many other
methods of reaching his people, and, in February 1888,
he invited Bishop Walsham How to come and speak to.a
gathering of this description. Needless to say the invita-
tion was readily accepted, and some short time afterwards
the Bishop was much touched by receiving a pair of red
leather slippers accompanied by the following letter :

"Dear fellow Farther,

" We are members of one farthers meeting held at Christ
Church, Watney Street, and we long to see you with us again. I
do not forget your address when last you came. We were all

176 Bishop Walsham How

very much disopointed on Boxing Night. We did expect you,
do come as soon as you can. Will you axcept of this little present
from me as a fellow farther, belonging to the sam meeting as
yourself, and I am glad to be able to say belonging to the sam
Saviour and looking forward to the sam rest at last.

" Yours truly,

"J.. G.."

Could anything bear stronger witness than this letter of
the Bishop's power of making the working men to whom
he spoke feel the genial warmth of his sympathy and the
common bond of manly Christianity which united him to
them ?

One more story to evidence the affection he won in
East London. His work there was finished ; it was his
last day ; just once more he took his place in the familiar
white tram-car ; to his surprise the conductor asked him
for his ticket, which is usually thrown away by the pas-
senger. " What do you want it for ? " said the Bishop.
" P'raps you won't be coming with me again," said the
man, " and I should like to keep it for a remembrance."
The Bishop told him he should have something more than
that, and afterwards gave him his photograph.

But to return to the details of the Bishop's East London
work. Two of his primary objects were, as has been
shown, to know and be known by (i) the East London
clergy ; (2) the East London people. But, in addition to
this, there was a mass of work which called him hither
and thither, and filled up every moment of his time. His
correspondence was very heavy : he received about 15,000
letters, post-cards, &c., annually, and many of these had
to be answered by his own hand, besides those to which
he was able to dictate or suggest answers to be written by
his secretary. Perhaps the simplest way of giving an idea

East London 177

of the variety of his work is to take a day at random, and
to see what engagements his diary shows. Here is one :
Thursday, April 7, 1881.

Address to men only ; St. Laurence Jewry, 1.15 p.m.

S.P.G. 2.30 P.M.

Diocesan Home Mission, 121 Pall Mall, 4 p.m.

Deaconesses' Institution, 4.30 p.m.

Call upon Mr. G., 7 P.M.

Confirmation, St. Peter's, London Docks, 8 P.M.

These appointments would, of course, succeed a morning
given up to interviews and correspondence.

It has been stated that before the Bishop's arrival in
London many of the clergy there feared that he would
break down quickly under the strain of the work. As
they watched him, these fears were soon dispelled ; but
those friends and relations at a distance, who could not
see his bright face and undaunted look, but who heard
and read accounts of all that he was doing, began, not
unnaturally, to take alarm. We find the following re-
assuring letter from him, written after his first few months'
of his new life, in reply to an anxious inquiry from his
brother :

"Stainforth House, Dec. 13, 1879.

" Indeed I am not over-doing myself. I never was
better, and I have not had at all a heavy week this week.
Indeed I had a very jolly little holiday at the beginning of
it, for I went to the Archbishop's at Addington from the
Monday evening to the Wednesday morning. ... On
Tuesday morning I had a long and very nice walk with
the youngest Miss Tait, and after luncheon an afternoon's

M

178 Bishop Walsham How

skating. So you see it is not ' all work and no play.' I
enjoyed my day most thoroughly. It was a sight to
behold the episcopal gaiters cutting the outside backwards,
and the shovel hat twirling about as friskily as a young
wideawake ! "

Three years afterwards he was at Addington again ;
but this time it was to attend the funeral of the Archbishop
(Tait).

"Stainforth House, Dec. 9, 1882.

" My dear Maynard,

" I cannot tell you what an interesting and helpful
day yesterday was. Not only was everything connected
with the funeral very beautiful and well-ordered, but I
had much very nice talk with your bishop (Lichfield), the
Bishop of Newcastle (Wilberforce), and various others.
There were about twenty bishops present. The flowers
— all white — were most lovely. . . . I joined Lord Alwyne
Compton and Canon Wilkinson and his daughter in a
fly from Croydon to Addington and back (it is three and
a half miles — very hilly), and the return drive was one of
the most delightful and helpful half-hours I ever spent.
The Dean of Worcester talked very little, and Miss
Wilkinson not at all. I fear I did some talking, but
Canon Wilkinson was simply delightful. . . . We began
by discussing * Lead, kindly Light,' which was one of the
hymns sung at the funeral, and its confession, ' I was not
always so,' &c., and from this we got upon the question
of the general use of hymns descriptive of special and
occasional moods ; and then from that to the deep
language of penitence in the Confession in the Commu-
nion Service, and so to the exalted language in the

East London 179

Psalms, as, * My soul is athirst for God,' &c. ; and then
we naturally got upon the subjects of repentance, and
love to God, and private devotions in the Holy Com-
munion ; and I came away feeling as if I had spent half
an hour in some purer and brighter atmosphere. ... I
thought how you would have enjoyed it, for I do not
forget how, in the Engadine, you used to crave for more
open talk on holy things ; and I am often so vexed with
my own shyness and reserve."

Meanwhile the home life at Stainforth House went
quietly on. It was always a happiness to the Bishop that
both in East London, and in his subsequent work at
Wakefield, the area over which he had supervision was
sufficiently small to enable him to sleep at home as a
general rule. By this means he kept pace with his corres-
pondence, which had his first attention after breakfast,
and he dreaded the loss of a morning's work at his writing-
table, which was entailed by absence from home for a
night.

The difficulty he had felt, to which he gave expression
in a letter previously quoted, as to attending the services
at St. Thomas's, Upper Clapton, the church of the parish
in which he lived, was put aside, and he seldom missed
daily Morning Prayer there. He was also in the habit of
communicating at this church every Wednesday and
Friday morning, and the vicar and his family became
great friends with the inmates of Stainforth House. Once
the vicar, the Rev. F. W. Kingsford, called upon him to
ask him (not as bishop but as a resident parishioner)
whether the introduction of vestments at St. Thomas's
would deter him from coming to the church as usual.
The Bishop replied that it would do so — more for the

i8o Bishop Walsham How

sake of others than for his own — and Mr. Kingsford post-
poned their introduction until the interval between the
Bishop's translation to Wakefield and the appointment of
his successor. This act of consideration the Bishop in
after years mentioned with much gratitude. For the
whole of his nine years in East London he attended
this church frequently, and when he was leaving the
following letter appeared in the Parish Magazine :

"My dear Friends,

" Your good vicar has kindly allowed me to occupy
a little space in your Parish Magazine that I may say a few
parting words to those with whom I have been a fellow
parishioner for eight years and a half. This sojourn in
your parish has given me many kind and dear friends
from whom I shall part with great sorrow. My life and
my work in East London have been very happy, and to
you and your constant kindness I owe much of the happi-
ness I have enjoyed. Nor can I ever forget how much
the dear partner of my life and of my work, whom God
has been pleased to call to her rest, valued your friendship
and your ever ready interest in the work she from time to
time brought before you. From the great press of busi-
ness, which is now occupying my time, I fear I shall not
be able to say good-bye to many of you individually. I
must ask you, therefore, to let me say it by this letter
collectively. I shall ever take a deep interest in the wel-
fare of St. Thomas's parish, and shall ever carry with me
a grateful remembrance of many peaceful hours in St.
Thomas's Church. I trust, if I live, I may sometimes find
my way to Upper Clapton, and to see some of my dear
friends again.

** Meanwhile, I commend you to the grace of God, and

East London i8i

pray that every blessing which is good for you may be
yours for this world and the next.

" Your faithful and affectionate friend,

"Wm. WALSHAM BEDFORD
*' (Bishop Designate of Wakefield)."

Ten years did not suffice to obliterate his memory in
the parish, for in April 1898, a memorial window was
dedicated by the Bishop of Stepney in St. Thomas's
Church, with the following inscription :

" In majorem Dei gloriam et in piam memoriam viri admodum
Reverendi Gul : Walsham How S.T.P. Episcopi Suffraganei in
Diocesi Londinensi, titulo Bedfordise; deinde ad sedem Wake-
fieldensem translati : haec fenestra, in ecclesia qua per novem
annos, dum in hoc pago commorabatur, divinis officiis interesse
consuescebat, ab amicis mcerentibus dedicata est.

" Obdormivit in Jesu. " A. S. mdcccxcvh. ^tatis suae

LXXXIV."

CHAPTER XIV

EAST LONDON— CONTINUED

From time to time during the Bishop's sojourn in East
London, incidents occurred which are interesting in
themselves, but have no special place in the account of
his work. Some few of these may therefore form a
chapter to themselves.

In 1882 he was one of a Commission appointed to
select a new bishop for the See of Adelaide. Writing
about this, he says :

" I am asked, together with the Archbishop [Tait], and
the Bishops of Winchester [Harold Browne], Durham
[Lightfoot], and Truro [Benson], to elect the successor
to Bishop Short of Adelaide. It is a responsible office.
One knows of very good men, but then they won't go.
Two men, perfect strangers to me, have already written
to ask me to propose them ! "

The choice ultimately fell on Dr. Kennion, the present
Bishop of Bath and Wells.

In this same year the Bishop spent his holiday abroad
with his brother and other members of his family.
During this expedition he consecrated a new church and
churchyard at Pontresina on August 19, and preached
the sermon on the occasion, Prince and Princess

East London 183

Christian being among those present. Writing on this
day to the Rev. W. Frazer Nash, assistant curate of St.
Andrew's Undershaft, he gives a description of an adven-
ture which he had experienced on the previous day :

"PONTRESINA, Aug. 19, 1882.

" It has not been a good week, and on Thursday we
had much snow and rain, and it was Hke mid-winter.
Yesterday, however, was very fine, and we went a glacier
expedition. We had a guide, but no rope, as it was
thought pretty safe, but the newly fallen snow was treach-
erous, and one of our party, an elderly gentleman, fell
into a deep crevasse, twenty or thirty feet down, and
quite out of sight. It was very anxious work, as we had
to send a long way for a rope, and there he had to stay.
We could shout down to him, and he up to us, and, most
mercifully, he was not seriously hurt, only jambed in the
ice. When the guide brought the rope and some other
men he had some difficulty in getting it round his chest,
but did at last manage it, and then some seven or eight
good hauls by four strong men brought him up. Some
of us could not help bursting into tears when he was
saved, and the Bishop of Gloucester, who was with us,
and who is an experienced Alpine climber, gathered us
all together on the ice (we were a party of about twelve),
and offered up a thanksgiving, and then we all sang the
Doxology together. It was very affecting. I had only
just crossed the dangerous spot, and, on hearing the
shout of an accident, turned round to go and see, and
slipped and twisted my left knee. A shade more and I
could not have got away, and, as it was, I had to walk two
hours more over the ice, often very dangerous, limping in

184 Bishop Walsham How

great pain. I can only just hobble with a stick to-
day. We all feel we had a lesson in caution in glacier
work."

The "twist" turned out to be the breakage of a small
bone, and on his return to England the Bishop was con-
fined to his bed for some days, and afterwards got about
with difficulty upon crutches.

Bishop Walsham How's work in Convocation has been
spoken of before, and it must have seemed strange to him
to have no longer any part in the deliberations of that
body. But he had not a seat in the Upper House, being
a suffragan bishop, neither was he elected as a representa-
tive of the clergy to the Lower House, though in 1882 an
attempt was made to return him as proctor for the arch-
deaconry of London. The following requisition was
received by him in February of that year :

*' To the Right Reverend the Bishop of Bedford, Bishop Suffragan
for East London, and Rector of St. Andrew's Undershaft.

" We, the undersigned clergy of the archdeaconry of London,
respectfully request that you will allow yourself to be put in
nomination for the office of Proctor in Convocation, in place of
our much respected representative, the late Prebendary Gibbs."

This requisition was signed by over one hundred of the
clergy, including the rectors of Hackney, Stepney, Spital-
fields, Whitechapel, &c., and the vicars of Islington,
Bromley, St. Peter's London Docks, &c.

There can be little doubt that to return to Convocation
would have been a great pleasure to him, but at the last
moment he withdrew his name, the reason being explained
in the subjoined letters :

East London 185

[To his daughter?^

"Stainforth House, Feb. 17, 1882.

"The election for Convocation is on Monday, and I
am sorry to say a number of men (almost all of the Broad
school) strongly object to me as a nominee of the Bishop,
and so practically strengthening the official element in
Convocation. They have put up Mr. Harry Jones, and
written various not very pleasant letters in the Times, the
East London Observer, &c. The requisition to me, signed
by so many of the incumbents in the archdeaconry, and
men of all schools, means a very decided majority in a
poll, but I do not mean to be dragged through a contest
with one of my own clergy, and his supporters all saying
that he is handicapped by my official position and
influence, and so it cannot be a fair election. I have
therefore determined to withdraw. It is causing some
little excitement, but I do not greatly mind, for, however
enjoyable it may be to meet my friends in Convocation, I
daresay I am better employed elsewhere."

The Bishop consequently put out the following circular
letter :

" Stainforth House, Upper Clapton, E.,

''Feb. 18, 1882.
" Dear Sir,

" I have received with sincere pleasure a very
numerously signed requisition, asking me to allow myself
to be proposed as Proctor in Convocation in place of the
late Prebendary Gibbs. When this proposal was first
brought before me, I felt it would be a great honour if
the clergy of this archdeaconry should invite me to return
to Convocation as their representative. I also felt that

i86 Bishop Walsham How

my doing so might help in some Httle degree to remove
the erroneous impression that bishops and presbyters
must necessarily have opposing aims and interests, and I
should have rejoiced in any way to forward the interests
of the parochial clergy, with whom it is my earnest desire
to be in closest sympathy. I should have supported (as I
always did support) every proposal for the enlargement of
the representation of the parochial clergy, and for the
admission of non-beneficed clergy to vote.

" But having learnt that there is a strong wish on the
part of some to be represented by a brother presbyter,
and that at least one respected incumbent will be proposed
with that view, I have consulted some of the chief pro-
moters of the requisition to myself, and with their con-
currence, in order that there may be no contest, I have
requested that my name may not be proposed.

" I am, dear Sir,

" Yours very truly,

"Wm. walsham BEDFORD.
"(Bishop Suffragan for East London, and Rector of St. Andrew's Underskaft)."

This circular he sent to his son (Rev. H. W. How) with
the following letter :

"iv3. 20, 1882.
" Dearest Harry,

" This will show you the result of the Convocation

difficulty. It is not very satisfactory, for the Broad men

(a small minority) get their man in without a contest

to-day, because I resign at the last. 1 cannot be dragged

through a contest with one of my own clergy, but, if I

had declined at first, no doubt another man would have

been put up. To-day's Times has a leader about me, and

three letters which you should read. No doubt you can

East London 187

see it. Mr. Walrond delicately calls Mr. Brook, Mr.

Billing, Mr. Kitto, and Mr. Abbott, ' busybody satellites,'

which will be soothing to their feelings. I could not

withdraw earlier, for I did not receive the requisition till

Thursday evening, and had, of course, to consult my chief

promoters.

" Your loving father,

"W. w. B."

The leading article in the Times, referred to above,
contained the following criticisms on the controversy :

" The number of officials who have seats in the Lower House
of Convocation is, Mr. Main Walrond [of St. Laurence Jewry]
pointed out in a letter we printed last Tuesday, so large as to
make the House no proper representative of the parochial
clergy, ... In view of these facts Mr. Main Walrond and some
others of the London clergy look with grave disapproval on a
proposal which has been made to elect the Bishop Suffragan of
Bedford to a place in the Lower House. . . . Mr. Kempe, Rector
of St. James's, Westminster, in a letter we printed last Thursday,
takes the opposite side. If the Bishop of Bedford, Mr. Kempe
argues, be elected by the London clergy, he will be representa-
tive of the London clergy. Mr. Kempe strengthens his case by
suggesting some doubts as to the full episcopal rank of the Bishop
of Bedford. He is no more a bishop than Lord Hartington is a
peer. If a marquis, by courtesy, can sit in the House of Commons,
a bishop, by courtesy, may sit in the Lower House of Convocation,
and bring just as little of aristocratic taint with him. The various
disadvantages of Dr. How's present position are duly set out in
Mr. Kempe's letter. He is a suffragan only, with no prospect of
succession to the Episcopal Bench, or to a seat of his own in
Parliament or Convocation. It is for the London clergy, there-
fore, to supply some part of his defects. They can treat him as
one of themselves, which, by-the-bye, he has not yet ceased to be,
since he is the occupant of a London living, and they may thus,
and thus only, obtain a renewal of the services he rendered for
ten whole years before he became a bishop of any sort. It is a

i88 Bishop Walsham How

hard case we must admit, , . . There is good sense in some of
Mr. Walrond's objections to his proposed candidature, contained
in a second letter which we give to-day. As a bishop, which,
pace Mr. Kempe, Dr. How unquestionably is, he will be placed
in the improper position of seeking votes from men who owe a
certain measure of canonical obedience to him, and some of whom
are dependent on his favour for promotion. If Dr. How's election
is opposed, if Mr. Harry Jones, or any other London clergyman is
put forward against him, the struggle with be a somewhat un-
seemly one. . . . Mr. Harry Jones is to be put in nomination if
his friends can ensure him a fair measure of support, but not
otherwise. If a sufficient amount of promises is not obtained for
him, there will be no contest, and officialism, in the very moderate
form in which it is represented by Dr. How, will prevail. This,
we are inclined to think, would be the best solution of the whole
difficulty."

The Bishop's refusal to enter on a contest with one of
his clergy had, however, already been issued, and the
matter ended in a different manner from that recom-
mended by the Times.

In 1884 he was elected a member of " Nobody's
Club," and on May 29 in that year was present at his first
dinner, and had to make the usual speech to explain his
right to be present. His explanation was couched in the
following remarks :

" How to justify my appearance among Nobody's
Friends I know not, unless the absurdity of being Bishop
of Bedford, while having no connection with that ancient
and respectable borough, be admitted as a plea, a plea
perhaps the stronger inasmuch as the title I unhappily
possess very naturally leads the more thoughtful of the
people in my sub-diocese to imagine that I am a bishop
who has been tried at Bedford and has failed, and is
having a new chance given him in East London,

East London 189

" But it is difficult to talk about oneself, self-knowledge
bring a gift of singular rarity, so that it will be better to
glean a few of the expressed opinions of others, and, if
possible, to extract from their combined or contrasted
force some ground of confidence in presenting myself
before this honourable assemblage. I presume that a
certain amount of haziness of outline and indefiniteness
of conception might stand me in good stead in the present
ordeal, so I beg to plead that, while on the one hand the
less cultured and refined of the East-end continually
exclaim as I pass by ' What's that ? ' on the other hand an
intelligent, but curious, person one day asked my good
friend the Rector of Stepney, 'Who is this Bishop of
Suffragan, who is coming to preach here ?' Again, it was
only the night before last that a small boy in Poplar
shouted to another as I passed, * Here's a Scotchman ;
look at his legs 1 ' while Mr. Punch has played me a
sorry trick, for since that odious picture by Du Maurier
of a bishop in the East End, I have had that detestable
Americanism ' Masher ' shouted after me in Spitalfields.

" As with my person, especially my poor legs, which are
the subject of many more or less graceful and compli-
mentary criticisms, so with my sphere of work. I am filled
with admiration at the playful vivacity of the descriptive
genius, which has revealed to a confiding public the
nature of my surroundings, a daily paper not long ago
(and we know that daily papers seldom make mistakes)
having spoken of the ' purely agricultural diocese of the
Bishop of Bedford.'

" Such, sir, is the anomalous and paradoxical individual
who has ventured to intrude into your presence, trusting
for his welcome to the generosity of the friends of
Nobody."

190 Bishop Walsham How

In after years Bishop Walsham How attended the
dinners of this club when possible, but his many
engagements caused him to put in a somewhat infrequent
appearance.

In 1884-5, the Bishop was much occupied with the
Royal Commision on the housing of the poor, to which
he had been appointed.

The Commission was moved for by Lord Salisbury in
the House of Lords on February 23, 1884, when notable
speeches in its support were made by the Prince of Wales
and the late Lord Shaftesbury. The Commissioners
originally appointed were Sir Charles Dilke, M.P.
(chairman) ; H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, the Bishop of
Bedford, Mr. H. Broadhurst, M.P., The Earl Brownlow,
Lord Carrington, Mr. Jesse Collings, M.P., Sir R. A. Cross,
G.C.B., M.P., Mr. George Godwin, F.R.S., Cardinal
Manning, Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P., the Marquis of
Salisbury, K.G., the Hon. Lyulph Stanley, M.P., Mr. W.
M'C. Torrens, M.P., and Mr. J. C. Bodley (Secretary).

It was, naturally, a subject of deep interest to one so
closely connected with a crowded area such as East
London, and the Bishop seldom missed one of the
meetings. The following letters refer to this subject :

[To Ms brother.l

"Stainforth House, Dec. 2, 1884.

" I had a chat with the Prince over the fire to-day, when
we rose. He told me that old Canon Girdlestone, who
preached [at Sandringham] in my place, caught a fearful
cold there, and had been laid up ever since. I also had a
little chat with Mr. Goschen, who said he thought the
Seats Bill as revolutionary a change as the abolition of
the House of Lords would have been. , . . However, no

East London 191

doubt the immense number of one-horse-chaise constitu-
encies will give greater variety, and in a measure secure
the representation of all interests."

[To Rev. H. W. How.]

"Viceregal Lodge, Dublin, May 27, 1885.

" Dearest Harry,

" You will like to hear about our visit here. Most
of the Commission came last Friday, but Lord Brownlow
and I came over on Monday. We had a beautiful day,
and a fine passage, but I am sorry to see it was a wet
Bank-holiday in England. We had a tremendously swell
dinner-party here, the Lord Chancellor and wife. Lord
Chief Justice and wife. Marquis and Marchioness of
Drogheda, &c. They keep up Court state. Lord and
Lady Spencer do not enter till all the guests are assembled,
and then go round and formally salute each, and the same
on leaving at night. . . . The crimson footmen are mag-
nificent . . . and the aides-de-camp and suite scarcely
less splendid ! There are carriages to take you every-
where, and in fact we are royally entertained. This is a
large place in a park, being part of the Phoenix Park, and
is guarded in all directions by soldiers and police. The
site of the murders is just outside the garden, and two
crosses are cut in the ground where the two bodies lay.

" Last night we of the Commission all dined with Mr.
Dwyer Gray, our Irish member, and that was a very swell
affair. About thirty-two sat down, all men, but Mrs. Gray
had a reception afterwards, to which about 400 came.
It was a great crush, but amusing enough. A ball
followed, but we all came back here. I had some nice
talk with the Lord Chancellor, who is a very nice, clever,

192 Bishop Walsham How

unassuming man. Also with the now notorious Dr.
Walsh, who may at any moment be proclaimed Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. Also with the Solicitor-
General — ' The McDermott ' — who sat on my left, I being
next to Mr. Gray, on his left. It was a happy family
politically, for we had lots of Nationalists, and Lord
Brownlow and Sir Richard Cross strong Conservatives.
Mr. Gray's is a splendid house. We have finished our
work to-day. They sat nine hours on Saturday, and we
sat seven hours yesterday, but only two to-day, having
finished our witnesses.

" This morning I begged off breakfast, and went to give
an Ember address to about forty-eight clergy at an early
celebration at St. Patrick's. I afterwards had a sit with
old Archbishop Trench, and lunched with the new Arch-
bishop, Lord Plunkett."

" Your loving father,

" w. w. B."

Bishop Walsham How had, on becoming Bishop of
Bedford, taken a D.D. degree from the Archbishop of
Canterbury. Of his University (Oxford) he still remained
simply M.A. In the summer term of 1886 this was
rectified, and Oxford gave him an honorary D.D. degree.
The ceremony was performed on June 15, a day which he
described in a letter as " a perfect day — beautifully bright
and clear, and Oxford looking its best."

With the Bishop's literary tastes it is not surprising to
find in his diaries mention of his acquaintance with
various authors. Thus, on the occasion of his preaching
the sermon at the Cuddesdon Festival in May 1877, he
noted that he " saw a good deal of Miss Yonge," and in
the following February, when at Cannes, there is an entry

East London 193

of the fact that " Miss Ingelow came to tea. I walked
back with her."

" Edna Lyall" was also among the Bishop's friends, and
in April 1888, he had the pleasure of entertaining all
three of these authoresses together at Stainforth House.
Unfortunately it was an exceedingly busy time with the
Bishop, and it fell to the lot of Mrs. Kenyon, his daughter,
who was staying with him, to do most of the entertaining.
In her company they visited the Children's Hospital at
Shadwell, and the People's Palace, and generally made
such acquaintance with East London as their short visit
allowed.

In this connection the following letter written to his
niece. Miss M. Douglas, will be interesting :

'■'■June 26, 1889.

" I really do not think I have written to you (have I ?)
since my visit to Cambridge to preach the University
sermons on Ascension Day and the Sunday after. I
stayed for the former day with the Lytteltons at Selwyn,
who are always very delightful, and for the latter with the
Master of Trinity, where were also staying the Bishop and
Lady Alwyne, and Robert Browning ! The latter was very
interesting and pleasant, a jolly, chatty, cheery old gentle-
man, not an ideal poet by any means. I talked to him
about his lunar rainbow in ' Christmas Eve,' wondering
about his description of the base being duly * with seven-
fold columns chorded,' and the summit passing into a
'triumph of whitest white,' besides the farther second
bow above. The only one I ever saw was all white. He
told me his was exactly as he describes it. It must have
been in stronger moonlight."

N

194 Bishop Walsham How

Among other matters that were a Httle apart from his
work, the Bishop went, in 1887, to hear a great socialist
debate. His interesting description of what he saw and
heard is contained in the following letter to Mrs. Kenyon :

" Stainforth House, ya«. 26, 1887.
* * *

" I want to tell you about a most interesting evening I
had on Monday. I went to Toynbee Hall to hear a dis-
cussion between Champion the Socialist and a Mr.
Benjamin Jones, a leader of the Co-operatives, on their
respective systems, Mr. Leonard Courtney being in the
chair. Each set forth his own plan for bettering the
condition of the people first, twenty minutes being allowed
to each. Then they questioned each other in turn for
about thirty minutes. Then the audience were allowed
to send up questions in writing to be answered by the
debaters for about forty-five minutes. Then Mr. Court-
ney summed up, and finally, votes of thanks were passed.
It was more than interesting, for it was very exciting.
Champion was the best a good deal in clearness, definite-
ness, and compression. He did not say a word too much,
nor attempt any speechifying. But he was awfully strong
and dangerous. He is a thin, keen man, a gentleman by
"voice and manner, with a quick, rather small, but very
keen eye, and thin, compressed lips. He looked as if he
•could bite. He advocated, without apology or hesitation,
the taking by the State, without compensation, of all land,
railways, factories, and means of producing wealth ; the
-entire abolition of all non-working classes, the supreme
power being in the hands of the people, as compensation
for all political and commercial power having been so
long monopolised by the rich. If only he had ranted

East London 195

and raved one would have laughed at the absurdity of it
all, but his quiet, determined manner, and extremely terse
language, gave it the effect of some power and of great
danger. Mr. Benjamin Jones was a large, rather jolly-
looking man, far more oratorical, not at all perfect in
grammar, but quick, well-informed, and tolerably effective.
No doubt the worse cause had the best advocate, but the
majority present in a frightfully crowded room were with
the co-operator. Mr. Courtney summed up very strongly
in his favour, and Mr. Barnett, in proposing a vote of
thanks to the Chair, ended with some very fine words,
which he said he had heard used, and were not his own.
He said, even if the Socialist scheme could be carried by
the nation, it could never be carried out, or be in any
degree workable, without the highest moral qualities, such
as unselfishness, honesty, &c. But these, he said, were
simply the Christian virtues, and so, he contended, ' Until
the people are Christian, Socialism is impossible, and when
the people are Christian, it will be unnecessary." Champion
distinctly said he held that physical force was the only
resource for his party, if their just claims were refused,
and he considered his cause worth fighting for.

" There were a good many very strong-minded females
present, some obviously Socialists, applauding Champion."

In March 1887 the Bishop of Bedford went, for the
£rst time, to stay at Windsor by command of the Queen,
and to preach before her Majesty, who graciously invited
him on several other occasions to preach at Windsor, the
last time of all being May 9, 1897, a few months before
liis death.

On April 6, 1888, within a few weeks of his leaving

196 Bishop Walsham How

London for Wakefield, he went to Cumberland Lodge to
confirm Princess Louise, daughter of Prince and Princess
Christian of Schleswig Holstein. Writing about this, he
said :

" I had a very nice, pleasant day yesterday, when I
went to luncheon at Cumberland Lodge. . . . Prince
Christian Victor was at home, and the two daughters, the
younger of whom I went to confirm in the church in the
Park. . . .

" It was rather trying having to address one girl alone
in church, and before such an audience. I should have
been happier if there had been one hundred ! "

CHAPTER XV

THE BISHOP A BRIDGEMAKER

Bishop Walsham How was once called " a great bridge-
maker." This was true in several ways. In the first
place it was true in his treatment of Dissent. He had had
great experience of Dissenters in his Shropshire parish.
Whittington is one of the places on the borderland
of Wales, a fact to which the ruins of its old castle
bear witness. This propinquity to the Principality
accounted for the strength of the Dissenting community,
but Dr. Walsham How, when rector, lived on terms of
friendliness with them all, trying his utmost to see the
points of agreement rather than those of difference. This
was always his line, and he did what he could to promote
re-union by trying by every lawful means to bring men to
be of one mind. It has been noticed elsewhere that he
was a member of Bishop Woodford's Committee of Con-
vocation on the subject.

When in East London the unceasing calls of Church
administration left him little time for other considerations,
but, when he arrived at his West Riding diocese, he was
confronted with a development of political dissent
probably unequalled in any other part of the country for
violence. With this he had no patience. He was never

198 Bishop Walsham How

tired of insisting upon the distinction to be drawn between
religious and political dissent. He was no bridge-maker
between the Church and the latter unscrupulous faction.
With the devout Dissenter, who was sincerely religious,
he had sympathy and common ground, on which the
foundations of a bridge might be laid.

But in another sense he was also a great bridge-maker.
When he became suffragan for East London he found
that his district consisted of vast areas in which no wealthy
people at all were to be found, with a few other parts,
such as Clapton, Tottenham, &c., out of which the well-
to-do inhabitants were rapidly moving. Large funds
were needed to provide men and machinery, and one of
the tasks the Bishop set himself to do was to bridge over
the gulf of indifference to, and ignorance of, the needs of
East London, which existed between it and wealthier
localities. To accomplish this, he, with the help of the
Secretary of the East London Church Fund and others,
arranged many drawing-room meetings in the West End,
and obtained the use of the pulpits in St. Peter's, Eaton
Square, and other churches, that he might personally plead
the cause of his work. A large amount of pecuniary
support was thus obtained, but, more important still, a
vast interest was stirred up in the condition of the East
End, and many went to see for themselves the state of
things that existed. It is not claimed that Bishop
Walsham How originated the idea of that practice, which
has somewhat flippantly been termed " slumming," but it
is probable that he gave it a turn which brought it into
closer connection with the work of the Church.

This sympathy of the wealthy Vk^ith their poorer brethren
he also succeeded in arousing in such places as Brighton,
Tunbridge Wells, Eastbourne, &c., and visited these and

The Bishop a Bridgemaker 199

other places in person to tell his story about East
London.

He never altogether gave up this work. His love for
East London led him to give what time he could, even in
the stress of his Wakefield work, to pleading her cause.

[To Mrs. R. Ll. Kenyon.]

*' OVERTHORPE, JVoV. 27, 1889.

" On Saturday morning I went to Brighton, and that
afternoon we had a meeting for East London in the Hove
Town Hall, Bishop Billing and the eloquent Mr. Hilliard
and myself being chief speakers. On Sunday I cele-
brated at an early Communion, and preached three times
for East London.

" On Monday we had a splendidly crowded meeting in
the Pavilion for East London, and altogether, with
sermons in eight churches and the two meetings, we
realised about ;^35o."

Again he built yet another bridge, this time between
the Universities and Public Schools on the one hand, and
his beloved East London on the other. The Rev.
H. L. Paget, Vicar of St. Pancras, who was the first " Christ
Church Missioner" in Poplar, has written on this subject
as follows :

" It was probably this gift of vigorous and sanguine cheerfulness
that enabled Bishop Walsham How to win for East London the
support of the Universities and Public Schools. Even before his
time, venturous and clear-sighted schoolmasters, like Dr. Thring
at Uppingham, had seen the possibility and the gain of associating
English public schoolboys with the work of the Church in desolate
places ; but it is to Bishop How's episcopate that we owe the
vigorous movement in this direction, which is still spreading.

200 Bishop Walsham How

The Eton Mission in Hackney Wick, and the Christ Church
Mission in Poplar, date alike from the earlier years of his work.
Each had the same humble beginning : Eton began in a small
shop, Christ Church in a two-roomed cottage ; the work of each
has attained to splendid dimensions."

To these early beginnings the Bishop paid the greatest
attention. A good gardener himself, he knew how
tenderly the young plants must be cared for and watered.
Mr. Paget further says :

" It goes without saying that he worked extremely hard. Yet
he never disappointed either clergy or people by coming to them
obviously tired or bored, or disposed to clip arrangements that had
been made, or do less than was expected of him. The function
at which he had promised to be present was very likely of a
humble order. His clergy will probably recall the kind of scene :
an iron mission church, a lean-to vestry crammed with a newly-
formed choir, eager sidesmen and churchwardens, the whole affair
ridiculously small, sadly cheap, and yet, so far as it went, the
crown of a good deal of labour, the fruit of a sensible measure of
self-denial and prayer. Then it was that the Bishop never seemed
to fail or flag. He, as well as they, might have been looking
forward to that day for months past ; he, too, might have been
saving himself up for it for weeks ! No touch of weariness or
scorn ever made you feel as though he hardly thought it worth
while to have come for so little. Yet here his strength and
simplicity gave true dignity to what in some might have seemed a
little trifling. It was the day of small things in many parts of East
London ; and no doubt he was often asked to bless comparatively
small enterprises, to consecrate very humble gifts. It was clearly
difficult to be at once sympathetic and dignified ; neither to belittle
the gift, nor to belittle the Bishop. He was wonderfully equal to
the occasion, and his clergy will gratefully remember the touch of
crowning brightness, the touch of dignity, as well as of gladness,
that his coming gave to their parish festivals.

"People were never disappointed in him. They knew him
quite well, they knew what to expect : and yet he came with a
freshness, an eagerness, a readiness to be surprised and pleased,

The Bishop a Bridgemaker 201

that were wonderful indeed in one who had to be doing the same
thing in the same way almost every day of the year."

And how great has been the result of many of these
small beginnings thus fostered by him ! St. Mary of
Eton is one of the finest churches in London ; the Christ
Church Mission owns a block of parochial buildings such
as few, even of the wealthy West-end parishes, can match,
while the Marlborough Mission at Tottenham, under
Mr. Noel Smith, and the Shropshire Mission at Wood
Green, under the Bishop's old curate, Mr. Dowling, have
built fine churches and set on foot a great work in their
respective neighbourhoods. The present Bishop of
Stepney (Dr. Ingram) bears testimony to this branch of
Bishop Walsham How's labours. He writes :

" I am much struck by his statesmanship in dealing with the
increase of population in the Enfield Deanery. The Marlborough
and the Shropshire Missions are examples of his skill in creating
new parishes, choosing the right men, encouraging them to build
gradually all needful buildings, and working in outside bodies,
such as Marlborough College and Shropshire, to back them up."

A few years later came the movement which started the
Oxford House in Bethnal Green.

A committee was formed in Oxford, and half a dozen
members of it, with Sir William Anson, Warden of All
Souls' College, went up to town on March 22, 1884, to
inspect St. Andrew's, Bethnal Green. They were met by
the Bishop and by the late Mr. Knight Bruce, vicar of the
parish [afterwards Bishop of Bloemfontein]. A great
consultation ensued, chiefly on the ways and means of
transforming the disused schools and schoolhouse into a
grand lay house. The result of it all is well known, as
also is the grand work that has been carried on there ever
since.

202 Bishop Walsham How

Again to quote the Rev. H. L. Paget :

" It was Bishop How who got all this for East London. With-
out any touch of sentimental exaggeration, without making out
East London either better or worse than it really was, he managed
to make men feel the need of work, the happiness of working
there. He never spoke of his people otherwise than they would
have wished him to speak. Those were days in which East London
was apt to be described in melodramatic language and painted in
lurid tints. The Bishop was too loyal to his people and to his
office to wish to win men's ears by extravagance of that sort.
When he spoke he told, of course, of the miserably inadequate
spiritual provision, the starved condition of many of the parishes ;
and then you were left to gather, chiefly from the Bishop's tone
and manner, the happiness of going where you might be really
wanted, of doing even a little to win souls to Christ."

For a description of what Bishop Walsham How
appeared to be to those who worked with him in those
days the same correspondent must be quoted :

" A bishop who ran to catch trams and omnibuses, who would
fly from Tottenham to Wapping, from Bromley to Whitechapel, to
preside at a very humble parish festival, was a new figure in the
EngUsh hierarchy. People liked him for the same reason that
Israel and Judah loved David — because he went out and came in
before them. Such activity, such movement, may easily become
comic. It slips quickly from the winning to the ridiculous. A
touch of affectation, a hint of self-consciousness, and its charm is
gone. But with Bishop How its attraction was irresistible. The
neat well-knit figure, the crisp grey hair, the bright brown eye, and
the mouth, so whimsical and sympathetic, with its trick of becoming
suddenly very firm and set if he heard or saw what he did not
like, this was not the sort of thing to pass unnoticed in the life of
the East End. It was the kind of thing that might have been
created for the express purpose of brightening the dulness epidemic
in those parts. It was a cheering vision when people were worn,
or weary, or out of heart. Its instinctive protest did a good deal
to mend matters, if any one were thoughtless or wicked."

The Bishop a Bridgemaker 203

It would have been impossible for the Bishop to have
maintained this brightness and activity had it not been for
the help he found in his home life. The work of Mrs.
Walsham How is mentioned elsewhere, but that of
his daughter was of no less importance, and of perhaps
even greater personal assistance to him. Miss How for
several years acted as his private secretary, and was com«
pletely in his confidence, and all those who have described
the Bishop's East London work mention how greatly her
unflagging zeal and friendly helpfulness to all aided in
promoting that work's success. No doubt the Bishop
would have faced the new work in Yorkshire, to which he
was afterwards called, with an even greater courage, had
he been allowed to have these two dear fellow-workers
still by his side.

CHAPTER XVI

LAST YEARS IN EAST LONDON

On the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 1885, Dr.
Jackson, Bishop of London, died, and Bishop Walsham
How's anxiety as to who would be his new chief was
naturally great. It did not necessarily follow that the
next bishop would be willing to continue him in his
office of suffragan, but on Bishop Temple's appointment
this doubt was set at rest, and the Bishop of Bedford
settled down once more to the work he loved so well.
His devotion to East London was put to the test in the
following autumn when Lord Salisbury offered him the
See of Manchester on the death of Bishop Eraser. At
this time there was no idea that the nature of his work in
London was likely to be changed, and he sent the follow-
ing reply to the Prime Minister :

" Stainforth House, Upper Clapton,

"Bee. 8, 1885.
"My dear Lord,

" I feel very deeply the confidence reposed in me
by her Majesty and by your lordship, and am very
grateful for the offer of so honourable a position as that
of the Bishopric of Manchester, but it is quite clear to me
that my duty is to stay where I am. I have given my

Last Years in East London 205

life and my heart to East London, and I could not now
leave it. I therefore beg to be permitted to decline the
kind offer made to me.

" Believe me, my dear lord,
" Yours very truly,

" Wm. WALSHAM BEDFORD.

"To the Marquis of Salisbury."

So strong was his attachment to his sphere of work,
and so decided his opinion of his duty, that he seems to
have consulted no one on the subject, and indeed not
even to have mentioned it to Mrs. How until after his
refusal had gone to Lord Salisbury.

Writing to his brother a week afterwards he said :

" It will interest you to know that I refused Manchester
some little time ago, I have given my life and my heart
to East London, and I could not go. I told no one — not
even F. [Mrs. How] — till to-day, but it has leaked out
somehow. I don't want it put in the papers."

The following day he wrote to one of his sons :

"FuLHAM Palace, S.W., Dec. 17, 1885.

"Dearest Harry,

" Before I go to bed I will just write you one line
to tell you that I refused Manchester last Tuesday week.
I have kept it secret till yesterday, not wishing it to get
into the papers, but a letter from your dean [Manchester]
tells me it has got known, so there is no longer any need
of secrecy. The one thing I should have liked in it
would have been to have you among my clergy [the
Rev. H. W. How was then Vicar of St. Anne's, Haughton,

2o6 Bishop Walsham How

near Manchester]. But I felt I could not give up East
London just when I am getting a grasp upon the work,
and I also felt much more fit for the subordinate post
I now hold than for the more difficult and responsible
one I was asked to accept. I do not think I have the
gift of government.

" God bless you, dear boy,

" Your loving father,
"W. w. B,"

When it became known to the clergy of East London
that he had refused the offer of a See, in order to stay and
work among them, the utmost enthusiam was aroused.
Numberless letters poured in upon him, all expressing
deep thankfulness for his decision. Of these it may
suffice to give that received from the late Bishop Billing,
his successor, at that time Rector of Spitalfields.

"The Rectory, Spitalfields, E.,
"Christmas Day, 1885.

"My dear Bishop,

" If I could tell you all that has been felt and said, and by
whom, on hearing of your noble resolve to remain with us, it
would do your heart good.

*' Independent of the good your abiding with us must, in the
future, as in the past, be to the Church in East London, the fact
that you have refused such an offer, and declined to leave the
work in East London, will have an immense influence for good.
I for one feel greatly confirmed in my resolution to remain where
I am, in spite of all that is still urged upon me as reasons for
retirement ; retirement would be desertion, and base desertion
now. Your position is greatly strengthened in other quarters than
in the East End. I am sure of this, and I rejoice because of it.
I confess I trembled when I knew I might any hour hear you were
to be taken from us, though I felt that the spiritual power God
has given you is greatly needed in Manchester, and to no other
sphere could I have more willingly seen you called.

Last Years in East London 207

"If I may presume a little more on your kindness in allowing
me always to say what I think and feel, I must add that I include
the fact that your remaining involves the continuance of Mrs.
How's presence and really invaluable services as not the least
cause for thankfulness and congratulation. And I am recording
not my own sentiments alone. The clergy of the East End, and
the laity too, must feel more than ever bound to do all in their
power to assist your efforts and to ease your labours, and to show
themselves somewhat worthy of such a bishop as the Great Head
of the Church has given them. We at this rectory have had a
happy Christmas Day, and have felt how different would have
been our feelings had we been under the shadow of a terrible
bereavement ; it would have been a dark shadow indeed. Thank
God it was not so to be.

" I am respectfully and most affectionately yours,

"R. C. BILLING."

Surely a more charming and cheering letter could not
have been penned, and the Bishop was much moved by it
and others of a like nature. All the same his modesty
would not allow his decision to be called "a noble
resolve."

Writing to the Rev. H. W. How, he says :

"/ don't think it at all a 'noble' resolve, for it would
have been a great act of self-denial to me to go to Man-
chester. I should like to have you among my clergy,
but perhaps that may be effected in another way some
day." [This wish was fulfilled three years afterwards by
his son's appointment to the Vicarage of Mirfield in the
diocese of Wakefield.]

But the East London clergy were not content with
letters. They presented their Bishop with an illuminated
address framed in massive oak, round which ivy leaves
were carved, emblematic of the affection with which they
clung to him. The address read as follows :

2o8 Bishop Walsham How

" To the Right Reverend Father in God, ]ViUiavi Walsham,

Bishop of Bedford, Bishop Suffragan for the

Diocese of London.

"We, the undersigned clergy of the rural deaneries of Hackney,
Spitalfields, and Stepney, having learnt that you have declined the
Bishopric of Manchester, from a desire to carry on your work in
the East of London, wish to express our deep thankfulness to God
for the manifest blessing which has rested on your labours during
the past seven years under the late Bishop of London and his present
successor in the See. We are anxious to assure you of our warm
affection and of our hearty gratitude for the spiritual strength and
comfort which God has bestowed on ourselves and on our parishes
through your sympathy, teaching and example. We are convinced
that if at any time you should feel bound to obey a call to leave
this diocese and labour for Christ and His Church elsewhere, we
shall not lose your loving interest in our welfare, and shall ever be
remembered by you in your prayers.

"Easier 1886."

It will thus be seen that Bishop Walsham How's fixed
intention was to end his days as bishop suffragan for
East London. But this was not to be.

A most unfortunate crisis arose in February 1886,
owing to the circumstance that the new Bishop of London
never understood the position held by the Bishop of
Bedford, while the latter had taken it too much for
granted that, as no change had been proposed, that
position was to remain unaltered.

As has been already explained, his work, under Bishop
Jackson, had been limited to the East End, so that he
had been able to arrange and organise schemes for carry-
ing on his " Crusade " with reference solely to his own
district. Doubtless it would have been wiser to have
fully explained this to Bishop Temple at an earlier date,
but he probably thought that it was well-known, and left

Last Years in East London 209

it to his chief to propose any change. Had the explana-
tion been made six months earHer, there is Httle doubt
that it would so far have altered the course of Bishop
Walsham How's subsequent life that he would have died
Bishop of Manchester, and not of Wakefield.

The blow fell in the latter part of February. The
Bishop of London wrote 'desiring him to take confirma-
tions, &c., in various parts of the diocese during the year.
By this time all the East London confirmations and other
engagements had been arranged, and the Bishop of
Bedford's time was fully pledged. He wrote to Dr.
Temple as follows :

" Stainforth House, Upper Clapton, E.,

''March i, 1886.

"My dear Bishop of London,

" I have done my best as to the confirmations for
this season, but I cannot quite manage all. I enclose a
list of those I cannot take.

" I am very glad to do all I can to help this year, as
you have not yet made any arrangement for further epis-
copal help, but it is best to say plainly that I cannot do so
again. The strength and happiness of my position has
been its concentration upon a manageable area, in which
I could know thoroughly all the parishes and all the men.
To do what I am doing this time involves giving up a
great many things, and some of the weeks are so full of
engagements that my heart sinks at the thought of the
impossibility at such times of keeping on a level with my
correspondence. This is always difficult. Moreover I
have a parish, and I cannot quite neglect the poor souls
in it, especially when my good fellow workman [Rev. W.
Frazer Nash, curate of St. Andrew's Undershaft] is away
for his holiday.

2IO Bishop Walsham How

" The late bishop never asked me to take a confirmation
out of my own district, and indeed did not allow any of
the clergy in other parts of the diocese to ask me, which
I thought unnecessarily considerate. He always had the
help of a third bishop, generally Bishop Tozer after
Bishop Piers Claughton's illness and death. Bishop
Bromby is now available, and is generally to be found at
his son's, St. John's Vicarage, Bethnal Green. I do not
know what pecuniary arrangements were made, but such
an arrangement was being made with Bishop Bromby at
the time of the late bishop's death. You are able to do
far more than he could, and all the clergy welcome you
most heartily, and there is no idea of any separation of
East London, nor would we ignore the unity of the
diocese. And more than thankfully will I take as many
confirmations in other parts as you are kindly willing to
take in East London. But beyond this I really cannot
go. Do forgive me for saying this. You see I am
inclined to be a little rebellious.

" And now I have said what I wanted to say, and can
only throw myself on your forgiveness and generosity,

" Yours sincerely,

"Wm. walsham BEDFORD."

He had not long to wait for a reply. The Bishop of
London wrote :

" FuLHAM Palace, S.W,, March 2, 1886.

"My dear Bishop of Bedford,

" I am exceedingly sorry ; but I cannot work on the lines
that you lay down. Nor, if you had told me that these were the
conditions on which you proposed to hold the office of suffragan
bishop, would I have consented last year to continue relations
with you on that footing.

" I do not think it right that I should hand over any part of the

Last Years in East London 211

diocese absolutely to another. I may delegate work, but responsi-
bility I cannot delegate. Nor, again, is it right that one part of
the diocese, very much less than half, should have the whole of
one bishop and part of another, and all the rest (three times if not
four times as much) should be left entirely to the latter.

" The main business of a suffragan is, and must be, to aid the
principal bishop. It is no doubt far pleasanter to have a work all
to oneself ; but it is not consistent with the due working of the
whole.

" The position you wish to assume is not tenable. A man must
either be responsible and rule, or be irresponsible and obey. He
must either take the lead or follow. You wish to be free from
the responsibility of being chief, and yet to be as independent as
if you were chief. That cannot be. I am of course meeting
plainness with plainness : this I am sure you will not resent, for
indeed you have left me no choice.

" God knows I value your work, and I reverence your character.
But I am bishop of the diocese, and cannot divest myself of what
belongs to my office.

"Yours very truly,

"F. LONDIN."

The crisis that called for the above letter must have
been severe, but it was short-lived, and it is a matter of
thankfulness and congratulation that the friendly relations
between the two bishops were not permanently disturbed.
Bishop Walsham How's anxiety was for East London —
his beloved East London — not for himself, and, although
some things in Bishop Temple's letter pained him, he saw
that the bishop might very probably be right, and he had
then, as always, an unbounded admiration for Dr. Temple's
single-heartedness and judgment. It was to Dr. Temple
that he referred the subsequent offers he received of the
bishoprics of Wakefield and Durham, and on each occa-
sion was governed by his advice.

But to return to the story. It is usually better to talk
ithan to write when disagreements arise, and in pursuance

212 Bishop Walsham How

of this maxim, Bishop Walsham How went, on March 6, to
discuss the matter personally with the Bishop of London.
Of this interview he has left a written account, foreseeing^
perhaps, the interest that would be felt in the future in a
circumstantial record of what passed between them. It is
headed :

^'^ Notes of Interview ivith the Bishop of LondoJi, March 6, i886c

" I began by saying his letter (that of March 2) was very

plain, and I could only read it in one sense, which was

that he wished to withdraw from me, or withdraw me

from, the position I had held as exercising a delegated

episcopal superintendence over a definite limited portion

of the diocese. He said, ' I did not mean quite that,' and

then went on to state the impossibility of his doing the

confirmation and other work in the rest of the diocese,

while I confined myself to so small a part. He asserted

again and again that he had never known or thought that

I limited myself as regards work to East London, and

said, had he known of this, he would never have consented

to my remaining suffragan on such terms. I said, ' Then

you do wish to withdraw me from the position I have

held?' To this he again rephed, 'No, not altogether,'

explaining that a suffragan was to help the bishop in any

way required, and that my position in East London was

in its nature temporary, East London having no doubt

required at the time I came the concentrated efforts of

one bishop, but that need not be always so. I argued

that it was surely a great boon to relieve the bishop of

such a district as East London, and that other bishops were

available for part of the confirmations. He expressed

great dislike to employing chance bishops in this way,

and then said he thought the diocese ought to have three

Last Years in East London 213

suffragans, and, if he could succeed in making this
arrangement, he should assign a district to each, and
would like to meet all three monthly, or at stated times, to
talk over the districts and take common counsel, he him-
self giving an equal amount of supervision to each. He
assured me he should work for this, and was anxious to
procure another suffragan as soon as possible, but ex-
plained the various difficulties. I asked him then if I
might look upon his request for so many confirmations
all over the diocese as a temporary matter, which would
be remedied when he could carry out his plans, and he
said, * Yes.' He also said the work he asked from me was
almost solely confirming, and would affect only that part
of the year in which confirmations were regularly held,
namely February to July. For the other half-year I might
consider myself wholly at the disposal of East London.
He said he did not wish me to alter my description of
myself as ' suffragan for East London.' He was also
quite willing to leave in my hands the patronage as
before, not feeling the exercise of patronage to be so
essentially an episcopal responsibility as many other
things. I then said that after his explanation I would
withdraw what I had said in my letter as to not again
taking the confirmations throughout the diocese. I said,

* Supposing you send me a list of what you want, and I
find, as I have found in some cases this time, that I
cannot manage all, what must be done then ?' He said,

* When the Queen commands me to preach at Windsor, I
am obliged to say to any one to whom I may be engaged
that I have the Queen's commands to go to Windsor, and
so cannot fulfil my engagement.' He wished me not to
multiply confirmations in East London, thinking the
clergy inconsiderate in wanting so many. I told him one

214 Bishop Walsh am How

thing in his letter had hit me hardest, and that was his
speaking of the position I ' wished to assume/ as though I
had not held it all along. This he explained away, saying
he only meant the position I wished theoretically to
assume as the one to be maintained, not at all as denying
that I had practically held it.

"As I left he said, 'Well, are you happier ?' and I said
* Yes.' "

"W. W. B."

This account is a valuable comment on the desirability
of a talk, man to man, where any difficulty has arisen.
Many letters might have passed without nearly so good
an understanding being arrived at, and much time might
have elapsed before the Bishop of Bedford could have
returned to his work with the clear comprehension of his
chief's intentions which he took away with him from
Fulham. He was happier, but it had been a shock to him.
He could not bear the thought of any kind of separation
from East London. Writing to a niece on March 8, 1886,
he says :

" I have had rather a hard trial this last week. The
Bishop of London, to my dismay, has told me that he
cannot retain me as suffragan if I limit myself to East
London, and that he expects me to work all over the
diocese. He has cut out a great deal of work for me in a
vast number of confirmations all over the diocese. . . ,
It is very hard to bear patiently, but I must try to do so.
It is especially hard just after telling Lord Salisbury that
I had given my heart and life to East London, and could
not now leave it."

No one who knew Bishop Walsham How could fail to
understand that a misunderstanding of this kind was

Last Years in East London 215

intensely painful to him, but those who knew his gentle
unassuming spirit, and his simple desire to do God's will
in everything, would be sure that his work would lose
nothing of its earnestness, nothing of its persistence, in
consequence. He seems to have quickly reconciled
himself to his new circumstances, and when in the
following year he was offered the Bishopric of Wake-
field, he spoke of his London work as one in which
he was " so happy." It is just possible that he would,
after all, have lived out his life in East London but
for two other circumstances, — viz., the death of Mrs.
How in August 1887, and the strong opinion of the
Bishop of London that he ought to accept the See of
Wakefield.

Before alluding to the circumstances that attended the
death of the Bishop's wife and fellow labourer (for such
she had ever been), it will be well to notice how large a
share Mrs. How had in promoting the work of the Church
in East London, and in furthering to the best of her
ability all that seemed to her to tend towards the uplifting
and regenerating of the most helpless and hopeless in
that crowded area.

For some years before leaving Whittington, Mrs. How's
health had been very bad. Bronchitis and asthma had
greatly reduced her strength, and she had dreaded the
move to East London. The result, however, was far
better than could have been expected. The climate of
London appeared to suit her better than that of Shrop-
shire. She left behind her a great many friends and
interests, which had brightened her days of illness, but it
was not long before new friends gathered round her in
East London, and the fresh sphere of work enabled her
to exercise in an extended degree the thoughtfulness for

2i6 Bishop Walsham How

others and devotion to good works which had already
marked her earher hfe.

Although never strong in health, she was able to show
a cheerful and encouraging mien to the over-worked and
often desponding East London clergy and their wives.
Her influence with them was that of sympathy and strong
common sense, rather than of any special intellectual
power. She shared in the Bishop's desire to know
personally the special circumstances of all her fellow
labourers in the district, and the Thursday luncheon
parties and "At Homes" at Stainforth House helped her
greatly to this end, besides being the means of drawing
all churchworkers more closely together. She also
attended, as far as possible, all parochial gatherings where
an opportunity might be afforded her of making the
acquaintance of some of the women of East London. She
addressed mothers' meetings and drawing-room meetings,
and advocated the claims of many good works, the Girls'
Friendly Society being especially dear to her heart, as a
sort of Church "purity" society. In the years when the
distress in East London was greatest, Mrs. How worked
hard at collecting clothes, which she sent out to the
different parishes to be sold at a cheap rate to the res-
pectable poor. This was usually done by ticket, the
money thus obtained forming in each parish a fund from
which assistance could be given in time of sickness.
Writing to her daughter, Mrs. R. LI. Kenyon, who had
been married in the previous summer, Mrs. How says :

'•Dec. 23, 1886.

" I do so miss you ; I cannot help crying sometimes, when the
work is more really than I can do. . . .

*****

All the clothes that have come in have taken up such a great

Last Years in East London 217

deal of time. I have had a ton, I should think, mostly in small
packages, all of which have had to be thanked for. Morgan [her
maid] has worked like a brick every morning for ten days, and we
have sent out fifty great bales. I have also had over ;z^8o in
money. People write so gratefully, and it is nice to know that the
poor have been able to buy clothes at a very low price.
*****

"We have the first children's party on the 29th, and the choir-
men [St. Andrew's Undershaft] on the 4th. I a little wish it was
all over."

The letter from which these extracts are taken was
written only six months before Mrs. How's death, and
there is evidence of a feeling of weariness, a readiness
for that rest which was so soon to come.

But the chief work undertaken by Mrs. How was the
rescue of fallen girls. In the London Mission of 1884
she left her home and lived in a house, obtained for the
purpose, in a populous part of East London, and there,
with the help of other ladies, got hold of a number of
these poor girls, who were by this means induced to enter
Homes.

The " Walsham How Memorial Home " at Waltham-
stow was practically founded by Mrs. How for the rescue,
protection and tuition of young London girls of thirteen
to twenty years of age, who have fallen. To the welfare
of this Home she gave endless time, and much devoted
personal work. Few days passed without either a visit
to or some communication with the Home. And not
only did Mrs. How busy herself thus deeply in the
work, but she was most successful in interesting
many influential persons, who helped her in the under-
taking. Chief amongst these was H.R.H. Princess
Christian, who had for some years given much attention,
and much support, to East London work, and who was

2i8 Bishop Walsham How-

ever a most kind friend both to the Bishop and to Mrs.
How. The last meeting at which Mrs. How advocated
the claims of the Home was held at Stainforth House in
the presence of Princess Christian. This was a month
before Mrs. How's death. After this sad event her
Royal Highness, in conjunction with Mrs. Benson, Mrs.
Temple, Mrs. Church, Mrs. Benyon, Lady Helen Stewart,
and the Hon. Mrs. James Stuart-Wortley, with other well
known ladies, raised a fund in memory of Mrs. How, and
presented to the Bishop a sum of p^yoo, " which they had
collected as a mark of respect and affection for her, to be
used for whatever portion of his wife's work he might
think most useful." It was added by him to the trust
fund of the Walthamstow Home.

The Bishop used to tell how on one occasion he had
the honour of taking Princess Christian over the Home,
and, at her desire, had not divulged to the inmates who
their visitor was. However, the temptation was too
great, and the Princess yielded to his desire to be allowed
to give the girls the great pleasure of realising the honour
done to them. So great was their astonishment and
delight when they grasped the fact that it was really one
of their Queen's daughters who had been to see them,
that it well repaid the Bishop for his temerity in making
the request.

During all the spring of 1887 Mrs. How's health was
so bad as to prevent her taking her usual share in all the
work going on. On Easter Eve the Bishop wrote to
Mrs. Douglas (his sister) :

"Dearest Minny,

"This carries with it our truest wishes for a very,
very happy Easter for you all. You will be a large and

Last Years in East London 219

happy family party, while we have only A. [his third son],
He and I hope to go together to the early Communion at
St. Thomas's ; Fanny wants much to go with us, but,
though her bronchitis is much better, I fear it would be
very rash in this very cold wind, as she has been keeping
to her little sitting-room and bedroom these last ten
days. She is going to ask the doctor, but I fear he will
say * No.' We have just been rather amused to hear that
a large guild of very rough girls at St. John's, Stamford
Hill, where I preach to-morrow evening, are in the habit
of hiring large ostrich-feathers for their hats for each
Sunday, and generally affect scarlet, blue, or mauve.
However, they think the Bishop would probably prefer
white (which shows great insight into character), and so
they are all going to hire white feathers for to-morrow,
and, as they are to sit all together, I am anticipating a
rather startling effect.

"The Bishop of Southwell was going to some house
where there was a little girl of three or four, who very
much wished to see a bishop. So she was sent for, and
came into the room, but would not go and speak to him.
So the Bishop said, ' I thought you wanted very much to
see a bishop,' whereupon she turned to her mother, and
with the utmost scorn said, ' Why, it's only a man.' "

In June, however, Mrs. How was stronger again, and
able to accompany the Bishop to the Jubilee service in
Westminster Abbey, of which he gives some account in
the following letter to his daughter, Mrs. Kenyon :

"Stainforth Hovs'E., Jime 28, 1887.

« * * * *

" The Standard had capital accounts of the Jubilee.
We were in the lower sacrarium gallery, but at the very

220 Bishop Walsham How

back, so, though our view was a very good one, facing the
Queen, it was rather a distant one. We started at 7.30 and
got all right to about the middle of Regent Street, when
the block began, and we did not reach the Abbey till 10.5

" The streets were a grand sight, especially Piccadilly
seen from the Circus, the lower part of Regent Street and
Waterloo Place. It was like fairy-land. Our tickets
being numbered, we thought it would not matter so long
as we got to the Abbey at all, but we found the seats were
not numbered, and our gallery was quite full, so that we
were rather in dismay. However, Archdeacon and Mrs.
Norris caught sight of mother and found a place for her
by them at the back, and I sat on a step in the gangway.
We were among lots of friends, the Bishops of Exeter,
Salisbury and Colchester, Canon Paget, Liddon, Dr. Ince,
Dr. Gott, &c. &c. It was a superb spectacle.

" I have spent a good part of the last week at the People's
Palace, where the Drapers' Co. entertained 10,000 girls
on Thursday, 10,000 boys on Friday, and 3500 workmen
and their wives on Saturday evening. I went each day.
All was done with great munificence and was admirably
organised. Plenty of food and all manner of amusements
going on both inside the big hall and outside all the time —
conjurers, performing dogs, vanishing lady, sailors singing
and dancing, performing goats, Punch and Judy, Corney
Grain, &c. &c. I stood by the side of the vanishing
lady and saw her plop down through a trap door. ... I
also went on Saturday morning to the laying of the first
stone of the Library at the People's Palace by the King
of the Belgians."

It was arranged that the annual August holiday should
be spent at Barmouth, and for this purpose the Bishop

Last Years in East London 221

took a house in Porkington Terrace immediately over-
looking the glorious estuary of the Mawddach. On
July 21 Mrs. How left London on her way to Barmouth,
breaking the journey for a few days in Shropshire at the
home of her daughter, Mrs. Kenyon. The Bishop's diary
for this day notes : " F. went to Pradoe, bearing journey
fairly well."

There was no idea in any one's mind that on that day
she was leaving Stainforth House, and all her London
work and London friends, for good.

On the following Monday the Bishop, travelling from
town, joined her at Gobowen Station, and they completed
the journey together ; the diary for this day recording,
" F. very poorly with asthma."

As was usual in these summer holidays, they gathered
round them as many of their children as possible, and
during the next few weeks all the family, with one excep-
tion, were with them, some at one time and some at
another.

Mrs. How did not get as much benefit from the change
as was hoped, and seldom was able to do more than move
into the room adjoining her bedroom.

Once or twice there is an entry in the Bishop's diary :
" F. rather better," but each such occasion is followed by
a worse account on the following day.

At last, on August 24 and 25, there seemed to be some
little improvement, and on Friday 26th, Mr. and Mrs.
Kenyon left, and on the following day the Bishop went
to spend a Sunday at Whittington, his old home.

It had been arranged that Mrs. How was to accompany
him, but she had been so poorly that the idea was given
up, and a further stay at Barmouth was substituted. Two
of her sons (her eldest and youngest) and her eldest son's

222 Bishop Walsham How-

wife remained with her, and it was settled that the whole
party should move on the Monday into another house in
a different part of Barmouth.

On the Saturday Mrs. How was well enough to sit at
the drawing-room window on the first floor, and wave to
her husband as he passed in the train across the bridge.
Towards evening the asthma became more severe, and
the doctor had to be called in again — he had been
frequently to see her during the previous weeks. Her
daughter-in-law sat up with her that night, and became
alarmed towards midnight to find it impossible to rouse
her. A messenger was sent for the doctor, who for some
time tried many means of restoring consciousness, but in
vain, and at 4.30 a.m. she died in her son's arms. As
early as possible on the Sunday morning a telegram was
sent to the Rev. Hugh Holbech, then Rector of Whitting-
ton, with whom the Bishop was staying, asking him to
break the news. The diary for that day has the simple
entry : " After early Celebration, at breakfast Holbech
received telegram telling of my beloved wife's death at
4.30 A.M."

There was no possibility of getting a train the whole
way through to Barmouth on a Sunday, so the Bishop
had to drive all the way from Corwen to Dolgelly, at
which place he found a train that took him to Barmouth
Junction. There he was met by those from whom he
had parted so cheerily the day before. They had
almost feared to meet him ; they dreaded the effect of
the blow. But all such fears were dissipated at once :
of the little party that walked back across the bridge
he was by far the most composed, by far the most
cheerful. Linking his arm into that of his son, he just
said : " Come along, dear old fellow, and tell me every-

Last Years in East London 223

thing." His thought was for others ; his effort was to
Hghten their sorrow, not to add to it.

Thus Barmouth became consecrated to them all
once more. Two of the Bishop's family — his first-born
who lay in " the little grave beside the sea," and
now his wife — had died there, where Nature is so beau-
tiful that it might almost seem a little stage on the
way from the turmoil of a busy world to the rest of
Paradise.

On Wednesday morning, August 31, they took Mrs.
How to Whittington and laid her to rest among many
whose illnesses she had relieved, whose dying hours she
had cheered.

The following day Bishop Walsham How spent quietly
at Pradoe, his daughter's home, but on the Friday he
returned to Whittington and took the Confirmation
there, which had been necessarily put off from the
Monday before.

He felt that it was best for himself to take his work up
again at once. The sorrow would have broken him down
had he not had the powerful support of duty to be ful-
filled, and so, while yet the first tears of his grief were
wet upon his cheeks, he was at his post of duty on Sunday,
September 4, four days after the funeral at Whittington,
preaching a memorable sermon in Manchester Cathedral
to the British Association.

As may be supposed, the Bishop received numbers of
letters of condolence on the loss he had sustained, and,
amongst others, came gracious and sympathetic messages
from the Queen, who expressed her warm approval of
his resolve to go straight on with his work. Most wel-
come too was the following affectionate and sympathetic
letter from the Bishop of London (Dr. Temple) :

224 Bishop Walsham How

"Crosthvvaite Vicarage, Keswick,
" August 31, 1887.
" My dear Bishop of Bedford,

" This is indeed a terrible blow, a loss that nothing can
repair, a loss not only to you but to all of us. Few women could do
more valuable work for the diocese and for East London than your
wife ; perhaps not any. And certainly if any could, none ever did.
" She was one of those who could be entirely relied on. Her
clear head, her unvarying kindness, her quiet perseverance, made
her service to the Church and to her fellow creatures such as
cannot be replaced. She was all that to us. I cannot speak of
what I know she was to you. . . . Our hearts are with you, and
our warmest, most earnest, most sympathetic prayers.

"Your most affectionate brother,

"F. LONDIN."

But few of the Bishop's letters as to his bereavement are

preserved. On the day of Mrs. How's death he sent a line

to his brother :

"In the Train, Sunday, Aug. 28, 1887.

"My one dear Brother,

" My precious wife is at rest. A telegram came at
breakfast, and I have caught a train to Corwen, and must
post on from there. It was quite sudden, early this morning.
Holbech was so kind. We think it must be at Whittington on
Thursday — you will come, will you not ? Pray for us all.

" Your loving brother,

"W. w. B."

In reply to a letter of sympathy from Canon Burrows

he wrote :

"Pradoe, Sepf. 2, 1887.
"My dear old Friend,

" I cannot do much more than say that my heart

is very full of gratitude for all the love and sympathy

shown me. Yes, Barmouth often brings you all back to

my thoughts. It has become a second time a sacred

Last Years in East London 225

place to me, and its wonderful beauty will always be
joined in my remembrance with thoughts of the fairer
things beyond the veil. As she and I have gazed out of
our window on the glorious lights and colours of Cader
Idris this last month, St. Augustine's exquisite description
of himself and Monica at the window at Ostia has often
been coming back to me. God purge our eyes that they
may be fit to see. Pray for me that God will give me
grace to work better, and to be more undividedly His.
Much love to dear Mrs. Burrows, and all your dear
children, and a special portion to M. and E., whom she
knew so well and loved so much.

" Affectionately yours,

" Wm. WALSHAM BEDFORD."

The Bishop did not revisit Barmouth for a time, but
early in 1889 he wrote to his daughter :

" I should like to go to Barmouth again, though I
know it will be very hard. ... I think it is good for one
to let one's sorrow have its outflow now and then, as
the rush and hurry of one's daily life seem to choke up
the spring, and make one sadly dry and hard."

In the following May he went there again, and thus
describes his feelings :

" Yesterday I got, what I had longed for, a little quiet
time to myself, and went and sat for an hour or so where
I held those children's services under the old terrace
[where Mrs. How died]. I think it is good for one to
get among the old thoughts and feelings and associations.
One's Wakefield life is all so new, and there is nothing
to recall the past, but there, at Barmouth, it all comes,
back so vividly, and all is so full of sweet sad memories."

p

CHAPTER XVII

ACCEPTANCE OF WAKEFIELD— FAREWELL TO
EAST LONDON

After the death of Mrs. How the Bishop's eldest sur-
viving son and his wife came to Hve at Stainforth House.
One morning early in February 1888, Mrs. F. D. How
was sitting opposite to the Bishop at his writing table
answering some letters for him, while he was busy
opening others. A sudden exclamation startled her, and
looking up she saw him apparently greatly troubled,
so much so indeed that she feared from his white and
anxious face that some great blow had befallen him.

And such indeed at first sight he fancied the letter he
had received from Lord Salisbury to be. It was the
offer of the newly created See of Wakefield, and the
Bishop knew that he must go. The prospect was for one
constituted as he was, and of his age, appalling. There
was the thought of making a home for his declining
years in a region of smoke, and coal pits, and mill-
chimneys. There was the not unnatural shrinking of a
man of his age and disposition from having to grapple
with a population who had the reputation of being
rough and vigorous. There was also the knowledge that
the post offered was not likely to be a bed of roses.
But these things were nothing compared with the know-

Acceptance of Wakefield 227

ledge of the effort it would be to him, tired with nine
years' labour in East London, and suffering from the
greatest bereavement that could have befallen him, to
take up at the age of sixty-four the work of organising a
new and difficult diocese. They were as nothing, too,
compared with the pain which it would be to him to
sever the many threads which bound him to East
London.

Lord Salisbury in his letter described the position he
offered as one of great importance to the Church on
account of its dense population ; but he stated that,
owing to its small geographical area and the existing net-
work of railroads, the labour of travelling would be
reduced to a minimum.

The Bishop of London was the only person whose

advice Dr. Walsham How sought, but meanwhile he

wrote privately to several members of his family on the

subject.

[To Mrs. R. Ll. Kenyon.]

"Stainforth House, J^ed. 9, 1888.

" I must write and tell you of the great perplexity I

am in. Please observe it is, and must be for the next

few days — i.e., till the matter is settled, quite secret. I

have to-day been startled, and made very unhappy, by a

letter from Lord Salisbury asking me to go to Wakefield.

I simply hate the very thought of it, but I do not see

how it is possible to refuse. I have asked for a few days

to consider it in, and have asked the Bishop of London

for an interview to-morrow. Do pray that all may be

for the best. But, oh ! it will be dreadful. I have so

learnt to love my work here. Tell me just what you

think. I have told Lord Salisbury that one obvious

objection is that I am too old to start and form a new

228 Bishop Walsham How

diocese. But a second offer like this is a very serious
thing, and I feel it will result in my going."

[To Rev. H. W. How.]

" Stainforth House, Fe^. lo, 1888, 11 p.m.
" Very private.

"My dearest Boy,

" They won't leave me alone when I am so happy
and contented. I have got to leave East London after
all. Lord Salisbury yesterday asked me to go to Wake-
field, and I have had an interview with the Bishop of
London this evening, and he says it is my duty to go.
So I have said 'Yes.' It is dreadful — about the most
unattractive post on the bench, but one must not choose
for oneself, and I dare not again refuse what others think
I ought to do. The Bishop was most kind and warm,
and said he gave his counsel with a groan. It is to be
kept quite secret till Lord Salisbury gives me leave to

make it known.

*****

" God bless you, dear boy,

'* Your loving old father,

"W. w. B."

From these two letters it is clear that Bishop Walsham
How had settled down again into his London work, and
the little cloud that had come between him and Dr.
Temple had completely passed away.

In reply to Lord Salisbury he wrote :

" Stainforth House, Upper Clapton,

"Feb. 10, 1888.
" My dear Lord,

" I have had an interview with the Bishop of
London this evening, and he is so clearly of opinion that

Acceptance of Wakefield 229

I ought not to decline Wakefield that I do not think it
needful to consult any one else, especially as the earnest
thought I have given to the matter since I received your
Lordship's letter has led me to the same conclusion. I
write therefore to say that I am ready to go to Wakefield,
and will, God helping me, do my best there. Perhaps I
may venture, for the credit of my consistency, to state
that, shortly after I had asked to be allowed to decline
Manchester, the Bishop of London greatly surprised me
by saying that he could not accept the view of my posi-
tion taken by his predecessor, and must ask me to work
all over the diocese, allowing me, however, to consider
that my principal work was to be in the East End. And,
now that he has been granted another suffragan, he has
told me that, while he will not ask me to go into the
western part of the diocese, he must divide the diocese
into two halves, assigning a suffragan to each, which
would involve a very large addition to my sphere of work.
I think he is quite right, and he has been most kind to
me, but either of these two changes in my work and
status destroys the main part of the ground on which I
desired to remain where I was. I shall feel very keenly
the parting from the clergy and the people of East
London, and also from the Bishop of London. I must,
however, turn to the future, and, so long as God gives me
health and strength, strive very earnestly to prove myself
not unworthy of the trust so graciously reposed in me.
I shall of course consider this correspondence as confi-
dential until permitted to mention it."

In the new diocese there had been, of course, much
speculation as to who would be their bishop. No one
seems at first to have thought of the Bishop of Bedford.

230 Bishop Walsham How

It was understood that he had, but a Httle before, refused
to go to Manchester, and on this account, if his name
ever crossed people's minds, it was at once put away.

However, in February 1888, a rumour, of which it is
impossible to trace the source, arose that there was a
probability that the diocese would be offered to him.
Canon (now Archdeacon) Ingham Brooke, one of the
leading clergy in the diocese, had worked under Bishop
Walsham How at Hackney during the London Mission,
and determined to write and beg him, if the offer were
made, " to think three times and thrice three times" before
declining it. The Bishop was away from home for a day
or two, so that he actually received this letter at the same
time as that from Lord Salisbury offering him the See.

[To Canon Ingham Brooke.]

" Stainforth House, Upper Clapton,

"London, E., Fel>. 13, 1888.
" My dear Brooke,

" Your letter came with Lord Salisbury's, and is
my one ray of light and comfort. The Bishop of London
was very clear that I ought not to refuse, so, as to-day's
papers will tell you, I have said 'Yes.' I shall look to
you to be my right hand. To-day I have no time to do
more than ask, what I know I have without asking, your

prayers. . . .

" Yours affectionately,

"Wm. walsham BEDFORD."

As soon as the news of the appointment to Wakefield
became public, the Bishop received numberless letters
from his many friends. Some few of these must find a
place here.

Acceptance of Wakefield 231

{From Bishop Harold Browne.]

" Forest House, Bournemouth, Feb. 13, 1888.

"My dear Bishop,

" I rejoice for Wakefield that you are to be its first Bishop.
No better appointment could be made. Only London will be a
great loser, and I wish you were to be in the southern province,
as we should gain by your counsels in Convocation. May all
blessing be with your work and yourself. Do not answer this. I
know the trouble you will have from letters. Only I could not
but offer you the affectionate greeting of

" Your brother in Christ,

" E HAROLD WINTON."

\From Bishop Claughton of St. A/dans.]

••Feb. 13, 1883.

"My very dear old Friend,

" I am much more inclined to congratulate Wakefield than
Bedford. Still, you who have broken up new ground in London
with such manifest tokens of God's blessing on your work, and
with so great general approval, are the right man to do like work
in the provinces. I could not help being delighted when I saw
the appointment this morning. It has not been God's will that
she who has been the sharer in your labours during past years
should be at your side in your new sphere of work ! He knows
and orders what is best for us all.

" I think, if it is not presumptuous in me to say so much, that
you have been wise in both your recent choices : wise in refusing
to take up the tangled skein at Manchester — wise in taking up the
skein at Wakefield with not a tangle in it ! May God bless you
abundantly.

" Our prayers will be offered for you.

" I am very much better, but I could not have undertaken the
Bishopric of Wakefield ! How those honest Yorkshiremen will
appreciate your plainness of speech ! I have plenty of other
things to think of — plenty of tangled skeins to unravel — but your
destination occupies my soul to-day.

" Ever yours affectionately,

" T. L. ST. ALBANS."

232 Bishop Walsham How

\^From Rev. A. Brook, Rector of Hackney ?[

" The Rectory, Hackney, Feb. 11, 1888.
" My own dear Bishop,

" May God comfort and strengthen and bless you ! I
tnew it would be so. You could not resist such a call. But
what will East London be without you ? Where can we get the
loving sympathy^ fatherly counsel, spiritual teaching, which God
has given us in you ?

" East London will be stunned when it hears the news.
*****

" We are sure you will never cease to pray for us, and it may
be God will give us a man who will be more to us than we dare
to hope — but he never can be you. My wife is not at home : I
wonder if she will have the courage to write and tell you what she
feels. You may be sure we are in no hurry to tell Dottie [his
daughter], poor dear girl !

*' Ever your loving son,

"ARTHUR BROOK."

From the Bishops of the Northern Province he re-
ceived warm letters of welcome ; that from Bishop Harvey
Goodwin ran thus :

" House of Lords, Feb. 17, 18S8.
" My dear Bishop,

" I send one line to say how much I welcome you into the
Northern Province. You will find most interesting work to do, and
I know you will do it with your might. I heartily wish you God's
blessing.

" The least .satisfactory thing in the Northern Province is the
Convocation. It is (as things now are) partly dore and partly sAam.

"Yours sincerely,

"H. CARLISLE."

Dean Bradley's letter of warm appreciation cannot be
omitted. He wrote :

" Deanery, Westminster, Feb. 13, 1888.
"My dear Bishop,

" It's quite right ! High time that you had your own
diocese. But oh ! the loss !

Farewell to East London 233

"You are not aware, so let an outsider tell you, of the depth of
feeling it will call forth. Even / could hardly speak to tell it to
my son-in-law when I saw it just now. You have gained a hold
on people's hearts which will make the wrench and the loss most
profoundly felt. I say this before I have seen a soul outside the
house ; but, if I feel it so deeply as a mere spectator and listener,
what will others do ! May God bless you, my dear Bishop, in
your new sphere. . . .

" Ever most truly yours,

"G. G. BRADLEY."

From his future diocese there came the following
among many others :

\From Canon Ingham Brooke, now Archdeacon of Halifax 7\

" Thornhill Rectory, Dewsbury, Feb. 14.

**My dear Lord Bishop,

" I cannot tell you how very thankful I am — indeed, we
all are. You will be received with a rare welcome. I only write
a line to say this much, and to add that we shall always have
rooms ready for you whenever you like to come. You could in
the course of a few drives from here get an admirable view of the
diocese. If it is thought a good plan, we are prepared to turn out
and give you the use of this house for a year, until you can decide
where to live. We have often talked of this as a reasonable
possibility.

" If you wish any detailed information of any kind to be got
ready, I could get it for you without difficulty. It will be a great
delight to me to be allowed to do anything in my power to make
it in any degree easier for you to do the great work which I believe
from my very heart God will give you to do in this diocese.

" I have prayed, and will pray, that He will give you all the
strength you will need, but at present I can find room for little
more than thanksgiving as I think of how our prayers have been
heard.

" I am, my dear Lord Bishop,

" Ever yours,

"J. INGHAM BROOKE."

234 Bishop Walsham How

The three months or so that were left to Bishop Wal-
sham How in East London were naturally exceedingly
full of engagements. There were all his usual appoint-
ments to be kept, and somehow a large number of " Fare-
wells " had to be provided for. First of all time had to
be found to call at the various offices, &c., in his parish
of St. Andrew's Undershaft, and bid farewell to those
whose rector he had been for nine years. Then he
spent a last evening with the working men of the Oxford
House in Bethnal Green, and entertained his city choir
for the last time at Stainforth House. He addressed for
the last time the East London Deaconesses, and the boys
and masters of the Hackney Grammar School, who gave
him a farewell present. He attended a conversazione at
Sion College, arranged by the President and Fellows to
say good-bye to him who was not the least honoured of
their body. To quote Church Bells, he paid

"a last visit to more than one of those clergy upon whom the
shadow of bereavement has fallen, that in each case he might
strengthen and comfort, and that, in one case, he might grant the
request of lips now silent for ever here, and become the godfather
of a first-born motherless child."

His farewell to the clergy of East London was at
St. Andrew's Undershaft, where he invited them all to
join with him in celebrating the Holy Communion on
Wednesday morning. May 3. In his address on this
occasion he said :

" It is, my brethren, a great comfort and happiness to
me to part from you with this Sacrament of love and
unity as our last common act. It seals and consecrates
that union of hearts and spirit which has (God be
thanked !) been ours for long. . . .

" I desire to thank you for all the kindness and affection

Farewell to East London 235

you have shown towards me. You have made my Hfe in.
East London very happy, nor can I ever forget how true
a bond of affectionate regard existed between yourselves
and the partner of my hfe and work, who gave, un-
grudgingly, her time and strength, and at last her very
life, in labours for the poor and for the fallen.

" I leave a band of brothers, than whom I shall never
find any more faithful, more generous, and more devoted.
Your labours and self-sacrifice have often made me
ashamed that anything should be thought of my lighter
labours and easier lot. But your example has been a
spur to me, and I pray God I may not be unmindful of
the pattern you have shown. . . .

*****

" And now, brethren, I commend you to the grace of
God, and to that Divine Spirit which alone can keep you
steadfast unto the end. I know you will pray for me, as
I shall for you. God be with you. God strengthen and
bless you. May we all meet at last at our Master's feet in
His eternal kingdom, for His own mercies' sake. Amen."

His farewell to East London generally was spoken at
the annual meeting of the East London Church Fund at
the Mansion House on April 23, 1888, under the presi-
dency of the Lord Mayor.

The Rev. E. S. Hilliard, the secretary, read the report,
which concluded with these touching words :

" Before our next report appears the Bishop of Bedford will
have become the first Bishop of Wakefield. We hope, therefore,
that we may be forgiven if for once we speak 'apart from the
Bishop.' Bishop Walsham How has been, under God, the leader
of an East London crusade. He goes : and we, who remain, are
challenged to prove our loyalty to him by maintaining and
developing the work which he has in so large a degree created,

236 Bishop Walsham How

and has, for nearly nine years, so lovingly cherished. Of our
personal loss we do not dare to speak. But we are more than
men ; we are Churchmen, and, therefore, we can give him up to
Wakefield. We can give him up because we, more than any,
know the value of our gift. And as the new See leaps into life at
the call of that Father in God, whom we have loved to obey, we,
neither forgetting nor forgotten, shall remember, with grateful
pride, that East London was the school in which the first Bishop
of Wakefield learned what it is to be a bishop in the Church of
Christ. His benediction will remain with us, and the benediction
of East London shall abide upon him."

The Bishop of Bedford moved the adoption of the
report, and received a great ovation from the meeting.
In the course of his speech he said :

" It is no easy thing to begin to speak, not only after
those last words of the report — words for which, you will
believe me, I am not responsible — but also so immedi-
ately after the more than kind welcome which you have
just given to me. Now, I know very well what that kind
welcome means. I know that it means that you wish
me, what the last words of the report have wished me,
every blessing and prosperity in the new work to which I
am going ; and I take your wishes and your prayers with
me as a very precious possession.

" I could expect little else than that from the unvarying
kindness and consideration, from the gentleness and for-
bearance, that I have met with throughout the time that
I have been in East London. Now, as I am going to a
new part of the great field of work, called, as I hope I
may truly believe, by God's good providence to do
another work of a rather different character, but never-
theless for which I do hope that my East London work
has taught me some few lessons ; going, as I am, to that
work, there is one comfort in it for which I cannot help

Farewell to East London 237

feeling thankful. I believe that the diocese of Wakefield
will be more like East London than any other diocese in
England, and I have learned to be so fond of East
London that that likeness is a comfort to me. I shall
have there a compact diocese, one which, I suppose, will
be the smallest in area in England, leaving out London*
I shall have a somewhat dirty and smoky diocese, a fact
which may sometimes remind me of East London ; I
shall have a population in many ways not very unlike
that of East London, about the same in actual numbers^
though perhaps rather less. When I first came to East
London I was told that East Londoners were very like
Yorkshiremen in character, that they were at first a little
rough, if not rude, but that when you had gained their
confidence they were very true, very hearty, and very
generous. I found East Londoners like that ; and it is a
great comfort and satisfaction to me to hope that I may
possibly find Yorkshiremen not unlike East Londoners.
There is another physical resemblance between East
London and the diocese of Wakefield ; for there flows
through the latter diocese a river which is even dirtier
than the river Lea. I heard, some years ago, Professor
Huxley speak of East London. He said that there
seemed to be inscribed over it, * No hope here,' and that
he had never met with any savage life which he thought
more intolerable, more absolutely miserable than the
life of the East Londoner. . . .

" Now I believe that things have improved, and that
they are improving. Mind, I do not lay it all down to
the action of the Church, but I believe that the Church
has acted very considerably in improving things, and that
she has brought a great deal of life and light and hope to
the people of East London."

238 Bishop Walsham How

Such were the cheering words with which Bishop
Walsham How parted from his East London friends.

The Bishop of London (Dr. Temple) then moved a
vote of " God speed " to the Bishop designate of Wake-
field, and his words must have been singularly grateful
and touching to one who had worked under him through
times of some little difficulty. Speaking of Bishop Wal-
sham How he said :

" We know him — know him by years of intimate knowledge,
know him by his work, know him by his words, know him by his
kindness, by his simplicity, by his humility. We know him, for
he has lived and worked amongst us ; and we do not often come
across such a man as we find him to be. You will find men of
great devotion. . . . You will find men sweet and gentle in
society, whom you cannot help feeling in your inmost heart to be
saints of God. . . . You will find men to whose advice you are
glad to listen. . . . You will find men so humble that they put
themselves absolutely on one side, so simple in their humility that
they walk through this world as if they were still children, carrying
with them the charm of childhood even in the gravest matters. . . .
You will find such men ; but you will not often find such men in
whom all these things are combined at once. Could we always
get such men for Bishops assuredly the Church of Christ would
so shine before the world that it would hardly be needful to preach
sermons or to teach, for men would learn quickly from what they
-saw."

The Bishop's last Sunday in East London was spent
at St. Andrew's Undershaft, St. Paul's, Haggerston, and
the parish church of Whitechapel, in the pulpit of which
latter he preached his final sermon.

The next morning, Monday, May 7, he started for a
short fishing holiday in North Wales with one of his
sons, preparatory to taking up his new work.

Farewell to East London 239

The East London Advertiser for March 17, contained
the following lines of farewell :

THE BISHOP OF BEDFORD.

" He turned from shining hills and azure sky —
The heavenly summons urgent on his soul —
To city gloom, where sulphurous fog-clouds roll
O'er countless hands that toil and hearts that sigh.
And there with grave sweet face and kindly eye
He spurred the loiterers onward to the goal,
And held the lawless spirits in control.
And cheered the faint with helpful sympathy.
For pastoral staff his steadfast look sufficed,
Yet childhood's grief or joy his lips would curve.
Men said behind him : ' Lo, a slave of Christ,
A loving heart that only lives to serve ;
A soul by world-ambition unenticed,
Too strong to falter, and too true to swerve. '

But change and loss o'er brightest hopes still fling
Dark shadows, like gloom-islands on the sea
Dropped by the drifting clouds. No more may we
Claim as our own his kindly shepherding ;
No more with us his keen ' plain words ' shall bring
Pastor and flock alike to bended knee.
O Wakefield, dowered with pious gifts, to thee
From poorest hands comes richest offering !
We yield our Bishop — one in heart and mind
Most worthy reverence — can we more than this ?
Altars upraised, souls quickened, lives refined,
God's mercy shown o'erruling all that is —
These were his works, with these he leaves behind
Eyes that still follow, hearts that beat with his.

"X.

CHAPTER XVIII

WAKEFIELD— ORGANISATION. ETC.

In the little interval between leaving East London and
arriving at Wakefield Bishop Walsham How took one of
his sons with him for a fortnight's rest and fishing at
Llangedwin on the river Tanat. They stayed at the
charming little "Green Inn," where in old days the pony
used to be put up, when the Rector of Whittington drove
over for a day's fishing in Sir Watkin Wynn's water. It
was lovely spring weather, and nature wore her most
attractive garb : the river was in capital order, and the
fishing was first-rate : but was it altogether wise to go
straight from the beauties of hill and vale, of sparkling
stream and banks of bright spring flowers, to the manu-
facturing districts of the West Riding ? Certainly the
contrast was emphasised. Taking the L. & N. W. train
from Manchester, past many a mill-chimney belching
forth black smoke, the Bishop was whirled through the
great Marsden tunnel, and, turning to his son, said, " Now
I am in my diocese : just look ! " Once upon a time
nature must there, too, have been beautiful with a rugged
beauty, but the hand of man, feeling after money, had
besmirched it all. Many a time afterwards the Bishop
used to say, " There is not a garden in my diocese where I
can pick a flower without blacking my fingers 1 " To

Wakefield — Organisation, etc. 241

one with his love of beauty this was a severe trial. There
were, it is true, some pretty bits here and there — e.g.y
Woolley, where on Whit-Monday for several successive
years he spent a happy day with the Vicar's children ;
High Hoyland, with its woods and wide-spread views ; and
the Hebden Valley, where the river rushes down a leafy
gorge from the grouse moors above ; but the smoke was
everywhere : tree-stems, stones, the very earth itself, were
soiled.

Perhaps it was well that a man with a cheery buoyant
disposition such as his should be the one who was
chosen to give the last years of his life and work to a
district with such depressing natural surroundings. But
he had been nine years in East London, and a home in.
a district more after his own heart would doubtless have
been preferred for him by his friends. However, he
never let his courage be daunted or his spirits flag, and
the strong human interest of his densely populated diocese
was an entire compensation. That he did lament his
surroundings is seen from the following extracts :

\^To Miss K. Douglas — a niece.']

^^ February i, i88g.

" F. D. has written to say they have plenty of primroses
out in the hedges ! Alas ! such things are not for us in
the West Riding, where smoke and acid fumes, and raw
cold, destroy and dirty all vegetation. I could forgive
the smoke dirtying my hands and my wristbands, but I
can't forgive it for dirtying the flowers. I like the human
beings though : they are so full of energy and warmth
and heartiness. They do nothing by halves. They are
very independent, at times even seemingly rude, but will

Q

242 Bishop Walsham How

do anything for you when once they like you and trust
you."

[To Miss M. Douglas.]

'■'■ November 2 \, 1891.
" I went to dear old Whittington to preach on Friday
night, and stayed there till yesterday morning, preaching
twice at Oswestry on Sunday, and spending Saturday and
Sunday afternoon visiting about in Whittington. . . .
Well, I do not know how to describe the charm of those
two days. They were absolutely faultless November days,
full of soft lights and rich warm tints, and the tender calm
of the slanting sunlight in the half-clothed and half-bare
trees. Gnats were dancing up and down in the still mellow
warmth, and, as I stood by the grave [his wife's] alone on
Saturday afternoon, the sense of peace, and calm, and
loveliness was overpowering. Each evening there was
the most exquisite sunset glow, and I stood entranced
before the old Castle pool, the surface reflecting the golden
light and the ivy-clad trees, so that it seemed more beautiful
than I ever saw it before. I suppose it wasn't really, but
to appreciate lowland beauty one should live a few years
away among stone walls and tall chimneys ! "

Having said thus much of the sort of country in which
his new diocese was situated, it is pleasant to turn and
contemplate the warmth with which the news of his
appointment was received by many of the inhabitants.
His first visits to the Wakefield diocese were paid to
Canon Ingham Brooke at Thornhill Rectory, and in the
magazine of that parish occur the following comments
on their new Bishop :

" Who the Bishop of Bedford is, what posts he has filled, what
books he has written, what work he has done : all these are

Wakefield — Organisation, etc. 243

now known in every house in Yorkshire. The papers have
been full of the subject, and they have recognised, with scarcely
an exception, the wisdom of the appointment, and the grounds
for thankfulness and hope which it gives to all. But with all the
kind and generous things which have been so justly said and
written about our new Bishop, there is one thing of which no
description can give an adequate idea, but which it will soon be
our delight to discover for ourselves ; we mean the sympathy of
his large heart, and the love and single-hearted earnestness which
he throws into anything he undertakes. What the influence for
good of such a Bishop shall be in the great West Riding it is not
for us to predict."

The feelings which inspired such words as these were
calculated to ensure Bishop Walsham How a warm
welcome, and, although here and there might be found
an incumbent who, having of necessity known but little
of episcopal supervision when in the vast and unwieldy
diocese of Ripon, openly expressed his opinion that to
see more of his Bishop than he had been accustomed to
was neither necessary nor congenial to him, yet the
Churchmen of the diocese who cared in any real degree
for the welfare of the Church and of their parishes shared
fully in the spirit of the above-quoted language. It would
not be right to ignore the fact that some alarm was felt
by the ultra Low Churchmen of the diocese when the
Bishop's appointment of High Churchmen to important
posts, and his evident desire to raise the level of Church
life, became known. These things, together with his
open disapproval of evening Communions, and his
advocacy of daily services, &c., caused a considerable
flutter ; but his absolutely independent line, free from any
kind of bias, commended itself to the plain common sense
of the West Riding. It has been said of him that the
inclination of his mind, when dealing with any subject,

244 Bishop Walsham How

was always to set out the pros and cons and to judge for
himself, and then to take the common-sense, workable
course. This inclination certainly influenced him in his
theological position. Without ignoring "authority" he
was wont to apply to it the test of common sense and
workableness, and to this is probably largely due the
universality of his influence among all sorts and conditions
of men.

He was, in essentials, a High Churchman of the type of
the last generation, and has been likened in many respects
to John Keble. At the same time he was deeply im-
pressed with the danger of the extravagances indulged
in by the advanced section of Ritualists. A striking
instance of this is found in a letter written by him in
1896, in which he says, " I entirely agree in dreading the
language used by the 'advanced' party as to Holy
Communion. It is not faithful to our Church, nor to the
Bible."

None the less was he completely out of sympathy with
the modern " Protestant," often expressing his regret at
the difficulty in dealing properly with men of this stamp,
who closed their churches from week-end to week-end,
and provided few and meagre spiritual opportunities for
their people.

He took the Book of Common Prayer as his standard
in all simplicity, and was ready to approve of whatever
could be found within its covers.

The fact that his doctrinal position was of this nature
was an undoubted assistance to him in the organisation
of a new diocese, and it was but very few of the clergy, and
those belonging to one or other of the extreme schools of
thought, who did not quickly rally round him when he
came among them, whatever perturbation they may have

Wakefield— Organisation, etc. 245

felt beforehand. Archdeacon Brooke, who was the
Bishop's host on his first arrival, says :

" I cannot recall anything about that first visit. It was the
first of many that followed both at Thornhill and here [Halifax],
The Bishop always seemed to bring sunshine with him. So bright,
so content with anything that was done for him, so loving to the
•children, with always a kind word for the servants, and many a
kind gift too. It was always a delight to have him with us."

One great difficulty occupied much of the time and
fhought of the new Bishop during his first few weeks.
The Trinity Ordination was close at hand, but the Order
in Council creating him Bishop of Wakefield had not
been passed, and it seemed probable that he would not
be able to hold the Ordination in person — a great dis-
appointment to all concerned. He was still Suffragan
Bishop of Bedford, and an act of Henry VIII. precludes
a suffragan doing any official or authoritative act in any
•other diocese than that to which he is commissioned.

There were three ways out of this difficulty : first, to
defer the Ordination, which would have caused great
inconvenience ; secondly, to ask Bishop Pulleine of
Penrith to take it, " in which case," said the Bishop, " I
shall be standing by as dummy ! " thirdly, to resign the
Suffragan Bishopric. As to this latter course he wrote :

[To Canon Ingham Brooke.]

"Maj> 13, 1888.
" I have written off at once to see if I can resign my
post as Suffragan, and so escape the disabilities of the Act
of Henry VIII. Many thanks for the suggestion. I did
offer the Bishop of London to do so some time ago, but
he took no notice of my offer, and then I was told there

246 Bishop Walsham How

were very heavy fees for resigning a see (and Bedford is
counted as a see), and so I thought no more about it."

None of these courses ultimately proved necessary. On
May 16 he wrote again to Canon Ingham Brooke :

" News ! Government have been pressing for a Council
in order to pass the Wakefield Order, and it is to be held
to-morrow. . . . Mr. Lee says he feels sure he can get
the Letters Patent appointing me issued before Trinity
Sunday."

This was done, and the Bishop held his first Ordination
at Wakefield on May 27, 1888. Great interest was taken
in the service, as no Ordination had ever been held there
before.

In the evening he preached in the Cathedral to a con-
gregation which filled every corner. Taking as his text
Eph. iv. 13 : "Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ," he urged the necessity of clear dogmatic
teaching. At the same time he pointed out that, whilst
no compromise in matters of principle must be made,
we must remember in how many things we agree with
others who are working for the spread of religion, and
that the real fight must be against secularism, infidelity,
and materialism.

After the service the open space in front of the
Cathedral was filled with a vast crowd (many of whom
had been unable to get places inside), who waited to greet
the Bishop as he came out.

Wakefield — Organisation, etc. 247

[To Canon Ingham Brooke.]

'^ Wakefield, May 28, 1888.

" My dear Brooke,

" Norris tells me he has written you some account
of our proceedings [at the Ordination]. He has been all
I could wish, and more — so very nice and helpful. It is
really a great blessing to have only six men at once, as
one gets to know them so well.

"You will see by the papers that on coming out of
church last night I found a dense crowd filling all the
space opposite the church, so I told Percival Pott, my
chaplain, to run to the vestry and get a chair, and I
mounted it at the church-gate, and gave them a little
address. It was a happy opportunity. A number of the
junior members of the crowd accompanied me back to
this house.

"Will you do me a favour, and be-lord me no more,
please. I am, or at least want to be, only your dear
Bishop.

" With kindest regards,

" Affectionately yours,

"W. w. w."

• The words spoken by the Bishop at the church-gates
will long be remembered for their earnest and kindly
import, conveying, as they did to the crowd, his hope
that he might be allowed to be the Bishop of them all.

Not alone on this occasion was he followed by a crowd
of lads. For some time afterwards, until, in fact, a bishop
was no longer an unfamiliar object in the streets of
Wakefield, he very generally had a certain number of

248 Bishop Walsham How

attendants trotting at his heels, who would point him out
to passers-by with cries of " t' Beeshop ! t' Beeshop ! "

In Halifax, Huddersfield, Barnsley, and other centres
very hearty receptions were given him, but the crowning
point was reached on June 25, when he was enthroned in
Wakefield Cathedral by the Archbishop of York (Dr.
Thompson).

It was the first real summer's day of the year, and the
sun blazed out in a cloudless sky. The city was gay with
bunting, and half the diocese seemed to be filling its
streets. The proceedings began in the Council Chamber
of the Town Hall where addresses were presented to the
Bishop by the Mayor (Mr. Henry Lee) from the Mayor,
Aldermen, and Burgesses of Wakefield ; by Colonel
Spencer Stanhope, C.B., from the laity of the Rural
Deanery of Silkstone, and by Canon Ingham Brooke (as
senior rural dean) from the clergy and laity of the diocese
at large.

The great feature of the day, never to be forgotten by
those who witnessed it, was the procession from the
Town Hall to the Cathedral. This covered the entire
distance between the two buildings, and passed through
two densely packed lines of sightseers, while every
window en route was occupied, and the roofs of the
houses were utilised by more adventurous spectators.
The sermon at the service was preached by the Arch-
bishop, who, in commending their new Bishop to his
hearers said :

" Now he is called among you. Welcome him. Take him to
your hearts. Bishops have gone through various preparations :
some have been students ; some have spent their time in academic
leisure; some have been priests. The training he has gone
through has been, if I may reverently say so, nearer to the training

Wakefield — Organisation, etc. 249

of Christ Himself during His painful ministry than any other
could be."

A movement had been early set on foot to present the
Bishop with a pastoral staff. Thus, on May 4, 1888, in
the course of a letter to Canon Ingham Brooke, he says :

" As to the staff, I think, if given to the diocese by the
laity, it would be very nice."

It was not, however, till the following April that the
presentation was actually made. A gathering was held at
the Church Institution, Wakefield, presided over by Mr.
J. A. Brooke, of Fenay Hall, Huddersfield, and the staff,
which was of exquisite design and workmanship, was
given to the Bishop for his use and that of his successors.
The words with which the Latin inscription on the staff
closed, " Pasce verbo, pasce vita" (Feed with the word,
feed with the life "), were chosen by the Bishop himself,
who, in returning thanks to the laity for what he
described as " this noble gift to the See," said that this
extract from the writings of St. Bernard had long been
printed on his memory.

In the original draft of the Bishopric, it was proposed
to have only one Archdeaconry. On hearing of this.
Canon Ingham Brooke, who knew the impossibility of
the whole work being adequately done by one Archdeacon,
got a memorial signed by every incumbent in the diocese
(except two or three, who were absent) and presented to
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. This memorial was
actually prepared, signed, and presented in three days.
The result was the foundation of two Archdeaconries,
instead of the one originally proposed.

The following letters refer to this early organisation of
the diocese :

250 Bishop Walsham How

[To Canon Ingham Brooke.]

''TH0RNHILL,y2/;/V 30, 1888.

" My dear Brooke,

" I have had the draft scheme for the diocese from
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and have returned
it. . . .

" The two Archdeaconries are all right, so that we may
consider that practically settled.

" I want you, please, to be Archdeacon of Halifax, which
will give you the three deaneries of Halifax, Birstall, and
Dewsbury. . .

" I have waited as to Rural Deans till this was settled, as
I must recommission the old ones, and appoint new
ones for Dewsbury and Wakefield.

" I have quite made up my mind not to ask the clergy to>
elect Rural Deans, as 1 have seen within the last fortnight
a case in London in which that plan produced party
spirit and intrigue, and ended in securing the wrong
man, and I am told this is not unusual. At any rate,
you generally get a discontented minority. . . .
Affectionately yours,

"Wm. walsham WAKEFIELD."

[To the same."]

"Wakefield, August 6, 1888.

"I think a Commission to report on the spiritual
needs of the diocese is almost indispensable. It has been
most useful in East London.

" I shall not change my mind about the Archdeaconry,
... It is very good of you to be so willing to give up
the post to another, but I cannot do without you. ... I

Wakefield — Organisation, etc. 251

think and hope Norris will say ' Yes ' to-morrow. It is
aggravating to leave before hearing."

This letter makes reference to two most important
matters. First of all, to the appointment to the Commis-
sion from which sprang the Bishop's Appeal Fund, of
which more hereafter, and, secondly, to the coming into
the diocese of the Rev. W. F. Norris.

The living of Almondbury, near Huddersfield, fell
vacant, and Sir John Ramsden, the patron, kindly
consulted the Bishop as to the future Vicar. After the
offer had been made to several clergy and refused, Mr.
Norris's name was suggested by the Bishop for the post.
He was already one of the Examining Chaplains, and,
being connected with the Bishop by the marriage of his
sister to one of the Bishop's sons, he was quite one of the
family, and it is not too much to say that Bishop Walsham
How learnt to love him and depend upon him to almost as
great an extent as he did upon his own son, the Rev. H.
W. How, who was shortly to enter the diocese as Vicar
of Mirfield. He (Rev. H. W. How) was presented to
this living by Mrs. Ingham, and his residence there was
the greatest comfort and support to the Bishop during
his last years.

The Commission, to which allusion was made above,
was issued on January 25, 1889, in the following form :

"We, William Walsham, by divine permission Bishop
of Wakefield, send greeting.

"Whereas it appears to us that for the development
and strengthening of the Church in the Diocese of
Wakefield, with its vast and increasing population, largely
increased efforts are urgently needed ; and whereas we
have commended to the Church people of the Diocese

252 Bishop Walsham How

several Diocesan Societies organised for the support of
Church Extension, Church Education, and the greater
efficiency of the Clerical Staff, and many liberal sub-
scriptions have been promised towards these societies ;
we are anxious to obtain from those best able to advise
us reliable information as to the special needs of the
Diocese, in order that the funds contributed may be
wisely and beneficially administered.

" We therefore request and direct you, the Clergy and
Laity above named, to inquire and examine into the
wants and requirements of the Diocese under the several
heads specified in an annexed schedule, and to report to
us in writing the result of your inquiries and deliberations."

This Commission was issued to the Archdeacons and
Rural Deans, together with six representative clergy and
sixteen laymen.

In the following year the Commissioners issued their
report, which the Bishop in the "Appeal" he put out
shortly afterwards said that he had studied almost with
dismay.

The following were the chief recommendations :

I. Five entirely new Parishes.

II. Twelve Chapels of Ease, or, in other words, second
churches, in twelve parishes.

III. Thirty-four Mission Churches, or Mission Rooms.

IV. Additional Clergy in twenty-seven parishes, and at
least Lay Readers in seventeen others.

V. The raising of all benefices to at least ;£2oo a year,
a list being given of eleven which were of less than that
value.

VI. A Pension Scheme to enable old and infirm clergy
to resign.

Wakefield — Organisation, etc. 253

VII. The making all Church Schools and buildings
thoroughly good and efficient.

The report concludes with the recommendation of a
large Central Fund to deal with the extraordinary-
deficiencies which the inquiry had brought to light,
which fund the Commissioners trusted would receive
willing and generous support throughout the diocese.
They were the more confident that this expectation
would be realised since they knew how deep and
universal was the gratification with which the diocese
had heard that the Bishop had considered it to be a duty
to decline the great Bishopric of Durham.

It is scarcely surprising that in the face of such a
formidable list of recommendations the Bishop should in
his Appeal have said :

"And how is all this to be achieved ? I do not know.
But I pray God to put it into the hearts of His people to
do far, far more than they have yet done, or have thought
of doing, for the great cause. There must be generosity.
Nay, more, there must be sacrifice. I do not think I shall
appeal to Yorkshire Churchmen quite in vain.

" May I remind the diocese of one danger ? I have no
doubt that, as various schemes are taken up, much local
interest will be aroused, and much local liberality will be
evoked. This is well ....

" But there may be selfishness in this, nevertheless, and
I hope earnestly that it will not be forgotten that a large
central fund will be needed, from which grants may be
made to the most necessitous places."

This warning was not superfluous. Great numbers of
the towns in the Diocese of Wakefield are of rapid and
recent growth, and one of the tendencies of this fact has

254 Bishop Walsham How

been to promote a rivalry essentially selfish. Any one
whose business takes him into that part of England will
be struck with the fact that almost every one of the
smaller, and newer, and more depressing-looking towns
possesses a gorgeous town-hall. It is said that the
magnificence of these buildings, in most cases out of all
proportion to their surroundings, is due to the spirit of
rivalry : not that the inhabitants really care to have a
splendid building in their town, but that they cannot bear
that a neighbouring place should have a better one. It
rhas been rumoured that a feeling of this sort has even
been allowed to interfere with the project of enlarging the
Cathedral at Wakefield, though it is difficult to conceive
such narrow pettiness existing among Church people, or
such ignorance of the fact that a cathedral is not a local
possession so much as a diocesan, and not even more
diocesan than it is national in its character.

But to return to the Appeal Fund by which the Bishop
hoped to be able to supply the deficiencies pointed out in
the Report. " I feel sure," he said, " that we ought not to
aim at a less capital sum than ;^5o,ooo." This was, con-
sidering the wealth of the diocese, a very moderate amount
for which to ask. Several exceedingly generous gifts
were immediately made, noticeably one of ;^5ooo towards
the needs of the Church in Heckmondwike. This was
given by the late Mr. Wheatley-Balme, who had no interest
in that parish beyond a knowledge of its needs, and
thereby set a splendid example of disinterested generosity.
This excellent start was most encouraging, but it was
not as warmly followed up as the Bishop had hoped, the
larger proportion of the gifts coming from the few whose
generous support of the Church might be invariably
depended upon. He lived, however, to see several of the

Wakefield — Organisation, etc. 255

new parishes formed, and not a few of the additional
churches and mission rooms erected.

One of the earlier acts of the Bishop with a view to
organising the work of the diocese was to summon a
Synod of the Clergy. This gathering assembled on
April 29, 1889, upwards of two hundred and thirty being
present. The clergy met in the Church Institution at
Wakefield, and proceeded to the Cathedral at 10.30 a.m.,
where a choral celebration of the Holy Communion was
held, the Bishop being celebrant. At the conclusion of
this service the choir withdrew, and the Bishop delivered
a charge to the clergy on such subjects as the personal
holiness and activity of the clergy, the use of daily
services, and divisions in the Church. In the course of
his remarks he took occasion to condemn the prosecution
of Ritualists.

In the afternoon the Synod assembled for conference,
and the following subjects were discussed :

I. Diocesan Conference. Rules and standing orders
being adopted.

II. Purity.

III. Divorce.

This Synod will be long remembered by all present as
one of the most important starting-points of Church work
in the diocese.

CHAPTER XIX

WAKEFIELD— THE SEE HOUSE

The first few years of the period during which Dr.
Walsham How held the Bishopric of Wakefield were
rendered more uncomfortable than seemed necessary by
various vexatious difficulties as to a residence.

This matter is treated here at some length, both because
it occupied so much of the Bishop's time, and also
because it is of special interest from the fact that Bishop-
garth was the first See house actually built from the
foundations since the Reformation.

The ladies of the Ripon Diocese (out of which that of
Wakefield was carved) had, under the leadership of Mrs.
Boyd-Carpenter, wife of the bishop, raised a sum of
^10,000 for the purchase of a house. But the question
arose whether a house must be provided before the final
creation of the See, or whether a body of guarantors
might, having first pledged themselves to raise the
episcopal income by ;^5oo per annum in five years' time
if no house were provided, be released from their
guarantee upon their presenting a house approved by
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners any time within the five
years.

The episcopal income of ;^3ooo per annum had been
raised, but before the Ecclesiastical Commissioners would

Wakefield — The See House 257

sign the certificate necessary for the formation of the new-
diocese the guarantee about the house had to be signed.
There had been considerable difficulty in connection with
this very subject on the formation of one of the more
recently founded bishoprics. Possibly owing to this fact
being known, or possibly owing to the natural caution of
the dwellers in the West Riding, the four guarantors
required were not to be found !

Those readers who are acquainted with the history of
the Wakefield Diocese up to the present time will ncrt be
surprised to hear that in this emergency Archdeacon
Brooke and his brother Mr. John Arthur Brooke came
forward and offered themselves as two of the number. A
third was found in the person of the late Mr. Wheatley-
Balme, of Mirfield. To these three men, together with
Mr. Wm. Brooke, brother of the first named, the Diocese
of Wakefield owes so much both of moral and financial
support that it is no exaggeration to say that they made
smooth much of the path of the first Bishop, and that the
diocese would be in a very different position to-day had
it not been for their loyal assistance.

But a fourth guarantor had yet to be found. Several
leading Wakefield gentlemen were asked, but declined —
a fact which caused additional soreness when, later on,
the very men who refused to incur any responsibility
agitated against the decision of the guarantors to
purchase the house at Mirfield hereafter referred to. In
this difficulty the Bishop, who was most anxious that no
unnecessary delay should occur in the settlement of the
preliminaries, himself became the fourth guarantor. It
was perhaps not much to the credit of Yorkshire Church-
men that he should have been allowed to do so.

The matter being in this way settled, time was given

R

258 Bishop Walsham How

for a leisurely search for a suitable house, and the Bishop
rented temporarily a house of Mr. M. E. Sanderson's in
the South Parade, Wakefield.

A little incident connected with the actual arrival of
the Bishop to live in Wakefield must be related here.

When in East London, he used generally to have
luncheon with Dr. Gordon Browne on those Sundays
when he was preaching at St. Andrew's Undershaft.
Here he had made friends with a little niece of Dr.
Browne's who often stayed at the house. On the Bishop's
first coming to the South Parade, Wakefield, feeling a
little of the loneliness which always accompanies the first
sight of a new home, whom should he see, standing on
the steps of the very next house, but his little friend
Phyllis, whom he had not connected in any way with
Wakefield, and whose glad welcome did much to cheer
him ! It turned out that she was a daughter of Dr. Lett,
afterwards to become the Bishop's valued physician, and
the Bishop often told of his delight at finding a child-
friend ready to greet him on his arrival.

During the first few months a number of houses and
sites were inspected in and immediately round the city,
but for various reasons they none of them seemed prac-
ticable. It was not until the Bishop had been for some
little time at work in the diocese that he began to doubt
whether Wakefield was really the best place for a see-
house. The diocese is shaped somewhat like a fan,
Wakefield being at the end of the handle. The two large
centres of population are the towns of Halifax and
Huddersfield with their surrounding parishes, and to
these places there were scarcely any trains from Wake-
field by which it was not necessary to change. Mirfield
Junction, gloomiest and draughtiest of stations, saw the

Wakefield — The See House 259

Bishop day after day, and night after night, waiting about
on its platforms, and it soon became apparent to him
that, were it possible to find a house near to that place, it
would save him much time and much exposure, besides
being far more central for the clergy from all parts of the
diocese to visit him.

Before long such a house was discovered, admirably
suited in every way, and at a price within the sum which
the guarantors had at their disposal. An additional
advantage was the offer made by a neighbouring solicitor
to give ;^5oo for the building of a chapel should this
house be purchased. A very large portion of the diocese
could have been reached by driving from this centre, and
at the Bishop's time of life it would have been an ines-
timable boon could he have thus been relieved of some
of the wear and tear necessitated by living at Wakefield.

However, this was not to be. The Wakefield people,
thinking more, perhaps, of their wish to have their Bishop
living among them than of the general advancement of
the work of the diocese or of the convenience of the
Bishop, determined to oppose the purchase of this house
in every possible way. They held a great meeting, of
which the Bishop wrote :

" The meeting yesterday was very warm, I am told, and
I am to be memorialised as well as the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners."

A strong deputation waited upon this latter body, with
the result that, when the question was argued before them,
the Commissioners decided that the house must be either
in or near Wakefield.

It would, of course, have been an added pleasure to
the Bishop had he been able to live at Mirfield, to have

26o Bishop Walsham How

been not more than a mile or two from his son, who was
Vicar there, though anything more absurd or insulting
than the opinion freely printed in the Wakefield papers,
that the Bishop only wanted to go and live near his son,
can hardly be imagined, and certainly proved that the
Wakefield people had not begun to understand their
Bishop yet !

Immediately after the Ecclesiastical Commissioners'
meeting, which he attended, Dr. Walsham How went to
the Great Northern Hotel, and, while waiting for his
train, wrote to tell the news to his son.

[To Rev. H. W. How.]

"/u/y i8, 1889.

" Dearest Harry,

" I want a good down-right cry, and feel as if I

must have one, if I find myself alone in the train just now.

Hall Croft [the Mirfield house] is over ! I am forbidden

to make known the resolution, as it is only provisional,

and must be confirmed next week, but I may tell you

that all the Ecclesiastical Commissioners were against us.

I must try and bear it as cheerfully as I can, but it is a

heavy blow. I am to be tied to Wakefield or its

neighbourhood.

" Your loving Father,

"W.W. w."

Meantime, the Bishop had left the house in South
Parade, Wakefield, for Overthorpe, in the Parish of
Thornhill, about six miles from the city, and here he
spent three and a half years until the house, which was
ultimately built at Wakefield, was ready.

He had not been here more than a couple of months

Wakefield — The See House 261

when, in November 1889, the Mayor of Wakefield
(Alderman Benjamin Watson) most generously offered
a site for a See house on some property he possessed at
a considerable distance from Wakefield in the direction
of Horbury. There were those who thought that this
offer ought to be accepted, arguing that a bishop ought
not to be too accessible, and that the days might return
when a Bishop of Wakefield would prefer to lead a
quieter and more studious life, further from railways and
their hurry and bustle, than was the fashion of the present
times. But this did not at all suit the ideas of Bishop
Walsham How, and, when a deputation of Wakefield
gentlemen waited upon him on the subject, he told them
that, while he was most grateful for the offer, the long
distance from a station, entailing for himself a consider-
able drive, and for clergy who wished to see him a large
expense in cab hire, was fatal to the proposed site. He
was able to add that he had already informed the mayor
of this ; and that he (the mayor) had most generously
promised to help to provide a residence in any other
place, provided it were in or near Wakefield.

It was generally felt that, as the Wakefield people had
practically prevented the Bishop from acquiring the house
he desired near Mirfield, it devolved upon them to secure
a site in their own city, and for this object a committee
was formed, the ultimate result of whose labours was the
acquisition of the site in St. John's parish where the
Bishop's house now stands, and the presentation of it to
the See.

Unfortunately, a considerable piece of ground — two
and a half acres — adjoining the site had not been
acquired at the same time, and it soon became obvious
that, if this were built upon, it would greatly destroy the

262 Bishop Walsham How

eligibility of the whole position. Mr. Foster, then Vicar
of St. John's, took the matter up, and mainly owing to his
exertions the extra ;^988 was raised, and the two and a
half acres were added to the grounds.
Writing on this subject the Bishop said :

"OvERTHORPE, Thornhill, November 4,^ 1891.

" My dear Mr. Foster,

" It is indeed good of you to think of trying to help
in securing what it is plain would be a boon to the See
for ever .... I hate the thought of anybody doing any-
thing more for the bishopric when so much has been
done. The only people I should not be sorry to tax are
those who prevented the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
from accepting Hall Croft, and forced us to build at
Wakefield .... I value much your kind interest in the
house we hope, God willing, to inhabit ere long.

" Sincerely yours,

"Wm. walsham WAKEFIELD."

The amount was quickly raised, as the following letters
relate :

"OvERTHORPE, Thornhill, November g, 1891.

" Dear Mr. Foster,

"The exceedingly kind interest you and Mrs.
Foster have taken in the matter of the extra land at the
new house at Wakefield makes me want to open my heart
to you about it. I cannot tell you how much I dislike
seeming to wish to make the place larger or more pre-
tentious in any way. I hate the name * palace,' and for
myself I should not the least mind the ground being
smaller, and other houses being built on the extra part

Wakefield— The See House 263

now in question. But I know I could get hardly any one

to feel with me, and perhaps it is right to accept the

general verdict, especially as I am planning for the future,

and cannot myself expect to occupy the house for long.

. . . One generous layman, not connected with Wakefield,

has said he will give ;^2oo rather than that the land should

be lost, and I will give ;^ioo. . . . My prayer is simply

that what is best for the good of the diocese may be

done.

" Gratefully yours,

"Wm. VV^ALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

"OvERTHORPE, Thornhill, November 10, 1891.

" My dear Mr. Foster,

" I only wish I deserved such kindness. The
matter is all but practically settled ! Another ;^ioo is all
that is really needed now. I do not know how to thank
you enough. But one lifts one's thanks higher still.

" Gratefully yours,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

On the site thus generously provided and augmented, a
house began to rise designed by Mr. William White,
F.S.A., of Wimpole Street. The Bishop had roughly
sketched out his requirements, which were, as may be
imagined, of a thoroughly practical kind, his desire being
for a house which should be sufficiently comfortable as
a residence, but which should be in the first place adapted
for the accommodation of candidates and for the general
business of a bishop's life. To this end a good library
with a chaplain's study immediately adjoining was an
essential, as were also a large room for examinations,
and a number of tiny bedrooms for the occupation of

264 Bishop Walsham How

candidates for Orders. In these last an ingenious device
of the Bishop's own was placed in order to save labour.
The little bath in each room was constructed in such a
manner that it could be tilted up against the wall, the
water being at the same time emptied into the rainwater
pipes outside. The Bishop would frequently take visitors
into these rooms to show them this little invention, which
answered its purpose perfectly.

The chapel, opening out of the hall, was unfortunately
in some degree spoiled by the discovery that, if it were
built on the lines originally laid down, the east wall would
be far too near the edge of the pillar of coal on which
the house stood. The length of the chapel had therefore
to be reduced by some ten feet. In spite of this it was
large enough for the purposes for which it was required,
and was beautifully furnished, partly with the ;^5oo which
his East London friends had given to the Bishop for the
purpose, and partly by private gifts.

The foundation stone of the chapel was laid on
October 24, 1891, by Mrs. Boyd-Carpenter, and a
memorial stone on the north wall bears the following
inscription :

Ad majorem Dei gloriam, sumptus harum aedium

conferendos, necnon Lapidem quern videtis

ponendum curavit

boni cujuslibet operis adjutrix indefessa

A. M. Boyd Carpenter,

Episc. Riponensis uxor.

Die xxiv. Oct. mdcccxci.

Towards the close of 1892 the house drew near to
completion, and for some months the Bishop had to
endure a persecution which would have made a less
humble and patient man do what the Bishop was forced

Wakefield — The See House 265

to say he might be driven to do — viz., to leave the new
house standing empty and seek a residence in some other
part of the diocese.

There had been sundry extortionate demands made
already from time to time — demands which would never
have been ventured upon had it not been known that
Bishop Walsham How would rather pay anything, and
suffer anything, than resort to a law suit. But the people
of Wakefield, with the exception, of course, of the better
disposed, were bitterly disappointed with the result of
their successful endeavour to force the Bishop to live at
Wakefield. They knew nothing about the requirements
of a See house. But they had evidently expected a
magnificent "palace," and one expression used in a
local paper will give an idea of the terrible downfall of
their hopes. It was actually suggested that a high mound
ought to have been raised, and an edifice after the style of
Haddon Hall erected upon it ! How little the people
understood the ideal of a humble life, serving the Church
of God, which their Bishop had set before him I But the
torrent of abuse of his new house was not hard to bear,
considering whence it came. The climax was arrived at,
when the City Council, relying on some obsolete by-laws,
for some weeks put the Bishop to enormous inconvenience
by refusing to allow him to occupy the house, as it did
not conform to their rules. In due course it was
discovered that the by-laws had long ago been over-
ridden by Act of Parliament, and after a couple of slight
alterations had been made the Bishop was permitted to
take possession. It will scarcely be credited that Bishop
Walsham How, whose memory is, there can be little
doubt, revered to-day by the greater number of the
inhabitants of Wakefield, should have been, as one paper

266 Bishop Walsham How

put it, "so unfairly and discourteously treated" on his
arrival to occupy the house which Wakefield had forced
him to build. The probability is that the cause of this
display of feeling was twofold : in the first place the dis-
appointment caused by the sort of house erected, and in
the second place a feeling of resentment at the employ-
ment of an architect from a distance.

One word is necessary as to the name chosen for the
house. The Bishop was anxious to have a name that would
be suitable to the locality, and many were suggested, such as
"Bishoproyd," "Bishopcroft," &c. &c. Finally, Dr. Skeat
of Cambridge was consulted, and by his advice " Bishop-
garth " was selected, " garth " being the Norse and Anglican
form of the word which is usually spelt " yard." Dr. Skeat
explained that " Bishoproyd " would be an eminently
unsuitable name, for a " royd " is a " clearing " : thus,
" Ackroyd " is a " clearing among oaks " ; " Bishoproyd "
would therefore mean that bishops had been cleared
away to make room for the house !

An event had taken place -early in the previous year
(1892) which added greatly to the pleasure with which
the Bishop looked forward to occupying his new home.
On a vacancy occurring in the Vicarage of Wakefield the
Crown, the patrons on that occasion, had appointed an
old friend of his, the Rev. William Donne, Vicar of Great
Yarmouth, to the living, and also to the Archdeaconry
of Huddersfield. Mr. Donne's father had been an old
neighbour of Dr. Walsham How in Shropshire, and Mr.
Donne had thus been known to him from boyhood, and
had at a later date, when Vicar of Limehouse, worked
under him in East London. To have Archdeacon and
Mrs. Donne for close neighbours and fellow workers, to
say nothing of the valuable staff of clergy which were

Wakefield — The See House 267

always maintained at the Cathedral Clergy House, proA^ed
a great comfort and support to the Bishop during his
four years' residence at Bishopgarth. The following
letter exhibits the feelings with which he welcomed
them :

''Private.

** OvERTHORPE, Thornhill, yb«^^ary Hj 1892.

"My dear William,

" I have this morning had a strictly private com-
munication from Mr. Balfour, the purport of which you
will already know. I cannot resist writing one line by
the earliest post to say how very earnestly I hope you
may be able to think favourably of the offer. Unhappily
it is a poor thing in a pecuniary point of view, but it is a
post of much influence and importance, and also at the
present time one requiring no little of that tact and
wisdom which you have shown at Limehouse and at
Yarmouth. We are said to be cold up here, but certainly
the winters, since I came, have been colder in the south
than here, and we find the climate extremely healthy. I
think Mrs. Donne would not find it so trying as the cold
East Coast.

" God guide you aright.

" Your affectionate old friend,

••Wm. WALSHAM V^AKEFIELD."

Soon after Easter in 1893 the Bishop settled in, but it
was not until the following July that the house-warming
proper took place. A great bazaar had been organised
for the Church of England Society for providing Homes
for Waifs and Strays, of which Society the Bishop was
Chairman, and a Home for Waif Boys had been established

268 Bishop Walsham How

very near to Bishopgarth. Under these circumstances
Bishop Walsham How ventured to invite Princess
Christian to come and stay with him to open the bazaar, to
inaugurate the Bede Home (as the Home for Waif Boys
was called), and to give a royal house-warming to his
new home. His invitation was graciously accepted, and
Wakefield gave a hearty welcome to the Princess.
Whether it was the effect of this visit, or whether it was
that Wakefield people began to know their Bishop better,
from this time forward he was allowed to live in peace.
It must not be for a moment supposed that the better
disposed and more cultivated people in Wakefield were
amongst those who made the Bishop's coming to live in
the city an unpleasant episode. There were very many
who regretted deeply the language used and the trouble
caused to him ; and a large number of Wakefield people
were from the first among his most faithful supporters
and friends.

Neither must it be supposed that he allowed the dis-
agreeables he experienced to influence him, when once
they had passed by. One of his strongest characteristics
was the power of throwing off unpleasant or hurtful
thoughts, and entering heart and soul into the life going
on around him. So it was at Wakefield ; wounded though
he was at the time, yet he resolutely put all the unpleasant-
ness behind him, and certainly never let Wakefield people
see that he had felt his treatment at all. It did not take
long for a good feeling to spring up on all sides, and,
what with those faithful friends who had known and
understood him all along, and those who, now that he
lived among them, began to know him better, and to have
some regard for the old white-headed gentleman so often
to be seen about their streets, the four years spent at

Wakefield — The See House 269

Bishopgarth were a happy time. The house and garden
became famihar to many of the residents, for, besides
other lesser festivities, a large garden party of some five
hundred guests was held there each summer, and the
cathedral officials, choir, &c., were all entertained in their
turn.

One of the lesser gatherings held at Bishopgarth, and
one in which the Bishop was greatly interested, was an
" at home " held fortnightly (or as nearly so as possible),
to which the young ladies employed in the leading shops
were invited. These evenings proved a great success.
Several friends came in to help Mrs. How (the Bishop's
daughter-in-law) to amuse her guests, and the two hours
from eight to ten passed quickly enough with Shakespeare
readings, music, games, &c., and now and then a lecture
given by some friend, the Bishop himself delivering
several. At ten o'clock service in the chapel brought
the proceedings to a close.

The largest assemblage ever seen at Bishopgarth was;
on the occasion of the Diocesan G.F.S. Festival being
held there. No fewer than eighteen hundred girls were
present, and passed through the hall, library, and chapel,
on their way into the garden.

On one occasion the new house had a narrow escape
during one of the heavy thunderstorms that are somewhat
frequent in Wakefield during the summer months. To-
this incident the following letter refers :

[To Mrs. R. Ll. Kenyon.]

" Bishopgarth, y?^«i? 27, 1895.

"When I reached home last night I found that this-
house had been struck with lightning (though we have
two lightning-conductors), and my library was in a

270 Bishop Walsham How

terrible mess. The lightning struck the library chimney,
and damaged the roof, and seems to have come down the
chimney and covered the floor with soot, water, and
rubbish. Had I been at home I should undoubtedly
have been sitting in my usual place quite close to the
fireplace. Archdeacon Donne met me at the station to
offer to take me in at the Vicarage, but I am camping in
the drawing-room, and no other room but the library is
damaged.

" B.'will be interested to hear that I sat all day yesterday
from 10.30 to 4.0 as assessor in the first appeal case under
the Clergy Discipline Act. The case was one of depriva-
tion for drunkenness, and we allowed the appeal, the
evidence being wholly insufficient. Two things struck
me much : (i) the way in which the judges, especially
the Lord Chancellor, badgered the counsel for the prose-
cution, never allowing them to finish a sentence ; and
(2) the way in which the judges openly took their side
from the beginning, the Lord Chancellor, for instance, in
the very middle saying, " There isn't a magistrate on the
bench who would fine a man five shillings on such
evidence."

The Bishop took great interest in everything that con-
cerned Wakefield, and was often able to show that interest
by being present at various municipal and other functions.
There is, moreover, a photograph in existence of two
cricket elevens in the match played annually on Whit
Monday by Wakefield against the Yorkshire Ger^tlemen,
and in the group assembled to be photographed with the
teams may be seen the Bishop, who was an interested
spectator of the game.

Wakefield — The See House 271

But it was not only in the pleasures of the people of
Wakefield that their Bishop sympathised. There are
some who will remember that he was among their earliest
visitors in the day of trouble or bereavement. There are
invalids who could tell of hours snatched from his busy
life that he might comfort and pray with them. The last
visit he paid in Wakefield (with the exception of Sunday,
August I, 1897, when he went to tea with his close
neighbour and friend, Lady Blomefield) was to a little
cripple-boy, since dead, in a court off a side-street near
Kirkgate Station.

It may be allowed here for a moment to lift the veil of
the Bishop's more private and domestic life. His sorrows
were many ; but his courage was immense : no trouble,
no disappointment, ever prevailed to diminish his keen-
ness and interest in his work. He came to Wakefield just
after the one great bereavement of his life : he never let
his sorrow sadden the lives of others ; he never let those
of his children who lived with him see how irreparable
his loss had been. He was ever thinking of the happiness
of those around him, and ever sacrificing himself for
them. His delight was to have his children with him
from time to time, especially his daughter, Mrs. Kenyon,
who came for a protracted visit every spring during the
absence of the Bishop's son and daughter-in-law. To
Mrs. F. D. How, on whom devolved the responsible
duties, domestic and diocesan, which fall to the lot of the
lady at the head of a Bishop's house, he showed the
greatest consideration and a wealth of affection. When
she was away from him it was not uncommon for her to
get a letter from him nearly every day. Writing to his
son in 1896, the Bishop said :

272 Bishop Walsham How

"(Wednesday morning.) This is your wedding-day,
dear old fellow. What a blessed day for you ! Your
dearest wife is far, far more dear to us all than we ever
dreamt of once, and makes us love her more and more all
the time. God spare you both to each other for many
happy years. What I mean by, ' than we ever dreamt of
once,' is that, when the mother was called away from us,
we could not have guessed how large a part of the gap
dearest E. would fill in the future. I must always thank
God, and you, for giving me such a daughter."

Needless to say he was the life and soul of the house.
In the evenings — all too few — that he spent at home, he
would go back to his library after dinner to write more
letters, but at nine o'clock he was pretty sure to put in an
appearance in the drawing-room for a cup of tea and a
few minutes' chat or a little music. On the evenings that
he was out at work in the diocese he would usually
return about ten o'clock, or often later, as fresh and
cheery as if the day were young and he were a boy just
home from school. There would first be a rapid but
interesting account of what he had done and whom he
had seen, with a humorous touch here and there in the
story, and then, " Now I want to know what yoti have
been doing," and he would throw himself with the keenest
interest into other people's affairs. The first up in the
morning, he would be the last to bed at night, and,
when others were wearied out and sleepy, he would
be the brightest, and youngest, and cheeriest in all the
house.

The Rev. W. Foxley N orris. Vicar of Almondbury,
and one of the Bishop's Examining Chaplains, says of
him :

Wakefield— The See House 273

" He could throw himself into the affairs of the moment with
more complete whole-heartedness than any one else I ever knew.
This must have been on the one hand the result of long and stern
self-discipline, and on the other hand the cause of much of that fresh-
ness and buoyancy which carried him through many heavy times
and gave the casual observer the impression that his was 'a
singularly cloudless life ' [as some of the newspapers said in their
obituary notices of him].

" Two scenes, which exemplify this, I shall never forget. The
first was when, during one of those children's parties at Bishop-
garth — which he loved, and we all loved — he called me into the
study. He had received some terrible news ; he passed me the
letter, and put his head on his hands, and quietly cried like a
child, while I read it. What followed is too sacred to make use
of here, but presently he simply said, ' Now we must go back,' and
back he went, though his heart was heavy as lead, and clouded
with a darkness in which it was difficult to descry the dawn of
any light, and in a moment he was romping and laughing with the
little babies in the hall as if there could be no such thing as
trouble in the world.

" The other scene I have in my mind is a happier one. He
had arranged with me to go down to Llanbedr with him for a few
days' fishing one May. He had to preach in Chester on the
Sunday, and I in my own church at Almondbury, but he wanted
to start early on the Monday, so I went by night and met him
at Chester, and we went on together ; both of us in our Sunday
garb — not at all in holiday clothes. We got to Pensarn Station
at about one o'clock, but the cart for the luggage had not come
to meet us. The Bishop would not wait, and proposed to me
to walk on, which we did. When we got to the inn at Llanbedr,
the cart was only just starting for the station, so there was no
chance of our getting our luggage and being able to change our
attire for some time. It was a glorious day, and the Bishop
insisted on starting off, just as we were, for an afternoon on
the hills. When we got about four miles up, scrambling and
climbing, regardless of silk hats and long coats, he clambered to
the top of the wall, and literally shouted for joy at the sunshine
and the glory of the view. I shall never forget him standing on
that wall in gaiters and apron and shovel hat, shouting with

s

274 Bishop Walsham How

delight. It was like a schoolboy after long hours at the desk, and
I think that is just what he felt. He had had a long hard winter,
and this was his first breath of spring holiday."

While speaking of the Bishop's social life it would not
be just to omit a matter which has been frequently criti-
cised. He seemed sometimes to lose the proper proportion
of things when scheming out his time. There were many
wealthy laity in his diocese who would have enjoyed (as
some did from time to time) showing him hospitality.
The Bishop felt that staying away from home for a night
lost him much valuable time the next morning, and for
this reason declined most invitations to do so. It is
probable that the increased knowledge of the laity of the
district, and the opportunities of putting before them the
needs of the Church, which he would have gained by
more frequent visits to their homes, would have proved of
more value than appeared to him at the time. His
influence would probably have been even greater than it
was, and his Appeal Fund would probably have received
even greater support.

But there must always be special difficulty in dealing
fairly and impartially with the social as well as the private
or home life of any one on the part of those closely related
to him. A most valuable paper has been supplied by the
Rev. W. J. W. Marrow, for four years Domestic Chaplain
to the Bishop, and this sketch of Dr. Walsham How as
he appeared to one who, without being bound to him by
ties of relationship, had such ample opportunities of
observing him, will greatly assist in obtaining a true
picture of the subject of this biography. Where Mr.
Marrow has too closely covered ground already occupied,
passages have been omitted ; otherwise his paper is given
verbatim.

Wakefield — The See House 275

Recollections of Bishop Walsham How of
Wakefield.

" From November i8go to the end of 1894 I knew the Bishop
intimately ; but long before this period he had seemed a familiar
personality. In the years 1 880-1 881 I heard much of his work
and character ; at Wells Theological College he was constantly
referred to as having been the model parish priest of Whittington
in Shropshire, and as being the perfection of a hard-working
devoted Bishop in East London,

" I remember so well the enthusiasm he caused at Wells on the
occasion of a Triennial Festival, when he came from London to
preach the sermon, and was one of the speakers at the dinner
afterwards. The Wells men were carried away by his sermon,
his speech, and by the wonderful attraction of his personality;
other speakers at that gathering seemed to feel and realise the
attractiveness I speak of, and one of them, I think it was the then
Vicar of St. Mary's, Redcliffe, tried to counteract the effect of the
Bishop's appeal for workers, by reminding Wells men that there
were other places needing their help besides East London, and by
urging the claims of such places as Bristol on their youthful
energies ; in spite of this, I think East London had it.

" My more intimate knowledge of the Bishop began in Novem-
ber 1890, when he was living at Overthorpe, near Dewsbury, while
the See house was being planned and built at Wakefield. The
Bishop was alone on the day of my arrival, and the impression he
made on me the first evening of my residence with him as Chap-
lain never wore away. His genuine and hearty welcome made
one at home directly ; there was a feeling of friendliness and
confidence established at once, and one was impressed by the
complete absence of affectation, or anything approaching * official
side ' ; it was evident one had to deal with a man who was abso-
lutely straight and real ; one who would trust you completely, and
expected to be trusted. I used to think sometimes that the
Bishop had this characteristic of freedom from formality in excess,
and I fancied it did not answer with every one. Some natures,
prone to conceit and self-approval, would take advantage of the
Bishop's simplicity, and err on the side of familiarity in their

276 Bishop Walsham How

dealings with him, and take liberties both in behaviour and con-
versation which were most unwarranted. But this characteristic
no doubt arose from what was the foundation of the Bishop's
nature — absolute self-forgetfulness and unselfishness. In his
dealings with his Chaplain day after day this became not less, but
more and more, apparent. Although the Bishop wrote by far the
larger number of his letters himself, he was always anxious not
to overburden his secretary, and, if there were a few more letters
than usual, he would always express his regret, and almost apologise
for giving him so much to do ; while all the time he was himself
undertaking an extra share of the writing in order to save his
secretary as far as possible.

*' His method of working was most regular and thoroughly
organised : after an eight-o'clock breakfast and morning prayers,
he went into his own room, and began the work of looking
through his letters — always a heavy task. All that required any
care, or raised any difficult point, he answered with his own hand,
and the most important were copied by his Chaplain ; about ten
o'clock the Bishop had sufficiently sorted his correspondence, and
then called his Chaplain into his room, and half a dozen letters
were lying ready with a brief note of the answer required written
across the top corner : ' Yes,' ' No,' ' With pleasure,' &c., or the date
and time of arrival for keeping some appointment. On going
into his room the Bishop generally said, ' There are some letters
to write — tell me about them as they come in their order ; ' a few
words from each would remind him of their contents, and he
would rapidly dictate a reply, going on immediately with his own
writing, and resuming the dictation when one was ready. This
faculty of keeping practically two letters going at once was certainly
a special and remarkable gift. I think that he almost enjoyed
letter-writing, because by his long practice and very ready command
of expression he did it so easily and so well. Day after day he
would write for hours, and always apparently with the same ready
iiow of words from his pen, writing as a rule clearly, and with a
firm, well-defined hand, always, too, sitting in a very characteristic
way — the picture of painstaking energy. He never lounged on
the table, but sat upright, just resting his hands on the paper,
using what would be to most people a most tiring position. The
Bishop's character of keen, restless energy came out very strongly

Wakefield — The See House 277

in this question of position ; he never seemed to tire of standing
or walking, and, when he sat down, he avoided easy chairs, and
never lounged. I could not imagine him lying on a sofa for a
few moments' repose, for even when he was tired out, and dropped
asleep in the evening, it was generally sitting on a straight-backed
chair, and never for very long together.

" As might be expected, his own life was arranged and planned
in an orderly way. His punctuality and love of being in good
time for things enabled him to get through an immense amount
of work with little friction. By not putting off, and by arranging
everything beforehand, his engagements fitted in together, and
much time was economised.

" One felt as one listened to his sermons, and perhaps especially
to his addresses to clergy and candidates for Ordination, that
what he tried to impress upon them by his words he did even
more thoroughly by his life. This truth, of course, gave a living force
to his words which nothing else could do. It was, I think, this
reality which made him so attractive to young men : they seemed
to love him at once, and he could inspire them with a love of his
own high ideals in a way few men can ; one felt when in his
presence, and under his influence, how mean and despicable were
all things low and bad ; how noble and attractive all things high
and good.

" In the midst of all his busy day I know the Bishop found, or
rather made, quiet hours for private devotional reading and prayer.
These he never allowed to be altered. He liked to walk down to
church or cathedral for an early Communion quite alone, in
order that his thoughts might not be disturbed or distracted by
the necessity of ordinary conversation. He would devote a fixed
time in the middle of the day to prayer and reading, and the
strength and refreshment of all this was very apparent in his life.
One could not live with him very long without feeling inspired by
his wonderful unselfishness and humility, the strength and power
he gathered for himself spreading round and infecting others.

" I think this impetuous energy made the Bishop impatient of
delay; it urged him to get things done and finished with, and
perhaps led him to decide things too hastily; but it also enabled
him to throw off worries and disappointments — he did not look
back, but was always looking forward — and, by not dwelling on

278 Bishop Walsham How

past anxieties he was better able to face coming ones, and to deal
with them ' strongly.'

"To have lived with such a man has been a great privilege and
a great happiness, and in a hundred ways, direct and indirect, a
training and an education.

" The Bishop, like other great and good men, had no doubt
many sides to his character, but the ones that most attracted one's
attention were his keen energy, his complete absence of anything
approaching conceit, and, above all, perhaps, his unselfish affec-
tionateness and love."

CHAPTER XX

WAKEFIELD— HIS RELATIONS WITH THE CLERGY. ETC.

Much was said in a previous chapter about Bishop
Walsham How's anxiety to know and be known by the
clergy of East London. It is not, therefore, surprising to
find that on taking possession of a diocese of his own, he
set this same object— making personal friends of his
fellow workers — in the forefront of his desires.

Just as he always felt the vast importance of getting to
know the children in his old Shropshire parish, so that
they might learn to know, and, it might be, love him from
their earliest days, so he was anxious, when he came to
Wakefield, to do what he could to draw the younger men
to him, especially those who came up for Ordination. In
reference to this, it is interesting to note that he made a
practice of going once a week to read Greek Testament
with the junior clergy at the Cathedral Clergy House.

When the diocese was in its infancy he determined
to set out all the Ordination arrangements on the best
possible lines. He felt how much depended upon it, and
he looked back, as did many men of his generation, to the
lack of any kind of spiritual help during the Ember days
at the time of his own Ordination, when the examination
was held on the days immediately before. He arranged
to hold four Ordinations in the year, so as to avoid large

28o Bishop Walsham How

numbers, which interfere with the individual dealing with
the candidates, and so as to prevent inconvenience to
incumbents. The examination in each case was to take
place six weeks before the Ordination, so that the can-
didates might be free from all anxiety on that score in
good time and might have a quiet interval for devotional
and spiritual preparation. He printed a letter of advice
on the best manner of spending this time.

Some details of the routine of the days preceding the
actual Ordination, when the candidates were always
resident at Bishopgarth, may be worth quoting, inasmuch
as the Wakefield Ember days have been taken as a model
in other dioceses more than once since the Bishop
arranged them.

He had four examining Chaplains, Canon Whitaker
(afterwards replaced by Rev. A. J. Robinson), Archdeacon
Brooke, Rev. W. O. Burrows, and Rev. W. F. Norris, one
being " on duty " at each Ember season, and at the same
Ember season in each year, so that usually an examining
Chaplain would have to do with the same men as deacons
one year and priests the next.

The days were mapped out thus :

Wednesday. — The men arrived, and the Bishop ad-
dressed them at Compline.

Thursday. — Papers on doctrinal and practical subjects.
Address given by the Chaplain in the morning and
the Bishop in the evening.

Friday. — Latterly, this day was observed as a "Quiet
Day" — the addresses being generally given by the
preacher of the Ordination sermon.

Saturday. — Interviews with candidates. Legal business,
&c. Addresses as on Thursday.

Holy Communion was celebrated each morning.

Wakefield— Ember Days 281

The Rev. W. F. Norris writing about these seasons
says:

'* Two things stand out as one looks back on these Ember days
and all the Ordination work at Bishopgarth during the last ten
years. First, the method and orderliness of all the arrangements,
and this was for the most part due to the Bishop's scrupulous
punctuality and regularity. [In these arrangements he was greatly
assisted by his domestic Chaplain, who was responsible for the
candidates knowing exactly what they were expected to do.]

** Secondly, the extreme simplicity of the Bishop's addresses and
charges to the Ordination candidates. I have before me now my
own notes of his addresses at his first Ember week in the diocese
(May 23-27, 1888). The subjects are 'Holy Communion,'
* Devotional Reading,' ' Conduct of Services,' and I remember
well how, when speaking of devotional reading, he told us how
difficult he himself found it to practise 'meditation.' He put
himself always on a level with those he was addressing, and laid
bare his own difficulties so humbly and so honestly that every one
who listened felt ' Here is one who can sympathise with me.' In
his personal dealing with the men it was the same; it was, I
think, natural to him, and no effort at all (as it is to most people),
to put himself in the position of the person he was talking to.
Many a man who was ordained by him has said during the last
few months, ' When the old Bishop died I lost my best friend.'
That feeling of friendship was firmly planted during the Ember
days, and every man who passed through the Bishop's hands at
these times went out with the feeling that his Bishop was indeed
a Father in God to him.

" It seems almost profane, and certainly presumptuous, to put
it into words, but we sometimes felt that he allowed his honesty
to carry his humility too far, for there really was a danger of men
feeling, ' Well, if even the Bishop fails in this or that, I need not
be too much concerned at my own failures.' I know that this
sometimes was the effect on the minds of men who were inclined
to be easy with themselves.

" He never gave a regular ' charge ' of the old-fashioned kind
on the eve of Ordination. His addresses at such times were
always on some such subjects as I have mentioned, or on the

282 Bishop Walsham How

• Spiritual Life,' or ' Hindrances,' or on some particular grace, as

* Love,' ' Faith,' &c. In fact, his addresses, elementary as they
sounded, were generally on foundation principles rather than on
any details of the clerical life. In his Ember addresses he only
brought in details by way of illustration.

"Then, again, one cannot help recalling his inclination to
think the best of men. I remember in one or two cases of un-
satisfactory candidates how he would leave no stone unturned to
show that they were really less unsatisfactory than appeared at
first sight. He would send his Chaplain not merely for the
testimonials and ofificial papers, but for every letter that had
reference to the case, and would set himself to establish the man's
excellence, if it could by any means be done. He disliked refusing
any man who seemed good and in earnest ; and when the examiners'
marks were brought to him, he would often discover most in-
genious reasons why such a man — who had failed perhaps in one
or two papers — should be treated as an exception, and let through.

" His capacity for work was always enormous, and this came
out forcibly in Ember weeks. He would generally go back into
his study when the rest of us went to bed, and look over a pile of
papers, making his comments upon them, and setting them in
order for his interviews next day. He always expected other
people to work as he did, and I remember well my consternation
one night when, just before twelve o'clock, as I was gathering my
papers together thinking I had finished for the night, he put his
head in at my door and threw me a bundle of deacons' examination
papers, asking me to look them over before I turned in and have
them ready for him in the morning. He did not know what it
was to be tired, and once, when towards the end of a particularly
hard day, one of his Chaplains said, ' My Lord, here is a big arm-
chair doing nothing,' in the hope that he would rest, he turned
sharply round and said, ' Why don't you sit in it, then ! '

" But perhaps the most delightful recollection I have of the
Ember days is the memory of those little excursions round the
garden in the odd few minutes before luncheon or chapel, or
between interviews. The Bishop could not bear any waste of
time, and, if there were an unexpected few minutes between
engagements, he positively fidgeted with anxiety to fill them up.
And so it happened that he would many a time take one of us by

Wakefield— Ember Days 283

the arm and say, ' Come out into the garden : we've got a few

minutes, and I want to show you a Uttle plant I got from the

other day.' Then out he would go telling us little things of
botanical interest, little peculiarities of this flower or that, where
he got it from, or where he meant to put it next year, and so on ;
and gradually he would gravitate towards the greenhouse, which
always drew him like a magnet.

"The fascination of these little interludes lay, I think, to a
large extent in the fact that they occupied him for the moment so
entirely. No matter how deep the work which he had just left,
no matter how important, or how troublesome, the work he was
going back to, he threw his whole soul into the garden and the
flowers, and the thoughts they suggested at the moment."

During the Ember days, while the candidates were
preparing at Bishopgarth for Ordination, his examining
Chaplains had on several occasions to consult him on the
subject of Confession and Absolution, which would be
treated in various ways in the examination papers. On
this point he was always perfectly clear. He maintained
the authority committed to the priest, and used the old
illustration of the Queen's messenger conveying the royal
pardon to a criminal recommended to mercy. He believed
in private confession in exceptional cases, and probably
heard many such confessions himself when conducting
missions. In the case of Ordination candidates he never
discouraged it, and on the other hand never pressed it
upon them.

Some notes of his are in existence on the subject of
Absolution, and in them he sets forth that absolution by
a priest is founded on the words, " whose sins ye remit,"
&c., and goes on to show that it primarily existed as a part
of Church discipline, and secondly was used to convey the
formal assurance of God's pardon. He then points out
the dangers (i) of asserting that God's actual forgiveness

284 Bishop Walsham How

waits upon, or is withheld until, the priestly declaration,
(2) of teaching that sin is not (ordinarily) pardoned with-
out priestly absolution. He concludes by pointing out
that the analogy of the exhortation in the Communion
service would teach that its special blessing is for those
who cannot otherwise grasp God's pardon through Christ,
it thus being for " comfort and assurance."

In the course of the examination of candidates the
Bishop from time to time met with answers which greatly
amused him. Some of these he has left on record, and
as (unlike many such stories) their truth is thus vouched
for by him, it may be interesting to insert two or three
here.

In one examination a number of w^ords were given to
be explained, and among them was " Cherub." One man
wrote, "A cherub is an infant angel, who died before
baptism, and will undoubtedly be saved."

Another candidate in writing out the Nicene Creed
said, *' I believe in all things, visible and invisible," which
the Bishop described as showing " a magnificent grasp of
faith."

In a paper on practical subjects set in the September
examination, 1894, one of the questions asked was, "What
rules for almsgiving would you recommend ? " One of
the candidates advised a plan he had seen of having
about six boxes in the house, and sending them round at
meals for various societies according to the viands on the
table. Thus, during the fish course, the box for the Deep
Sea Fisheries would be sent round, and when pineapples
were being eaten that for the S.P.G. It can easily be
imagined how these, and such-like answers, were enjoyed
by one endowed with such a keen sense of humour as was
Bishop Walsham How.

Wakefield — Relations with the Clergy 285

In the early days of the diocese many men were
attracted by the wish to work under him, just as had been
the case in East London. The difficulty was to find
places for them, and in some cases this proved insuperable,
and good men had to be refused. The Bishop felt
strongly as to the importance of the choice of an in-
cumbent under whom a young man was to work. He
considered it a bad start, and an unfair thing, to send a
man to a parish where there was not daily service and at
least a weekly celebration. It is important to notice this,
because, a bishop being equally anxious to help and
befriend those incumbents in his diocese who do not
come up to this standard, and besides, finding it far more
difficult to deal with sins of omission than those of
commission, people in general may hardly be aware
of the importance attached to such matters. Bishop
Walsham How, at all events, felt most strongly about
them. Such things are not properly "party questions,'*
but simply relate to the proper supply of services.

Besides the weekly celebrations and daily services he
was also careful to inculcate the necessity of proper
services on the great festivals and fasts. It was a grief to
him that during the first few years of his work in the
Wakefield Diocese there was an insufficient (as he con-
sidered) supply of services in the Cathedral on Good
Friday, and this though he offered to conduct additional
ones himself.

The Rev. W. F. Norris tells a little story about a
Good Friday which the Bishop spent at Almondbury. It
seems that he had promised to take a midday service at
Huddersfield Parish Church on that day, but for some
reason the idea was given up, and he wrote to Mr.
Norris and said he would go to Almondbury and sit in

286 Bishop Walsham How

the congregation during the Three-hours service, which
was to be conducted by one of the parochial clergy. On
hearing this Mr. Norris wrote and pressed the Bishop to
take the service. This he at first absolutely declined to
do. On further pressure, and on its being represented
to him how greatly it might help the congregation, he
consented, but said, " To tell the truth I have never given
the Three-hours addresses in my life, and I shrink from
doing it a good deal." It was a striking example of his
humility to shrink thus from a task which many a young
clergyman undertakes without a misgiving. " Needless
to add," says Mr. Norris, "that day stands out amongst
all our Good Fridays, as one looks back over the past
years."

It has been already clearly shown that the Bishop never
attached himself to any party, but he was ever urgent in
insisting upon frequent and reverent services. On this
subject the Rev. W. F. Norris writes :

" He never cared about much ritual ; it did not appeal to him.
The ' Points ' to him were mere externals of secondary importance,
and I do not think that to the last he attached much importance
even to the eastward position (though he always took it latterly).
But at the same time he would always rather send a deacon to a
parish where these things were attended to than to one where
daily service was neglected. I remember once going with him to
a certain institution where full ritual was practised. In the vestry
of the chapel the Chaplain brought out a chasuble, &c., of gorgeous
embroidery. The Bishop was busy putting on his robes. The
Chaplain diffidently suggested, ' The vestment, my lord ? ' ' Oh !
thank you,' said the Bishop ; ' I'd much rather not ! ' and went on
with his robing in a desperate hurry, as if he wanted to prevent
any possibility of having to reconsider !

" On the other hand, he was 7nost particular about the altar
linen. To celebrate at a church where the vessels were put on
the altar with no proper linen always tried him greatly. I have

Lincoln Judgment 287

heard him say very sharp things about carelessness in this matter.
He considered it irreverent, and in many cases he himself made a
present of a set of linen where a church was inadequately supplied.
Where he had done so, he would generally make inquiries after-
wards to know if it were used, and properly kept.

" In all these things he had the mind, exactly, of the English
Church : great reverence, a strong feeling that all should be
dignified and in order, a horror of slovenliness, but a shyness
about much ceremony, or excessive ritual, or anything which
could develop into fussiness."

Speaking of his dealings with his clergy in these matters
brings to mind his action with regard to the Lincoln
judgment.

He had great hopes (alas ! unfounded) that this judg-
ment would be accepted on all sides, and be the beginning
of a closer agreement upon questions of ritual. With
this in his mind he wrote to each Rural Dean a letter,
desiring him to let every clergyman in his deanery have a
copy. This letter, it will be seen, was written before the
terms of the judgment were known.

"OvERTHORPE, Thornhill, Dewsbury, May 14, 1890.

" My dear ,

" I am anxious to write to you as Rural Dean with
regard to the impending judgment of the Archbishop of
Canterbury and his assessors in the case of the Bishop of
Lincoln. It is possible that some of the clergy in your
rural deanery may wish to know their Bishop's opinion
with regard to the duty of compliance with the judgment
in the case referred to, when that judgment is pronounced.
I desire therefore to record my opinion, and to state quite
plainly, that I think it is the duty of the clergy to comply
with the terms of the forthcoming judgment. Of course
I am not asserting that such judgment will possess legal

288 Bishop Walsham How

force in the Province of York. But I think it ought to
carry the greatest moral weight, especially with those who
have felt such strong objections to the courts which
have hitherto dealt with ritual cases, and have expressed
so strong a wish for a purely spiritual court. I would
earnestly entreat any clergy who may find their own
practice condemned by the judgment which may be
shortly expected to sacrifice their own wishes in such
matters, and to yield a willing obedience to what may be
declared to be the law by the spiritual court called upon
to decide the matters brought before it. I am quite sure
that the example of simple obedience, involving, as it
may, some little sacrifice of personal feeling, will be far
more valuable than the retention of any practice, however
in itself harmless or edifying, in matters which are
acknowledged to be non-essential.

" Believe me to be,

" Yours very sincerely,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

By this letter the Bishop meant to express his own
personal feeling, and not to give an episcopal order. Some
seem to have taken it in this latter sense, and he is said
to have explained that when he described compliance
with the judgment as "the duty of the clergy," he did not
thereby lay upon them his absolute commands.

When asked to do so, he was ready to give plain
directions as to what he thought right : thus the Rev.
W. F. N orris says :

" After the Lincoln judgment he directed me to place water in
the chalice before the service, and to pour in wine only during the
service ; thus preserving the ' mixed chalice,' without the cere-
monial mixing. I know that on this point he had consulted

Wakefield — Relations with the Clergy 289

Archbishop Benson before the judgment, and had found that
that was the course which he approved."

The Bishop was on one occasion made unhappy by a
charge being brought against him by some of the more
" advanced " among his clergy of attacking them ! In his
visitation charge of April 1894 he had chosen the subject
of "The Spiritual and Devotional Aspects of Holy
Communion," he having from time to time been con-
scious of an apparent lack of reverence and devotion in
churches vi^hich he had visited. After speaking of the
dangers of a lack of devoutness, he went on strongly to
deprecate the habit of non-communicating attendance,
pointing out how completely the Bible and the Prayer-
book link the blessing with the actual reception. He
further urged the spirituality of the Real Presence in the
Sacrament, and expressed his dislike of expressions which
defined and localised the same. To this charge some of
his closest personal friends in the diocese took exception,
and wrote several letters to him which caused him much

pain.

[To Rev. H. W. How.]

"May 2, 1894.

" Dearest Harry,

" I am rather miserable to-day, having this morn-
ing received a long and very severe letter from dear

condemning my charge. It is hard to answer briefly,
and I must take a day or two to think it over, but I am
sure he, and those he speaks of as joining with himself,
have taken a very wrong view of my meaning. They
think I am attacking them ! And, even if not, they say I
am so understood. I do trust I have not said things
which could be justly so construed.

" Your loving Father,

"W. w. v^."

T

2go Bishop Walsh am How

It seems extraordinary that any of his clergy, and
especially some who knew him well, should have
imagined that he meant any personal attack. The fact
was that in the Diocese of Wakefield the most urgent
work had to be directed towards improving and correct-
ing the slovenliness and neglect which had prevailed in
so many parishes. Seeing the Bishop's zeal in this
direction some of the more ritualistic among his clergy
iailed, perhaps, to understand his position as a Church-
man, and fancied that, because he honoured and helped
their work, he also approved their views. It may, there-
fore, have been more or less of a shock to them to hear
a careful statement of his opinions — opinions which he
-consistently held all through his life. Among his papers
have been found several letters — from the Bishop of
Southwell (Dr. Ridding) and others — thanking him
warmly for this very charge.

As might have been expected, Bishop Walsham How
pursued much the same course in his endeavours to
know his clergy personally as he had followed in East
London. Not content with entertaining them at his
house so far as was possible, he visited them continually
in their parishes. As a rule he went by train, partly
because he found it easier to read in the train than in his
carriage — and it was on his journeys that he found time
for most of his lighter literature — e.g., the Spectator, of
which he was particularly fond — and partly because he
shrank from putting his clergy to the expense of enter-
.taining his coachman as well as himself. He had a great
dislike, too, to the " pomp " of a pair of horses, &c., and
only on very dark nights, or under pressure of those who
thought some long drive safer with two men-servants,
would he consent to take a footman also. On one

Wakefield — Relations with the Clergy 291

occasion his modesty in this matter was the cause of
great disappointment. He was going to preach to the
inmates of a large workhouse in his diocese, and, as it
was not more than two or three miles away, he was to
drive. He expressed great sympathy with the poor folk
he was to visit, and declared that he had not the heart to
drive up in his carriage and pair. He consequently
borrowed his daughter-in-law's pony-cart, and drove him-
self up to the workhouse. On his arrival he found every
window filled with expectant faces ; one of the great
events of the day was to see the Bishop arrive, and great
was the disappointment when all that was to be witnessed
was an old gentleman driving up in a pony-cart !

One of his friends, writing about his intercourse with
the clergy, says :

" His general dealings with his clergy may be summed up in a
very few words. He was a personal friend and a close personal friend
of every one of them.

" I go about a good deal, and of course men speak much to me
about the Bishop. It is most striking and most touching to hear
one after another say the same thing, * Well, I have lost my best
friend.' His clergy loved him and trusted him.

"They could always go to him, and he would see them at any
time on the most trivial matter. This had its disadvantages : it
is possible for a Bishop to be too accessible, and the result some-
times was that the purely personal view of a difficult question
became so prominent that impartial judgment, or at least impar-
tial action, became more difficult than it need have been.

" He was always thinking about his clergy, always scheming for
them, always trjdng to help them. He discouraged any talk about
any of them that was uncharitable, or in any way detrimental.
He would sharply snub an ill-natured story, or at once make an
excuse for a man if any weak action were criticised. He tried, in
fact, always to see what was good, and to shut his eyes to what
was bad.

292 Bishop Walsham How

" He would always go to his clergy ; he was constantly in and
out, up and down his diocese ; until ' The Bishop is coming to
preach' became a periodical matter of course, instead of an
isolated event as in days of yore."

Besides doing this himself, he was always sending his-
domestic Chaplain to help any clergy who were ill or
needed a rest. He disliked taking a Chaplain about with
him, partly on the score of adding to the amount of enter-
taining which it would necessitate on the part of the
clergy, but largely because it worried him to know that
any one in the church had heard the sermon or address he
was delivering before. Every Sunday, and often in the
week, his Chaplain for the time being was busy about
the diocese, and many a hard-worked clergyman will
remember with gratitude the help he received from
Mr. Pott, Mr. Marrow, or Mr. Cholmeley. This practice
was, of course, also of considerable use in helping to
keep the Bishop in touch with the work going on in the
various parishes. Among the clergy of the diocese, in
whom and in whose work he felt special interest, mention
must be made of the aged Canon John Sharp, Vicar of
Horbury. The Bishop was always anxious to do any-
thing that lay in his power to show his sympathy with
the Horbury House of Mercy, and the Sisters of that
establishment presented him with a portion of the work
for his private chapel. To the poor girls, inmates of this
Home, he was well known. After his death one of them,
in speaking of him, said : " Nobody but him ever called
us his dear children." One special bond of sympathy
between Canon Sharp and his Bishop was the fondness of
each of them for sonnet-writing, and from time to time —
on their respective birthdays and such-like opportunities —
greetings in this form were very generally exchanged.

Wakefield — Confirmations 293

But it was not by any means with the clergy alone that
Bishop Walsham How made friends. Much has been
said in another chapter about his delight in gathering
children round him, and he made friends with all those
whom he saw in the houses where he visited. He cared
greatly for the lambs of his flock. Naturally enough he
was specially anxious about those brought to him for
Confirmation. More than one child in his old diocese
mourns his loss in a special degree, inasmuch as he or
she had looked forward to being confirmed by him.
He was exceedingly particular as to everything being
carried out on these occasions in the most orderly way,
and greatly annoyed when his instructions as to the
manner in which the candidates were to be presented to
him were misunderstood or ignored. In 1888 he put out
a letter to be read by the clergy in giving notice of a
Confirmation. In this letter the following passage
occurred :

" We must not think of Confirmation as no more than
the renewal of our baptismal vows and the dedication of
ourselves to God's service. It is this ; but it is more than
this."

A few years later he withdrew this and issued another,
explaining to one of his Chaplains that he did so on the
ground that he did not consider that it was quite strictly
true to say "it is this." He insisted strongly in his
Confirmation charges on the gift of the Holy Spirit
bestowed in the rite, and seems to have considered that
the renewal of the baptismal vow was preliminary to and
not an essential part of the ceremony.

He had a strong body of Lay Readers in the diocese,
whom he always admitted to the office himself. These

294 Bishop Walsham How

good laymen were under the charge of the Diocesan
Chaplain — a clergyman whose duties were distinct from
those of the domestic Chaplain, and who gave addresses,
&c., and worked generally about the diocese, under the
direct orders of the Bishop.

Wherever he went he tried to see what he could of the
people. One of his clergy writes :

" He would sometimes offer to go and see any specially anxious
case of sickness in one's parish, and I have several times been
with him on such visits here. It did great good to us all. I have
known a sick man long afterwards, when he was getting very
feeble and in great pain, comfort himself with the memory of such
a visit.

*' The Bishop on such occasions invariably did, what so few of
us have the courage to do, and said audibly, 'Peace be to this
house and to all that dwell in it,' as he crossed the threshold.
[This was simply carrying on his old habit when Rector of
Whittington.] The people loved to see him going up and down
amongst them ; and many a time have I heard an enthusiastic
* E-e-e-eh ! he is a grand old gentleman, is our Beeshop ! ' "

The officials and porters on the railway grew very
familiar with the sight of him, and many a chat he had
with one and another of them as he waited at the stations.
One of these men, after the Bishop's death, made a
request for some little book of his to be kept in remem-
brance of him.

He delighted in the Yorkshiremen's readiness to talk,
and, what some people might have taken for impertinence,
he accepted as friendliness, if somewhat roughly expressed.
For instance, on his return home one night, after preach-
ing in an out-of-the-way part of the diocese, he told with
great delight how a working man put his head in at the
railway-carriage window and said : " We like you very
well : you can coom again ! " No doubt his strong sense

Yorkshire Stories 295

of humour added piquancy to his appreciation of the
people among whom his last years was spent. It was in
the vestry of Almondbury Church that the verger came
up to him on one of his first visits, and said, " A've put
a platform in t'pulpit for yow ; yow'll excuse me, but a
little man looks as if he was in a toob ! "

His store of Yorkshire stories grew rapidly, few weeks
passing without some amusing experience or some tale
told him on his journeys.

On one occasion he had held a Confirmation at West
Vale, near Halifax, and among the candidates was an old
woman. The ordeal was almost too much for the poor
old body, for after the service she said to the clergyman's
wife, " A turned sick three times, but a banged through ! "

The strangely casual arrangements as to services, &c.,
in some of the parishes in the diocese were such as often
to sadden the Bishop, but his eye would twinkle with
amusement as he told how a lady went to a neighbouring
church one Sunday for Holy Communion, but was dis-
appointed at finding none. Coming away she told the
verger that she thought it was the right Sunday for it.
" Oh ! yes, ma'am," said the verger, " it is the Sunday for it,
but we had the ' Dead March ' instead." It turned out that
an important parishioner had lately died.

Another story, told him by a clergyman in the Wake-
field Diocese, showed how much need there was of some
change from the old and more slovenly methods. This
clergyman introduced an early celebration of the Holy
Communion, which had hitherto been unknown. An old
clerk collected the alms, and, when he brought it up to
the clergyman, said, " There's eight on 'em, but two 'asn't
paid."

A story, to which there was no amusing side, and which

296 Bishop Walsham How

it is difficult to believe in these days, is that of Bishop
Walsham How and his family on the first Christmas Day
they spent in Wakefield being obliged to walk out to one
of the district churches, there being no early service in
the Cathedral.

In the course of the burden of his correspondence there
often came letters which called up a smile and lightened
the load. There were the usual number from insane
persons, which are received by all public men, but which
were more numerous in the Bishop of Wakefield's case by
reason of his habit of corresponding with many of these
afflicted people. Being expostulated with on increasing
his work by doing so, he replied, "Well, I don't fancy
many people write to them, poor things, and perhaps it
gives them a little pleasure." It was very like him to do
this kindness towards those whom many people would
have considered unable to appreciate it. It was like him,
too, to enjoy to the full the unconscious fun of many of
the letters he thus received.

Of absolutely sane letters the following is a wonderful
example of real sense hidden in a mass of verbiage. The
letter is perfectly logical and correct, but requires some
attention in reading in order to gather its meaning :

[Letter received by t/ie Bishop of Wakefield^ Feb. 10, 1890.]

" May it please your Lordship,

" To inform me, my Lord, wether I have a Legal Right to a
Grave, or not, supposing my Granfather of my Mother's side, my
Lordship, and the said Granfather had no son, and my mother
was the eldest daughter, and I am my mother's Oldest Child and
only Son, my Lordship, who would, become in possession of the
said Grave, my Lordship, supposing my Father, loeses my Mother,
my Lordship, has he a Legal Right to bury my Mother, in
the said Grave if it is not left, in the aforesaid, — Granfather's
Will, my Lordship, hasn't the aforesaid Granfather's Granson

Institution of Incumbents 297

the Legal Right of the said Grave^ my Lordship, has a Son-in-law,
a Legal Right, before a Granson, to the said Grave, my Lordship,
has my sister a Legal Right, to have my Father buryed in the
said Grave, my Lordship, without the concent of her Brother, my
Lordship, is that Grave invested with Vicar's Right's, so that no
one can interfear with the said Grave, my Lordship, the said Grave
has a Head Stone on it and there was a certain amount of Fee's
to be paid, before, the said Vicar allows the said stone to be put
over the Grave, my Lordship, would not that Grave devolve and
become Freehold Property, my Lordship, may it please your Grace
to send me a reply

" from yours truly

The Bishop's secretary interpreted the letter, and the
anxious inquirer got his reply.

Among the many means used by the first Bishop of
Wakefield to spread a knowledge of himself and of his
work among the inhabitants of the diocese at large were
(i) the holding of Ordinations from time to time in
some of the larger churches, and (2) the public institu-
tion of incumbents to their parishes.

Of this latter practice be made a great point, invariably
being present himself and preaching the sermon on the
occasion. He considered this of use in two ways. In
the first place, where the induction (as distinguished
from the institution) is the sole public function witnessed
by the parishioners, it follows that they attach chief
importance to the fact that the new incumbent has taken
possession of the temporalities connected with the living.
The really greatest matter — viz., the giving over by the
Bishop of the spiritual charge of the parish — is not likely
to impress the parishioners when it takes place in the
privacy of the Bishop's study. Bishop Walsham How
was anxious to show clearly that the institution was more

298 Bishop Walsham How

important than the induction, and therefore he invariably-
instituted publicly in the parish church.

In the second place, where a new vicar is appointed,
it is frequently necessary that certain changes in the
services, &c., should be made. It was found a great
help to have these things suggested by the Bishop
in the course of his sermon at the institution, and more
than once, when some alteration has been afterwards
made, a parishioner, who might have otherwise been
unduly critical, has said, " Oh 1 it's all right ; the Bishop
said so."

Writing about one of these services he says :

" The form of institution and induction which I always
use is published at one penny by Messrs. Wells, Gardner
and Co. The service should undoubtedly be in the evening,
when most people can attend. As to hymns, any Ember
hymns would be appropriate."

As an example of the kind of sermon Bishop Walsham
How was in the habit of preaching at an institution the
following will serve admirably.

He began by speaking to the assembled parishioners^
introducing to them their new pastor, impressing upon
them the strange importance of such a day, and urging
them to consider how much would depend upon them-
selves as to whether that day should eventuate in blessing
or in loss to the parish. After explaining the position of
the society of Christ's Church on earth, he turned to the
new vicar, and proceeded : " And now, my son, I must
speak to you who are coming here to superintend the
work of the kingdom of God in this part of His inherit-
ance. I must speak to you a few words of loving fatherly
counsel before your people, because I want to enlist their

Institution of Incumbents 299

interest in you ; I want to plead with them to hold up
your hands by their prayers and by their sympathy. . . .
Here is a new sphere of work opened out before you, and
I know you enter upon it with a longing desire to do
God's will. . . . Speak in Christ's name, set Christ before
your people, as their Saviour, their Redeemer, as the
Great Eternal Sacrifice, who died for them, as their
Example, leading them to follow His steps. And, oh ! my
son, if you would lead this flock you must go first. The
good shepherd goeth before the flock.

T^ ^P ^ ^ ^P

" And let me now say something about the worship in
this House of God. I long that this place should be a
place of prayer for all the people ; I long that His
strength shall permit the services in this church to be
multiplied. I cannot be content to see any church shut
up on the week-days. I know that you are a busy people
— to turn to you once more. I know that few can gather
together on a week-day to worship God. Yet, is it not a
blessed thing to know that the church door is open, and
that offerings of prayer are evermore going up from the
sanctuary in the midst of the people ? I trust it may be
so here. . . .

"And, above all, O my son, I hope that God may
strengthen you to lead many souls to Christ through that
blessed Sacrament of His dying love. . . .

" Here you will worship, here you will speak for God.
Outside you will have your parish visits, your sick to
attend to, the many instrumentalities of the parish to care
for, the schools especially to tend and watch over. Who
is sufficient for these things ? Yes, unless God strengthen
you, you will fail. But God will strengthen you, my
brother, and give you that grace and power which you
need."

300 Bishop Walsham How

It will be seen from this extract what sort of line the
Bishop took in these institution sermons. Probably few
things that he did in the diocese were more profitable.
By himself publicly instituting an incumbent he taught
the people what was expected of them, what they might
expect from their pastor, what improvements might be
made in their services, and, lastly, by publicly giving over
the spiritual charge of the parish to the new incumbent,
he taught them at least something of the office and
duties of a Bishop.

If proof were needed of the hold he obtained on the
affections of clergy and laity alike, it was supplied by the
numbers of letters received by his friends after his death.
The simple, unaffected grief contained in these letters was
most touching. A vicar writing to Archdeacon Brooke
said, " It is a bitter trouble here : we loved him so. I am
broken-hearted about it. He was so good to us. But
what a welcome there must have been above ! "

One of the laity of the diocese expressed a very general
feeling in the words :

"I cannot tell you the depth of my sorrow Therein

lies that subtle charm which real goodness of character inspires :
I mean the personal loss which a removal such as his conveys to
hundreds of hearts. * His little, nameless, unremembered acts of
kindness and of love' (as Wordsworth writes), sown broadcast
during a long and active life, despite the world's hardness, bring
a harvest of tender, grateful thoughts far and wide : fit tribute to
our dear friend's memory.

" Did you know that he had remembered 's [the writer's

little daughter] birthday, and sent her a book with his love
inscribed ? "

Neither of the writers of the above extracts were in any
uncommon way intimate with the Bishop, though both

Wakefield — Relations with the Diocese 301

knew him well. They are chosen as typical exponents of
the place he obtained in the hearts of the people of the
Wakefield Diocese. Some of the methods he used to
build up a real friendship between himself and them have
been described. These were the stones of the building :
they were cemented by the tenderness, the cheeriness, the
never-failing sympathy of his bright and loving nature.

CHAPTER XXI

COLLIERY STRIKE, ETC.

After having been Bishop of Wakefield for about
eighteen months Dr. Walsham How went to Hve at
Overthorpe in the parish of Thornhill. This house was
on the top of a very steep hill, which had to be ascended
to reach the house from the station. This might have
hampered a less energetic man, but proved no obstacle to
the Bishop's daily journeying about his diocese. In spite
of his frequent visits to other parishes he made Overthorpe
his home in a very real sense. He enjoyed the more or
less countrified surroundings, and the capital gardens
in which he delighted to walk and chat with one of his
clergy who might have come to see him, or with some
member of his family. Canon Grenside, Rector of
Thornhill, who with his wife and children did much to
make the Bishop's sojourn in his parish happy, records
how on Sunday mornings, unless he was celebrating the
Holy Communion elsewhere, the Bishop walked down at
half-past seven to the parish church, and how at the
Thursday morning celebrations he was still more regular,
his engagements on that day being less frequent ; and
this he did although the half-mile walk back up a steepish
hill would have tried many men of almost threescore
years and ten at that early hour.

Colliery Strike, etc. 303

" He became," says Canon Grenside, " a familiar figure in the
parish in which he was Hving. Although his interests in the
diocese were so varied, and his engagements so numerous, he
found time to make himself acquainted with many people in
Thornhill, visiting especially the cottages that lay near to his
house. This might have been expected of one who set so high a
value on quiet, regular pastoral ministrations, but many men
would have been quite content to discharge such laborious epis-
copal work as he set before himself without adding anything to
it. But in his pleasures and recreations he found opportunities
for little pastoral duties of this sort, and, if he indulged himself in
a walk, he made friends by the way. Thus, always genial and
accessible, he made many friends.

" To one who loved children as the Bishop did, the schools
were naturally an object of interest, and he often looked in and
spoke a few words to teachers and children. When possible, he
was present at parochial entertainments, identifying himself in
this way with the social life of the parish ; and one Christmas he
gave a supper and entertainment to a large number of the church-
workers of Thornhill. By the clergy of the parish his kindness
will ever be remembered."

By far the greater number of men living in Thornhill are
colliers working in the two large pits situated in the village.
After living between three and four years on such friendly
terms with the inhabitants, it will be realised how severe a
shock the Bishop received when he heard of the great
colliery explosion in one of these pits, which occurred on
July 4, 1893, less than three months after he had removed
to his new house in Wakefield.

[To Ms brother.']

" BiSHOPGARTH, WaKEFIELD, y?^^ 7, 1893.

" We can think of little but this terrible catastrophe at
Thornhill. I was there most of Wednesday, the day after
it happened. . . . The sight of thousands of men, women,
and children, sitting in rows along the hill-side over-

304 Bishop Walsham How

looking the pit, and all in dead silence, waiting for news,
which all believed could only be the worst, was one of
the most affecting things you can imagine. In the
evening, before I left, two men were brought up alive,
and it was reported that others were seen breathing, so,
although they had then counted sixty dead bodies, we
began to have hopes that more might later on be found
alive. But, as you would see from the papers, only nine
were brought up alive of the 146, and one of these has
since died. I visited some of the houses with Mr.
Grenside (the Rector), and it was most piteous. The
burying is to go on all day to-morrow, and I am going to
be there to take my part in the sad work. Another of
those brought up alive has died. So, of the 146 who
went down the pit on Tuesday 139 are dead I"

[To Mrs. R. Ll. Kenyon.]

'^/u/y 16, 1893.

" On the Saturday, yesterday week, I was all afternoon
helping in the sad task of burying the dead.

" There were ninety-two funerals in Thornhill Church
alone that day, eighteen having been taken there the day
before (no in all, 29 being buried in neighbouring
parishes). We had the funerals in batches of from three
to five, I taking the Psalm and Lesson all the time in
church, while four or five clergy were ready to go with
the funerals from the church to the graves. The number
of mourners was astonishing, three or four funerals quite
filling the church. All was most quiet and orderly. The
funerals were going on, in the way I have described, from
one o'clock till half-past eight, but I did not stay to the
end, having to go to an evening Confirmation. I shall
never forget the solemnity of the day."

Colliery Strike, etc. 305

[To his brother. 1

" BiSHOPGARTH, WaKEFIELD, /^<f/v 1 9, 1 893.

" Is it not a happy thing to know that two young fellows
aged seventeen and sixteen who were among the 139 who
died in the colliery accident were 'waifs' [i.e., had been
provided for by the Church of England Society for
providing Homes for Waifs and Strays, of which the
Bishop was chairman], who have been living with a good
woman, who for some years has been a regular mother to
them ? They had both been to their Communion the
Sunday before, and one of them was found kneeling
beside his truck of coal, and had written on the truck in
chalk, * Good-bye, mother dear.' "

During this year occurred the great colliery strike in
the West Riding, and the Bishop's interest in the men
was no doubt largely increased by the more intimate
knowledge of them which he acquired by his residence at
Thornhill. Before this arose there had already, in the
spring of the year, been considerable trouble in another
industry of the neighbourhood — viz., that of the glass-
blowers. The Bishop did all that he possibly could to
help to terminate this strike : he wrote to the Secretary
of the Masters' Association as follows :

" BiSHOPGARTH, Wakefield, March 18, 1893.
" My dear Sir,

"I venture to write to you as Secretary to the
Masters' Association in the Glass Bottle Industry, to
express to you the pain with which I regard the prolonged
struggle between the employers and the employed in their
business. Since so much of the trade is carried on in my
diocese, I hope I shall not be thought presumptuous in

u

3o6 Bishop Walsham How

addressing you, and expressing my earnest desire that
some method should be found of terminating the
disastrous dispute.

"I have no right and no qualifications to form an
opinion upon the merits of the dispute, but I am sure
that a prolongation of the strife must lead, not only to
great suffering, but also to great bitterness and exaspera-
tion. It seems to me that arbitration is the natural and
sensible way of terminating such disputes, and I venture
to suggest to you, as I am also venturing to suggest to
the Workmen's Association, that it would be a great
blessing to the neighbourhood if the two Associations
could agree upon some Board of Arbitration to settle
their differences. It ought not to be difficult to agree
upon some board which would possess the confidence of
both parties, and ensure impartial treatment. I hope you
will accept this appeal as the outcome of a sincere desire
to see peace and goodwill restored between those whose
interests must be to so large an extent identical.
" Believe me, my dear sir,

" Yours very faithfully,

"Wm. walsham WAKEFIELD."

In reply to this letter came the discouraging news that
■the men declined arbitration altogether. The Secretary
of the Workmen's Association stated that the Bishop's
suggestion had been brought before the whole body of
the men, but that only twelve out of 1800 voted in favour
of his proposal, their chief reason being that in their
opinion no person apart from the trade could sufficiently
understand its peculiarities, so as to be able to arrive at a
conclusion which would give satisfaction to both parties.

This was no doubt a disappointment, but a greater one

Colliery Strike, etc. 307

awaited him in his effort to make peace in the great coal
war which broke out immediately afterwards. The
example of the Bishop of Durham (Dr. Westcott) had, no
doubt, inspired him with the wish to be able to help in the
matter. In a letter dated June 3, 1892, Bishop Walsham
How refers to the addresses at the Devotional Day for
Bishops being given by the Bishop of St. Albans, and
says, " The Bishop of Durham was to have done it, but
he had to throw it up, and was engaged in settling the
strike. He has for some time been having the chief leaders
of the men at Bishop Auckland, conferring with them,
and told me he admired them greatly, finding them, even
when mistaken, high principled, teachable, and unselfish."

The strike in the Wakefield neighbourhood assumed
very serious dimensions, and rioting occurred at various
points. A body of cavalry (Inniskilling Dragoons), under
Colonel Pennefather, was stationed in Wakefield, as well
as a portion of the Staffordshire Regiment, which latter
was on one occasion obliged to fire on a dangerous mob
at Featherstone, a circumstance which gave rise to the
inquiry conducted at Wakefield by the late Lord Justice
Bowen, Sir A. K. Rollit, M.P., and Mr. Haldane, Q.C.,
M.P., as commissioners.

The distress among the families of the miners became
acute, and a Distress Committee was formed to administer
relief. In order that this might work efficaciously, it was
desirable that private individuals should not give food or
money independently. The Bishop, however, could not
resist the appeals of women, and more especially of little
children, and for some time a quantity of food was
distributed daily at Bishopgarth, in spite of the protest of
the Chief Constable. One day, however, an end had to
be put to this : the Bishop was away at the Birmingham

3o8 Bishop Walsham How

Church Congress, but his family were assembled at after-
noon tea in the hall in the centre of the house. Suddenly
a swing door leading to the back of the house was opened
and a sound was heard like the rushing of the sea. One
of the Bishop's sons, fearing what it might mean, ran
quickly to the back door, and was just in time with the
aid of the men servants to bar it against a threatening
mob, which completely filled the yard, and was every
minute increasing in numbers and in loud demands for
food. A messenger was sent for police assistance, and,
after every bit of food in the house had been distributed,
the mob were gradually persuaded to disperse, the process
taking the best part of an hour. It must be mentioned
that the bond-fide miners who were present were well-
behaved, the chief offenders being worthless idlers from
the slums of Wakefield, who took advantage of the strike
to pose as colliers out of work.

On hearing of what had occurred the Bishop wrote at
once (though with some reluctance) to say that nothing
more was to be given away at the house.

He had already written a letter of appeal to the miners,
which appeared in several papers, but without effect.
This was the letter :

" Sir,

" I am bold enough to want to say a word to the
miners in the Wakefield Diocese, and to ask to say it
through you. I daresay many of them will care very
little what a Bishop says or thinks about them. Well, I
will take my chance of that. I should be very silly if I
were to give an opinion on the merits of the dispute with
the coalowners, for I have no means of judging. All I
can say is, that I think miners deserve the best wages that

Colliery Strike, etc. 309

can be given, and I never hear anybody say otherwise.
What wages can be given I do not know. But one would
hke to sympathise with the men.

"In the great dockers' strike the riverside clergy in
East London, and I with them, went heartily with the
dockers, and did what we could for them. But what can
we do now ? I have constantly spoken in other parts of
England in warm terms of the Yorkshire miners, but
what can one say for those who wantonly destroy
property, who terrorise a neighbourhood, and, above all,
who would endanger innocent lives by setting trucks off
on a line of railway ? I know perfectly well that the best
men are heartily ashamed of these things. Their best
leaders have condemned such acts of violence. I want to
honour and respect our miners. But how is it possible
to do so till they have some respect for the rights of
others, some power of self-command, and some idea of
the great Christian rule — to do to others as they would
others should do to them ? Surely it is time to submit
the dispute, before the bitterness is past healing, to arbi-
tration. It is the natural and reasonable way of settling
such matters. We are trying in international disputes to
substitute arbitration for war. Do our miners really
believe that war is better than arbitration ?

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

This letter the Bishop followed up by three others,
written respectively to Mr. Chambers, of the Coal Owners'
Federation ; to Mr. B. Pickard, M.P. ; and to the Mayor
of Sheffield, who, with other mayors, was trying to
mediate. The purport of all three of these letters was to
suggest that work should be resumed at the previous
wages, with an agreement that, as prices fell, there should

310 Bishop Walsham How

be an equivalent reduction. The letter to Mr. Chambers
concluded thus : " I do with all the earnestness of which
I am capable beg the coalowners to make some offer which
the miners can accept " ; while in that to Mr. Pickard he
begged him (Mr. Pickard) " not to counsel the miners to
refuse some such method of ending the present heart-
rending state of things."

To the Review of the Churches for December 1893
Bishop Walsham How contributed a paper on the coal
war, which, in spite of his and many other people's
endeavours, continued to rage fiercely. In the course of
this contribution he justified the Church's concern in a
conflict which, of necessity, involved all sorts of moral
questions, but not her interference in the details of the
dispute, although an individual might be allowed to
suggest a way out of the difBculty, and especially to press
Christian motives upon the combatants. " This," said
the Bishop, "the Bishop of Durham did in a happy
moment a little while ago with the best effect. This
I have myself tried to do in the recent ' coal war,' but,
alas ! without effect. My proposal, made just before the
meeting of the mayors at Sheffield, was the resumption of
work by the miners on the full wages, but with an under-
standing, to be arranged in a conference of coalowners
and miners, that upon prices lowering to a certain point
the men should submit to some proportionate reduction
in wages. The mayors made a somewhat similar sugges-
tion, and it was a great grief to me and to many that the
coalowners declined to accept the suggestion. . . . The
Church must act like her Master. He refused to settle
the dispute between two brothers as to a division of
property. Yes ; but He did not say it was no concern
of His. On the contrary. He at once uttered His solemn

Colliery Strike, etc. 311

warning against the sin of covetousness. So with the
Church. Surely she has her method to both employers
and employed. I venture to repeat what I have said
publicly in my own diocese as to the Church's duty.
She cannot say to the employers, ' You can well afford to
pay such and such wages ' ; but she can say, ' Give to
your workmen that which is just and equal.' . . . Again,
the Church cannot say to the miners, ' You ought to be
content with such and such wages ' ; but she can say,
'You have no right to impute evil motives, and to say
bitter, unchristian, uncharitable things. You, too, are
bound to consider other interests — the interests of other
trades, aye, even your employers' interests — and not
merely to act on purely selfish motives.'

" Oh, how one longs to say to both masters and men,
* Sirs, ye are brethren.' "

This extract will serve to show the spirit in which the
Bishop of Wakefield ventured to interpose in the great
strife. His interposition was a failure, and was adversely
criticised by many, but it was made in a manner and in a
spirit in which he was surely justified in making it.

It will be seen from all this that he was keenly alive to
the social as well as the ecclesiastical welfare of the
inhabitants of his diocese, and was often prominent as a
speaker or preacher on other than strictly religious sub-
jects. Amongst other things he undertook to preach to
the Co-operative Congress when it met at Dewsbury.
His sermon came in the afternoon, those in the morning
and evening being preached in Dissenting chapels. " I
console myself," said the Bishop, " with the thought that
the middle is the most nutritious part of a sandwich."

CHAPTER XXII

REFUSAL OF THE SEE OF DURHAM

On February 5th, 1890, when Dr. Walsham How had
been less than two years Bishop of Wakefield, he received
from Lord Salisbury the offer of the Bishopric of
Durham, the last of the many offers of preferment made
to him.

The following was the Bishop's reply :

"OvERTHORPE, Thornhill, Dewsbury, J^ei>. 5, 1890.

"My dear Lord,

" I am deeply grateful, though somewhat dismayed,
by the offer conveyed in your Lordship's letter of yester-
day's date. At first sight there seems to me no argument
in favour of my deserting the half-finished work of
organising this young diocese. But I have determined
to consult the Bishops of London and Lichfield, as the
two who know me best, pledging them to secrecy, and
will ask permission to defer my answer for a few days.

" Believe me, my dear Lord,

" Yours very gratefully

" and faithfully,
"Wm. walsham WAKEFIELD."

Refusal of the See of Durham 313

There was much to attract him in this offer. Durham
was dear to him for a two-fold reason. He had resided
there for a divinity course and taken an ad eundem degree
after graduating at Oxford. But, more than this, it was
the old home of Mrs. How, whose father, Canon Douglas,
had been one of its residentiary canons. It would have
been a position of far greater dignity and influence than
the one he was filling, but this rather served to repel than
to attract. Then, again, it would have enabled him to cut
himself adrift from the disagreeables and difficulties with
which he had been surrounded in the matter of the epis-
copal residence at Wakefield. But he felt that this was
an additional reason for sticking to his post, for he dis-
liked the idea of leaving so unpleasant a tangle to be
unravelled by his successor.

The Bishop of Lichfield's reply was delayed a day or
so, and when it came it was in favour of the acceptance
of the offer : the Bishop of London's reply came by
return of post, and it was his opinion that the work at
Durham was no better worth doing, possibly even less
so, than that at Wakefield, and this coincided so exactly
with Bishop Walsham How's own view, that he wrote at
once to Lord Salisbury in this sense :

"OvERTHORPE, Thornhill, Dewsbury, Feb. 1, 1890.

"My dear Lord,

" The advice I have received this morning entirely
confirms my own strong conviction that it would not be
right for me to leave Wakefield. I am in the very midst
of the work of organising this new diocese ; there are
difficulties and complications which I have no right to
throw on to another's shoulders ; and I have been received
with a cordiality which would be ill-requited by desertion.

314 Bishop Walsham How

" Besides, I am conscious of no gifts which should fit
me for a larger or more influential sphere of work, and I
have no academical distinction to qualify me specially for
a diocese in which there is a university. I would, there-
fore, earnestly beg her Majesty's permission to decline
the offer, for which I would once more express my very
sincere gratitude.

" Believe me, my dear Lord,

" Your Lordship's very

"grateful Servant,

"Wm. walsham WAKEFIELD."

The Bishop told no one of this offer until some time
after he had refused it.

\To T. M. How.]
"OvERTHORPE, Thornhill, Dewsbury, Feb. 17, 1890.

" Dearest Brother,

" I do not think I ought to hold back any longer
from you and dear Minny, to whom also I am writing
to-day, a secret, which must, I suppose, leak out ere long,
though I have succeeded so far in keeping it a secret.
The week before last I was offered, and declined, Dur-
ham. I had very little difficulty in making up my mind.
It seemed to me clearly wrong to desert the half-finished
work of organising this new diocese, especially with some
serious difficulties still to be faced and surmounted, nor
could I detect in myself any special fitness. ... Of
course, in some outward aspects, and especially from the
dear old associations, it was very attractive, but I had no

right to think of this.

" Your loving Brother,

•• w. w. W."

Refusal of the See of Durham 315

The Diocese of Wakefield generally, especially many of
the clergy and of the working classes, received the news
of their Bishop's determination to remain with them with
warm expressions of gratitude. Some others were puzzled
by it. Men whose one object in life had been to get on
in business openly expressed their astonishment mingled
with some little contempt. It was known that the income
of the See of Durham was more than double that of
Wakefield. It was this that perplexed them : " It may be
a very fine thing," they said, " for the Bishop to have
done — but it's not business."

Most of the Bishop's friends were agreed that he had
chosen the right course, and he received almost as many
letters of congratulation as if his decision had been the
other way. The following is a good example of the
opinion of Churchmen generally :

[From the Bishop of Shrewsbury — Sir Lovelace Stamer.]

" Cliftonville, Stoke-on-Trent,
"Feb. 28, i8go.

" My dear Bishop,

" On the understanding that you do not think it necessary
to answer this letter, you must let me say how much I thank you
for the example of entire self-forgetfulness and disinterestedness
which you have set us by your refusal of such an advancement as
your translation to Durham would have been.

" I was not aware of the offer having been made you until I
heard it three days ago, and yesterday I read with pleasure the
more explicit paragraph which made it public in the Guardian.

" It would have been a sore loss to Wakefield had you felt
constrained to leave the diocese before it had emerged from its
foundation. That you should have deliberately preferred it to
Durham must make it more than ever your debtorto do what-
ever you call upon it for, for the strengthening and extending the
Church.

3i6 Bishop Walsham How

"God bless you abundantly to devise and to carry through
things which make for His glory !

" Yours affectionately,

" L. T. SHREWSBURY."

The Bishop of Wakefield's simple manner of telling his
friends of the offer and its refusal was most characteristic.
He was walking on February 21 with his much-loved
chaplain, W. F. Norris, from Huddersfield Parish Church
to the Vicarage, when he turned to his companion and
said, " What would you say if I told you I was going to
leave you ? " Mr. Norris replied, " I should not believe
it." The Bishop then took his arm and said, "You
would be quite right : I have been offered Durham, and
have refused it."

Mr. Norris in describing this incident adds :

" He would have no more said about it, and I do not remember
his ever mentioning it again. We had the greatest difficulty in
persuading him to allow us to make it public."

Speaking further of Bishop Walsham How's shrinking
from further preferment, the same friend says :

" When the Archbishopric of York was vacant the Bishop was
sent for somewhat suddenly to Windsor. I was with him when
the summons came, and his genuine and positive dread lest there
should be any connection between that summons and the Arch-
bishopric was almost amusing. He told me afterwards that he
was never in such a fright in his life, and I am sure it was so.
His transparent relief, when he found it had nothing to do with
it, was such as in this place-seeking age will hardly be believed in."

The Bishop himself saw nothing but a very simple act
of self-denial in what he had done. " I wish," he wrote
to his daughter, "people would not speak in such

Refusal of the See of Durham 317

exaggerated terms about so very simple and obvious a
duty as that of refusing Durham."

The newspapers, especially the Yorkshire Post, published
very kind articles on the subject, expressing thankfulness
that in spite of all counter-attractions Wakefield was to
retain its Bishop, and hoping that the diocese would
show its appreciation of this act of devotion to its
interests by a generous response to his appeals for help in
his arduous efforts. Some such articles as this appear to
have irritated certain of their readers, for, writing to his
daughter, the Bishop said :

" I have had a very odd but wholesome letter from a
working man, dissenting from the praise [as to declining
Durham] which has been over-kindly expressed by some,
and saying there are plenty of unworthy motives which
he could conceive might have actuated me, such as pride,,
love of the good opinion of men, a wish to be thought
indifferent to money, an idea that by my act I could get
more money for the Church out of the rich people here, a
desire to be credited with humility, and many other
motives centring in self. It does one good to have one's,
motives somewhat roughly sifted now and then. I have:
thanked the man, and told him this, and said that I dare
not boast of acting only and solely from the highest
motive of all."

This is a fitting opportunity to speak of the Bishop's
anxiety as to his private financial affairs. This anxiety
sprang from two causes. His work lay among people
who put everything to the test of money, forming their
opinions largely from a money point of view. To the
greater portion of the inhabitants of his diocese an
income of ;^30oo appeared enormous, and he was fully

3i8 Bishop Walsham How-

aware of the severe criticisms made by many of the
working classes on his receiving so large a stipend. At
one of the Diocesan Conferences held at Wakefield the
Bishop made this the subject of his address to the
working-men's meeting in the Corn Exchange. He said
that he had been told that during an election in the
Barnsley division a politician went about saying that the
exorbitant incomes of the bishops should be divided up
among the people. Well, he (the Bishop) calculated
that, if his income were divided amongst the population
of his diocese, it would amount to exactly one penny per
head per annum. That would make no one any richer ;
but, if the salaries of the bishops were too big — cut them
down. Parliament had the power to do so, and the
people had power over the Parliament. Parliament had
already done it pretty well. But don't let them talk
nonsense about the people being richer for the process.
The other day a working man said to a friend of his (the
Bishop's), " A think t' Bishop's pretty well paid for t' job ; "
and no doubt he (the working man) would do the "job "
much cheaper ! God forgive the bishops if they thought
their salaries were given them to make them rich, or to
enable them to live comfortable lives in luxury, or any-
thing of that sort. Their incomes were given them to do
all the good they could with. The Bishop proceeded to
explain how much of a bishop's income had to be
expended in helping churches, schools, poor and sick
clergy, &c. ; how, next, the expenses of hospitality to
Ordination candidates and to the diocese generally were
very great ; how large a part of the income went in
travelling expenses, and so on ; and he ended by saying
that he knew of many bishops who spent all their episcopal
income on their diocese.

Refusal of the See of Durham 319

A summary of this speech was printed and distributed
by the Church Defence Institution in a leaflet under the
title of " How a Bishop Spends His Income."

The other cause of anxiety which was often in Bishop
Walsham How's mind was the fear lest, after his death, it
should be imagined that the money he was able to leave
to be divided among his six children was saved out of his
episcopal income. His fears were not unfounded, for no
sooner was his will published in the papers than many
ill-natured and untrue remarks were made. To meet
these the Bishop had left a document behind him,
evidently meant for publication should occasion arise.
This memorandum appeared in several papers immediately
after the publication of the will : it ran as follows :

" My father left me a good fortune in money, and this
has been considerably increased since the death of Canon
and Mrs. Douglas, my father-in-law and mother-in-
law. . . .

" I have, ever since I possessed an income at all, always
dedicated one-tenth annually to God in charity. When I
became a bishop I resolved that my children should never
profit by my episcopal income, and as soon as I became
Bishop of Wakefield I dedicated to God in charity (i.e., in
direct gifts and subscriptions) ;^iooo a year, or a full fifth
of my gross income. Perhaps I should mention that I
always gave away the large sums I received for my books
in addition,* and that of course far the greater part of my
present income is spent on my diocese in travelling about,
entertaining the clergy, &c.

* The chancel of Whittington Church, the reseating of the nave, and
other improvements in the parish were the result of this generosity. He
also on one occasion sent a former curate a donation (towards building a
church) to the amount of ;^2oo, which sum he explained that he had just
received from his publishers.

320 Bishop Walsham How

" My chief object in naming these things is to provide
an answer to the charge sure to be made that I have
enriched myself and my children out of the endowments
of the Church. This would not much matter if my
personal credit alone were at stake. But such belief does
great harm to the Church. As I believe there is no class
which approaches that of the clergy in self-sacrifice, so I
believe there is no class which approaches that of the
bishops in the amount they give away. I thank God the
days are past when bishops enriched themselves out of
the revenues of the Church. ... I do not wish to con-
demn a bishop for making some modest provision for his
family out of his episcopal income if he has no private
means. It is a great privilege to have no necessity to do
this."

It is strange to have to record that, in spite of this
last paragraph, much exception was taken by certain
papers to this memorandum, on the ground that it con-
demned bishops who, with no private means, provided
for their families out of their episcopal income !

It may serve as a further answer to any who have used
hard words in connection with the fortune the Bishop
inherited and left behind him, to insert the consideration
of this subject here in close connection with his refusal
of the valuable See of Durham.

Although Bishop Walsham How did not see his way
to succeed Dr. Lightfoot in his bishopric, yet in one small
matter he took up his work — it is said at the special dying
request of that prelate. The latter had been President
of the Executive Council of the White Cross Society — a
purity society working on undenominational lines — and
this post the Bishop of Wakefield undertook. The work

Refusal of the See of Durham 321

of the Society has been to a great extent absorbed by the
Church of England White Cross League, in which
(formerly called the Church of England Purity Society)
the Bishop, when in East London, took great interest,
advocating the formation of branches in the various
parishes, when he addressed the Missioners in St. Paul's
Cathedral at the time of the East End Mission in 1885.
He expressed his willingness to put himself at the head of
a union of such parochial associations when the Mission
was over.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE BISHOP AND LEGISLATION

In March 1891 the Bishop obtained his seat in the House
of Lords, and rejoiced greatly at the change which had
recently been made, whereby the junior bishop no longer
was responsible for "prayers" in the House, but all the
bishops shared alike in the duty, taking each a fortnight
in turn. He was always so deep in diocesan engagements
that he would have felt any lengthened absence in London
a severe interruption to his work. At the same time he
never thought it right to absent himself from the House
when any great social or religious question was discussed,
or when his presence was requested by the Archbishop.
He took his seat on Monday March 9, and was presented
by the Bishops of Winchester (Dr. Thorold) and Durham,
(Dr. Westcott). He gives a quaint description of the
•ceremony in the course of the following letter.

[To Ms brother.']

"OvERTHORPE, March 11, 1891.

"Went to dinner on Saturday at Lambeth, where a

small party only — viz., the Lord Chancellor and Lady

Halsbury, the Bishop of Durham (who has rooms in the

Lollards' Tower), the Hon. Victoria Grovesnor (an old

The Bishop and Legislation 323

East London friend), and Miss Tait, also, of course, an
old friend. I sat between Mrs. Benson and Miss Tait,
whom I took in : — very pleasant. On Sunday I preached
to about thirty-six Lords, M.P.s, and members of their
families in St. James' Chapel Royal at twelve (we had
early Communion in the chapel at Lambeth) — an unsatis-
factory function — then got luncheon at the Kittos'
(St. Martin's Vicarage, Charing Cross), and then took a
Blackwall 'bus to St. Andrew's Undershaft, where I knew
Bishop Billing was going to confirm at 3.30, and paid
them a surprise visit. I was very heartily welcomed at
the Sunday school first. ... I was pressed to stay and
preach in the evening, which I did, going to tea with the
Gordon Browns, as of old.

" Returned to Lambeth for supper, where were the
Bishop of Durham and Mrs. Westcott.

" On Monday morning we had a committee meeting at
Lambeth as to a ' Quiet Day ' for bishops in May, at which
(to my extreme distress and dismay) I was appointed to
give all four addresses !

" Then to the Levee with Mr. Kitto, where we shook
hands with the Prince, the Duke of Connaught, and
Prince Christian. Then to the House of Lords at four
o'clock, where presented by the Bishops of Winchester
and Durham. You have a writ given you, which is like
a small cake, or a large sample of tea, done up in parch-
ment, with your name on it. Your two tame elephants
march you up the House to the Lord Chancellor, who
sits, looking very like the ' Red Queen,' with a cap on the
top of his wig. You present the mystic parcel to him on
your knee, and he gives it you back, and bids you take it
to the Clerk at the table. This estimable functionary
administers an oath of allegiance to you, and, under

324 Bishop Walsham How

cover of this distraction, secretly purloins the small
package, which you see no more. The Bishop of
Winchester told me the contents were very interesting,
only no one is ever allowed to see them. The tame
elephants then march you round the lower end of the
House, where you bow to the Lord Chancellor, and then
up to an elevated bench on one side, where bishops perch,
and there you sit down between your two presenters, and
put your college cap on, and look at the Lord Chancellor,
who at the same time looks at you, and, being seized with
a sudden spasm of politeness, takes off his cap three times,
and bows, you doing the same thing effusively and imita-
tively at the same time. Then, having received this ample
evidence of his cordial feelings, you go down alone, no
longer requiring the support and protection of the tame
elephants, and shake him by the hand. Then you are a
* spiritual peer,' and feel a conscious access of dignity
(or don't, as the case may be)."

By far the most interesting occasions when the Bishop
was present in the House of Lords were those nights in
the first week of September 1893, when the second read-
ing of the Home Rule Bill came on for discussion, and
was ultimately rejected.

[To Rev. H. W. How.]

*'SeJ>f. 6, 1893.

" The House was very full yesterday, and the galleries
resplendent with beauty and fashion. I could not hear

either Lord Spencer, or , as I was placed at ' short

slip ' to the speakers. [He had been gradually getting

deaf for some years.] blurts out three or four

words at the beginning of each sentence, and then
crumbles the rest into his waistcoat pocket."

The Bishop and Legislation 325

[To F. D. How.]

''Sep. 7, 1893.

" I had a very much better night last night in the
House. I heard so little the evening before that I very
nearly stayed away last night, but I heard very well, for
the Duke of Argyll and Lord Ashbourne both spoke
straight opposite me, so that, being at ' mid-wicket,' I
could catch all."

[To the same.]

''Sept. 8, 1893.

" Last night the House was crowded in every part, not
a vacant seat, lines of swell ladies in the galleries, and all
the principal M.P.s — Harcourt, Balfour, Chamberlain,
Mundella, Bryce, &c. — between the throne and the
Speaker, where they are allowed to be. It was a grand
sight. I had to read prayers. . . . The House was quite
half-full for prayers, and then came a rush. ... I got the
Archbishop of Canterbury's seat, at the end of the first
bishops' bench, and next the Government front bench, so
I was in a very good place. Lord Selborne was
immensely vigorous and powerful. It was a great effort
for so old a man, but he was full of force, and fire, and
cogent argument. I admired Lord Rosebery's speaking
greatly. I think, as a speaker, he was most striking of all.
I did not stay late, reserving myself for to-night."

[To the same.]

" Sept. 9, 1893.

" You will have seen the result of the division. It was
a most interesting evening — a tremendous crush, numbers
sitting on the steps of the gangways, six on the Wool-
sack with the Lord Chancellor, and many standing

326 Bishop Walsham How

behind him, who could not get seats. The galleries
densely crowded, many of the ladies returning after
dinner in evening costume, and sparkling with diamonds.
Rustem Pasha, and other diplomatists, were among them,
or rather the peeresses had invaded the ambassadors'
gallery. I could not hear Lord Salisbury, for, though he
spoke loudly enough, he had the back of his right
shoulder to us. I heard the rest pretty well, though Lord
Kimberley only imperfectly. The Bishop of Ripon spoke

vigorously and well. Lord , who was across the

gangway from me, sneered at him two or three times
most offensively, leaning across to me and saying first,
* What is this man taking up the matter for ? ' and then a
little later, ' Why, he is positively making a long speech.'
To this I answered, ' I suppose he has a perfect right to.'

' Oh, yes,' said Lord , ' only he knows nothing about

it ' — which was, of course, wholly untrue."

Among other matters which came before the House of
Lords in which the Bishop took special interest were
the Parish Councils Act and the Employers' Liability Bill.

The bishops were greatly blamed for their conduct in
the House with regard to the former measure, and at the
next meeting of the Northern Convocation the Bishop of
Wakefield took occasion to point out what had been the
real attitude of the Episcopal Bench with respect to both
these Bills. He said :

" The bishops have been accused of being careless of
the interests of the rural parishes, and opposed to any
enlargement of the liberties of the people. [Because
they thought that the constant use of the schools for
parish work might be very greatly interfered with by the
large number of purposes for which the use of school-

The Bishop and Legislation 327

rooms would have to be conceded — e.g., for meetings on
behalf of candidates for Parish Councils, for the discussion
of questions as to allotments, &c. &c.] I think that that
accusation is hardly deserved ; and I do think it ought tO'
be stated that the bishops were unanimously, I think I
may say, in favour of the Bill at large . . . even though
certain particular portions were pointed out where we
thought that amendment might be desirable. . . .

"The amendments were exceedingly small in their
operation when compared with the general purposes of
the Bill, and I am quite sure that we ourselves, as
bishops, would have been exceedingly disappointed if
any amendment which we supported had proved fatal to
this Bill, in the same way that an amendment carried in
the House of Lords proved to be fatal to another Bill,
which we all of us heartily approved in its great principle
— I mean the Employers' Liability Bill, the destruction of
which was, I think, exceedingly unwelcome to us all,
and appears to many of us to have been extremely
unnecessary."

The Clergy Discipline Bill was another subject which
naturally engaged much of Bishop Walsham How's
attention, and the fact that it has been a burning question
among Church people for some years gives interest to the
following letters, which narrate his effort, made some
years ago, to influence the Government of the day in the
matter :

[To the Right Hon. W. H. Smith, M.P.]

''May 2, 1891.
"Dear Mr. Smith,

" I am anxious to press upon you the very great

importance of introducing into the Clergy Discipline

Bill, now before the House of Commons, a provision for

328 Bishop Walsham How

the withdrawal of the spiritual charge of the parish, in the
case dealt with under Clause 2, by the bishop who con-
fers it. The voidance of the ecclesiastical preferment
(called in the margin * Deprivation ') is not equivalent to
the withdrawal of the spiritual charge of the parish.

" The distinction is readily perceived by the distinction
between the two acts of institution and induction, the
former (always performed by the bishop) giving the
incumbent the spiritual ' cure of souls,' the latter (per-
formed by any clergyman under * mandate ' from the
bishop) admitting to the enjoyment of the temporalities
of the benefice. The 122nd Canon, though grammati-
cally applicable to sentences of an Ecclesiastical Court,
yet affirms the principle that sentence of deprivation
should be pronounced by the bishop alone.

"The strongest objection is felt to the provisions of
Clause 2, without any act of the bishop withdrawing the
spiritual charge, by a very large number of the most
thoughtful and learned of the clergy.

" Were the Bill to be enacted in its present form, a
criminous and unscrupulous clergyman, convicted (say)
of adultery in a Divorce Court, might argue that,
although the act could take away his benefice, it could
not take away what the bishop had given him, namely,
the spiritual charge of the parish, and he might accord-
ingly open a room and hold services in defiance of the
act of his bishop ; being supported (i) by unscrupulous
friends, (2) by over-scrupulous Church people, who
would hold him not rightfully deprived of his spiritual
office.

"The bishop has no power to suspend or inhibit an
incumbent except after processes in the Ecclesiastical
Courts, which it is the object of this Bill to render un-

The Bishop and Legislation 329

necessary ; and, even if he had such power, its exercise,
unless statutably provided for, would inevitably be repre-
sented as an undue assumption, and a slur upon the
sentence of the temporal court.

" It seems to me that, if it could be argued that there
are great doubts whether deprivation of the ecclesiastical
benefice necessarily carries with it inability to continue
the exercise of spiritual functions, there might be some
chance of such a provision as I am pleading for being
accepted. I am sure that with such a provision the Bill
would be universally welcomed as a vast boon, but that
without such a provision it would be regarded by many
with very great disfavour, and would be the cause of
much confusion and distress. I venture to sketch such
an amendment as would effect what so many desire.

" Believe me,

" Yours very truly,

" Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD

" Suggested Amendment :

"When the ecclesiastical preferment held by any
clergyman shall become vacant as a consequence of a
conviction by a temporal court, as aforesaid, or as a
consequence of a bastardy order, or of a verdict of a jury
or decision of a court finding him guilty of adultery, as
aforesaid, the bishop of the diocese, or, in the event of
the diocese being vacant, the archbishop of the province,
may {or shall) pronounce a sentence inhibiting the said
clergyman from all spiritual acts and functions within the
parish of which he has had the spiritual charge, and the
sentence of inhibition shall be recorded in the registry of
the diocese."

330 Bishop Walsham How

To this letter, a copy of which was also sent to the-
Attorney-General (Sir Richard Webster), the following
reply was received :

" 10 Downing St., Whitehall, May 7, 1891.

" My dear Lord Bishop,

" I have carefully considered, with those who are in a
position to advise me, your letter of the 2nd inst. relating to the
Clergy Discipline Bill. I quite understand your point, but I think
perhaps you hardly realise that it is no new principle that is being
introduced, because since 1388 ipso facto avoidance of benefices
by virtue of an Act of Parliament has been known. So again the
Felony Act of 1870 made the benefice of a clergyman convicted
of felony ipso facto vacated, and made the clergyman incapable of
preferment. There is, I am advised, no doubt that, if an Act of
Parliament declares that the benefice is vacant, the clergyman
ceases to hold the cure of souls, the patron is entitled to present,
and, if he presents, the bishop must institute as to a vacant bene-
fice. Upon the institution of the new incumbent any service
held without his permission in the parish is illegal, both ecclesias-
tically and civilly. Further, under Clause 17 of the present Bill^
the bishop can depose the convicted clergyman from his Orders.
I think, therefore, the evils you fear as possible can hardly arise.
But from the political point of view I am extremely averse to
introduce into the Bill any controversial ecclesiastical matter, as I
am sure it would meet with great opposition.

" .... I have had the opportunity of talking privately with Mr.
Gladstone on the Bill, and, although I think he himself does not
in principle object to your suggestion, he made it clear to me that
there would be very strong opposition among others on his side of

the House.

" Believe me,

" Yours very truly,

" W. H. SMITH."

Another measure in which Bishop Walsham How was
naturally deeply interested was the Education Bill. In
1896, when the Government introduced their ill-fated

The Bishop and Legislation 331

Bill, which was afterwards withdrawn, he felt strongly
that Clause 27, which dealt with the opening of all
schools to denominational teaching under certain condi-
tions, should be limited in its application to districts
where there was only one school available, or no school
where parents could obtain the religious teaching they
desired for their children. He urged the Bishop of
London (Dr. Temple) to move in the matter, but un-
successfully :

[To Rev. W. F. Norris.]

''May II, 1896.

"The Bishop of London's letter is disappointing. . . .
No doubt the Bishop is right in saying that where there
are two schools, so that Clause 27 would not (with my
limitation) apply, the lay subscribers might plan to starve
out the voluntary school, and so make the school district
one to which the clause would apply. But this would be

rarely done, whereas candidly acknowledged that the

temptation under Clause 27 to surrender the Church
School, if power existed to introduce Church teaching in
the Board Schools, would be very great. I shall not let
the matter alone, but shall try either Gregory, or Brown-
rigg, or Lord Cranborne."

On the Rate-aid versus State-aid question he changed his
opinion in 1896, as many others did, and in Convocation
in June of that year voted in favour of rate-aid. This was
because he considered it hopeless to get a sufficient amount
of help out of the Imperial Exchequer. Many disagreed
with the Bishop on this question, and viewed the prospect
of rate-aid with despair. But he was always hopeful that
things would work out better than was expected.

332 Bishop Walsham How

The following letter, written just at this time, is full of
interest concerning both this and other matters :

[To Rev. H. W. How.]

" BiSHOPGARTH, Wakefield, May 1 6, 1896.

" I read a good deal of Purcell's ' Life of Cardinal
Manning.' It is immensely interesting, though (as usual
in ' Lives ') too much spun out, especially in giving too
many letters on the same subject. It has greatly raised
my conception of Manning's powers. He was a great
power, and with a great statesman's gifts and influence.
And what an Ultramontane he was ! It was he apparently
who secured the decree of Papal Infallibility, working
indefatigably, plotting and planning, seeing and reasoning
with great numbers of the dissentients, and by his
eloquence and fervour carrying all before him at last.
He also seems to have won over a great number from
our Church to Rome. As to the recognition of our
Orders by Rome, one gets a fair idea of the tremendous
force to be dealt with. I have no doubt Vaughan pretty
well represents Manning's views.

" I have also been in correspondence with the Bishop
of London, Lord Cranborne, Norris, and Archdeacon
Wilson, about Clause 27 of the Education Bill, which I

do not like. Did you see B 's speech about two or

three weeks ago, in which he said (speaking in support of
the Bill) that under this Clause 27 we might get our
Church teaching into Board Schools, and then need not
make such exertions, or spend our money, in retaining
our Church Schools ? This just touches the danger, and
it is very serious. I am working to get the clause confined
to school districts in which there is only one school, or

The Bishop and Legislation 333

no school in which the religious teaching desired is
given. This would greatly lessen the danger. I think
Archdeacon Wilson is right when he says the Church has
not made up its mind what it wants, and will find the
clause, if unguarded, very disastrous. I am fast coming
round to the Manchester scheme, and think the accept-
ance of rate-aid for our schools better than the miserable
financial proposals of the Bill.

" I. I would limit the measure to Board School areas.

"2. I would accept representation of rate-payers, so
that they should never exceed one-third of the committee
of management.

"3. I would entrust the election of teachers to the
whole board of managers.

"4. I would place the religious teaching under a sub-
committee of members of the religious body providing
the school.

"5. I would deal with poor struggling schools in non-
school-board districts by some special increase in the
Government grant (where proved to be necessary)."

[To Mrs. R. Ll, Kenyon.]

'* Wakefield, /une 4, 1896.

" I have come back from York. Yesterday we had a
great field-day at the Education Bill. It was most
interesting, and a most able debate. The Bishops of
Manchester [Moorhouse], Durham [Westcott], Chester
[Jayne], and Newcastle [Jacob] were especially good,
and the Archbishop [Maclagan] was splendid, as
President, in tact, courtesy, and clearness. All ten
Bishops of the Province were present, and voted
unanimously ! ! We all went in for some measure of
rate-aid for our schools, the special religious character of

334 Bishop Walsham How

4he schools being adequately safeguarded. The Lower
House agreed by 43 to 8, some abstaining from voting.
It was, as usuaj, very pleasant at Bishopthorpe."

[To the same.^

"21 Endsleigh St., Tavistock Square, Nov. 6, 1896.
" My darling N.,

" The above address is the Bishop of St. Albans,
with whom I am staying till to-morrow, having come up
for the great Educational Conference yesterday and to-
day. It is over now, and we were very unanimous, at
least in voting, though, of course, different opinions were
expressed. I was fairly satisfied, and thought we had
done good work, but I saw the Bishop of Peterborough
(London-designate) as we came away, and he said quite
contemptuously, 'We've done nothing.' I confess I do
not know what he meant. The Archbishop of York was
in the chair. I have often praised his conduct of the busi-
ness as President of Convocation, but he was not quite so
successful this time, and made a considerable mistake as
to order in putting resolutions and amendments yesterday.
However, it was a very responsible and difficult post
which he occupied, and he did very well on the whole.

" On Sunday I preach at St. Michael's, Stoke Newington,
A.M., and at All Saints', Lower Clapton, in the evening.
On Monday I preach to Church-workers and also address
a meeting at South Acton, and on Tuesday I go home.
This morning I was clumsy enough to have another fall.
I was crossing Piccadilly, and hurrying to get across in
front of an omnibus I tripped and went a regular cropper
and got up in a most disreputable condition, covered with
..dirt and with a pair of new breeches cut into bits, and

The Bishop and Legislation 335

both knees somewhat the worse. However, I felt it was
not very serious, so I went on to the big conference and
sat it out.

" Good night, dear child.

" Your loving old Father,

"W. w. w.

" I forgot to say a clergyman helped me up when I fell,
and took me into his tailor's close by to be cleaned up."

Finally the Bishop's grave disapproval of the action of
the present Government in the matter of the Benefices
Bill must be noted. When the more important parts of
this Bill were thrown overboard, he wrote a line from the
House of Lords to the Rev. W. F. Norris :

" I have done with the Conservative party. The action
of the Cabinet in the matter of the Benefices Bill seems
to me to mean nothing short of the sacrifice of principle
to expediency."

Besides attending to such matters as the foregoing,
there were, of course, numerous other occasions when he
felt it his duty to attend meetings, and to speak on
social and other subjects, in London and elsewhere, all
of which added greatly to his work.

He had for many years been a teetotaler, and from
time to time appeared on the platforms of the Church of
England Temperance Society.

He felt that in all his East London work he owed an
immense debt of gratitude to the Additional Curates'
Society, which had always been ready to help him in any
case of need, regardless of party Shibboleths, which were
repugnant to the Bishop, and which prevented some

336 Bishop Walsham How

other similar societies from being of practical use to him.
On this account he was always ready to speak or preach
for the Additional Curates' Society when his other
engagements permitted. In 1894 he attended the great
Missionary Conference, of which a somewhat depressing
account is given in the following letter :

[To Mrs. R. Ll. Kenyon.]

"Wakefield, J^ufie i, 1894.

" I came home yesterday afternoon, instead of this even-
ing as I had intended, having had as much Missionary
Conference as I could stand. Sir James Philipps was the
principal secretary and organiser, and he had immensely
overdone it all. They had taken three halls, and two of
them had simultaneous meetings of three hours in the
morning, and two and a half in the afternoon and evening,
for a mixed audience, and in the third an afternoon meet-
ing each day for women only ; and this for four days,
besides the opening service at St. Paul's on the Monday^
and the reception and speeches that day at the Mansion
House. This meant twenty-eight missionary meetings in
four days ! I could only go up on Tuesday morning, but
attended the afternoon and evening meetings that day,
three on Wednesday, and yesterday morning's. Then I
fairly ran away. Two or three of the meetings were
interesting and lively, but most were very dull, and the
attendance was poor, the big hall never being half full.
The platform also was scanty, and to prevent the meetings
from collapsing, they went round pressing people to
speak. Far the best thing I heard was a most earnest
and powerful speech yesterday morning from the Bishop
of Durham, who was president for the day. The Arch-

The Bishop and Legislation 337

bishop of Canterbury presided on Tuesday, and the
Bishop of London on Wednesday. I was very sorry for
him that evening (much the worst session of all), as there
were not a hundred in the audience, and about six on the
platform, and he could not get people to speak. They
bothered me, but I have no idea of getting up to speak
when I have nothing special to say.

" Your loving Father,

" Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

CHAPTER XXIV

A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS

The year 1892 was a year of misfortunes. Never
probably in his whole life had the Bishop been so often
and so long laid aside as he was fated to be during this
year.

It was his regular custom to get ten days' holiday
•during May as a refreshment after the bulk of the Con-
firmations for the year were finished. On this occasion
he went on Monday May 16 with several members of his
family to stay at Llanbedr. On the Wednesday he went
to fish the river running just below the house, stepped on
a loose stone and badly sprained his ankle and instep.
This spoilt the holiday completely, his diary mentioning
day by day that he was kept indoors, and on his return
home on Saturday May 28, there is the following entry :

" Dr. Lett came and ordered me to lay up. Had to
put off sermons for to-morrow."

This sprain troubled him for a long time, but it was
only the first of a series of misfortunes. In August he
went with two of his sons and his daughter-in-law to stay
at Stack Lodge, which was put at his disposal by the kind-
ness of the Duke of Westminster, and greatly enjoyed the

A Chapter of Accidents 339

fishing, but, owing to his weak ankle, he confined himself to
boat-fishing on the loch. He then paid several visits in
England to relatives, and ended up with a visit to his
daughter (Mrs. Kenyon) at Pradoe in Shropshire. Here
the second accident befell him, which shall be described in
his own words.

[To Ms sister. "]

"Pradoe, Oswestry, Se^. 7, 1892.

" Dearest Minny,

"The papers have got hold of our accident on
Sunday, so I will write you a line to assure you that we
are all right. Bob Kenyon [his son-in-law] was sending
me into Oswestry to preach in the evening, Mary Godsal
[an old friend] being with me, when, soon after starting,
the bridle fell off the horse's head, and of course away he
went, full gallop. M. was capital, so calm and collected.
We determined to jump out if we saw any obstacle in the
road, but hoped the horse would slacken. However,
after galloping some three or four miles, as we got near
Oswestry, we thought there was sure to be a smash in the
town, so we had better jump out, which we did, one on
each side [the carriage was a Victoria]. We both came
down good croppers (one hardly knew how hard a road
feels when it is approached in that fashion), but mercifully
both escaped with only broken knees. ... I am very
lame, and my sprained ankle is quite cocky over my
scarified knee ! The horse went right through Oswestry,
getting back into the road home by another route,
galloped home, burst open gates, and smashed the
carriage to pieces among some trees in front of this
house ! I got in time to preach (in borrowed plumes),

340 Bishop Walsham How

and preached, I think, better than usual, without notes,
to a splendid congregation. M. said she could not listen
for thinking of the gallop and jump, but I never thought
of it once during the sermon. It is a great mercy to
have escaped so well, and we are very thankful.

" Your loving Brother,

"W. w. w."

There is an old saying that accidents happen in
" threes," and this was borne out when in the following
November he had an exceedingly dangerous fall outside
the Deanery at Edinburgh.

[To Rev. H. W. How.]

" OVERTHORPE, ThORNHILL, JVoV. 30, 1892.

"Dearest Harry,

" I fell on Saturday night down the Dean's doorsteps
in the dark going to the Cathedral, and hurt my left knee,
but hobbled on to the Cathedral, and gave my address to
the mission-workers. But when I left the pulpit I could
hardly stand, and was rather bad. I was taken into
Dr. Cotterill's close by, and he put laudanum on and
bandaged it, and wanted to lay me up for the Sunday.
But I would not submit, and by help of cabs and a bath-
chair I got to the Cathedral and the two other churches,
sat through the services, and gave my addresses after
episcopal fashion, ex cathedra, sitting in a chair on the
chancel steps. I do not think I was the worse for it."

In this opinion the Bishop was wrong. His courage
was greater than his discretion, especially when he fol-
lowed up his rashness by paying a visit to his brother at
Shrewsbury that same week. On Friday, December 2, he

A Chapter of Accidents 341

returned home and sent for the doctor. It was Christmas
day before he came downstairs again, and Sunday
January 8 before he was able to go out. On this day he
preached twice, noting in his diary, " Managed these two
by driving in the brougham, and sitting to preach."

To a man of his active habits this seclusion was par-
ticularly trying, though he managed to do a good deal of
writing. One of his letters written from his bed con-
tained the following passage :

[To Mrs. R. Ll. Kenyon.]

'■'' December 10, 1892.

" Only think of me with my * poor dear leg ' strapped fast
in a wooden trough, and ordered to be immovable at least
till Christmas. Talk of the efficacy of * short sentences,' I
wonder what they call this ! Do you remember that
Ruskin having (to my dismay) announced that he was
coming to a service at which I was to preach, and then
not having appeared (to my relief !), wrote to the Vicar to
say his face had been like a pumpkin, ^ but,' he added,
* the devil, having succeeded in keeping me out of good
company, is now suffering it to subside.' So, having suc-
ceeded in keeping me out of two confirmations, two insti-
tutions, two prize-givings, two important meetings, six
sermons, a quiet day for clergy, and an ordination, he is
now suffering my knee slightly to subside. But I am
very uncomfortable, and the retention for indefinite
periods of the same obtuse angle reveals to one that one
is not made of wood."

In the spring of the following year it was found neces-
sary that the Bishop should seek further advice, and he
went to London to consult Mr. Wharton Hood.

342 Bishop Walsham How

[To Rev. W. F. Norris.]

"The Athen^um, Aj>ri7 i8, 1893.

"My dear Bill,

"... I have done a good stroke of work since I
came up on Saturday, and have been * dusting up and
down a bit.' On Saturday night I addressed a large Com-
municants' Guild in the grand new Mission Church in
Stepney : on Sunday I preached A.M. in the old Stepney
Parish Church, and confirmed in the afternoon, and
preached in the evening in the magnificent new church of
St. Philip's, Stepney. It is like a young cathedral, and
was quite full in the evening — a most inspiring sight. I
think it moved me to preach better than usual, and wholly
without notes. I met lots of dear old friends.

" Yesterday I went in the morning to Wharton Hood,
who put me in good spirits by telling me there was
nothing the matter with my knee or ankle except weak-
ness and want of muscular fibre. He sent a rubber to
me in the afternoon, and after three rubbings of an hour
each I am to go to-morrow afternoon to a gymnasium,
and for four days (not all day, I believe) to practise
gymnastics ! Fancy setting an old fellow like me to do
gymnastics ! I believe the place is full of men doing all
sorts of ridiculous things. The doctor is cramming as
much into the week as he can, as I have told him I can't
stay longer. I am, however, to rig up a gymnasium at
home, and go on with the antics. After the rubber I
went off to the Mansion House to a meeting of the East
London Church Fund. It was a splendid meeting, and
they gave me a very jolly reception, and, of course, I had
to make a speech.

" In the evening yesterday I gave an address to a Com-

A Chapter of Accidents 343

municants' Guild at St. Martin's [Charing Cross], where
I am staying till Thursday. So you see I am not quite
idle. I have to make a bit of a speech to-day at a High-
school prize-giving. I had a committee of bishops to
attend yesterday, but, as no one turned up but myself,
this was not laborious. I only wasted forty-five minutes.
I am delighted that I am not to lie up, or save my leg.
In fact I am to use it in moderation (in addition to the
gymnasium, where you can think of poor me turning
somersaults over bars, running breathless races round the
arena, and hanging on to a beam with a fifty-pound
weight attached to my foot, &c. &c.).

" Yours affectionately,

"W. w. w."

Besides getting through an immense amount of corre-
spondence and a certain quantity of authorship during
the many weeks that he was laid by, the Bishop also
found more time than usual for reading. He was
exceedingly fond of a good novel, and at such times as
this, or when away for his August holiday, he invariably
had a volume of light literature on hand. He was accus-
tomed to keep a book in which he entered the names of
any novels, &c., which he had seen well reviewed, or had
been advised by friends to read, and against them he
would frequently write the source of recommendation.
Many such books he would buy outright, meeting not
seldom with disappointment, the volume not by any
means coming up to the expectation he had formed of it
by reading the review. He felt very strongly the danger
of the " realistic " school, as it is sometimes called, and
his indignation knew no bounds when a book which
exceeded the limits of decency came into his hands. On

344 Bishop Walsham How

one occasion one of his sons had tried to read a more
than usually nasty book of this description, which had
been sent up from Smith's library to fill up the number of
volumes required. Finding it impossible to go on with
it, he took it down to the library and told his father that,
though not over-particular, he was quite unable to wade
through the unclean matter contained in the book in
question. The Bishop's sole reply was to take an envelope
out of his paper-stand and address it to W. F. D. Smith,
Esq., M.P. The result was the quiet withdrawal of the
book from the library, and an assurance that any other
books by the same author would be carefully examined
before they were allowed to be circulated.

On June 8, 1896, the Yorkshire Post had a leading
article strongly condemning this class of literature, and
on that day Bishop Walsham How wrote to the editor as
follows :

" BiSHOPGARTH, WaKEFIELD.

"Sir,

" Will you allow me to publicly thank you for your
outspoken leader in your to-day's issue denouncing the
intolerable grossness and hateful sneering at all that one
most reveres in such writers as Thomas Hardy ?

" On the authority of one of those reviews which you
justly condemn for this reticence, I bought a copy of one
of Mr. Hardy's novels, but was so disgusted with its
insolence and indecency that I threw it into the lire. It
is a disgrace to our great public libraries to admit such
garbage, clever though it may be, to their shelves.

" I am, sir,

" Yours, &c.,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

A Chapter of Accidents 345

On this subject he also had some correspondence with
the late Mrs. Oliphant, who had, apparently, written a
pamphlet denouncing the same school of literature.

[To the Bishop of Wakefield.]

" 4 Windsor Place, Dundee.

" My Lord,

" I am very glad to have your approval of my little paper,
all the more as I hesitated much whether it was right for me,
myself a novelist, to say so much concerning others of my trade,
in my own person.

"I thought, however, that the very long time I have been
known to the public gave me a certain standing-ground from which
such a protest might come.

" I should not like to set up my opinion against yours, but is
not an Index rather a dangerous thing ? [The Bishop seems to
have suggested a public Index of books of this class.] Smith's
action, however, is curious. He put upon his index the work of a
friend of mine, unfortunately bitten with this venomous ' realism,'
as they call it, but only ' on principle,' strange as these words
seem, and not with any inclination that way. His comparatively
innocent book was refused for the bookstalls. I suspect it is
much more easy to make an example of the comparatively un-
known than of a man like Hardy, who commands a great sale ;
and this would always be the case, I fear.

"Allow me to thank you for your very reassuring and kind
•letter, which has truly encouraged and cheered me, and believe
me, my Lord,

" Gratefully and truly yours,

"M.O.W. OLIPHANT."

CHAPTER XXV

THE LAST YEAR

During the last year, or more, of the Bishop's life he
suffered from time to time from attacks of indigestion,
which caused palpitations and giddiness, more alarming,
perhaps, than actually painful, but which he accepted as
warnings that his physical strength was on the wane. The
life he had led, regardless of the nature or the hour of his
meals, one day sharing a meat tea at some vicarage house
early in the evening before preaching, the next being
obliged to wait until his return home at lo o'clock before
getting his supper, no doubt conduced to hasten the break-
down of his splendid constitution : but it could not well
have been otherwise, and much of the work he did would
never have been done but for his determination to make
everything give way to its demands. Naturally, his
friends became anxious, and Dr. Lett, his valued
physician, was consulted as to making an effort to limit
his work, or, indeed, as to the advisability of begging him
to resign. The doctor's advice on this latter point was
clear : he felt no doubt that the Bishop would be
miserable without his work, and that to deprive him of it
would only make his last years unhappy. " Let him," he
said, " die in harness " ; and, looking back, it is clear that
the advice was good.

The Last Year 347

There had been remonstrances made to him from time
to time as to the multitude of his engagements. It seemed
to many that through the very kindness of his heart he
wasted force by accepting invitations to preach, or to
attend parochial functions, without duly considering
their importance. Thus he would fill up much time with
apparently trivial duties, the result being that he had not
always sufficient leisure to prepare for occasions of greater
import, and sometimes would be (though he seldom
owned to it) tired out when arriving on a Sunday evening
to preach some special sermon. In consequence of this
criticisms became not infrequent and were hard to
contradict.

One of his sons wrote to him, urging some limitation of
work, in reply to which the Bishop said :

" How could I ' take umbrage,' dear old boy, at your
loving counsel about not doing so much ? I can only
thank you heartily for speaking plainly. Indeed, I do see
the force of what you say, though I think I have created a
somewhat false impression by saying that I have no free
day this year, for it is not as if the engagements were all
for work. There are social days, such as when the
Bishop of Rochester is with us ... . and then I have
kept Christmas week for parties and 'home consumption.''
The really serious consideration in your letter is the
suggestion that my preaching shows signs of deteriora-
tion. That would be a very strong argument for less
preaching and more preparation. But I cannot under-
stand showing signs of being tired out, for I am quite
unconscious of ever feeling the least bit tired. I have
long thought, if I began to feel at all tired, I would at
once pull up. But preaching never seems to me any

348 Bishop Walsham How

more exertion than talking to a friend. Still there is
something in not yielding to invitations for unimportant
events, and also something in the fact of my being close
upon seventy. Well ; I will try to be good, and do what
others think right, even if I do not feel conscious of the
necessity."

This letter was written in October 1893, and a few
months afterwards, writing from London to the same son,
he seemed anxious to give proof of his well-sustained
vigour, for he said :

" I was carried off by Mr. Storrs [Vicar of St. Peter's,
Eaton Square] to a grand exhibition of Arts and Crafts,
partly parochial and partly from St. John's, Bethnal Green,
a parish which St. Peter's takes under its wing. I had to
open it, and to * make them a little speech.' I expected a
lot of working lads, but found a large and swell assemblage
of West-Enders, and a capital exhibition (largely loan) of
all sorts of things, from Lobengula's war-shield to Sisters
of Charity made out of paper by the choir-boys. I greatly
enjoyed my speech (1), for I somehow got upon theories
of beauty of form and sound, and changes of taste in
architecture, painting, ladies' dress, ladies' hair (wasn't I
bold ?), love of scenery, &c., and then on to principles of
decorative art, the richness of succession of uniformity,
grace with strength, &c. &c. I have no idea how or why
I was so much at my ease, and had such a lot of things to
say, but it seemed as if I had suddenly got the spirit of
inventiveness and a bubbling-up of thought, which, as I
said, made me quite enjoy it ! It seemed quite a relief
not for once to be preaching, and not to have to study
simplicity of language. One could let oneself go before
such an audience, and I did. I hope this is not very

The Last Year 34^

boastful, but I was quite surprised myself to find myself
wound up and going so cheerily."

No doubt the Bishop hoped by this account of himself
to relieve some of the anxiety which had begun to be felt
about him. But the last sentence gave away the whole
position. In years past it had been no unusual thing for
him to speak with great '•' inventiveness," and " go," and
it was a considerable confession on his part to own him-
self surprised at finding himself "wound up, and going
cheerily."

In spite of all promises "to be good," he found it
impossible to alter his habits except to a very limited
extent, and up to the last spent much time in hurrying
about his diocese. Archdeacon Brooke, in writing on
this subject, has said :

" His sympathies with the parish clergy were so great — he
realised so keenly what the joy must be to get him to preach or
speak — that it led to what seemed to me a waste of force, and a
certain amount of seeming restlessness."

During the last year or two of his life he showed a
growing reluctance to attend large public ceremonies
or gatherings. This was especially the case with Church
Congresses, which he latterly wished to avoid, giving as
his reason that the applause with which he was greeted
was painful to him. He never could help shrinking from
any commendation.

He would doubtless have declined to appear at the
Congress of 1896 had it not been that it was held at
Shrewsbury, and that his nephew (Mr. W. M. How) was
Mayor of the town and received the members of the
Congress. As it was he took little leading part on the

350 Bishop Walsham How

occasion, though his speech on the Holy Communion
made a considerable impression.

In December 1896, the Bishop kept the Jubilee of his
Orders, he having been ordained in Worcester in
December 1846.

[To his brother ?j^

" BiSHOPGARTH, Dec. 20, 1896.

" Dearest Maynard,

" I have this morning ordained eight men, four
priests and four deacons, all University men, and a very
nice, promising set, who will do the Church good service.
Do you realise that this is my jubilee ? I can hardly
believe that I have been half a century in Holy Orders.
As I look back it seems to me half a century of very
unworthy living and working, all wanting forgiveness.
But what wonderful advances the Church has made in
these fifty years ! Although there are things one mourns
over, and dangerous excesses here and there, yet one
cannot but thank God for the manifest growth of earnest-
ness and devotion and spirituality in the Church at large.
Our preacher this morning, Mr. Winter, Rector of
Elland, made a very kind reference to my fifty years of
service."

The next three months were spent in the usual routine
of diocesan work, and at Easter the last family gathering
assembled at Bishopgarth, the occasion being the
marriage of one of the Bishop's sons, which took place in
Leeds on the Thursday in Easter week. This was the
last time that Bishop Walsham How had all his children
with him, but, though a party of relations were also
staying in the house, he was not forgetful of the sick and

The Last Year 351

needy. His diary shows that during that Easter week he
paid several visits to invalids in the town, in one case
administering the Holy Communion.

It was on Easter Eve that he received the following
letter from H.R.H. the Prince of Wales :

" Sandringham, Norfolk, April i6, 1897.

" Dear Bishop of Wakefield,

'* It is proposed that a special hymn should be composed
to be sung in all our churches, both at home and abroad, on
June 20, the day on which the Queen attains the sixtieth year of
her reign. I write these lines to ask you whether you will kindly
consent to compose this hymn. Sir Arthur Sullivan has consented
to compose the music, and is also most anxious that the hymn
should be sent to all the colonies. Forgive my troubling you at
such a busy time of the year for you, and

" Believe me,

•' Sincerely yours,

"ALBERT EDWARD."

The Bishop felt much honoured by this request, but
was considerably alarmed at the difficulty of composing
a hymn "to order." In connection with this he told a
good story of how, when the hymn had been published,
a Wakefield gentleman spoke to him about it. " It is a
very difficult matter," said the Bishop, " to write a good
hymn to order." "Impossible, I should think," replied
his friend.

There was, however, no time to be lost, and the hymn,
which was so universally sung and so popular with most
people, was rapidly composed and sent off to the Prince
of Wales, whose letter of thanks is permitted to be
published here.

352 Bishop Walsham How

" Sandringham, Norfolk, April 21, 1897.
"My dear Bishop,

" I have just received the words of the beautiful hymn you
have composed, and shall not fail to send them on to the Queen.
Sir A. Sullivan shall also receive the hymn as soon as possible.
With renewed thanks for having so kindly complied with my
request so promptly,

" Believe me,

"Sincerely yours,

"ALBERT EDWARD."

After sending the hymn off, the Bishop wished to
correct one line in it, and asked Sir Arthur Sullivan to
propose the alteration to the Prince of Wales. This was
done, and the amendment was approved.

Sir A. Sullivan sent a message from the Prince in the
following letter as to a manuscript copy of the hymn with
both the original and amended lines being sent to
Sandringham for preservation.

" I Queen's Mansions, Victoria Street, S.W.

"April 30, 1897.
*' My dear Lord Bishop,

" I delayed writing to you in the hope that I could send
you a copy of the music of your hymn at the same time. But in
consequence of heavy rehearsals all this week, I have not been
able to write it out, and will therefore send it you next week.
I cannot, however, longer delay expressing my delight with your
words. I have rarely come across so beautiful a combination of
poetry and deep religious feeling, and I am sure you yourself must
be pleased with them. I have set them, but the music wants the
final touch. The corners want rounding and the surface polishing •
this is, however, a very small task, I hope you will like it. It is
nof a part song, nor an exercise in harmony. It is a tune which
every one will, I hope, be able to pick up quickly and sing heartily.
I took your letter, with the alteration in the words, to the Prince
of Wales yesterday, and he agrees with you. He told me to ask

The Last Year 353

you if you would kindly write out the words for him yourself,
and send them to him, with the original line and the alteration as
well. It will be like possessing the absolute original manuscript,
which is what he wants. Will you kindly do this ? What about
the copyright ? I cannot print it without an assignment from you,
and my idea is that //"there is any profit (there can't be much as I
propose selling it at about cost price) we should give it to the
Prince of Wales' Hospital Fund in both our names. But of course
I shall do nothing until I hear your views on the subject.

" I am yours very sincerely,

" ARTHUR SULLIVAN."

Owing to the kindness of Sir Arthur Sullivan, a fac-
simile of the Bishop's original manuscript of the hymn is
given here, as well as that of Sir Arthur's splendid tune.

The Bishop received a vast number of letters about the
hymn. Many of these were from Scotsmen, and were
mostly anonymous. They were full of abuse of him for
having used the words " England's flag " instead of
" Britain's flag." He regretted having unintentionally
pained any one, and actually published a letter express-
ing his regret. But nevertheless letters and postcards
from infuriated Scotsmen poured in, and would have
distressed the Bishop greatly, had not their exaggerated
frenzy made many of them extremely comic.

But, besides these, there were of course many kindly
letters on the same subject.

" The Palace, Exeter, June 9, 1897.
"My dear Brother,

" I meant to have written ten days ago to thank you, from
my heart, for your noble hymn ' O King of Kings,' far, far the best,
to my thinking, of all this year has produced — the only one which
has satisfied my very heart. And now I am writing selfishly. You
will see from enclosed I am inviting all the staff of our many
hospitals, &c., (some 550 in number) to a fete on the 24th and

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354 Bishop Walsham How

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358 Bishop Walsham How

25th. May I print your hymn with mine, ' God of our Fatherland,
and give it each of our guests as a souvenir ?

" Ever yours affectionately,
••E. H. EXON."

Canon Norris, Rector of Witney, wrote :

" May I thank you for your beautiful hymn ? A well known
rector in this archdeaconry writes to me what many must be feeling
everywhere :

" ' How thankful we ought to be that the Bishop of Wakefield
has at last given us a jubilee hymn that we can sing ! ' "

Two letters, one to Mrs. La Trobe Foster, wife of the
Vicar of Widcombe, Bath, and the other to her little son,
Pelham, are worth quoting here :

"BiSHOPGARTH, Wakefield, y"//;;^ 19, 1897.
" My dear Mrs. Foster,

" How very kind of you. Thank you so much.
Such nice letters as yours and Pelham's would make me
very vain, I fear, if I had not others telling me that my
hymn was the veriest rubbish, not up to a fourth form
boy, &c. Then I have showers of abuse from Scotland
for writing * England's flag ' instead of ' Britain's.' As a
specimen, a letter this morning speaks of my ' arrogantly '
using ' England,' and says the hymn is * laughed at.' So
you see good folk help to save me from vanity. . . .

" With kindest remembrances,
" Yours very sincerely,

" Wm. walsham WAKEFIELD."
"BiSHOPGARTH, WAKEFIELD,yi^«^ 19, 1897.

" My DEAR Pelham,

" I must write you a letter to thank you for your
nice little letter to me telling me that you like my hymn.

The Last Year 359

I am so glad you do. I should like very much to hear

you and your brother sing it together. When you sing it

properly in church, you must try to think you are singing

it to God, and thanking Him for giving us so good a

Queen.

" God bless you.

" Your affectionate old bishop,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD,"

During the first week in May 1897, his final visitation
took place, Wakefield Cathedral and Halifax Parish
Church being the two centres selected. The Archdeacon
of Halifax in his Visitation Charge of the following year
(1898) thus refers to the Bishop's words :

"As I meet you here to-day, my thoughts go back, as yours
will, to the Visitation of last year. It was our Bishop's Triennial
Visitation, and you will remember how he surprised us by putting
on one side the discussion of either diocesan matters or questions
of the day afifecting the general interests of the Church, and taking
for the subject of his charges : ' The Ideal Clergyman,' and ' The
Ideal Layman.' He gave his reason for the selection of these
subjects. ' It is very probable,' he said, ' that this may be my
last Visitation, and I long to speak words which may be spiritually
helpful to the diocese on this occasion, rather than to discuss
topics of external interest.' These words struck many who heard
or read them. Some took alarm, as though they signified an
intention on his part to resign the post, which he held to our
great advantage. But those who knew him best understood his
words in a different sense. They seemed to carry with them a
note of prophecy, uttered as by one whose vision was cleared by
the light of another world not very far away. The prophecy has
had its sad fulfilment. It was his last Visitation. The desire to
leave behind him words that might cling and be spiritually helpful
to all of us, clergy and laity alike, was prompted by the thought
that his work on earth was nearly finished. This thought, as we
know now, was never long absent from him during the last few

360 Bishop Walsham How

months of his life. It did not, however, affect the bright natural-
ness and cheerfulness of spirit and manner which carried with
them so great a charm. It did not hinder one purpose of his
unmatched activity, and the kindliness which never refused his
willing help whenever it might be claimed. It only made him
more thoughtful for others, more diligent in setting his house in
order, more careful that those whom he must leave behind should
have as little trouble as possible, and as little perplexity as to what
his wishes might be. ' He prepared abundantly before he died.' "

It had been for some time clear to his family that
he considered his life to be drawing to a close, though
they thought that he was over-alarmed by the attacks of
palpitation which were particularly distressing to one who
had for many years known little illness. During the last
months of his life he would not infrequently call one of
his sons into his library, and point out exactly what
papers would be found in this or that drawer, and after
his death the fullest and clearest directions were left to
his children on all matters, and even such small things as
instructions to his successor at Bishopgarth with respect
to ventilators and other details were not forgotten. No
man certainly ever set his house in order with greater
care. During the spring of 1897 he was exceedingly
anxious about his youngest grandchild, son of the Vicar of
Mirfield, and the entries in his diary, such as " Little
Bobby very ill," " Doctors give little hope," &c., are very
touching when taken in connection with the thought of
his own death which seems to have been ever with him
at this time. It was always a great delight to him,
especially as years went on, to have his grandchildren
near enough for them to come over and see him from
time to time, and they were never more pleased than
when with him. He used to tell with much amuse-
ment how one day he and a small grandson were alone in

The Last Year 361

the library when a deputation of churchwardens was
shown in. The Httle chap knew that he must run away,
but, before doing so, considered it good manners to go up
and kiss the deputation all round — to their vast astonish-
ment !

Immediately after his visitation in this year he paid his
last visit to the Queen at Windsor, and then took his
usual ten days' spring holiday, the first part of which he
spent with Archdeacon Sowter at Dorchester, preaching
several times for him, and also getting a little fishing in
the river there. The last few days of this holiday were
spent at Salwarpe with Canon and Mrs. Douglas, and at
Nearwell with Mr. and Mrs. Maynard How, these being
his last visits to his sister and brother, and the two homes
he had loved so well.

The following month was an exceedingly active and
busy one. There were some seven or eight Confirmations,
there was a bishops' meeting in London, there was the
Ordination at Wakefield, and Convocation at York, besides
many minor engagements. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee
was celebrated on June 22, and he had been one of the
bishops invited to receive her Majesty on the steps of
St. Paul's Cathedral. But he seemed reluctant to face
the exertion of the day. " I am too old," he said : and
he was also anxious to address his own people in the
Cathedral at Wakefield on the occasion. This he did
with all his old vigour, and few would have guessed how
nearly it was the last time that his voice would be heard
from that pulpit. Just at this time Mr. Hugh Norris, who
had been commissioned by Wadham College to paint the
Bishop of Wakefield's portrait for their hall, came down
to do the work, and, so successful was he, that a most
valuable portrait was obtained during the week that he

362 Bishop Walsham How

remained at Bishopgarth. The Bishop had originally-
proposed to defer the sittings to a later date, in which
case the portrait — by far the most satisfactory one ever-
painted of him — would in all probabilty never have beersi
achieved.

On July 5 Bishop Walsham How went up to Londors
for the Lambeth Conference, and the last month's work
of his life was given to the meetings and committees
connected therewith.

One matter, however, important to the Wakefield
Diocese was settled by him during his stay in London.
Canon Gore's Community had made up their minds to
migrate to the North of England, and application was
made to the Bishop for permission to settle in the Diocese
of Wakefield. This was an anxious matter, for they
would be an independent body of men, not working a
parish, but free lances, whom it might be difficult to
control. The Bishop sympathised to a great extent with
their endeavours, and thought that the Parish of Mirfield,
of which his son was Vicar, would be an advantageous
centre for them.

\To Rev. H. W. How.]

The Athen^um, Pall Mkll, July 17, 1897.

" Dearest Harry,

" I received the enclosed from Canon Gore just as
I was coming up to London, and to-day I have had a
good long talk with him. It turns out that they want to
plant their head-quarters, and not a branch-house, in the
North. I see no reason to refuse them a welcome (as
Manchester has done), and it struck me that Mirfield
would not be a bad centre, if a suitable house could be.

The Last Year 363

had. What do yoii think of the idea ? They seem to
want to get among our more energetic Northerners. Gore
says he has men of different views among his small society
of nine, two or three being very moderate men. They
do not want to be diocesan, but to work all over England,
only to make their home in the North, and they hope to
have the Archbishop of Canterbury as visitor ; they have
no life vows. Would Hall Croft suit them ? "

This, it will be remembered, was the house originally
desired by the Bishop as a residence for himself. The
house was afterwards obtained, and the community is
now located there.

Of the Bishop's work at the Lambeth Conference there
is very little record. Almost the only letter on the subject
is one to the Rev. H. W. How, on July 14, in which he
says :

" We are having a very interesting time. The debates
in full conference last week were on the whole admirable,
some of them very able, especially that on the critical
study of the Bible, and that on the relation of the Church
to social and labour questions. This week we are busy
at committee work. I am on three committees : (i) 'The
Relation of Religious Communities to the Church and
the Episcopate'; (2) 'The Unity of Christendom '; and
(3) ' The Adaptation of the Prayer-book, and its Enrich-
ment by Additional Services.' I have just got out of a com-
mittee on the last subject, and have half an hour before
going to get a bit of luncheon, after which I have to be
at the Bounty Board at two. I divided last week between
the Shelfords [Rector of Stoke Newington] and the
Vatchers [Vicar of St. Philip's, London Hospital]. On
Sunday morning I celebrated for Vatcher at eight in hia

.364 Bishop Walsham How

grand church, and what was my astonishment to find
■ninety-one communicants, all parishioners, all poor, and
iialf males ! As we went in Vatcher whispered to me,
'^ Say a few words to them, if you like,' so after the Creed

I went to the chancel step, and gave a short address.

It was a delightful service, and all so reverent and

nice."

It will be seen from the latter part of this extract that,
as usual, Bishop Walsham How did not allow himself
any idle time. Not content with the work of the Con-
'ference, he preached two or three times each Sunday, two
of the sermons — viz., those at St. Peter's, Eaton Square,
and at Highbury — being for the Church of England
Society for Providing Homes for Waifs and Strays.

All this time he was feeling the heat terribly : most of
all, perhaps, on the sad day when he took the service at
the funeral of his old friend. Miss Jean Ingelow.

[To his brother!\

"The AxHENiEUM, Pall Mall, y«/j^ 22, 1897.

" Here we have had it fearfully hot, and I have not had
a blanket over me at night since I came up to London
last Monday fortnight. With all the windows open, a
single sheet is as much as I can bear. I never knew
such a continuance of heat. ... I am going to look in
this afternoon at an ' At home ' at Miss Fanny Patteson's,
where I am to meet dear old Mrs. Selwyn, which will be
very pleasant."

A week later, July 29, the following entry occurs in his
diary.

" Rather seedy, and half asleep all day."

The Last Year 365-

And on July 30 :

" Very far from well. Could not stay in the Conference
Hall P.M., and very poorly in the evening."

He was noticed on that day alone, and apparently
asleep, on a sofa in the library at Lambeth on the ground
floor. Such an unusual circumstance naturally caused
some alarm to those who saw him.

However, next day he returned to Wakefield, and his
diary says :

" Home in afternoon. Better. Did good evening's,
work writing."

Unfortunately his son and daughter-in-law had started
for Ireland the day before to get the house ready, so that
there was no one at home to find out how poorly he was
and to call in Dr. Lett, who knew him well, and would
doubtless have pronounced him unfit to follow to Ireland
on the Monday.

He wrote to his daughter, Mrs. Kenyon, and mentioned
that he was unwell, but she did not receive the letter in
time to do more than telegraph to the servants at Bishop-
garth on Monday morning to know whether the Bishop
had started, receiving a reply that he had done so.

On Sunday August i he wrote to his brother :

" BiSHOPGARTH, WaKEFIELD.

" I was bowled over by the heat at last. I never knew
such a month — not one night all July in which, with
windows open, I could sleep under more than a sheet !
On Thursday I was half asleep all day, and very limp, and ■.
on Friday I could not remain in the Conference Hall, but
stole away and sat alone in the library half asleep all.

566 Bishop Walsham How

afternoon, and feeling very seedy. I could eat nothing,
;and when I got back to Wimbledon [where he was stay-
ing with some cousins] I would not even go in to dinner.
I trembled for to-morrow, especially when I found myself
-very feverish. . . .

" I was much better, though with little appetite, all
yesterday, and to-day am doing my appointed work,
though I suppose I am not very vigorous. I took an
.early Celebration at 7.30, and am preaching twice. I start
.dreadfully early to-morrow, joining the Mirfield party
[Mr. and Mrs. H. W. How and their eldest son] at
Mirfield. . . .

" I wish Rudyard Kipling had omitted the last verse
in his recessional hymn. It would, I think, be better
without it."

The celebration he took that Sunday morning, the last

, of many in his fifty years' ministry, was in the chapel of

the Home for Girls, at St. John's, Wakefield.* He then

preached at the Cathedral in the morning and at Wren-

thorpe at night.

The Bishop had taken a house in County Mayo for the
month of August, and had greatly looked forward to
having many members of his family round him while
there. Looking back upon the time, earlier in the year,
when he was making his holiday arrangements, it is
remembered how eager he was to have some house that
summer which would be large enough to take in a good
many of his family, and how often he said, " I want this
holiday to be a specially good one " : it was as if he were
feeling sure that it would be the last. The position of the
house he had taken was quite after his own heart.

* A handsome brass has been placed in the chapel as a memorial of this.

The Last Year 367

Surrounded by magnificent scenery, it stood just above
(the Dhulough, some two or three miles from Killary
Harbour. His hoHdays were almost always spent among
mountains, rivers, and lakes, and here were all three in
greatest beauty.

The party assembled for the first fortnight were
Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Norris and their eldest boy, Mr. and
Mrs. F. D. How, Mr. and Mrs. H. W. How and their
eldest boy, and Mr. F. A. W. How. Others of the family
were to have come in their turn, and to have spent the
second fortnight with him.

On Tuesday August 2 the Bishop arrived, having
broken the journey by sleeping the night at Dublin, and
it was noticed that he looked exceedingly white and tired,
but it was hoped that a few days in that lovely spot
would recruit him thoroughly. The next day, Wednesday,
he went out fishing in a boat on the lough after tea, and
killed a few good sea-trout, feeling afterwards rather
better than he had done for some time. On the Thursday
there were heavy rainstorms, and the Bishop did not go
out. The entry in his diary for this day is :

" Very seedy all day. Could not go out."

On Friday there occurs, the last entry ever made by
him.

" Rather better, but very limp."

He proposed to go out again on the lough that evening
with one of his sons, but, when tea-time came, he felt too
poorly, and went to bed early.

He never came downstairs again. A doctor was sent
for from Leenane, the other side of Killary Bay, and he
gave a cheering report, saying that he quite hoped that

368 Bishop Walsham How

the choleraic attack, from which the Bishop was suffering,
would be easily conquered, and that he would be up and
about again in a couple of days. All Saturday and Sunday
the Bishop was very drowsy, and could not take any
nourishment to speak of, but the doctor, who visited him
constantly, did not even then take alarm. On Monday
morning it was thought wise to telegraph for Dr. Lett
from Wakefield, and for the Bishop's daughter, neither
of whom was able to arrive till it was too late.

All that day the Bishop was exceedingly heavy with a
kind of stupor. When any of his family came into the
room his great desire seemed to be that they should
leave him alone, and his one remark, made constantly all
through the day, was, " Good-night, I don't want any-
thing, thank you."

At luncheon time he seemed a little better, and the
doctor had gone away giving a more cheerful account, so
that the Bishop's eldest son, who had been with him all
the morning, went out in a boat on the lough.

He had not, however, been gone for more than half
an hour when he was hurriedly summoned back, and
found his father apparently in a state of collapse, the pulse
stopping every few beats, and the general symptoms being
most alarming. The doctor was sent for at once, but did
not arrive for some hours, during which time the Bishop
revived slightly, and the doctor fancied, when he saw him,
that there had been unnecessary fear. Shortly afterwards,
however, a fresh collapse came on, and the doctor became
thoroughly alarmed. He stayed all that night, trying by
every means to revive the strength of his patient. In the
very early hours of the morning (Tuesday, August 10)
he found that all his efforts were unavailing, and told the
Bishop's family that he could do no more. At this time

The Last Year 369

the Bishop was exceedingly restless, trying to throw off
the bed-clothes, and it was very doubtful how far he was
aware of his surroundings. He held the hand of one of
his sons for a long time, and, on some one in the room
expressing a doubt as to whether he knew who was
present, he raised the hand to his lips — the last act of
which it could be certain that he was conscious.

It became clearer every moment that the end was
approaching, and his three sons, two daughters-in-law,
and his Chaplain, the Rev. W. F. Norris, gathered together
in his room. By this time the great restlessness had
ceased, and the breathing was becoming a little more
difficult. The Holy Communion was celebrated by Mr.
Norris, who said afterwards that he felt sure that the
Bishop was aware of what was taking place, as he slightly
turned his head to receive the Sacrament.

At half-past seven, while all were kneeling quietly
round his bed, Bishop Walsham How died : there was
no pain, no struggle : just one last breath, and all was
over. The commendatory prayer was said by Mr. Norris,
who had also performed the same office just ten years
before by the death-bed of Mrs. How, this being one of
many similarities between the deaths of the Bishop and
Mrs. How. Both took place somewhat suddenly during
the August holiday, and both in the midst of lovely
scenery : one occurring in the first Jubilee year 1887, and
the other in the Diamond Jubilee year 1897.

After his death the Bishop was dressed in his full
episcopal robes, with his hands clasped as if in prayer,
and it was thus that his daughter, Mrs. Kenyon, saw him
for the last time, when she arrived, an hour or two after
Dr. Lett, on the afternoon of August 10.

It was decided that the funeral was to be at Whitting-

2 A

370 Bishop Walsham How

ton, as he had always wished, in the plot of ground that
had been kept for him beside his wife. The people of
Wakefield were affectionately anxious that he should be
buried in the Cathedral there, but it was felt that his own
frequently expressed desire ought to prevail.

The little telegraph office at Leenane was busy all day
sending and receiving telegrams, and, indeed, had to be
kept open till a late hour, so continuous was the stream
of messages. The last batch, which included a gracious
telegram of sympathy from the Queen, did not arrive at
Dhulough until after midnight. Among other messages
received were those from H.R.H. Princess Christian,
from the Mayor and citizens of Wakefield, and from the
two Archdeacons and many of the clergy and laity of the
diocese. One layman and neighbour telegraphed, "Am
bowed down with grief," and that was the note that was
struck by all. So many had lost a dear friend : a feeling
that was more than once expressed in the words, " I feel
as if I had lost a near relation."

The funeral had to take place on Thursday, August 12,
only two days after the Bishop's death, and it seems
marvellous that this was possible, considering that
Dhulough Lodge was in the far west of Ireland, and was
nearly twenty miles from a railway. That the journey
was made, and everything smoothly carried out, was in
great measure due to the courtesy of the officials on the
various lines of railway, who seemed as if they could not
do enough to show their respect for one whom most of
them knew by name, and many by sight.

At a little before four o'clock on a lovely afternoon the
train arrived at Whittington in Shropshire, and was met
by a large number of relations and friends of the family,
as well as by the village choir and a number of clergy in

The Last Year 371

surplices. A simple wheel-bier decorated with flowers
received the coffin, and was propelled by Whittington
men, who had been schoolboys when Bishop Walsham
How was Rector of the parish. Slowly the procession
went on its way headed by the choir singing hymns ; past
the schools which he had been chiefly instrumental in
building forty-five years before : along the road so often
trodden by him between them and the Rectory ; past the
long wall and high holly hedge of the Rectory garden :
and so by the familiar way beside the old Castle Pools, to
the church where he had ministered for eight and twenty
years, and to the churchyard he had himself added. Here
a vast crowd of village folk and other friends were waiting:
and it was touching to see the numbers of women with
little children clinging to their skirts who had themselves
been schoolgirls when he was called away to his East
London work. It was all just what he would have
wished. There was an entire absence of any sort of
pomp. The dear old village looked its loveliest ; children
and flowers — two of the things he loved the best — were
everywhere in evidence : it was difficult for even those
who mourned him most not to feel a sense of thankful-
ness at the thought of laying him to rest, after a life of
ceaseless toil, where all was so much after his own heart
and where so many loved him well.

The service in the church was taken by the Rev. E. P.
Edmonds, Rector of Whittington, and the Lesson was
read by the Bishop of St. Asaph. Lord William Cecil,
representing the Queen, then laid a wreath from her
Majesty upon the coffin, and the procession streamed
out into the churchyard. Here the service was said by
the Archdeacon of Halifax and the Rev. W. F. Norris,
Vicar of Almondbury, both of whom were among the

372 Bishop Walsham How

number of the Bishop's examining chaplains, the Bishop
of St. Asaph giving the benediction at the close of the
service. Lovely flowers were sent in profusion from all
parts, but especially from the Wakefield Diocese, whence
also came many clerical and lay representatives. The
large number of people present would doubtless have
been greatly increased had it not been for the necessity
of hurrying on the funeral, many persons not even
hearing of his illness, much less his death, until they
heard also that he had been laid to rest.

A tall churchyard cross, some eighteen feet high, with
the figure of the Good Shepherd in the centre of the
actual cross, and the pastoral staff and mitre on the
slender octagon shaft, has been erected over the two
graves, so that the villagers of Whittington may be
constantly reminded, as they pass by, of " Mr. and Mrs.
How," who for so many years loved their country parish,
and " did what they could," looking upon it to the last as
their home.

After Bishop Walsham How's death there were of
course numberless tributes to his memory in sermons and
speeches as well as in the newspapers.

That from Truth was perhaps the most concise, as
it was one of the most appreciative. In this he is
described as

"A thoroughly good, single-hearted man — downright and up-
right— who possessed the very rare gift of speaking and preaching
straight to the popular sense and popular spirit of all classes of

his hearers He was himself a sound High Churchman,

but entirely tolerant and wide-minded in all his views. He was,
moreover, distinguished for his common sense. Throughout life

his great object was to do his duty thoroughly His character

was remarkable for its affectionateness, simplicity, generosity,

The Last Year 373

and courage. There was an entire absence of meanness, self-
seeking, or ill-nature. In private life he was the most charming
of men."

To these few words, showing an entire knowledge of
the man, little can be added.

Whatever he did he did with all his might. He wasted
none of his time, he grudged none of his strength. Those
who were much with him scarcely realised how his
vitality, his energy, his love, his self-denying humility,
permeated the whole atmosphere in which he lived, until
he had entered into his rest, and they were left alone with
memory.

When the Northern Convocation met at York in
February 1898, the Archbishop called together the two
Houses, and those who were present describe the speeches
then delivered by the Archbishop (Dr. Maclagan) and the
Bishop of Ripon (Dr. Boyd Carpenter) as being splendid
oratorical utterances. No better summary of Bishop
Walsham How's life and work, no more touching tribute
to his memory could be conceived, and no memoir of
him would be complete that did not contain the words
spoken on that occasion. The following report is taken
from the Guardian of February 23, 1898 ;

*' Thursday, February 17.
" Meeting in Full Synod.

" The two Houses met in full synod in Archbishop Zouche's
Chapel. There were present all the members of the Upper
House. Litany was said in Latin.

"The Late Bishop of Wakefield.

" The President : It is with a sorrowful heart that I remind
you of the great loss which has been sustained by this Convo-
cation since we last met by the withdrawal from amongst us of

374 Bishop Walsham How

Bishop Walsham How. It was my privilege and my happiness
to enjoy for more than thirty years his intimate friendship. From
the happy days when we were both parish priests, he in his widely
scattered but not otherwise large parish on the borders of Wales,
and within sight of her beautiful mountains, and I in a poor and
populous district in the south of London, it was always a happi-
ness to be allowed to pay him a visit, and I am certain that I
never returned from visiting him at Whittington without bringing
some blessing with me. In trying to recall to myself and to
remind you of some characteristics of his personality and his work
and his life, I think the first thing that strikes me is the recollec-
tion of a kind of bright seriousness about the man. You remember
all of you the habitual expression of his face. It seemed always
ready to develop into a smile. Yet there was nothing weak about
it. He was a strong man, was Walsham How. But with all that
brightness there was a very deep seriousness. And one thing
that I remember very well was the readiness with which his
conversation would always turn from the most commonplace
matters towards higher things. It needed but a suggestion and
that face became beautifully serious, and immediately his mind
and his conversation rose far above the level of ordinary human
life. And as a counterpart to that bright seriousness there was
what I may call a chastened humour. You know how humorous
he was. Never was this more evident than when he was parish
priest of Whittington. As I used to drive about with him from
place to place in his parish in a very humble little chaise, which
was all he had in those days, every now and then something that
we passed on the road, or some person we passed on the road, was
made the occasion for some charming story full of humour. It
was a delight to hear it coming from such lips. And his personal
kindness with his people, which enabled him to recall these
stories, was one of the strongest points in his ministry. And yet
with all his humour he never said anything that was really unkind.
He could express himself in terms of very strong, righteous
indignation at what was wrong or unjust or untrue ; but unkind-
ness to any person I never heard come from his Hps. I think I
may say — and it is a great thing to say, but I believe it is true —
that I cannot recall having heard him say a single word that his
Master would have been vexed to hear. Amongst the features of

The Last Year 375

his work— and his work and his life really were so interwoven
that it is difficult to separate the one from the other — was his
great diligence. He loved his work and he did it with happiness.
It never seemed to be a burden to him, and yet he was a very
busy man indeed. And one of the secrets of his success, I think,
was his great promptitude in everything he did. He never wasted
a moment in idle thought ; but if he felt that he had anything to
do it must be done at once, and he did it. And then, again, he
was a most careful husbandman of time ; and there are few more
valuable characteristics in a parish priest than that. I remember
very well how after his family prayers and before the early break-
fast of his household he would go to a little side table — if I
remember rightly, a desk at which he stood — and until breakfast
was quite ready he would be writing half a dozen little notes that
required to be written, filling up in this way the vacant spaces of
time. It was an evidence of his great diligence and promptitude,
and I am quite sure that this helped him greatly in doing - so
much as he did during his earthly life. He was, I think, if I
remember rightly, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years in
Whittington, and yet he was perfectly and absolutely contented to
remain in that little parish ; a man who must have been conscious
in himself of powers that were able to cope with a greater work,
as the world itself saw afterwards. He was not a man who for a
moment claimed to be a great theologian, but he was a most
careful student of theology ; and when at last the call came to
him — and I was privileged in being the messenger who first
carried to him that he was to be Bishop of the East of London —
he accepted it with the greatest diffidence in his own powers, but
with a perfect readiness to do whatever work God might have in
store for him ; for he was a man with a very humble estimate of
himself, and often sought advice from those whom he might very
well have advised under similar circumstances. And one thing
more — because I do not wish to detain you, and there are others
who will speak to you on the subject— there was a softness and
strength combined in his character which shows itself, I think,
very beautifully in the hymns which he has left as a perpetual
treasure to the Church. (Cheers.) I do not know that among any
of the hymn-writers of our day there is one who has so completely
presented in his hymns the best spirit of the nineteenth-century

Bishop Walsham How

Church — (cheers) — a man warmly attached to what was ancient and
keenly appreciative of what was new — bringing out of his treasure
things new and old. I should like to end with a word of hope.
We all of us feel the great loss that we have sustained. I con-
tinually remember him, and think how much I would give to
shake his hand once more and look in his beautiful face, and
hear his beautiful voice, and have fellowship again with him in
that fellowship we enjoyed for more than thirty years. But, on
the other hand, it is a comfort to us to know, from our own
experience, that, however great the losses are which the Church of
England suffers in this way from time to time, there are always
ready some who are called by God's providence to fill the vacant
place, and to fill it well. It is very remarkable, looking back on
the history of the Church of England within the last thirty or
forty years, how unexpectedly, sometimes, a vacant place has been
filled. Sometimes not to our satisfaction at the moment, but
after years of experience leaving with us the conclusion that it was
filled by the very man for the place. We are not all of the same
type, and we cannot expect another Walsham How to be found
when his place is vacant, but there are other men who have charac-
teristics which may have been wanting in him. He did not
profess or wish to be regarded as a perfect man. So far as his
personality went he did his work to the best of his power. But
it is well sometimes that a man of another turn of mind, but with
the same deep sense of what is holy and right and true and just,
and with the same earnest desire to serve his Master, but with
different powers and different capacities, should fill the vacant
place. So it has been in many instances within the last thirty
years, and so we may well believe it will continue to be. (Cheers.)
The great goodness of God to our Church of England, even in
these matters of appointments, I will not say of bishops only, but
to other positions in the Church, with all the drawbacks there will
be, and some failures that there will always be — but yet, through-
out the course of these thirty years there has been a remarkable
evidence of God's goodness to us in the matter of the men he has
placed in vacant positions, and it is a matter, I think, for our
deepest thankfulness. (Cheers.) I know no department of life
to which the words of the poet more strictly or happily apply,
Uno avulso non deficit alter. And so, my brethren, while we

The Last Year 377

regret, and most deeply regret, the loss we have sustained in his
removal from us to another world, where he will find not only
rest, but, as we well believe, scope for the exercise of 'his beautiful
faculties and capacities, while we mourn his loss from among us,
let us be of good heart. He is only waiting for us in a higher
sphere of the Church of Christ, still one of ourselves, still in closest
fellowship with us, thinking of us undoubtedly while we are met
together here to-day ; praying for us — can we for a moment doubt
it ? — in that nearer presence of his Master and ours, and so still
strengthening us, though he is absent from us ; he may be able to
use the words and thoughts of St. Paul when he says — " I am
with you, beholding your order and the steadfastness of your
faith in Christ." (Cheers.)

" The Bishop of Ripon : I feel there is intrusted to me a task
the discharge of which, I am quite sure, all of you who are
present to-day can little envy me. It is always difficult to cast
one's mind back and consider the days that are gone and those
who were with us labouring in a dear fellowship without that
species of emotion which more or less upsets the balance of
one's thoughts and disturbs the equanimity of one's heart. Will
you allow me at the outset to say that in anything which I say
to-day there is not lacking one whit more in the warmth of the
welcome which we accord to the successor of Bishop Walsham
How because we are constrained by the affection which we bore
to his predecessor to speak first of the loss we have sustained ? I
cannot claim the right to speak more than others except, perhaps,
for this accident — that out of my own diocese of Ripon there was
carved the new diocese of which he was the first and the able
Bishop. In the providence of God there have been given to the
English Church bishops of various types. There have not been
wanting those whom we may describe as learned bishops, whose
vast erudition and whose guiding scholarship have been the glory
of their age and the delight of the years that have followed. We
have had Archbishop Ussher ; we have had Bishop Lightfoot.
But the Church has also been dowered with another class of
bishop — men of robust understanding, of keen intelligence, of
logical force, who have buttressed up the strength of the bulwarks
of the Church by some powerful work of theology. And so
we have had in our day, in the goodness of God's providence,

378 Bishop Walsham How

bestowed upon us men like Bishop Butler and men like Bishop
Thirlwall, whose strong force and robust and vigorous intellects
have been the great refuges for the weak and the doubtful. We
have had also the brilliant eloquence of men whose eloquent
speech has flowed up like a great flood, and has carried refresh-
ment wherever it has gone to attract and persuade the souls of
men — men like Jeremy Taylor, men like Bishop Wilberforce, men,
your Grace, like your illustrious predecessor. But we are thankful
to add that in the order of God's providence there has been
another type of bishop, which also has not been wanting as God's
gift to us — the man of devout spirit, of cultivated intelligence, of
persistent piety ; the man of the type, I may say, of Archbishop
Benson, or Bishop Ken. And if we were to describe the place
which Bishop Walsham How would be likely to take in the great
order of prelates I have described, I think we should assign him
a place beside Bishop Ken. God had bestowed upon him, as
your Grace has remarked, certain special gifts — a sobriety of
judgment, a happy mirthfulness of spirit, a kindly disposition,
and untiring diligence. But there was another gift, your Grace,
to which, if I understand rightly, you did not do more than give
an indirect allusion — a gift of a rare and precious sort, the gift, I
mean, of being able to interpret the piety of the people to the
heart of the people. For this it is, I imagine, which has given
that very wide circulation to those happily conceived and simply
written books which have been the sustaining strength and guide
and help to many a confirmation candidate and many a young
beginner in ministerial life. (Cheers.) Added to this there was
that happy gift of sacred song, by which he was able to give ex-
pression to the secret aspirations of the Church ; and i think
there must be a melancholy suggestion in contemplating this —
that almost with his last breath he voiced the great Jubilee thanks-
giving of the people of this country, and they were the words
which he had written which were sung in every parish church in
England. (Cheers.) And if those gifts were bestowed upon him,
one turns for one moment to the life in which the use of those
gifts was seen. In the quiet little parish to which your Grace
has alluded he wrought with a diligence which has been abun-
dantly attested by those who knew him, dispensing his hospitality,
living in that simple and diligent and non-self-seeking fashion

The Last Year 379

which made his life somewhat resemble that of those earlier
Fathers of the Church, of which Ken and Richard Hooker and
John Keble are examples. And then he is called from that
simple little parish to the choking and overflowing population of the
great East of London, to become a conspicuous example of the
truth of that axiom which underlies all English wisdom, that a man
who is fit for one post is fit for almost any other post, and if the
stuff and the quality be in the man, you need not be afraid to trust
him, even though the sphere of his work be considerably changed.
And that is what we saw in him. The diligence with which he
pursued his work in the East of London, the way in which he
organised and revived the interest of Churchmen in that most
diflficult part of the metropolis, is now already a matter of past
history ; till there came that other post, which brought him into
our midst, and once more altered, so to speak, the atmosphere of
his life, and at the time of life he did it required courage, and
was again a test of the qualities which were in the man. If I
may say it in the North, it is said that Yorkshire is a somewhat
difficult county for a southern or a western mind to grow acclima-
tised to. But whatever the difficulties of northern atmosphere
there may have been, he so lived and he so wrought, and his
example was so clearly read and understood, that ere he passed
away men had learned to trust him, little children to welcome
him, and the people to love him. (Cheers.) Your Grace, and
my right rev. and rev, brethren, we have now lost him, and it only
remains for us to gather up, as it were, what were the experience
and the teaching of his example. There remains to us that price-
less legacy of sacred song ; and still evermore, as under his
guidance we sing it, it seems as though heaven's gates were
opening, and the great multitude from all quarters of the world
were hastening along the glorious avenue in and through the
crystal barriers, and still ever there is heard on each door the
silent knocking of that Christ who not only welcomes the dear
dead into His immediate presence, but seeks to find admission to
every human heart. And therefore, though we have lost him, we
have not lost the help of his example. We can still sing the songs
which he has left us. We can still draw experience from his
example ; and perhaps, your Grace, best of all we can trace with
grateful hearts that divine wisdom which showed us in the sweet

380 Bishop Walsham How-

sacred Ethos which pervaded all that he did that measure
of the Spirit of Christ that was in him. I would venture, with
your Grace's permission, to submit this resolution : —

" ' That this meeting of the joint Houses of the Convocation of
York desires to place upon record its deep sense of the loss which
has been sustained by the Church at large and by the Northern
Province by the death of the Right Rev. W. Walsham How,
Bishop of Wakefield, whose diligent ministrations, sober counsels,
and living voice of sacred song have left the Church a debtor to
that divine love and wisdom which consecrated and inspired his
life.' "

The memorial to Bishop Walsham How which has
been set on foot, and which is, it is hoped, to be supported
by his friends in all parts of the country, is the enlarge-
ment of Wakefield Cathedral. For this, and for a recum-
bent effigy of the Bishop, a large sum is needed, but no
more fitting memorial to the first bishop of the diocese
could easily be found. The fine old parish church was
created a cathedral at the time of the formation of the
See, but it is far too small for the purpose. It is, however,
exceedingly good, as far as it goes, and to convert it into
a really fine edifice would be a grand and lasting monu-
ment to its first bishop. Many who loved to see his
white head bowed in prayer, in the throne which Wake-
field hands erected for him, will do their utmost to further
the work ; many others, too, who will remember his
labours in various parts of the country, will like to aid in
such a national project as the completion of his Cathedral
Church.

A beautiful idea (originating with the Rev. A. E. Jalland,
Vicar of Woolley) is also being carried out — the Bishop's
numerous children-friends being invited to put up a
window, or some other memorial, in the enlarged
cathedral to the " Children's Bishop."

CHAPTER XXV

THE BISHOP AS AN AUTHOR

By far the greater portion of the Bishop's works were
written while he was Rector of Whittington. It was
as the author of "Plain Words" that he first became
known to the public. As has been already stated, the
first series of these well known publications consisted
of short sermons written for use at family prayers in his
father's house. They were sold to Messrs. Wells Gardner,
the publishers, or rather, they were purchased by the
predecessor of Mr. Wells Gardner, whose partner, Mr.
Darton, describes the first and second series of " Plain
Words" as among the most popular, and certainly the
most useful, sermons ever issued. It would be interesting,
were it possible, to know how often they have been
preached by others than their author. On one occasion
Mrs. How and one of her sons were present at a service
in a church at a little seaside place, and the officiating
clergyman was proceeding happily with the sermon
when he caught sight of Mrs. How, with whom he was
acquainted. He stopped for a moment, looked some-
what confused, and then, before his next sentence, put in
the remark, " As a writer of the present day observes."
It was a sermon out of " Plain Words."
Two further series were afterwards issued, making four

382 Bishop Walsham How

in all, and so lately as Easter 1897 the Bishop received
an anonymous letter saying :

" I feel a desire to thank you for the help your writings have
been to me, and especially at this time for your volume on prayer
[* Plain Words,' series iv.] which has been read daily in our church
this Lent."

The next work of importance was his commentary on
the Four Gospels, written at the request of the S.P.C.K.,
and published by that Society as one volume of their
Commentary on the Bible. He began this arduous task
in July 1863, and finished it in June 1868 — just five years'
work. The book was on the whole exceedingly well
received. The Rock described it as the best commentary
in so small a space yet seen. His power of extreme
plainness of language enabled him to undertake success-
fully what was at the time described as " the most difficult
task that can be assigned to any one " — viz., to write a
" plain commentary." The criticism most frequently met
with was that of " omitting " various matters. Probably
this was a fault belonging to the very nature of a short
commentary, and unavoidable. The sale of this book has
reached the considerable total of 223,000.

In 1874 he was at work upon the book which has had,
possibly, the greatest influence of any of his writings —
viz., " Pastor in Parochia."

In an article in Church Bells, Mr. Darton says that
both they (the publishers) and the author thought that
it would have but a limited sale. Few of the Church
papers (the Literary Churchman excepted) noticed it
favourably. But in spite of this the book rapidly gained
popularity, and the publishers were able in a few years'
time to show that the sale of " Pastor in Parochia " and

The Bishop as an Author 383

" The Priest's Prayer-Book " was so large as to imply
that every clergyman in the Church must possess one
or the other of them.

It was once said that nine out of ten of the younger
clergy have been " brought up on * Pastor in Parochia/ "
but it has appealed to a wider class than the clergy, and
has been valued by laymen also in their hour of trouble
or sickness. The following letters are of interest as
showing the value the book has obtained in the eyes of
men of various conditions.

" Addington Vicarage, Croydon.
"My dear Sir,

" You will hardly remember me. I had the pleasure of
meeting you when I was Secretary of the Tract Committee of
S.P.C.K. and also had some correspondence with you about the
Commentary, in which I am doing ' the Acts.'

" I write now because I am sure it will give you pleasure to
hear the inexpressible comfort the dear archbishop [Longley]
found in my readings to him from your ' Pastor in Parochia.' The
chapters which he liked best were those on Crosses and on Death.
Ail the prayers which I used seemed to comfort him more than I
can tell you.

'• For some hours yesterday I stood by him and read the sen-
tences and ejaculations, and his looks and movement of his hands
showed how fully he entered into them. The book has been a
great comfort to the family since. I am sure you will be glad to
know this of one so dearly loved as he was, and I therefore make
no apology for writing to you. So touching and beautiful a death

falls perhaps to the lot of few men to see.

*****

" I remain, my dear Sir,

" Yours very faithfully,

."W. BENHAM."

Canon Benham remembers the archbishop whispering,
" Sweet, sweet," over the " reading " beginning, " You
have a Cross to bear."

384 Bishop Walsham How

"The Rectory, Witney, Oxon., yune 2, 1897.

"My very dear Bishop,

"This note requires no acknowledgment whatever; but

you won't blame me for yielding to an impulse, and telling you

something about your ' Pastor in Parochia.' We have a sad case

of cancer in the mouth. The sufferer is a man of the woolstapler

class, who used to hunt and keenly ' enjoy life.' His malady has

developed very rapidly, and he has now, when I am with him, to

wrife his words. Well, his constant companion is your book,

which seems to have been, both in this and in a previous great

trial, the greatest help both to him and to his wife. When I use

it at his bed-side, he likes me to see that he has it open at the same

page, and this appears to be both a pleasure and an assistance to

his thoughts. Your book being chiefly in usum deri^ I was struck

with the discovery that a layman, in extreme suffering, had made

it his companion and invaluable friend.

*****

" Yours, my dear Bishop,

" Ever affectionately,

"W. FOXLEY NORRIS."

" March 12, 1884.

"My Lord Bishop,

" I have long wished to tell you how invaluable a book
your ' Pastor in Parochia ' has been for a very great many years to
me, and to relations, friends and neighbours in different parts of
the world, and to poor uneducated people cut off from religious
help and instruction in the bush of Australia.

" But I find it impossible to tell in a letter what light and hope
issued on two very different paths, whose end was death — death
made easier by your book.

" One, a young Christian mother, who had to tear herself from a
devoted husband, and the anxious care of five little children.
Her dying gift to her husband when, after a life of bodily suffering
she unreservedly resigned herself to the will of God and said
good-bye, was a worn copy of ' Pastor in Parochia,' every pencil
mark revealing, after her death, the secret history of the life of her
soul, its crucifixion, and the strength and comfort you helped to
give her in your book.

The Bishop as an Author 385

" The other case in which your book was of value — a soul, I
am inclined to think, that did not know God, brought to His feet
by the agonies and horrors of cancer in the face. ...
*****

" It is an unusual thing for a stranger to write you such a letter
as this, but it has long been in my heart to thank you for your
book, a treasure I give to bride, widow, all in trouble or difficulty,
and feel it is the best help I know how to give next to a Bible or
Prayer-book, and one of the greatest blessings of my life from
girlhood to age, as wife, mother, mistress of a household, and the
neighbour of poor uneducated people isolated in the bush, without
a living ' Pastor in Parochia.'

" Yours very truly,

The " Manual for the Holy Communion," compiled by
the Bishop, and published first in 1878 by the S.P.C.K.,
is well known and must be very widely used. No less
than 237,000 copies were sold in the first eight years
after its publication, the total at the present day being
657,000.

There were numerous smaller books of sermons and
addresses issued by him at various dates, such as his
" Pastoral Work " (originally delivered at Cambridge),
for which Bishop Christopher Wordsworth promised a
place "with St. Gregory and George Herbert," and his
"Words of Good Cheer." In 1892 Messrs. Sampson
Low and Co. brought out a volume of his sermons in their
series of " Preachers of the Age." The second of these
sermons, called "The Bible and Science," was the
sermon preached before the British Association in Man-
chester Cathedral on September 4, 1887, exactly one
week after the death of his wife. It is perhaps the best
serm.on, intellectually, he ever preached. Mr. Gladstone
and the late Professor Huxley were both much struck by
it, and the latter in his book on "Science and the

2 B

386 Bishop Walsham How

Christian Tradition," mentions this sermon, and says of
the Bishop that he was one of the only people who so
treated of religion and science that he (Professor Huxley)
felt he could go with them.

The Bishop, in the course of this sermon, said that the
subject of the Bible in relation to science was so vast,
that he wished to select some one point for illustration.
The point he selected was the theory of evolution. On
this question he said that there were undoubtedly facts
and arguments in its favour which it would be silly to
despise, and which to many scientific men appeared to
possess all but conclusive weight.

He warned people against saying, "All such-like specu-
lations are straight against God's word, and therefore
utterly untrue," reminding them how great an injury to
the cause of religion was done in former days by the
stolid resistance of the Church to the discoveries of
astronomy as being opposed to the Bible ; and how
recent were the silly denunciations uttered against
geology because it taught that the days of Creation
signify vast periods of time.

" God's Word," he said, " in abstaining from scientific
revelations, is simply adapting itself to our understand-
ings, in the same way that it does when it speaks of God
Himself in anthropomorphic language, ascribing to Him
the members of a human body, that we may see, as it
were, a shadow of His actings on the wall."

Later on he says that it seems to him that religion and
science revolve in different orbits, but that these orbits
cut one another at certain points. The origin of man
is one of those matters on which God speaks to us both
by His Word and by His works. It was, therefore, one of

The Bishop as an Author 387

the points of contact and of possible collision, and had
to be considered very carefully. For argument's sake, he
was willing to suppose the theory of evolution to be
fully established. He would suppose that we are taught
by the teaching of God's handwriting in His works to
look upon man as the latest development of a structure
and system of which we trace back the rudiments and
gradual growth through ten thousand earlier and pro-
gressive forms of life.

" What then ? " asked the Bishop. " Why, then this
was the wonderful way in which * the Lord God formed
man out of the dust of the ground.' We then behold
God creating by evolution instead of by isolated and un-
connected acts of creative energy. . . . What if God had
chosen to let His creatures ripen by slow degrees into more
and more perfect forms, until one was produced which in
His wisdom He counted fit for the inbreathing of an im-
mortal spirit ? ... To me it seems quite possible to recon-
cile the theory of physical evolution in the case of man's
outward organism with the dignity which the fiat of the
Creator's will has bestowed upon the being whom He
made to be a new creature in the splendid dowry of his
spiritual and intellectual powers."

These extracts will show the line taken by the preacher
on the subject which he boldly selected for his sermon
before the British Association — a sermon which ended
with a fervent appeal to his hearers to come and see the
things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have
entered into the heart of man, but from the sight of
which they should go back to their science rich with nevy
treasures of wisdom, strong with new life and power,

388 Bishop Walsham How

glad with new hope, and worshipping not Nature, but
Nature's God.

As a writer for, and preacher to, children, Bishop
Walsham How excelled, as any one who had ever seen
him in the company of children would have imagined.
Some remarks on this gift of the Bishop's were once
made by the Rev. B. Waugh, author of " Sunday Even-
ings with my Children," &c., who has been good enough
to put them on paper and allow them to be published
here. Mr. Waugh says :

" Bishop Walsham How was that rare thing, an excellent
preacher to children, because he was concise and vivid, and had
an earnest and thrilling belief in the greatness and goodness of his
purpose. One of the striking marks of all his methods was the
use which he always made of the knowledge his small hearers
already possessed, which he elicited at every possible place in his
sermon by putting to them a question and awaiting their answer,
or saying the greater part of a sentence and pausing for them to
complete it. Capital specimens of these ways are ' Twelve Years
Old,' and ' Palm Sunday ' [" Plain Words to Children "].

" Mere sonorousness, unctuousness, or tone of priestly authority
he never used. His authority was the holiness and delightfulness
of the things he was saying, which he himself first felt intensely
enough for them to radiate out of him. His sermon was of his
life.

" He always assumed that the bright round faces before him,
made lovely by their air of expectancy, were bred and born to
Christian ideas which he sought to arouse and feed and guide
amid the duties and daily scenes of youthful life. A joyous
servant of Jesus himself, he sought to make children share his joy
and service. Yet few preachers to children were more practical
and matter-of-fact than was Dr. How. He sought to produce no
visionaries. The great God was another homely father ; heaven,
an extension of their kindly home. Duty and effort in all sorts of
ordinary ways took the place of dreams and ecstasies.

" The underlying power of all his sermons was the greatness of

The Bishop as an Author 389

his reverence for childhood. It was an instinct with him, rather
than an act, to guard and tend its sacred flame, one which did
not follow but set a fashion. When he first began to share his
public ministry with children, beyond their submission to its rites
and the task-work of its catechisms, the Church had little for
them.

'' I remember him saying how, then, his ecclesiastical superiors
remonstrated with him. They considered his venture undignified
and wasteful. Evangelical Dissenters, too, were without services
for children, not considering children quite lost enough to be
saved. Dr. How rejoiced to see the day when all this was changed,
and to the Good Shepherd's command, ' Feed my Sheep,' the
Church at large had added, ' Feed my Lambs.' I remember his
saying at a public meeting, ' I love this century for it has been
the children's century.'

" In this he declai-ed what was the secret of his attractiveness as
a preacher to children. He was no ' stranger ' to them. The
voice of a stranger they will not hear. Children knew him ; they
were his own. The light and warmth of his feelings towards
them was a transparent medium through which they saw him and
understood his thoughts, as they saw their fathers and mothers
and understood their thoughts.

" To the little, silent, closely sitting children, the sound of his
sermon was quite different from the sermons of others, mainly
because their place in the soul of the preacher was quite different
from that they held in other preachers. He was in them and they
were in him. When the congregation had broken up the memory
of what he said was the memory of him, and it was a pleasant
memory, and a memory for life.

" As their teacher by music he has almost exceeded himself as
a teacher by sermons. He has given to children's lips the lan-
guage of a children's faith and love. His hymns are not mere
religious thoughts expressed in pleasant verse and simple words,
they are children's religious thoughts. In this Dr. How was the
greatest of a new tribe of sacred singers for childhood. He did
not versify dogma but feelings, and did it in the manner and
to the capacities of a child.

" He made, to use the language of one of his sermons, ' straight
paths' for a child-soul, along which to go with its wonder, its

390 Bishop Walsham How

gratitude, its love, its joy, to the feet of God with natural spon-
taneous delight. In his hymns he will long live to speak immortal
truths for children, and to promote their immortal life. He was
indeed the Children's Bishop."

In connection with the Bishop's writings for children,
the following letter from Miss Sewell, the authoress, is
particularly interesting, and bears out the opinions ex-
pressed in the above appreciation.

" ASHCLIFF, BONCHURCH, I.W., Fch. 10.

" Dear Lord Bishop,

" My sister has shown me your note. It was she who
wrote to you ; but may I be allowed to say that I quite feel with
her in regard to the ' Plain Words for Children.' They are so
entirely what was wanted, and speak so touchingly to the little
hearts for whose help they were written. You will have the
thanks of hundreds of parents and friends, if not uttered to your-
self, yet which you will value far more, acknowledged in gratitude
to God.

" You are very kind in what you say of myself. My writing
days are very nearly over, but it is a great pleasure to know that
anything one has said or done has in its day been useful.

" I am, my dear Lord Bishop,

" With great respect,

" Most sincerely yours,

"ELIZABETH M. SEWELL."

Reference has been made to the Bishop's lectures, and
these form almost the sole examples of his prose writings
on what may be called secular subjects. In these lectures
he gave full play to his humour, while at the same time
he explained in his own peculiarly simple language many
elementary scientific matters, in which he took great
delight.

The most characteristic of these " papers " was one

The Bishop as an Author 391

entitled "How I Learnt to See," originally delivered at a
conversazione of the Oswestry and Welshpool Naturalists'
Field Club in the former town on December 30, 1864.
Some extracts from this lecture will serve to give a
notion of the style employed by Mr. Walsham How (as
he then was) when treating of such subjects.
He begins thus :

" As soon as I was born I opened my eyes. But as I
was screaming violently at the time, I only opened them
a very little way, and then shut them tight up again, and
screamed rather more violently, which was the only way
I could think of to express my intense disgust at things
in general and the monthly nurse in particular.

*****

" I don't call that first peep seeing at all. It was just a
very unpleasant flash and glare and blaze of light, and
made me very cross. Next day I was calmer. It was
then that I made my first attempt at seeing. I looked,
and this is what I saw. A shapeless, formless, meaning-
less, chaotic conglomeration of colours and lights and
shades, like a great kaleidoscope gone mad. I could
make nothing of it. However, I stared hard and tried to
look as if I knew all about it, which a great many older
people do when fairly puzzled. ...

*****

" I think I got some dim notions of shape almost as
soon as of motion. The fact is I learnt to see shapes by
touch. I rather think I learnt my first ideas of form by
hitting at my mother, and my first ideas of hardness and
softness by comparing the effects of this far from un-
pleasant -process with those of like efforts expended upon
the side of my crib or the rim of my basin. Still, my

392 Bishop Walsham How

ideas of shape remained for some time decidedly vague,
and it was not till I had secretly made experiments as to
the power of grasping the middle of a flat tea-tray, which
I found I could feel but not grasp, and of getting hold of
a tree which was growing in the garden twenty yards
beyond the window, and which I found I could neither
feel nor grasp, that I began to study both form and
distance more carefully. The latter puzzled me vastly even
to a later date ; for I distinctly recollect, when I had learnt
my first accomplishment, which was to blowout a candle,
I was shown the moon through a window, and tried with
some meritorious perseverance to blow it out. . . .

" My great stride in the knowledge of distances I con-
sider to have been made when I began to crawl. I felt
quite like a land surveyor or a civil engineer all at once.
I could take my observations, measure my ground, and
verify my calculations as much as I pleased. . . .
* # * * #

" I made the discovery that a piece of bread-and-butter
was an admirable contrivance for obscuring the vision
of one eye, being larger, softer, and of a decidedly more
advantageous shape than the end of my finger. * Now
is the time,' said I, 'for observations as to why I have
two eyes.' So I immediately obscured the vision of one
of my eyes with bread-and-butter, and looked. . . .
I then carefully removed the bread-and-butter to the
other eye. ... 'Ah!' I thought, 'I have got it! One
eye is ever so much more to one side than the other, so
that accounts for seeing round the corner ! ' I had
discovered that I was simply a living stereoscope, seeing
everything double, so that, by means of two slightly
different images of the same object, I might get a better
idea of shape and perspective, ♦ , .

The Bishop as an Author 393

" One of the most striking of the phenomena I solved
by experiment was observed cHnically — of course I mean
as I lay in bed. If the room was tolerably dark, I
noticed that, by staring at the window for a few moments,
and then turning to the dark side of the room, I could
see the shape of the window, bars and all, quite plainly
for a little while, where there was no window at all.
The only thing I could compare with this observation
was a playful experiment which my father used occasion-
ally to make with a seal upon the soft white places on my
hand and arm. The impression of the seal would re-
main, to my no little wonder and delight, for a few
moments, and then gradually die away like the image of
the window. So, having no other analogy to guide me, I
concluded that the light impressed itself upon the back
of my eye (I suppose I ought to say 'retina') just as the
seal upon my flesh."

In this chatty and amusing way the lecture proceeded
to explain one after another many of the simple pheno-
mena of sight, and ended with the following passage :

" We have never learnt to see aright until in His works
we evermore behold the love, and wisdom, and majesty
of God. I trust I shall not be blamed if I began lightly
and end gravely. I have learnt to see many good things,
many beautiful things, many wonderful things. And I
thank God. But I hope to learn to see better, more
beautiful, more wonderful things yet. Only not here."

This paper was not only appreciated by the audience
before whom it was read, but grave and intellectual men,
friends to whom the author sent copies, delighted in it.
Thus the late Archdeacon Norris of Bristol wrote :

394 ■ Bishop Walsham How

" The Abbey House, Bristol, 22/3/71.
" My dear How,

" What a humorous, playful, fascinating way you have of
making abstruse things flash their meanings upon one's mind ! . . .
I have been reading aloud your paper at luncheon : really it is
admirable, and must be published . . . that illustration of the
lingering of the image on the retina by the seal on the white
plump arm is perfectly delightful. And the conclusion, again, so
very graceful.

" Thank you again and again for sending it.

" Ever yours,
"J. P.N."

The Bishop's writings in verse are naturally more
diverse in character, a large number of his poems being
on other than religious subjects. But it was in hymn
writing that he reached his highest degree of excellence,
and it may be doubted whether he has not been better
known for his hymns than even for his " Plain Words "
and other prose writings. The Bishop of Ripon has most
kindly written a subsequent chapter on Bishop Walsham
How as a hymn writer, an invaluable contribution
from such a pen on such a subject.

To pass, then, to other verses. From his early boy-
hood Walsham How had written verses, some of which
have been referred to in the account of his young days.

His first volume of poetry was dedicated to his old
schoolmaster. Dr. Kennedy, who sent the following letter
of thanks :

" Shrewsbury, May 13, 1861.
*' My dear How,

" I thank you with warm affection for the kind words pre-
fixed with my name to your welcome volume of poetry. I read
them with dimmed eyes and grateful heart, and not until I had
recognised the author, not so much from handwriting as from a
known and striking little poem which caught my eye at page 80.

The Bishop as an Author 395

" What I have already read assures me that I shall often turn
with pleasure to the book, as expressing in the language of true
poetic feeling that with which my own tastes and habits of thought
make me sympathise.

" I hope it may please God that, by the living of West Felton,*
we may see more of each other. . . •

" Always most truly and gratefully,

" Your affectionate friend,

" BENJ. H. KENNEDY."

In 1886 a larger volume was published by Messrs.
Wells Gardner, containing all that the Bishop considered
worth making public. Many of these poems are full of
beautiful thoughts, and show a very tender appreciation
of the loveliness of Nature. They give proof besides of
a cultivated and elegant power of versification, but
seldom rise to the level of greatness.

Of special interest are the lines, "To the Primate
Designate," which were written on the news of the
nomination of the Bishop of Truro (Benson) to the
Primacy. They appeared in the Spectator in December
1882, and are included in the Bishop's published
" Poems."

Dr. Benson's letter of thanks is appended :

•' Truro, Jan, 19, 1883.
"My very dear Brother,

" I think you will find excuse in your kindness for my
long failure to acknowledge the very noble and striking lines which
you sent me — your contribution to the Spectator. I do thank you
for casting your good wishes for me into prayer, and so making
them into a birjo-is 'evepyovfievrj.f I can but ejaculate ttoXw
l(rxvot ! t And not ' for me ' but for the Church in her * ancient

* A parish in the neighbourhood of Whittington, to which Dr. Kennedy
had been appointed,
t " An effective prayer."
+ " May it greatly prevail."

396 Bishop Walsham How

newness.' For me it would be enough if I only may help you in
any measure in winning back the ' Christless thousands.' Thank
you again for carrying me along in your burst of intercession for
our mother.

" Ora — oras — oral) is.

" Y.ours in brotherly love,

" ED. TRURON."

Another excellent example of the Bishop's style is found
in the verses called " Poetry and the Poor," " which,"
wrote the Bishop in 1889, " I always consider about my
best bit."

POETRY AND THE POOR.

" The world is very beautiful ! " I said,

As yesterday, beside the brimming stream,*
Glad and alone, I watched the tremulous gleam

Slant through the wintry wood, green carpeted
With moss and fern and curving bramble spray,

And bronze the thousand russet margin reeds,
And in the sparkling holly glint and play,

And kindle all the briar's flaming seeds.

" The world is very horrible ! " I sigh,

As, in my wonted ways, to-day I thread
Chill streets, deformed with dim monotony,

Hiding strange mysteries of unknown dread —
The reeking court, the breathless fever den,

The haunts where things unholy throng and brood ;
Grim crime, the fierce despair of strong-armed men,

Child-infamy, and shameless womanhood.

And men have looked upon this piteous thing — '
Blank lives unvisited by beauty's spell —

And said, " Let be : it is not meet to bring
Dreams of sweet freedom to the prison cell.

* By the river below the churchyard at Salwarpe, Worcestershire. .

The Bishop as an Author 397

Sing them no songs of things all bright and fair,
Paint them no visions of the glad and free,
Lest with purged sight their miseries they see,

And through vain longings pass to black despair.

O brother, treading ever-darkening ways,

O sister, whelmed in ever-deepening care.
Would God we might unfold before your gaze

Some vision of the pure and true and fair !
Better to know, though sadder things be known.

Better to see, though' tears half-blind the sight.
Than thraldom to the sense, and heart of stone.

And horrible contentment with the night.

Oh 1 bring we then all sweet and gracious things
To touch the lives that lie so chill and drear.
That they may dream of some diviner sphere.

Whence each soft ray of love and beauty springs.
Each good and perfect gift is from above ;

And there is healing for earth's direst woes ;
God hath unsealed the springs of light and love,

To make the desert blossom as the rose.

He was exceedingly fond of writing sonnets, several of
which are to be found in his " Poems." Among the most
interesting of these are the nine sonnets written on various
East London clergymen. They are interesting not alone
for their poetry, but also as showing how warmly the
Bishop appreciated the good in men of vastly different
schools. To quote instances of this : Sonnet i. speaks of
the late Bishop Billing when Rector of Spitalfields :

*' Christ pleased not Himself," the Master's lore.
Bowed at His feet, full well the servant learnt ;
For in his breast a strong pure love there burnt.
That for unlovely souls but glowed the more.
Full many a wounded lamb he homeward bore.
As all night long he paced the desolate street,
Winning, with love most patient, far-strayed feet

39^ Bishop Walsham How

From the dark paths that they had known before.

Keen-eyed to judge, in action quick and sure,

No trumpet-blower, scorning all display,

Of simple life, a brother of the poor ;

Yet had he genial mood, and store of mirth,

And all the poor lads loved his kindly sway.

And knew they had one friend upon the earth.

Sonnet iv. speaks of the Rev. C. F. Lowder, late Vicar
of St. Peter's, London Docks :

Like some tall rock that cleaves the headlong might
Of turgid waves in full flood onward borne,
So stood he, fronting all the rage and scorn,
And calmly waiting the unequal fight.
He fashioned his ideal — stately rite.
High ceremonial, shadowing mystic lore ;
The Cross on high before the world he bore,
Yet lived to serve the lowliest day and night. ,
He could not take offence : men held him cold ;
Yet was his heart not cold, but strongly just,
And full of Christ-like love for young and old.
They knew at last, and tardy homage gave ;
They crowned him with a people's crown of trust ;
And strong men sobbed in thousands at his grave.

A friend of yet another school was Prebendary Harry
Jones, then Rector of St. George's in the East, Of him
in Sonnet v. the Bishop wrote :

The genial friend, the ever-welcome guest,
Of keenly flashing wit and strenuous mien.
With home ancestral in the woodlands green
Courting to rural joys and leisured rest ;
Yet this the dwelling-place he chose as best.
Where all the wild sea-life of many a coast
Flings on our river-marge its motley host
To swell the surge of sin and strife unblest.

The Bishop as an Author 399

What though from land to land he loves to roam

Keen-eyed and eager-hearted as a boy,

Yet evermore his heart is in his home ;

And there he rules with strong but gracious sway,

And sad men catch the infection of his joy

As cheery-voiced he greets them on their way.

One of the most beautiful of the Bishop's sonnets was
composed at Trondhjem on August 12, 1888. It runs
thus :

And was it there — the splendour I behold ?
This great fjord with its silver grace outspread
And thousand-creeked and thousand-islanded ?
Those far-off hills, grape-purple, fold on fold ?
For yesterday, when all day long there rolled
The blinding drift, methinks, had some one said
"The scene is fair," I scarce had credited ;
Yet fairer 'tis than any tongue hath told.
And it was there ! Ah, yes ! And on my way
More bravely I will go, though storm-clouds lour
And all my sky be only cold and grey ;
For I have learnt the teaching of this hour :
And when God's breath blows all these mists afar,
I know that I shall see the things that are.

Another favourite kind of poem was the narrative verse.
Of these the best known are " The Boy Hero," and " A
Tale of the London Mission," though Miss Jean Ingelow,
in the following letter, gives the palm to "Gentleman
John " :

" 6 Holland Villas, Kensington, Dec. 29.

" I could not make up my mind to write and thank you for
your very kind and charming present [his poems] till I had read
it with attention, and could at least say (though I am no critic)
which poems had given me most pleasure. And now I like so
many of them that this is not at all easy.

" Almost all my favourites are the later ones. And among
these I own that ' Gentleman John ' seems the finest, or rather

400 Bishop Walsham How

the most successful, because that kind of poem is so difficult to
write. Then I think ' A Starlit Night ' has a great deal of
beauty and power ; besides it is a very perfect little composition,
and not too long. That is a great virtue ; one is often tempted
to add a touch here and there when the thing to be said has been
already expressed.

" ' Man's Littleness and Greatness ' gives me great pleasure, too,
but so do many others."

It may interest readers of " The Boy Hero " to know
that the Bishop received a letter from the Rector of
Horfield, Bristol, telling him that it was in that parish
that the boys of the story were found, and that the old
lady, to whose house they were carried, was then (1887)
alive, aged eighty-three. A transept in the church at
Horfield was built, at the time of the church restoration,
in memory of "The Boy Hero."

The Bishop published a very small portion of what he
wrote, and a great many manuscript poems are in exist-
ence. As these were, for the most part, considered by
him unworthy of publication, they will not be given here ;
there is, however, one poem, written comparatively lately,
which shall be an exception :

To Miss LUCY CLAUGHTON, on her 50TH Birthday,
Dec. 8, 1893.*

Ah me ! The old, old days ! Once more
Let them be with us as of yore.
We'll bridge the gulf of years between ;
We'll deck them with their early sheen ;
We'll veil awhile from wistful gaze
The vanished forms, the shrouded days,
And weave us in the musing brain
Dreams of the sunny past again.

* Daughter of Bishop Claughton, Dr. Walsham How's vicar in the old
Kidderminster days.

The Bishop as an Author 401

Once more I tread with duteous feet

The squalid court, the sordid street ;

Once more to garden lawns I pass

And cedar-spires o'er velvet grass ;

And there a little winning face

Makes in my heart its resting-place.

And life its changeful tale has told,

New homes, new scenes, shut out the old ;

But there's a little hidden cell

Where memory stores her treasures well ;

And oft in dreamy hours of thought

That secret treasure-house I've sought,

And there in all its childish grace

I find the little smiling face.

And now, dear friend, in later life

And days with change and sorrow rife,

As this my birthday rhyme I pen,

And count my threescore years and ten,

An old man's privilege I claim.

Confessing, with no silly shame.

How, from his weary care beguiled,

The young man loved the little child.

The smiling eyes, the baby kiss,

The tiny trustful hand in his.

Ah ! let that gentle heart confess

It shall not make our friendship less

To know that in those days of yore —

Those days that can be never more —

That little face had spell divine

To steal into this heart of mine.

"W. W. W."

Of humorous verses the Bishop was extremely fond.
Several examples of these will be found in his poems, the
wittiest being " The Babies' Wood Turkey-Cock." Among
many scraps which have been preserved the following are
worth inserting here :

2 c

402 Bishop Walsham How

AN EPIGRAM.

The bishops in 1875, '^^'i'^h two exceptions only, issued a
pastoral against ritualism, so manifestly in style and sentiment the
production of Archbishop Tait, that no one could doubt its source.
When the bishops agree in the things they deplore,
We must give them due credit for esprit de corps :
Unless, by the way, it were truer to state
That the spirit which moves them is esprit de tete.

Mr. Darwall, formerly of Criggion, sent the Bishop a
Christmas card, with a coloured thistle on it, and wrote
saying he did not know why it somehow reminded him
of him. The Bishop wrote in reply as follows :

To L. D.

You wonder in your kind epistle

How comes it that a painted thistle

Should in your dreaming fancy raise

Thoughts of the friend of olden days.

That friend may venture on a guess

Your kindly heart would ne'er express.

It may be (let me humbly own it)

A painted thistle, when you're shown it,

Suggests a beast (could taste be odder ?)

That revels in that prickly fodder.

"W. W. W."

In 1890, Bishop Walsham How had a most interesting
correspondence with Mr. Worsley-Benison, F.L.S., which
might fall under the heading of either " authorship " or
"botany," but, as the first subject of the letters was that
of the Bishop's books, it may perhaps find fittest place
here.

" LuLwoRTH, Sutton, Surrey, 29.9.90.
" My Lord,

* * * * *

" Allow me, in an informal and friendly way, to take this
opportunity of thanking you for the many pleasant hours I have
spent over your volume of ' Poems ' issued by Wells and Co. Many

The Bishop as an Author 403

a time in the rush and wear of a very busy scientific life they have
soothed and calmed me, and I read them again and again with
ever increasing delight. I have quoted from them often as head-
ings for chapters in my books, and I never see the Sundew or the
Pimpernel without recalling your verse describing them. God
behind Nature runs all along your volume, and I wish that more
of our scientists — and so7ne more of our religious writers also —
could and would see Him there. Moreover, your name is a
household word among my children, who frequently say at family
worship, ' Let us have one of W. W. How's hymns.'

" You have not lived in vain if you have ministered to many
lives as you have to my own and those of my family.

" Pardon me for writing freely, and omitting the orthodox way
of addressing you in this letter. I write as I feel towards you, let

this be my plea.

" I have the honour to be, my Lord,

" Yours gratefully and faithfully,

" H. W. S. WORSLEY-BENISON."

To this the Bishop replied :

" OVERTHORPE, ThORNHILL, DeWSBURY,

" Oct. 9, 1890.
" My dear Sir,

" I do not know how to thank you enough for
your most kind and delightful letter, which has touched
and gratified me much. I am sorry to say it was put
aside last week by my chaplain with a bundle of busi-
ness matters, while I was at the Church Congress, to be
attended to when I had leisure, and this has not been the
case till to-day.

" It is very good of you to tell me of my verses giving
any pleasure to you. I have always been very fond of a
little rather superficial science — chiefly botany and astro-
nomy— and I am constantly trying to teach ' God behind
Nature.' It was a great delight to me to be among the
originators of three Naturalists' Field-Clubs — the Durham,

404 Bishop Walsh am How

the Worcestershire, and the Oswestry and Welshpool.
Of the last named I was president for many years.

" You mention your children. If they do not possess
my ' Plain Words to Children,' may I have the privilege
of sending a copy to one of them ? Perhaps I might
send another little booklet or two to others, if you do not
mind supplying me with names and ages (without saying
anything, please, about it), that I may write their names
in the beginning. One of the titles I got in East London,
and the one I liked best, was * The Children's Bishop.' "

'' Yours gratefully,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

The Bishop sent one of the childen a copy of his
" Poems " and to another his " Plain Words to Children."
Mr. Worsley-Benison then sent the Bishop his two books
called " Nature's Fairyland," and " Haunts of Nature."
The letter of thanks for these was as follows :

" OVERTHORPE, ThORNHILL, DeWSBURY,

''Oct. 20, 1890.
"Dear Mr. Benison,

" Your charming books have arrived this morning,

and, though very busy, I have been spending a very

happy hour among the streams and woods and marshes

with you. It is delicious to be carried away for a little

while from our smoky trees, and dreary stone walls, and

befouled river, to all the freshness and beauty of unsullied

nature.

" I am so glad to find you appreciate my dear old

friend Jean Ingelow. By the way, did not Mary Howitt

write, ' For He that,' and not * Whoso careth for the

Flowers' (see 'Haunts of Nature,' p. 151) ? And have

you not inserted ' it is ' in Wordsworth's ' A yellow prim-

The Bishop as an Author 405

rose is to him, and it is nothing more ' ? I see you know
and admire Austin's lovely lines to the primrose. I
never saw gladiolus growing wild, but most of your finds
are very old friends to me. It is curious that, finding
quantities of Drosera Anglica this last August in Suther-
landshire, I remarked to my son, who was with me,
'Why it is called Anglica I can't tell, for it is much
commoner in Scotland and Ireland than in England.' You
say the same. By the way, in Sutherlandshire there
grew in one or two bogs the exquisite little Pingiiicula
Liisitanica. I venture to enclose you a very poor sonnet,
just a record of my Sutherlandshire visit, for the sake of
the plants you love and I do. The butterwort was both
the common and the Lusitanica, and of course the
asphodel was the Narthecium. In my Shropshire home
I had a delightful half-wild garden with a little stream
through it, and one winter I had five brace of trout
making their nests in the garden. We generally had two
or three.

"The only rare plant I can hear of in my present
diocese is Adcea spicata, which I gathered in June. I
should think the diocese of Wakefield is far the worst in
England for plants except London. I must not ramble
on, though it is very pleasant.

" Please thank your children for their nice letters.
They were rather too big for some of the things I had
thought of."

" Yours sincerely,

"Wm, Vi^ALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

This is the sonnet mentioned in the above letter :

4o6 Bishop Walsham How

A MOORLAND SONNET.

A wealth of heather ghmmering far and wide,

Pink spray, and crimson tuft, and waxen bell ;

A thousand spears of yellow asphodel

Guarding each hollow where marsh-mosses hide,

And butterworts and sundews brown abide ;

A mountain tarn where pale lobelias dwell ;

Grey-lichened rocks all slanted down the fell,

And far-off hills with purple splendours dyed ;

Such picture I would grave upon my soul.

That, in some day of weary toil and care,

When the world's hoarse loud clamours round me roll,

I may turn inwards from the din and glare.

And for one moment all these fair things see,

And cheer me with the beautiful and free.

" August 1890."

The next letter from the Bishop is dated :

"OVERTHORPE, ThORNHILL, DeWSBURY,

"Ocf. 24, 1890.
"Dear Mr. Benison,

" It is dangerous quoting or criticising without
book. Forgive my rashness. I am wrong as to Words-
worth, and probably wrong also as to Mary Howitt, in
whose 'Use of Flowers' I have often seen 'whoso' given
in one word, but never ' who so ' in two, which is, I daresay,
the true reading. Still, all my life I have said it * He that.'
I one day asked Jean Ingelow, at the request of some
friends who were present and had been discussing it,
what was her own idea of the parting in ' Divided.' She
at once answered, ' Don't you think to limit it to any one
idea would rather spoil it ? '

"I daresay you know Clough's, 'As ships becalmed,'
written upon himself and Ward, as Wilfrid Ward's Life
of his father tells us (I always before believed it to be
upon Ward and Stanley, who were inseparable friends

The Bishop as an Author 407

when I was at Oxford), which is another figure with the
same thought — perhaps stronger, but not so beautiful as
' Divided/ Yes, Alfred Austin's * Primroses ' is a great
favourite of mine. I read it to some friends only a night
or two ago.

" I think, as you are so fond of poetry, I must tell you
a rather interesting little story. A few months ago the
Master of Trinity (Dr. Butler) sent me a Latin version of
Tennyson's * Crossing the Bar.' I ventured to criticise
one word. In rendering the lines :

" When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home,"

he introduced the word * vita.' I said I thought it was
wrong, as I always understood those lines of the tide and
not of the life. He replied, referring me to Tennyson's,
* Out of the deep, my child, out of the deep,' and to
various other passages of Tennyson, proving that the
thought of the life being drawn out of the depths of
infinity to return thither again was a very familiar one to
him. He also showed me several places in Wordsworth
where the same thought occurs. This entirely convinced
me that I was wrong, and I then observed that in each of
the other stanzas the third and fourth lines refer to the
thing typified, and the first and second to the type, so
that symmetry of arrangement was against me. After
some time the Master wrote to me from the Isle of Wight,
where he had seen Tennyson, and told me he had told
him of our correspondence, and the poet had said I was
right and Butler wrong. I still think the author had
better adopt Butler's view, and make it his own, the argu-
ments for it being so strong.

" Sincerely yours,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

4o8 Bishop Walsham How

The last letter in this correspondence is some two-
months later.

*' OVERTHORPE, THORNHILL, DeWSBURY,

"Dec. 2, i8go.

"Dear Mr. Benison,

"I carefully put Jean Ingelow's interesting letter
in an envelope addressed to you, to await my answering
your letter, which I have put off doing far too long.

" I wonder whether you have seen the Master of
Trinity's monograph on 'Crossing the Bar,' It is very
interesting, but is not published, being printed only for
private circulation. I do feel that is one of Tennyson's
most exquisite lyrics. It is wonderfully touching in its
exquisite simplicity.

"Arthur Clough was my tutor one Long, when we
went to Ireland together, and his poetry is very dear to
me. I have long been very fond of his 'Qua cursum
ventus,' as well as of * Say not, the struggle,' which is,
with the former, marked in the index among the favour-
ites. I am sorry I do not know much of Whittier.
Years ago I read a good bit of him with great pleasure,
but I am not at all familiar with him. I have his poems
somewhere, but I am ashamed to say I cannot find the

book.

" Believe me,

" Yours sincerely,

"Wm. walsham WAKEFIELD."

Early in 1895 Dr. Walsham How read the third
volume of Pusey's Life. Some parts of this book, espe-
cially chapter iv., jarred greatly on his bright and happy
nature, and on his conviction of the duty of Christians
to "rejoice." In consequence of this feeling, he wrote

The Bishop as an Author 409

an article called " Spiritual Joy," which was published in
a magazine called The Minster. Writing about this, he
said :

" I enclose you a short paper I wrote for the February
number of The Minster. It was written just after reading
that dreadful chapter on Preparation for Confession in
the third volume of Pusey. It seems awfully presump-
tuous to set up one's shallow, ignorant self against such
a man, but the 'never to smile, except for children,'
shocked me, and I am sure he is wrong. I almost
expect to find some recantation in the fourth volume."

After the Bishop's death a volume of addresses given
by him at Retreats and Quiet Days was published by
Messrs. Wells Gardner under the title of "The Closed
Door." These addresses had been carefully prepared for
publication with the assistance of the Rev. H. W. How,
Vicar of Mirfield, but their author did not wish them
printed until after his death.

CHAPTER XXVI

HYMNS AND HYMN-WRITING

The first hymn-book with which Bishop Walsham How
had to do was one called" Psalms and Hymns, compiled
by the Rev. Thomas Baker Morrell, M.A., and the Rev.
William Walsham How, M.A." The first edition of this
book was published in 1854, an enlarged edition in 1864,
and a supplement in 1867. It was his strong desire that
some day a hymn-book should be produced which should
be universally used by the Church. In the book of
Whittington Parish Papers, after recording the introduc-
tion of the new hymn-book in 1854, he adds : " Most
gladly would I see our new book, and all others, sup-
planted by a well-made collection authorised by the Church
in Convocation."

Some years afterwards he was chairman of a Committee
of Convocation on the subject. The report was delayed
for a long period, during which he seems to have modi-
fied his opinion. The Committee recommended the
introduction of an authorised hymn-book, but their chair-
man wrote on February 27, 1879, as follows :

" It was no fun being called upon to take up and
introduce a report I had not seen for years, and with
which I did not agree. I spoke against myself, and got
myself happily beaten."

Hymns and Hymn-Writing 411

In the later years of his life he was glad to find " Hymns
Ancient and Modern " so generally used, and expressed
more than once his alarm at a report (which he thought
must surely be exaggerated) that the proprietors of that
book were about to withdraw it and substitute one in
which all the tunes were to be Gregorian, and all the
hymns translations from the old Latin — " not," said the
Bishop, '' particularly good hymns in the original."

In 1871 "Church Hymns" was brought out by the
S.P.C.K. To this work Canon Walsham How (as he
then was) had devoted a vast amount of labour, he being
one of the original compilers. When, in 1881, Canon
Ellerton, Rector of Barnes, published a large annotated
edition of this book. Bishop Walsham How revised all
the sheets, and also inserted the whole of the marks of
expression.

Another hymn-book in which he was greatly interested
was Mrs. Carey Brock's " Children's Hymn-book," which
was published under his revision and that of the late
Bishop Oxenden and Canon Ellerton.

The subject of the Bishop's own hymns is discussed in
the following valuable and beautiful paper, which has
been most kindly contributed by Dr. Boyd Carpenter,
Bishop of Ripon.

Bishop Walsham How as a Hymn-Writer.

The qualities requisite for a good hymn-writer are not
common. When we think of them we are reminded of the
popular saying, that " nothing is so uncommon as common
sense." This means that most minds, even the minds of
very capable men, are liable to be betrayed by some weak-
ness. The brilliancy of some minds creates eccentricity.
Only the highest minds seem to possess a true sense of

412 Bishop Walsham How

proportion ; lesser ability is often deficient in it. Balance
of mind is rare. Next to true devotional feeling, good sense
is the first requisite of a good hymn. There are other
requisites, no doubt, but eccentricity is the ruin of a
hymn.

Again, the great poet is not necessarily a good hymn-
writer. This will be apparent to any one who studies our
collections of hymns. Two things will strike such a
student. He will find that among the hymn-writers there
are few men of first-class literary rank. He will further
find that the most popular hymns are not from the pens
of these few. In other words, the highest poetic gift does
not ensure the power of writing a good hymn. Less
gifted men succeed where men of higher endowments fail.

On the other hand, it would be a mistake to infer that
success in hymn-writing needs no literary qualities.
There have been cases in which men of little or no culti-
vated literary capacity have produced an admirable hymn ;
but an examination of our hymn-books will show that the
bulk of our best hymns have been the work of devout men
who have possessed natural poetic feeling and a cultivated
taste. The following names are among our best-known
hymn-writers, and all of them, I think, fulfil this condition :
Isaac Watts, John Keble, Charles Wesley, Augustus Top-
lady, Bishop Ken, Bishop Reginald Heber, Henry F.
Lyte, John Henry Newman, and Mrs. Alexander. None
of these figure in the first rank of poets, but none are
deficient in poetic sense, while one or two might well
challenge a high place among our minor poets.

It is true that there are many hymns in our hymn-books
which are not the product of good sense or poetic feeling,
and which display little sign of cultivation. It may be
confessed that in all our hymn-books there is a sad

Hymns and Hymn-Writing 413

quantity of rubbish, and our congregations are often
expected to sing poor stuff. The percentage of this poor
stuff varies in different books, being at a minimum,
perhaps, in Mr. Thring's collection, and rising to a maxi-
mum in " Hymns Ancient and Modern." But we are not
speaking of hymns, but of good hymns.

For the good hymn-writer, then, three qualities, not
always found in combination, are requisite. These are
good sense, devotional feeling, poetic sense and cultivated
taste. Among the good hymn-writers Bishop Walsham
How takes his place without challenge. His published
volume of hymns is interesting as exhibiting the tone
of his mind and the width of his sympathies. He
evidently felt that there were some qualities which were
indispensable to a hymn ; for one or two of the hymns
in his volume are efforts to re-write certain more or
less popular hymns. He evidently felt that these were
defective in some particular. He probably believed that
they had too strong a hold upon popular taste to be dis-
regarded, and he therefore undertook the not very envi-
able task of recasting them, seeking thus to preserve what
was loved, while remedying, as far as he could, its defects.
This will, we believe, be the true explanation of his
attempt to re-cast the two hymns, " Ashamed of Jesus,"
and " Nearer my God to Thee."

The width of his sympathy with life is illustrated by the
subjects and occasions which called forth many of these
hymns. They are written for time of war, for quiet days,
hospitals, home missions. Church guilds, women's associa-
tions, and school festivals. Sacred seasons and days of
the Church year appealed to him. He wrote hymns for
Epiphany, Holy Week, Easter, Whitsuntide, the Purifica-
tion, the Annunciation ; for St. Peter's Day, St. Matthew's

414 Bishop Walsham How

Day (this, however, adapted from Bishop Ken), and St.
Luke's Day. The services of the Church called forth his
voice. We find two hymns on Holy Baptism, one on Holy
Communion, and one Confirmation hymn. Hymns which
give expression to the spiritual longings and needs of the
soul are here also ; for he writes of the attractive power
of the Cross (47) ; the sympathy of Christ (46 and 52) ;
the Christ at the door of the soul (45). The seasons of
the year awaken his poetic vein : Spring, Summer,
Autumn and Winter have each their appropriate hymns.
Commemoration, and, as would be expected by all who
knew him, little children are not forgotten.

This short survey of the subjects and occasions of his
hymns serves to throw light upon his character. He had
a spirit readily responsive to the changing year ; Nature
in her shifting moods and varying vesture was dear to
him. He was, besides, a true son of the Church, whose
spirit moved in harmony with her festival thoughts ; he
felt the quiet poetry of the Church's seasonal life. His
heart vibrated also to national feeling ; he was stirred by
the sound of imminent v^ar and by the shout of the people's
joy. His Thanksgiving hymn was sung from Berwick-on-
Tweed to Land's End on Jubilee Day last year. He loved,
too, the simple things of life: simple trust, simple character,
simple childhood. He felt the fervour of catholic life ;
the great host of God's serving, struggling, martyred,
yet triumphant children passed before his view ; he
saw the glorious procession of the sons of God as they
swept through the open gates of Paradise ; he heard their
victorious song of praise ; the Alleluia of the redeemed
rang in his ears and passed into music in his noble hymn
for All Saints' Day.

Naturally there are in every volume certain hymns

Hymns and Hymn-Writing 415

which stand out head and shoulders above their fellows.
Among Bishop Walsham How's many good hymns a
certain few have received a special imprimatur, for they
have been acknowledged as part of the psalmody of the
Church. There are at least five or six which will be found
in many collections of hymns ; these are, " O Word of God
Incarnate," "We give Thee but Thine own," "Who is
this so weak and helpless ? " " For all the Saints who
from their labours rest," and " O Jesu, Thou art standing."
In the last four of these hymns a happy coincidence of
spirit and form endows them with force. They illustrate
George Herbert's idea of fineness :

" The fineness which a psalm or hymn affords
Is when the soul unto the lines accords."

The last two possess that peculiar quality of inevitable-
ness which at once claims and is accorded a place in our
esteem. We feel that they belong to the Church of
Christ. One because it gives utterance to the collective
joy of the Church triumphant ; the other because we
hear in it the voice of that divine love which is never
silent, but speaks to every human soul in sermons, in
services, in leisure hours, in business, in joy, in sorrow
and in all the events of life. It translates into simple and
pleading language the Christian thought of the constant
love of Christ which found pictorial expression at the
hands of one of the sincerest of modern artists. Few
can read the words of the hymn without recalling
Holman Hunt's picture, and few can look at the picture
without recalling the hymn. The popularity of the
picture tells us how truly it satisfied the people's heart ;
but yet those who hung the picture on their walls
wanted words to express their thoughts. It was to them

4i6 Bishop Walsham How

more than a picture ; it embodied a truth which the soul
of man sought for ; for all men in their better moments
would fain that somewhat divine should fill their spirits ;
but words would help them ; their thoughts yearned for
utterance. Bishop Walsham How liberated the captive
emotions, and he did so in a fashion which brought our
Lord before men as the living, loving, Christ who, though
He might command, yet condescended to plead for
entrance into the hearts of men.

It is the fate of a hymn-writer to be forgotten. Of the
millions who Sunday after Sunday sing hymns in our
churches, not more than a few hundreds know or con-
sider whose words they are singing. The hymn remains :
the name of the writer passes away. Bishop Walsham
How was prepared for this ; his ambition was not to be
remembered, but to be helpful. He gave free liberty to
any to make use of his hymns. It was enough for him
if he could enlarge the thanksgivings of the Church or
minister by song to the souls of men. There will be few
to doubt that his unselfish wish will be fulfilled. Some
of his hymns have become already the heritage of the
Church of God. They will continue to be sung for long
years to come ; they will cheer and console the hearts of
millions ; many who hear will take up their burden and
their hope again. We are told that when Melancthon
and his comrades, shortly after Luther's death, fled to
Weimar, they heard a child singing the stirring words of
Luther's "Ein Feste Burg." "Sing, dear daughter, sing,"
said Melancthon ; " you know not what great people you
are comforting." Even so the voice of the hymn-writer
carries comfort to unknown hearts and to after ages.
The writer dies ; the hymn remains ; the song goes on ;
tired men listen and find rest. Struggling men are en-

Hymns and Hymn-Writing 417

couraged to struggle on again ; statesmen, philanthropists,
the broken hearted and the despairing are helped. Sing
on, you know not what great people you are comforting.
Such a reward is better than fame. It is as if, even after life
is ended, the power to give a cup of cold water to a faint-
ing soul in the name of Christ was not denied to the
singer of the Church. To be praised is the ambition of
the world ; to be a blessing is the abundant satisfaction
of those who, like Bishop Walsham How, sing because
their hearts are full, and who, like their Lord, find their
joy in loving service of their fellow men.

2 D

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE CHILDREN'S BISHOP

" The Bishop was always at his best with children," so
writes one who knew him intimately during his East
London life and work. "If he came across a little child
his whole countenance changed, so that the little ones
knew at once that they were in the presence of a friend,"
writes another who knew him well ; and it was also true
that on his entrance into a roomful of children their faces
lit up at once with smiles of welcome for one whom they
had quickly learnt to love. Himself, in his day, a merry
affectionate boy, he to the last preserved his childish spirit,
his love of fun, his sympathy with the little joys and
cares of childhood, which instantly broke down all reserve
and established an intimate friendship between him and
the small folk whom he delighted to have round him.
How intimate this friendship sometimes became is in-
stanced by one wee girl being overheard to say, " Bishop,
why do you wear them things on your legs ? "

It was just the same in degree with the children of
another class. On his first visit to one of the smaller
parishes in the Diocese of Wakefield, it was known that
he was pretty sure to want to see the school. On the day
in question all the children were dressed in their cleanest
and best, and manifest were the feelings of awe and dread

The Children's Bishop 419

in their little breasts, for few, if any, had seen a bishop,
and they probably expected at least a severe Biblical
examination, such as Bishop Vowler Short used to delight
in when he visited the schools in the Diocese of St. Asaph.
Well, the Bishop arrived, and lo ! what a difference
between the expectation and the reality ! No Biblical
examination, no awe-inspiring words, no stern looks, but,
instead, a face beaming with kindliness, a man whose
smile promised nothing but love and tenderness. There
was a genial greeting for the master, a few simple words
of encouragement to the children, and then, turning to
the vicar, the Bishop asked, " Where are the babies ? "
and was at once conducted to the infant room. What
the little ones expected it is impossible to say, but what
happened caused a marked surprise. Going up to one
wee dot about four years old, and gently taking her small
upturned face in his hand, the Bishop began the lines :
" Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall." The children did not
dare at first to laugh, but stared in open-mouthed astonish-
ment. The idea of a bishop talking about " Humpty
Dumpty " was something they could not by any means
understand ! However, in another moment or two the
' ice was broken through, and as the Bishop spoke to them
in the homely language he knew so well how to use, the
face of every little child in the room was wreathed in
smiles — smiles which greeted him afresh on his many
subsequent visits to the parish.

With a love for children such as his, and with this
power of gaining their friendship, it must be obvious
that he was the object of the utmost devotion on the
part of those children who were most closely connected
with him. His own will not soon forget the evenings
when in his study at Whittington he would shov/ them

420 Bishop Walsham How

the scrap-book he had made for them himself, dehghting
in their exultation over some newly added picture, and
sharing in their glee over Leech's drawings of the adven-
tures of Mr. Briggs.

Later on, there was tea-time in the school-room, when
he would come in armed with Dickens' " Old Curiosity
Shop," and bring tears into the children's eyes by his
reading of the story of Little Nell.

And then his own stories. They were the greatest
treat of all. From his earliest boyhood he had been a
great story-teller, and used to wile away many hours by
telling his little sisters stories of his own invention, or
such as he had read, and in this way they gained their
first acquaintance with many of the novels of Sir Walter
Scott.

In after years " Do tell us a story " was an oft-repeated
request from the lips of his own children, and sometimes
in the dusk with one or two on his knees, and others on
the ground at his feet or leaning over his chair, a chapter
or two of some thrilling tale, made up as he went along,
would keep them all enthralled, while not infrequently a
grown up listener or two would surreptitiously draw near
to share in the enjoyment. Sometimes, too, the stories
would be told in the pony carriage on the long drives over
the mountains, when he would in this way take one or
two of his children to Barmouth — a good two days'
journey from Whittington.

Of his intimate and loving relations with his children
the following letter in verse to his little daughter, when
the four elder ones were obliged to spend Christmas away
from home, will give some idea.

The Children's Bishop 421

" A Merry Christmas, my little Maiden !
All blessings upon you fall :
For Christmas comes with blessings laden,
Blessings and joy for us all.

A Merry Christmas ! so let it be —

Carol and laugh and play :
But the blithe little faces I shall not see

For many a long long day.

Daddy drones in his study and dreams away

Of his little absent crew,
Or he writes his ' little sermon ' * all day

For want of something to do.

And he tells no thrilling stories at tea,
For to hear them no one would care,

And he nurses no little pets on his knee
In the great big study chair.

But his three little men and his one little maid,

He knows they love him well,
And how much he loves them he's much afraid

He has got no words to tell.

And his three little men he would have them be

Brave and yet gentle too ;
And his one little maid he would always see

Tender and meek and true.

A Merry Christmas to great and small !

But daddy sits moping alone,
For his four bUthe bonnie birdies all

Away from the nest have flown.

A Merry Christmas to small and great !

And daddy must do his best,
And patiently sit in his study and wait,

Till his birdies fly back to the nest."

* He was engaged in writing further series of " Plain Words.

422 Bishop Walsham How

Small wonder that his children loved him! Who more
ready than he, when he could take an hour from his
work, to share in their games, to join in Sir Roger de
Coverley — holding out the skirts of his coat and dancing
his " steps " to their great delight — to consult with them
over their little gardens, or, when too busy for these things,
to take them with him on his rounds of visits in his
scattered parish ? If there be a note of regret in these
recollections of early childhood, it may be perhaps that
his natural reserve on religious subjects, or possibly his
inability to comprehend that his own sons were not all of
them as naturally religious as he had been when a boy,
robbed them of a portion of that special kind of talk
which in after-life they would have valued as a most
precious recollection.

As is seen from the account of his parish work at
Whittington, he was ever thinking of the children of
his schools, believing that to get to know them and
to teach them was one of the very first duties of his
office, and to this personal knowledge and care may
be, at all events partially, ascribed the advancement of
many of the national school boys of Whittington, who
have since risen to various positions as successful men.
Ever ready with a smile and a nod for them, the village
children would have thought there was something seri-
ously amiss had he passed them by unnoticed, and it is
not to be wondered at that in his farewell letter to the
parishioners of Whittington he wrote :

" I will tell you of another thing I shall sorely miss
besides my visits to the houses, and especially to the sick-
beds, of my parishioners — and that is the bright pleasant
faces of the children, who seldom pass the old Rector
without a smile, I suppose because they know he is fond

The Children's Bishop 423

of them. May God bless them, and keep them pure and
gentle and loving as they grow up ! "

Of his correspondence with children much might be
written. He seemed always to find time for a little letter
to one of his children-friends, and he delighted exceed-
ingly in their letters to him. Their birthdays were seldom
forgotten and a little book or affectionate greeting would
generally be sent to the happy child from " my bishop." As
specimens of such letters the following will perhaps suffice :

[Oh receiving a bunch of violets as a birthday present fro7ii
the four youngest children of Dr. Lett^

"BiSHOPGARTH, Wakefield, Dec. 13, 1895.

" My dear Children,

" The violets are as sweet as the senders. There !
you didn't think an old Bishop of 72 could make com-
pliments, did you ? Well, you see he can, and he loves
you all, and thanks you all for your loving remembrance
of him.

" Your affectionate old Bishop,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD.

" P.S. I think I ought to have put in ' almost ' between
' are ' and ' as ' in the first line."

Sometimes the letters would be in verse. Thus he
sent the following lines to the children of Mr. Daniel
Tyesen, after a fruitless call at their house in Brighton :

Buttered Toast.

" There was a Bishop, old and grey,
Who came to Brighton one fine day,
And it chanced at the time there were living there
Three little maidens bright and fair,

424 Bishop Walsham How

And they were as merry as merry could be,
And the Bishop he loved them one, two, three.
Now the Bishop he craftily planned to arrive
At the door of the house as the clock struck five,
For once on a time he had called at the door
At the very same hour two years before :
The master and mistress were out, you see,
And the children were having their nursery tea,
So he mounted, unbidden, the topmost stair,
And asked to partake of the children's fare,
And no words are potent enough to reveal
The exquisite bliss of that nursery meal !
The sweet little maidens were full of fun,
And the Bishop he loved them three, two, one.
But that which enchanted his Lordship most
Was the hot, brown, well-buttered nursery toast !
Alas ! for the words that now smite on his ear, —
' Not at home,' not even the children dear !
So sadly he turned away from the door.
And he sighed to think that his dream was o'er ;
And, as memories sweet of the past arose.
He brush'd a tear from the end of his nose,
For he'd failed in his longing once more to see
Those sweet little maidens, one, two, three ;
Yet the one soft vision that touched him most
Was the thought of that nursery buttered toast ! "

Another example was found among the Bishop's papers
in his own handwriting ; it runs thus :

" Winny T. wrote and asked me to tea 'upstairs' on my
birthday, when I preach at Leeds in the evening, and
said, ' We will have a splendid birthday cake with a bishop
on the top.' I wrote in reply :

" You promise me a splendid cake to eat,
A bishop on the top — rare birthday treat !
A horse unused will eat off his own head :
A fool cuts off his nose to spite his face :

The Children's Bishop 425

Cold missionary is a dish, 'tis said,

Much relished by a certain native race :

But oh ! dear Winny, pause before you dish up,

As birthday fare, a bishop to a bishop ! "

Of children's letters to him there are but few instances
preserved, but the following are interesting in different
ways : they all three refer to the period of his East
London work, the first being from a little girl, a stranger
to him. It runs as follows :

"My Lord Bishop,

" I am a little girl and want to give away some money that I
have made by a little bazaar which I have had. I have about ^S,
and I should like to give it to help some poor children to go into the
country out of London during the summer. A friend of mine
has told me that you can tell me where the children are who want
the help most. I am the great-granddaughter of a bishop, and
the great-niece of another bishop, and hope you will help me in
this.

" I am, my Lord, yours obediently,

"K. M. G."

The next is of a very different character, being written
on a rather dirty scrap of blue-lined copybook paper. It
was placed in his hands by a choir-boy at St. John's,
Bethnal Green, on his preaching there on July 22, 1888,
after he had gone to Wakefield.

" Dear Sir,

" V\^e thank you for the kindness to give us the chance to
see you once more. Good-bye and God bless you. Please God
will give you health and strength and long to live.

" We remain,

" Your humble,

The third letter was received by him when just about
to leave East London :

426 Bishop Walsham How

" The Rectory, Hackney, April 20, 18S8.

" Dear Lord Bishop,

" The children of the East London clergy wish to give you
a little present before you leave this diocese, in remembrance of
your love and kindness to them. In the name of the contributors
we hope you may be able to spare us a few minutes about four
o'clock on Saturday May 5, at Hackney Rectory.
"We remain,

"Your affectionate children,

"EVELYN FRANCES ELLIOTT,
ELEANOR INSLEY,
GERALDINE M. ARBUTHNOT,
MARY LILIAN BROOK."

Mr. Kitto, Rector of St. Martin's, Charing Cross, tells
of the Bishop's love for children in these words :

" When we were moving from Whitechapel to Stepney he and
Mrs. How insisted on taking some of our children to their own
house, so that they might be out of the way. He loved the
children ; he knew them by name, and never tired of making
them happy. To each one he was emphatically ' m_y Bishop,' as
if no one else had any title or claim to a share in his regard.
When scarlet fever invaded us, and our children had to go to the
London Fever Hospital, on paying my first visit I was amazed to
find that the Bishop was there before me. If, as often happened,
we were out when he called at our house, and on our return were
told that the Bishop was there, it was pretty certain we should
find him in the nursery or schoolroom, with two or three of our
children hanging about him."

There is a good story told of him when some years
later he visted Almondbury Vicarage, in the Wakefield
diocese. A gathering of churchwardens and sidesmen
from many neighbouring parishes had been invited to
hear an address from the Bishop. All were in their places
in the Parish Room, which forms part of the Vicarage
house, and everything was in readiness for the proceed-

The Children's Bishop 427

ings to begin — but the Bishop was nowhere to be found !
Drawing-room, dining-room, study, were searched in vain.
At last certain sounds were heard from the direction of
the nursery, and there he was discovered on the floor,
romping with the Vicar's Httle children. He had entirely
forgotten about the churchwardens and the sidesmen !
His hair was rumpled, and his coat showed traces of the
nursery carpet ! However, a hasty toilet put things to
rights, and with his wonted power of throwing himself
instantly into the interests of the moment he passed quite
naturally from the children to the graver society of
church officials.

Nothing he enjoyed more than a good story about
children, and great was his delight when, in the course of
his journeyings about his diocese, any incident provided
him with something worth telling on his return home.
He once came back very full of the anxiety of a small
boy he had met to have any kind of episcopal ceremony
performed on him. There was to be the consecration of
a church or churchyard, and the little son of the Vicar
had on a previous occasion been aware that the Bishop
had confirmed certain boys older than himself, and was
extremely desirous to share in the distinction. Going up
to the Bishop's Chaplain he said, " I say, can I be done ? "
Finding out what it was he meant, the Chaplain said, " Oh !
but this is a consecration, not a confirmation." " I don't
mind a bit which," said the small boy, " as long as I am
done ! "

Writing to his brother the Bishop once said :

" On Friday night I stayed at a house where there was
one of the very j oiliest httle girls you can imagine — just
three and a-half — very pretty, and brimming over with

428 Bishop Walsham How

fun. When I arrived she whispered to her mother that
she thought I should come in a frame ! She had seen a
picture of a bishop, and considered a frame an insepar-
able attribute. It was delicious to hear her tell stories.
She sat on my knee and we told stories in turn. This
was one of hers, told nodding her head, and her eyes
dancing with merriment: — 'Once I had a little pussy-cat,
and it laid on its back and put up its feet and died. And
then it came alive again. And then it jump into the
river, and the fishes came and caught it and ate it up ' —
the finale with tremendous impressement and exultation."
Then, too, how keenly he looked forward to and en-
joyed the children's parties which he invariably gave
about Christmas time ! Many weeks beforehand he
would mark off an evening in his calendar, and nothing
was allowed to interfere with the engagement. When
one winter, for various reasons, some of the usual Christ-
mas festivities were to be relinquished, he would not hear
of any postponement of the children's party. He knew
how keen would be the disappointment in many a vicar-
age in the diocese, where such treats were few and far
between, and he would himself have missed one of his
greatest annual pleasures. From far and wide the chil-
dren came — by train, by tram, by cab, or carriage — and it
was good to see the bright faces as they went up to be
greeted by the Bishop, knowing full well the loving wel-
come they would receive. After tea the children invari-
ably had a kind of sham bazaar, for which they were
provided with paper money, and were able in this way to
choose what presents they each preferred. During this
process the Bishop would generally have some little one
in his arms, helping her to choose, and giving her thus a
better chance than if she had been crowded by the bigger

The Children's Bishop 429

ones, or he would be busy showing some little purchaser
how to work a mechanical toy, or advising in the choice
between a book and a box of pencils. Later on, when
dancing was in full swing, he would be found seated in a
corner of the room with at least one small child on his
knee, as happy as any of them all.

Then came supper ; and how busily he waited upon his
little guests ! He seemed never to weary of plying them
with good things — a process watched occasionally with
alarm by anxious mothers ! At last it was time to go : and
nothing was left to be done except for each little tired
person, wrapped in v/oolly shawl or muffler, and clutching
tight the toys and presents they had received, to kiss and
thank the Bishop, who joined heartily in their wish to
have " another party next year."

Writing from Bishopgarth, Wakefield, after the first
children's party held in the new house, the Bishop says :

" The party was splendid : we had eighty-six or eighty-
seven children, and a certain number of bigger ones to
help. A good few of the little ones were unusually pretty
or picturesque, and the Examination Hall did not know
itself in festive guise. The house does splendidly for the
purpose, the non-dancing little ones playing games in the
hall.

" Bishop Andrewes in his ' Devotions,' in a list of things
to thank God for, has ' For children, the delight of the
world,' and, as the old sailor saj^s in ' Fo'c'sle Yarns,'
* Bits o' infants, what's more dearer ' ? "

No account of the '' Children's Bishop " would be
complete without some mention of the Church of England
Society for providing homes for waifs and strays, of the
executive of which he was elected the first chairman on

430 Bishop Walsham How

April 27, 1882, an office which he held till his death. Both
at Clapton and at Wakefield there were " Waif and Stray
Homes" near to his house, and in these he always took
the warmest interest, visiting them frequently, and delight-
ing in little talks with the children. The boys of the
Bede Home, which was close to Bishopgarth, Wakefield,
were occasionally invited to tea and a game of cricket in
his garden, and looked upon him as one of their greatest
friends. They would have thought themselves greatly
injured had their Bishop passed them in the street on
their way to school or cathedral service without a special
smile and greeting.

Another '' Children's Society " in which he was deeply
interested was the National Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children, of which he was a vice-president,
and in aid of which he spoke annually at the meeting of
the Wakefield branch, and also journeyed as far as
Manchester to address the autumnal conference of the
society there. One of his sons has for some years been
working for this society, and the Bishop was ever keenly
alive to the sufferings of children, and to the efforts of
the society to check and relieve them.

One more picture. Those who were present will not
forget a broiling Sunday afternoon in August 1887, ^ ^^w
days before the death of Mrs. How, when the little bay
below Aberamfra House, at Barmouth, was the scene of a
" children's service." The sandy shore was thronged with
listeners, while the white-haired old Bishop spoke simple
helpful words to the younger portion of his congregation,
who were gathered round his feet, and with his still clear
voice led them in their hymns, the sound floating out
across the summer sea.

Towards the close of his life his delight in the society

The Children's Bishop 431

of children seemed to increase, and from whatever he
might be doing he would turn at once to notice their
presence. In walking with him through the streets of
Wakefield it was touching to observe him lay his hand,
apparently unconsciously, on the head of any little ones
to whom he passed sufficiently close. It has been truly
said of him that he made a study of children, and that
with all his fondness of them he was a shrewd observer
of their ways, and quick to notice, though not to com-
ment on, any affectation or forwardness. It was the
character of childhood that he loved, and the secret of
this love was in the pureness, simplicity, and piety of his
own heart. He approached children as a child, for he
had preserved "a young lamb's heart among the full-
grown flocks."

CHAPTER XXIX

THE BISHOP AS A FISHERMAN

Next to his work and to his love for children, botany
and fishing were Walsham How's chief delights. It has
been told in Chapter I. how early in his childhood a taste
for the knowledge of flowers was developed. His skill as a
fly-fisher also dated back to his boyhood, when he would
try his luck in the Severn, or get an occasional better
day's sport on the Cound brook. He was never what
would be described as a great expert, for he knew nothing
of dry fly-fishing, and no one nowadays can be considered
a really first-rate trout-fisher who has not acquired that
branch of the art. On a rough mountain stream, how-
ever, or on a wind-blown loch, he had few equals, and it
seldom happened that he failed to bring in the heaviest
basket of all the party. His excellence consisted mainly
in great accuracy in casting, whereby he was able to get
his flies on to the water in tiny pools and little narrow
runs, and in extreme quickness in striking, by vrhich
means he basketed many a trout which would have
escaped a slower performer. This quickness of hand,
gained by many years' experience of trout-fishing, proved
a great drawback to him when in later life he fished for
salmon. As is well known, it is fatal to strike as soon as
the rise of a salmon is observed, for the fly is thereby

The Bishop as a Fisherman 433

withdrawn from the fish, which takes it in a totally
different and much slower manner than a trout. Owing
to this habit, he was seldom able to do much execution
on a salmon river. A Scotch gillie, who had attended
him frequently, once said of him that he threw the best
fly and was the worst salmon-fisher he had known on that
water ! But it was not only the actual fishing that de-
lighted him. The beautiful and often romantic scenery
into which such excursions took him, and the rare plants
which he observed on the mountain-side, or the boggy
margin of the stream, added greatly to his pleasure.

When Rector of Whittington he was most fortunately
situated for an occasional fishing excursion. After a
day's work in May or June he would often take his rod
and set off across the meadows for an hour's sport on the
Perry (a tributary of the Severn), which flowed through
the parish. In those days this stream was fairly well
stocked with trout and dace, and two brace of nice trout
— from half a pound to a pound and a-half apiece —
and a few dace would generally reward one of these
evening walks. His great delight was to take one of his
small sons with him, and teach him to throw a fly. One
of them remembers well his father's pleasure at the capture
of a good-sized dace, the first fish taken by the very
juvenile wielder of the rod. As in other things, so in his
fishing, Walsham How was completely unselfish. His
companion on a day's sport would often have some
difficulty to avoid the monopoly of all the best water.
" There's a good pool ! Now you fish that. I would
rather watch you. What wouldn't I give to see you get
hold of a good one there ! " If any fair division of the
fishing was to be sustained, such remarks as these would
have to be frequently combated.

2£

434 Bishop Walsham How

For a longer excursion there was the Ceiriog (a tribu-
tary of the Dee), just beyond the northern boundary of
his parish. To this stream he was introduced by one of
the squires who Uved in the neighbourhood, and who
used to tell how he thought it would be a friendly action
to take the young Rector out with him and teach him to
fish for trout, and how, when they met at the end of the
day, positions were reversed, the so-called pupil having
nearly three times as heavy a basket as his instructor !

But the favourite river of all was the Tanat, a ten-mile
drive away, on which, owing to the kindness of Lord
Bradford and the late Sir Watkin Wynn, the Rector of
Whittington had many a splendid day's sport. It is a
very early river, and the temptation to drive over on a
warm March day must have been great. But no such
expeditions were ever enjoyed until Lent was over, and
the Eastertide services, after which the diaries invariably
record several days spent somewhere in the neighbour-
hood of Llanyblodwel or Llangedwin, on the banks of that •
most fascinating river.

Like other busy men, he lost many a • good fish
through using old and rotten tackle. His bulky black
leather flybook with old-fashioned steel clasp was
crammed wnth flies and casts, and he never found time
to examine these beforehand, and never could harden his
heart to burn all his ancient gut — the only really safe
thing to do. When the actual fishing-day came, a cast
would be hurriedly made up and wound round his wide-
awake hat, only in too many instances to be broken by
" the big fish which came at the tail fly in the rough
water."

Barmouth was a holiday ground much resorted to by
all the family, and in the old days, before the famous

The Bishop as a Fisherman 435

bridge was built, or ever a railway whistle was heai'd,
there was abundance of trout-fishing in the mountain
streams. Thither year after year Mr. and Mrs. How
would take their children, some driving all the way in
the pony carriage, others arriving by Colonel Corbett's
coach, and amongst the baggage fishing rods and baskets
were conspicuous.

Such streams as that which rapidly descends the hill-
side by Corsygedol House, the little river at Llwyngwril,
and the Arthog brook, all paid heavy toll to his rod. For
these and similar spots he seldom changed his cast of
flies — a little March brown, a blue dun, and a small but
bushy coch-y-bondhu being the invariable bill of fare.
With these flies he once took over sixty trout out of the
stream at Drws-y-nant in a couple of hours.

In after-years he went much farther afield for his sport,
visiting Ballinahinch in Connemara several times, making
two expeditions to Norway, and once going in search of
trout-fishing to the Ardennes.

In 1872 Mr. How paid his first visit to Sutherlandshire,
taking with him one of his sons. This was a district
which, when Bishop of Wakefield, he visited more than
once and in which he spent some of his happiest hoHdays.

On the occasion of this first visit ten days were spent at
the inn at Overscaig, then a mere cottage by the side of
Loch Shin, incapable of housing more than four fisher-
men at one time. Capital sport was enjoyed here on this
occasion, the total for the two rods being three hundred
trout, weighing somewhere about one hundred and fifty
pounds. One of the days during this visit was spent in a
long tramp over the hills to Loch Fiag, on which there
was then no boat, where a basket of fish was taken from
the shore, one of the trout weighing three pounds. Then

436 Bishop Walsham How

it was that unknowingly Mr. How first looked on a scene
which was to be familiar to him afterwards, for on the
shore of that loch a wooden house was built by Mr. Gye
(of the Italian Opera), and afterwards rented by Mr. M. E.
Sanderson, of Wakefield, who on several occasions enter-
tained the Bishop and his family there during part of their
August holiday.

From Overscaig Mr. How and his son went northwards
to Rhiconich, passing Loch Stack en route. This noted
sea-trout loch was then rented by the late Lord Dudley,
who met the travellers near his house at the head of the
Laxford River, and offered them a day or two's fishing, if
rain came to make it worth while. Unfortunately the
weather continued very hot and dry, so that the oppor-
tunity was lost ; but the impression of the place and the
great reputation of its fishing lasted many years, Mr. How
often saying that one of his dreams was some day to be
allowed to try his luck on that loch and river. How
this dream was fulfilled some twenty years afterwards is
told later.

It was in 1867 that he made his first serious attempt at
salmon-fishing. Accompanied by his cousin, Mr. G. F.
King, he went to Ballinahinch and stayed a fortnight at
the noted Deradda Lodge. The sport was not good, and
besides, he was never a successful salmon-fisher, so that
it is not surprising to find that only three fish were killed
by him on this occasion. He chronicled the visit in
rhyme, which he illustrated by spirited pen-and-ink
sketches. The verses ran as follows :

Day I.
Calmly bright
Is the morning light ;
Lovelily blue are the mountain ridges :

The Bishop as a Fisherman 437

Gently ripple the waters

Like the prattle of Erin's daughters ;

But oh ! confound these venomous midges !

Day 2.

Here it comes ! raging and frantic

Right off the face of the broad Atlantic,

Tearing and dashing

And shouting and splashing,

All day long

Steady and strong.

The only thing is to seek a retreat

Under the lee of a stack of peat,

While Patrick Fitzpatrick, to cheer one's sorrow,

Says, " Sure there'll be beautiful sport, sir, the morrow ! "

Day 3.

One minute more

We'd have been safely on shore :

But alas ! and alas !

It ne'er came to pass.

I heard a great wail

That turned me all pale,

Moaning afar from the point surnamed Monaghan,

" Arrah ! bad luck to him, sure and he's gone again ! "

Day 4.

As slashing a rise as a man could wish !
"Hurroor !" Pat cries, "and it was a great fish !"
Rest him a minute, and then a fresh cast,
If you show it him neatly he'll take it at last.
But in working your fly on the rippling pool
You must keep your left eye on an Irish bull.
Till old Jimmy Carr, our friend at a pinch,
Repulses the baste from Ballinahinch.

Day 5.
Tried all the flies :
The fish wonH rise :
Fishing voted a bore,

438 Bishop Walsham How

We repose on the shore,

And have a good snore,

While a brute of a cow with a morbid digestion

Eats the macintosh up without asking a question.

Day 6.

Off goes the reel

With a rattle and squeal,

Down through the rapid away the line spins,

It's ten minutes before you catch sight of the fins.

And says Pat as he plunges and tugs and bounds,

" Sure he's every bit of twinty pounds ! "

Six times or more

He's brought to the shore,

When off with a burst

As fresh as at first.

Till, seizing his moment, with dexterous hand

Pat cleverly gaffs him, and flings him on land.

Then, dancing around him, uproarious and frisky,

He crowns his success in a bumper of whisky !

A second visit with another friend (Colonel Lloyd, of
Aston) was paid to this same place in 1869 with somewhat
similar results, and yet a third in 1895, when he took
several members of his family for a short tour in Ireland,
spending ten days at Deradda Lodge.

[To Rev. H. W. How.]

^^ August, 14, 1895.

" I am sending you by parcel post a nice fresh-run 9 lb.
salmon, which I killed this morning. I only hope it will
get to you fresh. I have only killed one (8 lb.) before,
but got another a little larger quite done for and ready
for the gaff, and I was towing him into a small bay for
the purpose when he left me !

" It has been very stormy most days since we came.

The Bishop as a Fisherman 439

Yesterday those who were in boats on the lakes had to
give up, as it was too rough. I was on the river, but not
a fish would stir. It is very aggravating to see them
rolling about like pigs. There is a whole herd of them
at Corcoran's Point, but the one I am sending you is
the only one that rose at me. There are so many that
you have a good chance of snatching one by whipping
your fly past him when he rolls up between your fiy and
yourself.

" I have managed to get in a bit of botanising, and have
found two or three rare plants, but I am going to cut the
fishing one day, and have a botanical ramble on Round-
stone Hill, three or four miles from here, where there are
two or three very rare heaths, as well as some other
rarities."

In 1888 he paid his first visit to Norway, taking a party
of six to stay for a month in a farm about seventy miles
from Trondhjem, near the Swedish border, and close to
some of the Lapp settlements. There was no salmon-
fishing here, but the trouting was excellent, as may be
gathered from the following letter :

\_To Mr. G. F. King.]
"LovoEN, Tydalen, Norway, August 24, 1888.

" We men fish mostly, and the women cook, each with
varying success. There are no dishes except pie dishes,
and no jugs except a little one for the cream. There is a
slop-basin, which begins the day by bringing me my
shaving water, and afterwards accompanies me to break-
fast. The bread is made daily in my wash-hand basin,
which perhaps accounts for its not rising. Other things
rise : we do, the trout do — but the bread never ! It is so

440 Bishop Walsham How

solid ! We live mostly on trout. F. and I went to a
lake and caught fifty-six one day, and forty-four another,
many over one pound, and two of two pound each.
Fortunately we had a pony to bring them back, as they
were a terrific weight.

7F ^ T^ ^ W

" Fancy my accidentally leaning my rod against a rock,
and then finding it almost touching a beautiful clump of
the rare Woodsia fern, while the butt was standing in
a little cluster of Smilacina, a delicate and lovely little
sort of miniature lily of the valley."

At the end of this letter there is a drawing of a trout,
under which are these lines :

" Hie jacet, illustri tandem certamine victse,
In tumulo ventris ' spatium mirabile ' Truttse."

In the next year he re-visited Norway, this time in the
company of Bishop Wilberforce, of Newcastle, with high
hopes of at last getting some really good salmon-fishing.
The following letters to Mr. G. F. King give a capital
impression of the success of this visit :

"Olden, Nord Fjord, Norway, August 15, 1S89.

"My dear Farquharson,

" Here I am in a simply perfect place. We arrived on
Friday at 2 P.M., came up to this jolly little wooden
house, where we actually have a flagstaff and the Union
Jack flying, had luncheon, and were on the river by
4 P.M.

" Before five I had killed a grilse of six pounds and a
salmon of twenty-four pounds. I thought I was going to
achieve wonders, but day by day the conviction has
deepened that salmon are coy, and that I am a poor

The Bishop as a Fisherman 441

fisherman. I have only killed five as yet, my best being
twenty-six pounds and twenty-four pounds. The Bishop
of Newcastle has killed eleven, averaging twenty-four
pounds, his largest being thirty-two pounds. But then
we have much sport with grilse and sea-trout, the latter
being especially abundant and large — e.g., we have each
killed a sea-trout of eleven pounds. Grilse under six
pounds we generally label and put back.

"The Bishop of Newcastle is a grand companion, so
keen and good-natured. We have our daily prayers
together night and morning, and in many a nice talk find
ourselves singularly at one."

"Wakefield, September 21, 1889.

"My dear Farquharson,

" I must indulge in a little chat with you, the main
end and object of which is to bring down your exalted
cousinly estimate of your own particular bishop, and to
present him to you in all his incompetence and decrepi-
tude. I am a muff, whatever you may say, for I could not
catch the salmon. I got six early in my visit, but, though
I rose them now and then, and hooked one or two, never
another could I capture. My brother of Newcastle went
on killing salmon to the end, but he is very skilful and
knowing. He got twenty-five salmon. Our average was
the same — nineteen pounds. His first eleven averaged
twenty-four pounds, but, as the river lowered, the bigger
fish did not rise. However, there was always something
to be done, and I got sixty-seven sea-trout of all sizes up
to twelve pounds, besides about ten grilse. Of course
the Bishop of Newcastle beat me in each sort, his sea-
trout averaging about five pounds — mine about three
pounds ; and his largest being thirteen pounds to my

442 Bishop Walsham How-

twelve pounds. He is very fond of spiders, and brought
in two very big ones, and established them in two of the
windows in our sitting room. They were named 'Achilles'
and ' the Claimant,' and their diverse character interested
us greatly. Achilles was shy, timid, and given to sulk in
his tent. He fled into a corner when you offered him a
fly. The Claimant, on the contrary, was brave and con-
fiding, eagerly took flies out of your fingers, and even
allowed the Bishop of Newcastle to take him in his finger
and thumb and carry him to a fly, which he at once
seized and devoured. I am not sure that inordinate
greediness was not the real secret of his valour !

" Your affectionate Cousin,

" Wm. walsham WAKEFIELD."

It was in the summer of 1890 that the Bishop's dream
of some day fishing Loch Stack in Sutherlandshire was at
last fulfilled owing to the kindness of the Duke of West-
minster, who lent him on this, as well as on a succeeding
holiday. Stack Lodge for a fortnight's fishing on the loch
and on the River Laxford. At the end of this first visit he
wrote as follows to Mr. G. F. King :

" Stack Lodge, August 10, 1890.

" As we leave to-morrow morning I should like to give
you a little account of our last few days. We stuck to
the river, it being in excellent order and with plenty of
fish up, for a whole week of long, laborious, and mostly
disappointing days. On Wednesday, however, after a
fruitless morning on the river, we thought we would
try the loch. And now don't we wish we had tried it a
little sooner ! We were told it was the best in Scotland,
but I had no idea any loch could be so good. It is

The Bishop as a Fisherman 443

cram-full of sea-trout with a sprinkling of salmon. We
were very unlucky in losing big fish, especially two
salmon, both apparently well hooked, and some very
large sea-trout, and of course we hooked and lost a great
many of all sizes, but our score was twenty-three on
Wednesday afternoon, forty on Thursday, thirty-four on
Friday afternoon, and twenty-six yesterday. We got two
of five pounds each, and plenty from that to two pounds.
Our seven best yesterday weighed eighteen pounds, the
largest being only three and a-half pounds. It was most
exciting work, the fish being tremendously strong and
game, and run out line and spring into the air again and
again. Several times we had the two rods with good fish
on at once. I never in my life had such good sport."

In 1892 he was again at Stack Lodge :

\To Rev. H. W. How.]

" August 4.

" As we came on Saturday it turned to rain, and
drizzled all Sunday, which brought the river up nicely
On Sunday I took the service at Loch More Lodge, four
miles from here, at the other end of this loch, and there
met Professor Drummond, who is lodging there with the
bailiff for fishing. He is a pleasant, friendly sort of man,
rather of the Professor Hughes [of Cambridge] descrip-
tion. He says the geology here is most interesting, the
whole country showing strong records of the Ice Age.
We agreed amongst us here that I should fish in the boat
on the loch every day to avoid the walk, while Fred and
Frank [two of his sons] take the river on alternate days.
To do the river you must walk down one side to the
bridge near the sea, four miles, and up the other side,
which I dare not attempt.

444 Bishop Walsham How

" On the loch the fishing has been nothing like what it
was two years ago, and yesterday, which was cold and
stormy, not a fish would stir, but, though the fish are
' stiff,' as they say here, they are great fun, as they are
very strong and plucky, jumping into the air again and
again, and rushing away — a good many getting off. They
all are sea-trout, or, at least, we don't count the small
brownies, of which we always get some. To-day Fred
and I got eighteen sea-trout (all but one, which was a
brown trout of one and a quarter pound), weighing
twenty-five and a-half pounds. We enjoy it much."

More than once afterwards, when the guest of Mr. M.
E. Sanderson at Loch Merkland, the Bishop was allowed
some days' fishing on Loch Stack, but never again had
quite such good sport as during these first visits.

Many of these fishing holidays were, of course, spent in
out-of-the-way places far from any church, and on
Sundays it was the Bishop's custom to hold services either
in his sitting-room, or in some larger place when avail-
able, and to invite the foresters and gillies to attend.
When he was at Overscaig in 1872 he held a service in an
outhouse, and many shepherds and boatmen came to it
accompanied by their dogs. He thought that the old
tune "Rockingham" must be well known, so started a
hymn to that refrain ; but he forgot how far north he was,
and it ended in a duet between himself and his son, while
the rest of the congregation sat round solemn and silent.
He often used to tell the story, and say what a trying pro-
cess he found it.

When on a visit to Mr. M. E. Sanderson the time was
usually divided between Merkland Lodge and the hut on
Fiag Loch, the approach to which latter place was up a

The Bishop as a Fisherman 445

rough cart track for six miles over a wild moorland. The
Bishop was the first person to be driven in a dog-cart up
this road, which had previously been available only for
mountain ponies, or rough carts. To this fact Mr. Sander-
son alludes in a letter (written after the Bishop's death)
from which the following extracts are taken :

" It is difficult to give incidents of the ever-dear Bishop's visits
to me. First it was indeed an honour and privilege for him to
come, and when I think as I write that his life is ended here, I
feel much difficulty in referring to him.

" The foresters in their simple way felt much veneration for
him, believing that they had never seen one so good, and they
will always remember his kindness to them in having services for
them, and his memory will be dear to them, one and all, man and

woman ! Then at Fiag, when sang so sweetly those old

ditties, how his face brightened, and he asked about others, and
hummed the tunes. . . . Then the longing for him to get a big
fish — which he didn't. Only one came, and the reel clogged and
broke the cast, and this was a big one ! Then his geniality and
his tales, and his earnest little prayers in the dear old hut for us
all, and his coming up on a pony in his wading-stockings, and
afterwards being the first to come up in a dog- cart, and always his
joy at the luck of others' fishing, and his determination to throw a
fly almost till the dinner-bell rang. These are only trifles when with
us, and it is to me most comforting to believe he enjoyed these
holidays."

The mention in the above letter of " his tales " brings
to mind many stories he told relating to his fishing.

Once when returning from a day's fishing in South
Wales with an empty basket, he was overtaken by a
small boy, when the following conversation ensued :

Small Boy : " Been fishing ? "

The Bishop : " Yes."

Small Boy : " Caught anything ? "

The Bishop : " No."

446 Bishop Walsham How

Small Boy : " Ah ! some don't ! "
The fact that the Bishop was very seldom amongst the
^' some who don't " makes the small boy's irony delicious.

On another occasion he had been to a confirmation in
a country parish, and after the service the squire, knowing
how keen a fisherman he was, begged him to come for a
short walk. They soon arrived at a large pool with a
boat on it and a fishing-rod and tackle already prepared.
In a few minutes the Bishop, all arrayed in shovel hat
and apron, was hard at work killing several large trout,
and he used afterwards to say that no one ever went out
fishing such a swell before !

During his life at Whittington the Hon. W. R. Verney,
now Rector of Lighthorne in Warwickshire, read with
him for a time when preparing for Holy Orders. His
testimony as to the value of these months is exceedingly
strong, but in connection with the subject of this chapter
he has also something to say.

" He was one of those men," he writes, " for whom no task was
too hard and no day too long. He was a sportsman too at heart,
and that was a great bond of sympathy between us, though he
clearly told me that he was afraid my too great love for sport
would injure and interfere with my ministerial work. You know
better than I do what an excellent fisherman he was, and how in
his holiday times he loved this innocent recreation. I remember
one day he was going to a week-day service, and passed me at
the Castle Pool [between the Rectory and the church] when I had
a good trout on. ' Come on, Verney,' he said, ' you'll be late.' I
was too hard on the fish, and lost him. I think the Bishop was
sorry afterwards ! "

One more fishing episode, and that of too recent and
too sad a nature to dwell upon for long.

In August of 1897, he took Dhulough Lodge near
Killary Harbour, chiefly for the sake of the excellent

The Bishop as a Fisherman 447

fishing that went with it. He arrived there on a Tuesday.
On Wednesday, after tea, there being a good breeze upon
the lough, he went out in a boat with one of his sons
and for a hour and a half they had excellent sport, the
Bishop fighting and killing some big sea-trout with all his
wonted vigour. The wind had risen and the boatmen
landed the fishermen about a mile above the Lodge. He
walked home with apparent ease, but said, " I couldn't
have walked this distance last week " (when he was
feeling very unwell during the last days of the Lambeth
Conference). He never went out fishing again. On the
following Tuesday morning he was dead. The cast he
used that last evening is still round his hat — a memorial
of one of the keenest and most unselfish fisherman who
ever lived.

CHAPTER XXX

THE BISHOP AS A BOTANIST

As a botanist, the Rector of Whittington also found
himself in a happy position. A small stream through the
garden was altered soon after his arrival at the Rectory,
and made to flow between rocky banks and down little
falls. In the Parish Papers the following entries were
made by him :

" Stream alteration. Altogether it is a great improvement
to the garden, especiallyto a botanist with a mighty love
of ferns, of which I hope now to grow many of the rarer
sorts, and do not despair of inducing the Hymenophylla
to take up their abode on the spray-bespattered stones.
If my successor is no fern-fancier, let him at least bring
some one who is so, to see what is there before he lays
violent hands on any of my nurselings. [Since that day
the treasures in the Whittington garden have been by
turns neglected and cared for, so that it is doubtful how
many of them still survive.]

"I have just returned from a visit to the Lakes, and have
brought back with me, and planted in the new rockwork
by the water, roots of the following ferns : Allosorus,
(parsley fern), beech fern, oak fern, brittle fern, forked
spleenwort and green, Wilson's filmy fern and mountain

The Bishop as a Botanist 449

fern. I have already put in Osmunda regalis and
Lastrea thelypteris and christata, with several of the
common ferns.

*****

I have added Polypodium calcareum,Cystopteris dentata,
Lastrea spinulosa, Asplenium lanceolatum, and a variety of
Filix-mas from the Breidden.

* * • • •

The great yew-tree (close to the house) measures 21 feet
II inches in girth 5 feet 9 inches from the ground." This
big tree stands close to the Rectory house, and is one
of the largest specimens of its kind in Shropshire. A
former Bishop of St. Asaph tried to persuade Mr. How
to cut it down ! In this instance, however, episcopal
wishes were ignored.

In his early days at Whittington the Rector paid much
attention to budding roses, and his diaries contain many
entries relating to his flowers, such as " Dahlias cut with
frost," "Put in bedding-out plants," &c.

In 1857 the Oswestry and Welshpool Naturalists' Field
Club was founded, with Mr. J ebb, of the Lyth, near
Ellesmere, as president, and the Rector of Whittington
as vice-president. The meetings of this club were a
source of great pleasure to Mr. How, and he seldom
missed any of their excursions. It was in connection
with these gatherings that he first met Mr. William Whit-
well, F.L.S., who contributed an exceedingly interesting
memorial paper to "The Naturalist" of October 1897, on
the life of the late Bishop of Wakefield. Much of the
information as to botany contained in this chapter is
gleaned from those pages.

Mr. Whitwell says : " The Bishop had a good
acquaintance with our British plants, and possessed a

2 F

450 Bishop Walsham How

tolerably large herbarium — devoted, however, mainly to
the rarer species." This herbarium was given to one of
his nieces some years ago, when press of work prevented
his giving sufficient attention to it.

At a meeting of the Field Club in 1862, Mr. How read a
short paper on the " Botany of the Great Orme's Head at
Llandudno," showing how carefully he had searched that
mountain for rare br interesting plants. In the course of
his remarks he thus describes his discoveries :

" Several of the commoner limestone plants are there
plentifully, such as Saxifraga tridactylites, Arabis hirsuta,
and Geranium lucidum. . . .

" If you look under your feet in this breezy exposed
spot, you will find at least three plants worth notice. The
pretty Gnaphalium dioicum, the Cistus marifolius, and the
delicate little Scilla verna. . . .

" Scrambling up to the steep shelves and ledges of rock
which face inland, and amongst the hawthorns and privets
and brambles and blackthorns, we will poke about and
see if we cannot discover the Orme's Head plant,
Mespilus cotoneaster. Yes, here it is, just like one of the
dwarf, round-leafed shrubby willows, a tough little shrub,
with downy leaves, and pretty little waxy blossoms like
the bilberry. Happily its roots are so deep, and so
embedded in the rocks, that, although the visitors are
cruelly destructive, I think they will not succeed in quite
extirpating this plant from its only British dwelling-place."

Other plants he mentioned as inhabiting the Orme's
Head are the Chrysocoma, the Silene nutans, wild fennel,
Thalictrum minus, Statice reticulata, Brassica oleracea,
Asplenium marinum (a few stunted plants only), while

The Bishop as a Botanist 451

on the shore could be found the yellow-horned poppy,
and on the Conway side the sea-convolvulus. He also
discovered in the hedges a little inland Scrophularia
vernalis and Veronica hybrida.

But this was written five and thirty years ago, and by
this time many of these plants have probably been exter-
minated by the " cruelly destructive visitors."

Another interesting paper on wild plants was the one
contributed by Mr. How to the " Gossiping Guide to Wales"
on " The Botany of Barmouth and its Neighbourhood."

On his removal to London, the Bishop was delighted
to find a capital garden attached to his new residence,
and especially to discover a fern-house well stocked with
many of his prime favourites. This garden and fernery
were of the greatest possible service during his nine years
of arduous work in the East End, for they afforded a
never-failing refreshment and interest to one with his
passion for flowers and ferns.

Another great enjoyment to him was the fact that
Mr. F. J. Hanbury, the celebrated botanist, lived within a
few minutes' walk. Writing to Mr. Whitwell the Bishop
says :

*' Stainforth House, Upper Clapton, Nov. 2, 1885.

" My dear Mr. Whitwell,

" It was very kind of you to write to me, and I was
very glad to hear of you again. ... I am living close to a
very first-rate botanist here — Mr. F. J. Hanbury — and I
now and then go in and look over some of his plants.
He has far the best herbarium I ever saw. I myself do
very little in this line nowadays, but a short time ago in
the summer I stumbled upon a good plant. I had been
speaking at a meeting at Watford, and took a little walk

452 Bishop Walsham How

afterwards through some woods, where I found a large
quantity of Impatiens parviflora — quite a new plant to me.

" Believe me, with many thanks,

" Sincerely yours,

" Wm. walsham BEDFORD."

The Bishop used to have many a botanical chat with
Mr. Hanbury when he lived at Clapton, and was delighted
on one occasion to be able to give him some fine
specimens of Hieracium Pilosella, var. pilosissimum, which
he obtained from a rock near Barmouth. This was the
only known Welsh locality for this plant, and is cited in
Mr. Hanbury's " Monograph of the British Hieracia." A
year or two afterwards the Bishop revisited the same
neighbourhood to try and procure some roots of the
plant, that Mr. Hanbury might grow it, but found to his
dismay that the only rock on which it grew had all been
blasted away !

The Bishop's holidays were invariably planned long
beforehand, his keen enjoyment of them beginning with
the anticipation many months in advance. Amongst all
the necessary preparations he never forgot to write and
find out from Mr. Hanbury what rare plants he was to
search for in the selected locality. A few of the letters
written on these and similar occasions will probably be of
interest to botanical readers.

" Bala, May 8, 1885.

"My dear Mr. Hanbury,

" I have made up a few verses for you while out
fishing to-day. I hope they will do.*

I went to Barmouth yesterday, where I found a plant of

* These were for the North Eastern Hospital for Children.

The Bishop as a Botanist 453

Asplenium lanceolatum in quite a new place, in a wall a
mile out of Barmouth on the Harlech Road, and a lot of
Inula Helenium coming up in a field where I never saw it
before. I saw also plenty of old friends coming up in the
old places.

It is bitterly cold and the hills are covered with snow.

" Very sincerely yours,

" Wm. WALSHAM BEDFORD."

"Stainforth House, Upper Clapton, E., May 19, 1885.

" Dear Mr. H anbury,

" I found Potentilla verna on the Malvern Hills
about forty-five years ago. Chrysosplenium alternifolium
I have found in various places.

" I am sorry that it is quite impossible for me to join
you in June. Every Sunday has its three engagements,
but besides that every day is pledged. I am much exer-
cised about an anemone we sent from Capel Curig. I
had found one plant of it there about twenty years ago,
and this time we found two. It is plainly Anemone
nemorosa, only as blue as Anemone apennina. Is the
variety acknowledged in any book ?

" Yours sincerely,

" Wm. WALSHAM BEDFORD."
"RossiE Castle, Montrose, August 17, 1886.

" Dear Mr. Hanbury,

" It is indeed good of you to have taken so much
trouble, and I hope to make some little use of your notes
and information. But I am greatly disappointed, my
friends having been compelled to alter their plans, and put
off going to Glenshee so late that I can only get about
two days there. I have seen nothing of interest yet,

454 Bishop Walsham How

except that the banks of the river South Esk here are
Hterally covered with mimukis in full blossom. It is
lovely. The Sax. aizoides seems quite a common Scotch
plant. It grows in all the little rills. The neighbourhood
of Comrie was singularly bare and hopeless, quite low-
land country with cultivated fields. There was a quantity
of Myrrhis odorata by the river Earn.

" There is scarcely any fishing, the river being dried up.

" Sincerely yours,

"Wm. WALSHAM BEDFORD."
" BiSHOPGARTH, WAKEFIELD,y?//v 29, 1 895.

" Dear Mr. Hanbury,

'* I am going on this day week to Connemara for
some salmon-fishing, and shall be at Ballinahinch, not
far from Roundstone and Clifden. Can you tell me what
plants I should look for if the weather does not do
for fishing and I can get a little botanising ? It is
the heaths that are said to be the specialties here.
E. Mackaiana is said to be findable, but E. ciliaris
very doubtful. I was there long ago but did not get to
the heath habitats. The bogs at Ballinahinch were full
of Menziesia polifolia and Drosera anglica, but little else
interesting. Yes, by the way I found Utricularia minor
there. If you know anything of the region, and can give
me hints, I shall be greatly obliged.

" I had specimens of Trientalis and Cornus suecica
sent me from near Pickering the other day. Both are
very common in Norway, where also I found Menziesia
caerulea, and many other of our chief British varieties.

" With kindest remembrances and love to the children,

"Yours sincerely,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

The Bishop as a Botanist 455

" BiSHOPGARTH, WaKEFIELD, AtlgUSt 21, 1896,

" Dear Mr. Hanbury,

" I return your maps with many thanks. Alas !
though at your suggestion I wrote a fortnight before-
hand to Inchnadamff, they had no beds, so we could not
get there. We went to Scourie, spending two whole days
there, doing Handa Island one day, and driving to
Kylesku Ferry the next. The only thing I found worth
naming is Ajuga pyramidalis, where you said. I could
not see Pyrola uniflora on Handa, nor the Malaxis at
Kylesku. By the way, did you notice the strange
character of the gorse all about these parts ? There were
young plants I should hardly have guessed to be gorse —
it grows so long and lax and tender-looking, with very
long spines, and of a pale green colour. The young
shoots are astonishingly long and lax.

" With many thanks for your kind help,

" Sincerely yours,

" Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD,

" Kindest remembrances."

The late Bishop Billing succeeded Bishop Walsham
How at Stainforth House, and on the house again
becoming empty a few years later it was taken by
Mr. Hanbury, who still cherishes some plants placed there
by Bishop How. Of these, special mention may be made
of the Potentilla rupestris, which the Bishop found on the
Breidden hills and brought to London. This plant still
flourishes to such an extent that Mr. Hanbury has been
able to sub-divide it.

In 1888 came the move to Wakefield. Truly the
Bishop's gardens may be said to have deteriorated with

456 Bishop Walsham How

every move. The London garden, though well cultivated
and delightful, could not be compared with the large and
beautiful garden at Whittington. The Wakefield garden,
though extensive, had so recently been a field, in which
grew masses of rhubarb and cabbages, that it was in turn
less attractive than that at Stainforth House. Still the
Bishop never swerved in his devotion ; although much
that he planted perished, and what was left was eternally
black with Wakefield smuts, still he laboured on, and took
great delight in the carnations, saxifrages, and other things
which suited the locality.

Among his chief " botanical " friends in Yorkshire may
be mentioned Mr. Claude Leatham, by whose kind aid the
Bishop was enabled to stock with Alpine plants the
rockery which he constructed during the last years of his
life, and the Rev. W. Fowler, of Liversedge. When away
for his summer holiday in 1895, he sent the latter the
following delightful lines :

" Deradda Lodge, Connemara, August 1895.

" Dear Fowler, I think, on the whole, you'll agree with me,
This place is delicious (I wish you could be with me !) ;
But especially charming to one who has got any
Fancy for fishing conjointly with botany.
Just think, when on land from your boat you get out,
Having captured a salmon, or ten or twelve trout,
As you lounge on the margin, enjoying your lunch,
You suddenly find that your cushion's a bunch
Of what we consider our fairest of spolia,
Menziesia to wit, species polifolia.

Then to stretch your cramp'd legs you stroll off a short way
And lo ! there's the heath that is nam'd from Mackay ;
Or perchance you may find (you know it most rare is)
Another heath bearing the name ciliaris ;
Or even by luck one outrivalling any — a
Bush of the Erica Mediterranea.

The Bishop as a Botanist 457

Then look in that ditch — there's a prize for herbaria !

The true Intermediate Utricularia.

You will know it, without any flower or fruit,

By the groups of small bladders apart from the root.

Then in casting your fly you hook into a weed —

Draw it in — why, what is it ? a rush or a reed ?

No, the treasure you've hook'd in that cast so unwary

Is the Eriocaulon septangulare !

When the salmon have baffled your patience and skill,

Take half a day off, and walk over that hill.

And there, on the rocks (it's no fiction or phantom),

Grows the real unmistakeable true Adiantum :

While in that little lake which the seabreezes fall on,

All full of Lobelia and Eriocaulon

(In vain the green depths of its waters defy us).

With a gaff" we secure the much-coveted Naias.

Now I think, my dear Fowler, I've well proved my case,

That this is a most undeniable place ;

And once more I wish you were with me to fish up

Big trout and rare plants ! —

'• Your affectionate Bishop."

Before leaving the subject of the Bishop as a botanist
there are two quotations which must not be omitted.
The first is from an article in the " Leisure Hour," written
by the Rev. F. A. Malleson, M.A. The kind of "motto"
at the head of the article is a quotation from a letter :

"Fancy my forgetting Broughton, and that perfectly
delicious walk with you up the Duddon, and the Snow-
flake, and the Paris, and the Cardamine amara, and the
TroUius, and the Osmunda, &c. Why, it is one of the
brightest little pictures in the gallery of my memory.

" Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

The article later on says :

" Speaking of congenial company brings back to me the remem-
brance of two walks in the Duddon Woods, on each side of the

45^ Bishop Walsh am How

river Duddon, which bounds this beautiful parish of Broughton-
in-Furness on the west. The first of these was in the company of
the present Bishop of Wakefield — at that time Canon Walsham
How, a few weeks before he became Bishop of Bedford. It is
but little known how good a botanist is this most amiable and
energetic chief pastor. After greeting many a flower of the
district, the Touch-me-not, the Great Sundew, the Spindle-tree,
the Larkspur, the Globe flower, the Herb Paris, and many others,
suddenly he left my side, cleared a fence at a bound, and dived
into a wood, out of which he brought in great triumph a handful
of the large-flowered Bitter-cress (Cardamine amara), which I
myself had never discovered."

The other quotation is from an address given to the
Wakefield Paxton Society by Mr. J. Wood, F.R.H.S., of
Kirkstall, near Leeds. The subject was " The late Bishop
Walsham How as a Gardener," and in the course of his
lecture he said that his authority for what he had to tell
them was throughout personal. When a great and good
man happened to be a bishop, and loved and found time
to be a gardener, they must feel that their own art was
well stamped and emphasised, if not patronised.

"Besides, who more than a good man, like the late Bishop,
could win minds to what he himself appreciated ? How well he
did this was exemplified by the fact that after spending some time
in the garden he would be summoned into the house, and after a
short interval would bring his visitors out into the garden to show
them what was going on. He (Mr. Wood) had known several
clergymen brought into the garden in that way in the course of

one afternoon.

*****

" They could also imagine that they saw in their Bishop a
practical admission that gardening could be a training force of
thought and serenity of mind. He was always ready to own his
shortcomings, and equally ready to point out the pleasures of
gardening as one who knew all about them.

The Bishop as a Botanist 459

" The Bishop entertained some amusing prejudices. For
instance he (the lecturer) found one of the best Alpine plants
they had growing on a rubbish heap at Bishopgarth, where it was
thriving beautifully, but he felt he must speak to the Bishop
about it. He did so, suggesting a place for it on the new rockery.
The Bishop's lips tightened, and shaking his head, he laughingly
said, ' You say it is happy on the rubbish heap ? ' ' Yes.' ' Then,'
said he, ' let it stay there : I could not tolerate it on the rockery ! ' "

Few recollections of Bishop Walsham How will be
more enduring to those who knew him well than the sight
of him as he snatched a few minutes in the course of a
busy morning to walk slowly round his garden, stopping
every yard or two to examine a tiny flower, or impatiently
to pull up, and throw behind him, an intrusive weed.
How dearly he loved his flowers and ferns it is difficult to
tell. Wherever he lived he tended them, and increased
them. Many of them still live on, and bear silent witness
to his care for them.

CHAPTER XXXI

LETTERS ON SPIRITUAL MATTERS

A CONSIDERABLE portion of Bishop Walsham How's
correspondence consisted from quite early days in
answering letters on spiritual subjects, and advising those
who in this manner sought his help. It is thought that
the publication of some of these letters may give a fresh
insight into the inner life and thoughts of their writer,
and may perhaps bring help and comfort to some who
read them.

[Birthday Letters^

" My dearest ,

" I will seize a few minutes before starting for my
day's work to write you my warmest greetings for your
birthday. May God ever bless you more and more, and
make each year fuller of peace and hope. My daily
prayer for you is that ' your love may abound more and
more.' I often think of the beautiful spot where you
asked me to make this my prayer for you. I think the
same thing is what I too most need. I should like to
think that we ask the same blessing for each other."

^^ December 14, 1887.

" Your letters are always a great delight to me on my
birthdays, aud this one has been not less so than others.

Letters on Spiritual Matters 461

One leans more and more, so far as this world is con-
cerned, on the long-tried love of the dear ones left by
God's mercy to one, and, for the other world, one
seeks more and more to realise the hope of the blessed
reunion."

" Dear ,

" May God bless you more and more year by year
and bring you nearer to Himself and to heaven. I do
hope, dear child, you are going forward a little, or at
least sometimes going forward, a wave now and then
showing that the tide is rising, not falling, however many
waves fall short between. Don't forget Faber's wonder-
ful expression. He says, ' When all is known, the life of
many a saint will be found to be nothing but an entangle-
ment of generous beginnings.' It is a comforting thought
when we feel what very beginners we all are."

" Dear ,

" May every year bring you nearer and nearer to
what you would be, by bringing you nearer and nearer to
God. I never fail to pray for the grace of pure unselfish-
ness for you, as you asked me. Though others do not
see the lack of it, you no doubt do, for selfishness is
a curiously subtle thing. God help you to detect and
escape it. Perhaps it is a little delicate shade of it which
makes you at times wrapped up in your own interests and
not of very ready, or perhaps not of very bright and
cheerful, sympathy with the lesser things which others
are interested in. I do not know, you can perhaps
find out.

" God bless you."

462 Bishop Walsh am How

[To a girl about to be confirmed?^
" Dear .

" To-morrow will be a very solemn, and I trust a
very blessed, day to you. Perhaps it may be a dis-
appointing day also. For, when we have thought much
of a solemn ordinance, and prepared earnestly for it, it
very often is so. We find we cannot feel quite as deeply
at the time as we thought we should, or as perhaps we
did in preparing for it. The strangeness, and publicity,
and bustle, attendant on such scenes, must partly check
the power of feeling them as intensely as we wish. I
know I found it so at my ordination, and many others
have experienced this. It is the same often with our

first communion, and I name this, dear , that you

may not be discouraged if it should so happen that you
are a little disappointed in not being able at the time to
realise all that is really taking place. You know that we

shall pray for our dear little that God's blessing will

rest upon her, and that He will by His grace make her a
faithful, consistent, and happy Christian.

"God bless you and give you a large portion of His
grace and strength to meet all your trials, great and
small."

[To his son H. W. H. on being ordaitied Priest?^

''September 18, 1880.
" My dearest Harry,

" I must write you a few lines to reach you on the
day of your ordination, and to take your father's truest
and best blessing to you. You will, I know, feel the
solemn responsibility of being called to the high office of
a priest in the Church of Christ. May you well and

Letters on Spiritual Matters 463

worthily exercise the stewardship of the mysteries of God,
and be found faithful !

" Do you remember how Bishop Patteson, when a little
boy, longed to be a clergyman that he might make people
happy by saying the Absolution ? He might well have
added the celebrating the Holy Sacrament also. I have
been taking as one of my Ember subjects this week, ' I
brought him to Thy disciples and they could not cure
him,' showing that their impotence was because of their
unbelief, and that again because they had neglected
* prayer and fasting.' These I took as two great principles
of the inner life, devotion on the one hand, including all
acts by which the soul goes forth towards God, and
self-discipline on the other hand, extending to all acts by
which the soul turns inwards on self in self-scrutiny,
self-denial, and self-conquest. Then I led on to the
thought that our power to cast out evil things, either from
self or from our people, would be proportionate to our
use of these two great strengths of the inner life. I name
this as it may give you a thought for to-morrow.

" Your loving old Father,

"Wm. WALSHAM BEDFORD.

" God bless you, my dear boy."

\^To afavourife niece on her death bed?[

*' BiSHOPGARTH, Wakefield, May 23, 1893.
" My precious Niece,

" I have heard from that Dr. Pye-Smith did

not think he could do much for you, and that you know
you have just to bow to God's will, and to bear the cross
He sends you, and to wait. It is best to know, is it not ?
I think I should wish it myself. We, who love you so

464 Bishop Walsham How

dearly, would have wished a different verdict, but God
loves you better than we do, and knows better too. Dear,
dear child, how I long to say something to cheer and help
you ! But when one has to face the great realities which
one talks about so often, it makes one feel so shallow and
ignorant. Well, one thing seems to come out clearly at
such times, and that is the infinite momentousness of the
very simplest old truths compared with many of the
things which occupy men's minds, and are made subjects
of dispute. I mean such things as repentance and faith,
the looking inwards with shame on oneself, and the look-
ing outwards with trust to God. . . . The facing of the
great problem of the future sets things so in their right
proportion, and makes the great things so great, and the
little things so little. I often question myself, to take
another instance, as to my love to the Saviour, and it often
makes me ashamed to feel how dim and cold and feeble
the love is : sometimes I even doubt whether it is there at
all. . . . But sometimes I like to fancy that if I were laid
aside by some sickness or infirmity, and knew I should do
no more active work for Him, and all this busy life faded
away into the background, and I had only to think and
remember and prepare, I might find the love had not
quite gone out, and He might fan it up into a little flame,
in the light of the glow of which I might look up with a
smile, and whisper, ' Thou knowest that I love Thee.' "

" BiSHOPGARTH, WaKEFIELD, y«;>i^ I3, 1893.

"My dearest Child,

"... I am thinking a good deal about faith now,
for I have been writing an instruction on it for a retreat.
. . . Well, after all we walk by faith, and not by sight
now. But what \vill it be when faith turns into sight,

Letters on Spiritual Matters 465

and we sec the King in His beauty. Dearest , it

must be very sweet and very glorious to see and be with
Him. God bless you always.

" Your loving old Uncle."
[7b his brother after a death in the family^

" BiSHOPGARTH, WaKEFIELD, y««5 29, 1893.

" How merciful it has all been for her ! I was dreading
a long sad time of clouded mind, though I prayed with
her that there might not be loss of mind or memory, if it
were God's will. We went to our morning prayer in the
chapel just after reading the letters, and sang as our
Saint's-day hymn, ' For all Thy saints who from their
labours rest.' So much of it came home to me with new
meaning to-day. My heart is very full, my one dear
brother, and I long to be with you. It does comfort
me to believe that to ' depart and be with Christ ' is * far
better ' than to stay longer here. And we old ones shall
not have so very long to stay now, and we may sureh'^
rejoice in the thought of the reunion within the veil.
God bless you and all of you.

" Your loving old Brother,

"W. w. w."

On Prayers for the Dead.

" The Vicarage, Halifax, y«/>' i6, 1893.

" I must begin by thanking you for yours of the 13th in
which you speak about Canon Swayne's book. I wholly
agree with what you say as to the Onesiphorus argument.
I have said it again and again. It is at best a probable
assumption that he was dead, but by no means a cer-
tainty ; and, even if it were, the words 'the Lord have

20

466 Bishop Walsham How

mercy,' &c., can only by the most forced construction be
cited as a prayer for the dead. They are, as you say, a
pious wish. At any rate, to build a whole system on this
passage is to build a pyramid on its point. At the same
time I am far from condemning prayer for the dead. If
there be accessions of light and knowledge, and possibili-
ties of growth and progress, after death, as surely we may
believe, there seems nothing wrong in prayers for such
blessings. Even forgiveness of sin, I think, may be
prayed for, if we once allow that prayer for pardon can
prevail at all (in lifetime, I mean). I know some
hold that prayer for another's pardon can only mean for
that other's repentance as a condition of pardon. But I
think St. James' words must mean more than this. Then,
if sin is forgiven at all upon the prayer of another, I see
no real ground for drawing an arbitrary line at death.
But I prefer the cautious and self-restrained practice of
the primitive Church. It seems to have been quite a
recognised practice among the Jews to pray for the dead,
and the early Christians did not discontinue it, but prayed
for ' light, and peace, and a blessed resurrection ' for their
dear ones departed.

"... I have since always prayed in the words I have
quoted."

[To the same.]

''July 19, 1893.

" You may like to know the actual words I use daily :
* Into the hands of Thy fatherly goodness I commend my
dear ones at rest, humbly beseeching Thee that they may
be precious in Thy sight. Grant them light, and peace,
and a blessed resurrection.' "

Letters on Spiritual Matters 467

• \To Mr. Claude Leatham.]

" BiSHOPGARTH, WAKEFIELD,ya«?^fl;-J l6, 1896.

"My dear Leatkam,

" My brother sent me Mr. Chambers's book, * Our
Life after Death/ about three or four months ago, asking
me my opinion about it. I read it then rather hastily,
and have now read the more important parts over again.
I confess it impresses me much. The great difficulty it
seeks to remove has been troubling me often, and I have
felt how difficult it is to answer one alleging the objection
stated on p. 172 without allowing that God may have deal-
ings with souls, which we know not of, after death."

[The difficulty referred to is thus stated : If a Christian admits
that God is infinitely good, merciful, and just, how is it that
nine-tenths of our race are permitted to perish because God has
suffered them to be born, and to live, under circumstances where
there has not been the ghost of a chance of their being saved ?]

" I have for many years seen the reasonableness of
allowing that the soul may advance in knowledge and
love in the unseen world between death and resurrec-
tion, but I have never quite accepted the much larger
deductions which Mr. Chambers presses, I think mainly
because they have seemed so different from my early teach-
ing and belief. ... I do not think the Scriptural argu-
ment at all conclusive, the two great passages of St. Peter "
[" by which also He went and preached unto the spirits
in prison," and " For this cause was the Gospel preached
also to them that are dead "] " being generally interpreted
quite differently. The preaching in the former passage is
literally proclaiming, and has been generally understood
as speaking of our Lord bearing to the souls in the place
of waiting — * in keeping ' — i.e., in Hades — the great news

468 Bishop Walsh am How

of His accomplishment of the work of Redemption :
while in the second passage the preaching of the Gospel
' to them that are dead ' is usually understood as meaning
while they were alive. But I would not affirm that these
passages could not bear Mr. Chambers's meaning.

" Perhaps the most startling thing in the book is the
advocacy of what is called ' conditional immortality/ in
that part which argues for the final extinction and anni-
hilation of the wicked. One feels so dreadfully ignorant
in the face of these tremendous questions. May God
teach us by His Holy Spirit, and show us the truth.

" Very sincerely yours,

" Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

" P.S. I have tried hitherto to satisfy myself with the
thought that an omniscient God would know exactly
what each one, dying 'without a chance,' would have
done had the offer been made and the chance given.
But of course this shuts out moral choice and disciphne,
which seem essential elements in the salvation of moral
beings."

In the autumn of 1894 the Reverend W. F. Norris was
in great trouble owing to the fatal illness of one of his
children. He received the following letter from the
Bishop.

"Scarborough, October 2, 1894.
" My very dear Bill,

" I am seizing a few minutes during a quiet day I am
conducting for the clergy here, to write a line to you only
just that you may know I am thinking much of you all.
I got a postcard this morning telling me you could not
spare the children [whom he had invited to Bishopgarth],

Letters on Spiritual Matters 469

and had scarcely any hope. I can only say, God be with

you and comfort and support you all. How could we

bear these things if we did not know of God's love

and wisdom, and had not the bright and blessed hope

of the Beyond ? Thank God for the revelation He has

given us of the peace and bliss of Paradise, and of the

greater and more glorious things in the resurrection life

to come ! I like to think how the soul may grow in the

unseen world, gaining ever fresh accesses of light and

knowledge. Surely it cannot be wrong to pray for our

loved ones beyond the veil, as the early Church did so

freely, and yet so guardedly and reverently, asking for

' light and peace, and a blessed resurrection.' . . .

" Novv^ I must go back to church. With many loving

thoughts of sympathy for you all, and dear love to the

children,

"Your loving old friend,

"Wm. WALSHAM WAKEFIELD."

And again, writing a letter of birthday wishes to the
same in the following February ;

" You will sorely miss one little voice, and one little
smile of birthday greeting this time. May not a stronger
and purer birthday prayer be going up for you in Para-
dise ? "

On Spiritual Difficulties.

" My poor Child,

" Though you say it is not your health which makes
you so unhappy, I am sure it has something to do with it.
But though I believe this to be so, I must not tell you
that this should make you content to be as you are, as
though it were a sufBcient excuse. Plainly you must

470 Bishop Walsh am How

make one more of those starts which you have so often
made, and which have so often failed. This state of
deadness and apathy will not do. It is not safe. You
must rouse yourself out of it, and make new efforts, hard
and disheartening though it be. It is sadly disheartening^
I know well, to begin and fail so often, but what else is to
be done ? You are not going to give up, and aim at that
recklessness which you say might be happier. It would
not be happier, thank God ! He will not let you be content,
and your very dissatisfaction is a sign of that. When
Satan's 'goods are in peace,' then is the really desperate
danger. As long as his prisoners even dash themselves
against their prison bars, it is a proof that they do want
to escape — and ' Lord, Thou knowest all my desire, and
my groaning is not hid from Thee.' Say this, dear child,
sometimes in your heart as you go along your weary way,
and perhaps God will sometimes let you see more light.
Thank Him for the times when you have been allowed to
pray truly. One thing more. You speak of your inter-
cession, and say you can hardly think it worth making in
the midst of such a life as your inner life is. I believe
God often allows us to learn to pray for self through
intercession for others. It not unfrequently is the form
of prayer which most helps the soul. When our Lord
Himself was going forth to Gethsemane and Calvary, He
offered His great intercession, possibly, in His oneness
with us, lightening the inner cross by the escape from
thoughts of self into thoughts of others. God bless you
and help you once more to turn your soul Zionward, and
to start afresh. I can never forget you, though I feel
sadly as you do about my intercessions for others."

Letters on Spiritual Matters 471

" Dear ,

" I must find time to-day to write you a few lines
just to cheer and encourage you now you are once more
at work, and perhaps tried rather severely by the old
temptations. I do trust, dear child, you are striving —
striving in a better strength than your own — to conquer
your besetting fault. Do summon up courage to ask
forgiveness of it — not alone from God — when you fall
into it. Why not say at once, ' I beg your pardon. I
am very sorry.' I think, dear, it would really help you.
I am afraid you are too much inclined to bear on others
for help and not to stand firmly in higher strength. You
know you will soon be a woman, and then must have a
more formed and settled character, one way or the other.
Only remember the character may be formed and settled
into a habit of yielding to irritation when the temptation
occurs. While you have the chance do — do battle with it
and show that you mean to resolve to overcome it. I
never forget you in my prayers. God bless you and make
you strong to withstand in the hour of trial, 'and having
done all to stand.' "

" Dear .

"Do not expect too much. Do not put before
yourself as an aim to be expected that you should not
fall back, or you will be sure to be disappointed. But let
your hope and aim be to make a good struggle and to try
your best. Above all, do look more away from self up to
God's love. You must believe that, for it is true. And
you must not really think that His allowing wandering
thoughts and dryness in prayer is any sign that He does
not love you. Nay, I think your very helplessness is a
plea with Him for His pity. You must not mind telling

472 Bishop Walsham How

me openly anything you like ; do not be afraid of doing
so. I am so very glad when I can help you or even try to
do so."

" Dear .

" I was grieved to read your sad letter. I am not
going to tell you it is all the result of your health, though
the connection between body and mind is very subtle and
mysterious. Probably you are right in rejecting this
excuse or palliation. Anyhow, I will assume that you are
right. Now this state of things must not go on. As you
say, you are all wrong. And the question is what can be
done. I don't think a diary will help you much. You
must not set yourself any one thing more to do. Perhaps
you have set yourself too much already. Use Mr. Noyes's
little preparation for Holy Communion and be content
with that. Don't try more, only try to use that really.
Intercession ought to help you. Set down the persons
and causes you wish to pray for, and go through them,
not dwelling on each, but remembering each, daily. I
say this because this ought to take you out of yourself, and
many who dare scarcely face personal questions on their
knees can at least ask things for others for His sake in
whose name they pray. Don't be trying to gauge and
measure the amount of your love to God. Leave that
alone. Think more of His love to you. You must try
again. And, above all, don't be ambitious. Be content
with very little expectations. Just try to pray attentively
and to do your duty, and even if it be ever so coldly and
drearily, go plodding on. God knows your desires
and your wretchedness. I will pray for you earnestly
to-night."

Letters on Spiritual Matters 473

" Dear ,

" I should not attempt what is technically meant by
Meditation. A very great many persons cannot do it, and
when in the London Mission I gave an address describing
it and recommending it as an occasional exercise, Mr.
Burrows questioned the wisdom of doing so, on account
of the great difficulty of the practice and the danger of
making people unhappy by failure in what they might
think they ought to do. Perhaps he was right. At any
rate, I am sure it is not fitted for all, and cannot be done
by all. So do not try this. But do try some devotional
reading. It is better it should not be much daily. Could
you not do it best at night ? After all there is nothing
like the Bible. It seems to satisfy one so much better
than any other book. Try some of the more practical
Epistles, such as the Ephesians, Philippians, and
Colossians, and read not more than six verses at a time,
but read those thoughtfully and prayerfully. You speak
of your fears of not being able to bear a great sorrow, if
God should send it. All I can say is, if God should send
it. He will send strength to bear it ; but why should you
fear to ask Him to spare you this cross, though always
with ' if it be Thy will ' ? God bless you. He will bring
you safely to the end. Trust Him and try to trust Him
cheerfully."

" Dear .

" I could not tell you not to do what I have done
myself. I went to Confession years ago, not because I had
any doubt of God's pardon of the past, for I had not, but
because I believed it would help me to realise the shame
and hatefulness of sin, which it did. As a means of
deepening repentance, it seems to me often of great value,

474 Bishop Walsham How

as well as, of course, in the case of inability to realise
pardon, which is the case the Church of England seems
specially to contemplate in the exhortation to Holy
Communion. If God's Holy Spirit is leading you to this,
I dare not counsel you against it. It inay be a great
blessing to you.

" If you go to Confession, I pray God it may be greatly
blest to you and may give you mych comfort and
strength."

\^To his brother on hearing of his ii/ness.]

" OvERTHORPE, October 29, 1892.

" Dearest Brother,

" I was so glad to see you in London and to hear all
about you. It is no use hiding from oneself that to be
told your heart is some years older than the rest of you
is an opinion to make one rather anxious, and yet one
knows how many by care and quiet go on for years. . . .
Well, we are getting on, and I am trying to familiarise
myself with the thought that I am an old man, though I
do not feel it much. But in December I shall pass into
my 70th year. I cannot expect to maintain the strength
and vigour God has so graciously given me for long.
It is a thing to be very thankful for that I can still work
on a bit without feeling it. But oh ! how much easier
the outward work is than the inward ! I wish I were
more ready for the 'one clear call.' I always seem to
be just beginning, and delight in the words of the aged
St. Ignatius, who, when being taken to Rome to be
exposed to wild beasts in the Coliseum, wrote, ' Now I
am beginning to be a disciple.' I shall pray for you
daily, dear old brother, with a new petition that you may
be spared to us yet awhile, besides that which I have

Letters on Spiritual Matters 475

prayed for you since our talk at Capel Curig. God bless
you abundantly. After seeing you I went to Bishop
John's : dear old Mrs. Selwyn too ill to see me."

On the Marriage of Divorced Persons.

" I want to write to you about that most disagreeable

affair, 's intended marriage. It is very disgusting. . .

but I do not think it is contrary to the laws of God or of
man. As with the Deceased Wife's Sister Bill, the Bible
argument is a very difficult one, the various passages
being interpreted in very opposite ways. When I was
doing my ' Commentary on the Gospels ' (of which, by the
way, the S.P.C.K. told me to-day they had sold 143,000,
and 237,000 of my ' Holy Communion '), I tried to
work out the question as carefully as I could, but found
it most complicated and difficult. In fact, I hardly felt
myself able to come to a decision. Do you remember
my spending a day with the late Bishop of Lincoln
(Wordsworth) at his daughter's at Harewood, near Leeds,
one year ? I had then a good talk with him about the
question, and he told me he was quite convinced the
marriage of the innocent party after divorce must be
allowed, however much to be deprecated. I believe a
little pamphlet by him, which I have not got, but will
try to get, is the best summary there is of the arguments
and history of the question. After dinner last night, I
asked the Bishop of London if he had studied the question
and had formed any decided opinion upon it, and he
said he had read all he could find about it, and studied
the evidence of the early Christian writers, and un-
doubtedly they held that, while such marriages were to
be discountenanced in every way, they were not unlawful.
He also said that even the marriage of the guilty party

476 Bishop Walsham How

was condemned rather on moral grounds than on legal,
it being pressed as a grave scandal that any one should be
allowed to profit by his sin and gain his ends by it."

On Baptism,

" Dearest ,

" I am myself a little shy of insisting on any moral
inherent change in Baptism. The expressions — sowing
the seed — implanting the life, &c., are common enough,
but I am never quite sure about them. I rather insist
upon the new birth into the covenanted family of God,
the seal of the new relationship, the admission into the
new state of privilege, the bestowal of gifts and promises.
No doubt grace is given — and not only grace in the
sense of the favour and privilege of an adopted sonship,
but grace in the sense of that help to our weak fallen
nature without which we cannot serve God. But I dare
not assert that this latter grace produces at the moment
of Baptism an actual moral inherent change. I rather
regard it as I do the Bible given to the child at its
Baptism, as a possession ready for its use, and in reality
the source of all good thoughts and desires from the first.
Still there comes in the difficulty that you find the same
good thoughts and desires in the unbaptized, and one
must never adopt a theology which contradicts facts. So
one must allow that God works by His grace very widely
and freely, though one holds that that grace is a pledged
and promised gift to the baptized."

On Confession.
[To a friend.]

" I myself have always felt that special confession was a
remedy more valuable in case of special trouble of mind,

Letters on Spiritual Matters 477

and special sin weighing on the conscience, than for the
general dissatisfaction with oneself, which is more your
case. It seems to me that our Church recommends it
exceptionally only, and that the object of priestly abso-
lution is to comfort and assure, ivhere a penitent doubts of
pardon, by the authoritative pronouncing of the sentence of
Christ's forgiveness. Of course there is also the direction^
which is a secondary object of confession, but which may
be given otherwise. I think our Church does not contem-
plate* confession and absolution except when the con-
science cannot be quieted otherwise, and reason also points
to abroad distinction between trouble on account of special
sins and a general sense of failure and shortcoming. . . .
I believe you ought to seek the special remedy only if
you cannot quiet your own conscience with the assurances
of God's Word, the reliance on Christ's Atonement, and
the authoritative pronouncing of absolution in the public
services of the Church."

On " What is the Church of England! "
\To afriend.\

" seems to have arrived at a happy state of

puzzle on the subject of the Church, from which I should
like to give him a lift, if I can. . , . He has got the
wildest ideas of the changes in the Church of England.
The original Church of England was founded in very
early days, and only very gradually, and after continued
resistance and protest, fell under the power of the Roman
Church. At the Reformation our Great Reformers
studiously endeavoured to discard only novel errors, and
to bring back the Church in this land to the model of
primitive times. If (as is true) Calvinistic doctrines have.

* Private confession is obviously meant here.

478 Bishop Walsham How

prevailed more at one period and Arminian at another,
they have never affected any of the great CathoHc
doctrines, nor caused any sort of interference with
our formularies, after they were once settled by authority.

" As to the Church becoming Presbyterian, or anything
else, it is, of course, a mere error. In Cromwell's
Protectorate the Church was driven out of its teiupornlities,
and Presbyterianism set up, but neither did the Church
become Presbyterian, nor Presbyterianism the Church.
And if the State were to-morrow to enact that the
established religion of this country should be Romanism,
or Mormonism, or any other * isui,' it would not affect the
reality or vitality of the Church, which is a spiritual body,
neither made nor unmade by States and Governments.

Thus will see that, instead of the Church of England

being ' not a bit alike ' at various parts of its history, it
has in reality been entirely ' alike,' maintaining ever since
the Reformation the same (with the slightest alterations
only) standards of doctrine and forms of worship. It is
one of the strong points of our Church that it, while
maintaining its great central truths and beautiful formu-
laries, is able to suffer within its wide embrace much
swaying and counter-swaying of private opinion.

" I am sure the more we stick to it, and try to imbibe its
really Catholic and wise and loving spirit, the better
Christians we shall be. I do earnestly hope that the
young men of the present day will not forsake the grand
old divines of our own Church — e.£:, Jeremy Taylor,
Hooker, Jackson, Waterland, &c. — for the pamphlet and
newspaper controversies, which are really the staple of
many a man's divinity in these days of haste and shallow-
ness."

Letters on Spiritual Matters 479

On Work.
[To the same.]

" You know that I daily name you in my prayers, and
so I may tell you that what I always ask for you is an
increase of faith and hope and the grace of perseverance.
I believe that these good gifts will be granted you through
the medium of active work for God rather than through
that of passive contemplation. I do not mean that it is
wise or right to smother thought, but eager active thought
like yours does want outward work of some sort to keep
it true and healthy. I think you have sometimes found it
so, have you not ? I mean that even the attempt to do
some good to others has given you a restful feeling, and
seemed to make things more true because more real.
*****

" I begin to feel we must never fret to see things very
imperfect, but be thankful if only the good in them is
more than the evil. This is true of ourselves, too, only
we must not be satisfied merely to have the balance on
the right side, and so stop trying. But I do not think
you will be too easily satisfied with yourself. May we
only be found still trying, when the end comes."

[To the same.]

^'•December 1896.
" My dear old Friend,

" Once more I write to greet you on your birthday.

God give you every best blessing. I can hardly believe I

am seventy-three ! I do not the least feel like it, and it is

with an effort that I realise that I cannot have much

longer time to work in. I am afraid life becomes too

dear to me, when it ought to become less. It seems a

480 Bishop Walsham How

hard and sad thing to leave the people and the beautiful
things one loves so much, when it ought to be a bright
and happy thing to look forward to better joys beyond.
But my poor faith is sadly dim. Well, I must just work
on, and, when the time comes, 'rest in hope,' as well as I
can."

INDEX

Abbey Church, Shrewsbury, 40

Absolution, 283

Addington, 177

Additional Curates' Society, 142,

335

All Saints, Margaret St., offer of,
89

Almondbury, Mr. Norris' ap-
pointment, 251

Altar linen, 287

Ancestors, 11

Appeal case under Clergy Dis-
cipline Act, 270

Appeal Fund, 253

Archbishop Longley, death of,

383

Maclagan, speech by, 373

Tait, funeral of, 178

Thompson, 248
Archdeaconries, formation of, 249
Athanasian Creed, 78
Authorised Version, revision of,

71

B

Ballinahinch, 436
Baptism, 476
Baptist Noel, Mr., 38
Barker, Rev. F., loi

Barmouth, 50, 225, 434
Bateman, Rev. F. la Trobe, 106
Bedford, offer of Bishopric of, 126

appointment to, 134
Belcher, Rev. Dr., 174
Benefices Bill, 335
Benham, Rev. Canon, 383
Benson, Right Rev. Dr., 159, 395
Bible and Science, the, 385
Billing, Right Rev. Dr., 206
Birthday letters, 469
Birthplace, 11
Bishopgarth, 264

choice of name, 266

Wakefield City Council and,
265

entertainments at, 269

mob at, 308

house struck by lightning,
269

domestic life at, 271

garden, 456
Bishops, address to, 75
Blomefield, Lady, 271
Boy Hero, the, 400
Boyd Carpenter, Mrs., 256
Bradley, Dean, 232
Brighton, 199
British Association, sermon to,

223
Brook, Rev. A., 146, 232

2H

482

Index

Brooke, Archdeacon, 230, 233

Brougham, Lord, 119

Browne, Right Rev. Dr, Harold,

139. 231
Browning, Robert, 193
Burgon, Dean, 140
Burrows, Canon H. W., 119, 224
Butler, Dr., and Tennyson, 407
" Buttered Toast," 423

Cannes, 115

Capetown, offer of Bishopric of,

89
Cathedral, first sermon in Wake-
field, 249
first ordination in, 245
Clergy House, 279
Cecil, Lord William, 371
Chapel, laying foundation-stone

of, 264
Children, letters to and from,

423. 425

stories to, 420

about, 427

the Bishop a writer for, 388
Children's Bishop, the, 418

party, 428

services, 153, 430
Church of England, the, 477

Congress, Shrewsbury, 349

Wolverhampton, 59

Hymns, 411
Clarke, Canon Erskine, 59
Claughton, Right Rev. Dr., 28,
118, 138, 231

Miss Lucy, 400
Clergy, dealings with, 291

Discipline Bill, 327
Closed Door, the, 409
Clough, Arthur Hugh, 20
Colliery strike, 307
Commentary on the Gospels, 52,
382

Commission of Inquiry, 250
Community, Canon Gore's, 362
Confession, 283, 476
Confirmations, 293

of H.R.H. Princess Louise
of Schleswig-Holstein, 196
Congreve, Mr. Richard, 22
Consecration, the Bishop's, 147
Co-operative Congress, sermon

to, 311
Cuddesdon, 92
Curacy, selection of, 27

D

Day's engagements, a, 177

D.D. degree, 192

Death of the Bishop, 369

of his eldest child, 50

of his father, 54

of his wife, 222
Dhulough, 367, 446
Diaries, 47
Diocesan chaplain, 294

Synod, 255
Dissenters, 88, 197
Dogs, 13

Domestic chaplains, 292
Donne, appointment of Arch-
deacon, 266
Douglas, Isle of Man, 69

Rev. W. W., 35
Drowning, escape from, 69
Durham, 26

refusal of See of, 312

E

East London, first suggestion
of, 115
introduction to, 152
his policy in, 155
Church Fund, 156, 161
spiritual work in, 169

Index

483

East London, population of, 171

last Sunday in, 238

farewells to, 234

Advertiser,ia.Tewe\\ lines, 239
Ecclesiastical Commissioners,

meeting as to house, 260
Edna Lyall, 193
Edinburgh, accident at, 340
Education Bill, ^3^
Enthronement, 248
Ember seasons at Wakefield, 280
Employers' Liability Bill, 326
Episcopal ring, gift of, 151
Evolution, 386
Examination stories, 284
Examining chaplains, 280
Exhibition at St. Peter's, Eaton
Sq., 348

Fasting Communion, 82
Fathers' meeting, a, 175
Featherstone coal riot inquiry,

307
Flag Loch, 435
Financial affairs, private, 317
First published sermon, 64
Fishing, 432

stories, 445
Foster, Rev. la Trobe, 262
Fowler, Rev. W., 456
Frankton, 53
Friday, observance of, 33
Funeral, the Bishop's, 370

Glacier accident, 183
Glasgow, Bishop of, 183
Glass-blowers' strike, 305
Good Friday services, 285
Goodwin, Right Rev. Dr. Harvey,

137. 232
Goschen, Right Hon. J. G., 190

Grandchildren, the Bishop's, 360
Grave, letter about a, 296
Great Orme's Head, botany of,

450
Green Inn, Llangedwin, 240
Grenside, Rev. Canon, 302
Guarantors for house, 257

H

Hall Croft, 259

Hanbury, Mr. F. J., 452

Handwriting, the Bishop's, 53

Hardy, Thomas, 344

Hawarden, 57

Hilliard, Rev. E. S., 161

Holy Communion, Manual for,

385
Visitation charge on, 289
Home Rule Bill, Second Read-
ing, 324
Hood, Mr. Wharton, 341
Horbury House of Mercy, 292
House of Lords, taking seat in,

322
Housing of the Poor, Royal

Commission on, 190
" How I learnt to see," 391
How, Mrs. Walsham, 49

her work in East London,

215
her last illness, 221
Hughes, Right Rev. Dr., 114
Humorous verses, 402
Huxley, Professor, 385
Hymns, 410

Illness in London, the Bishop's,

365
Inge, Rev. F. G., 112
Ingelow, Miss Jean, 119, 193, 364,

399

484

Index

Inspector of Schools, 47
Institution of Incumbents, 297

Jackson, death of Bishop, 204
Jubilee Service (1887), 219

Hymn, 351

of the Bishop's Orders, 350

K

Kennedy, Dr., 16, 394

Kidderminster, 28

Kitto, Rev. Prebendary, 85, 168

Lambeth Conference, 363
Last Visitation, the Bishop's, 359

illness, the Bishop's, 367
Lay Readers, 293
Leatham, Mr. Claude, 456
Lectionary, revision of the, 113
Lecturing, 52
Lett, Dr., 346

Miss Phyllis, 258
Letters to one on her deathbed,

463
to one about to be confirmed,

462
to one about to be ordained,

462
on spiritual matters, 469
Lincoln Judgment, the, 83, 287
Llanbedr, 51, 273, 338
Loch Merkland, 444

Stack, 442
Lodging-house, address in a

Whitechapel, 154
London, Bishop of, see Temple

East, see East London
Love of Nature, 19
Lunatics, letters from, 296

M

Malleson, Rev. F. A., 457
Manchester, offer of See of, 204
Manning, Cardinal, 332
Mansion House, farewell meet-
ing at, 235
Marriage, the Bishop's, 42

of divorced persons, 475
Marrow, Rev. W. J. W., 274
Memorial at Wakefield, 380

at Whittington, 372
Men's Bible Class, iii
Mirfield, appointment of Rev.
H. W. How, 251

Junction, 258
Mission at Christ Church,
Albany St., 105

at Nortli Malvern, 103

at Whittington, loi
Missionary Conference, 336
Missions, loi
Mixed Chalice, the, 288
Moody and Sankey, no

N

Nash, Rev. W. Frazer, 162
Natal, offer of Bishopric of, 53
National Society for the Preven-
tion of Cruelty to Children,

430
Nobody's Club, 188
Noel, Mr. Baptist, 38
Norris, Archdeacon, 106, 394

Rev. Canon, 384

Mr. Hugh L., 361
Norway, 439
Novels, 343

O

Offers of Preferment, 92
Old men's dinner, 51
Ordination, the Bishop's, 29

Candidates, Quiet Days for,
98

Index

485

Ornaments rubric, 136
Oswestry and Welshpool Natu-
ralists' Field Club, 449
" Our Bishop," 173
Overscaig, 435
Overthorpe, 260, 302
Oxford, final schools at, 24-26

Paget, Rev. H. L., igg
Palmer, Mr. William, 56
Parish Councils Act, 326
" Pastor in Parochia," 382
Pastoral visiting, 48

Staff, presentation of, 249
People's Palace, the, 220
" Plain Words," 42, 381
Poems, the Bishop's, 394
Lines to Una, 104
Pontresina, 182
Pradoe, accident at, 339
Prayers for the dead, 465
Prince of Wales, H.R.H. the,

190
Princess Christian, H.R.H. the,

182, 217, 268
Proctorship in Convocation, 71,

184
Profession, choice of, 17
Purchas Judgment, the, 73
Pusey, Life of Dr., 408

R

Retreats, 95

at Durham, 100

at Workington, 99
Ridgeway, Rev. Canon C. J., 103
Ridsdale Judgment, the, 74
Ripon, Bishop of, 377

on the Bishop as a hymn-
writer, 411
River Ceiriog, 434

Perry, 433

River Tanat, 434
Rome, winter in, 54
Rubrics, Committee on, 72
Rudyard Kipling, 366
Rural dean, 50
Ruskin, 341

St. Andrew's Undershaft, 127,

131, 146, 162
St. Augustine and Monica, 120,

225
St. John's Home, Wakefield, 366
St. Philip's, London Hospital,

363

Stepney, 342
St. Thomas', Upper Clapton, 179
Salvation Army, the, 174
Salwarpe, 38

Sanderson, Mr. M. E., 444
School teaching, 47
Selwyn, Bishop John, 139
Sewell, Miss Elizabeth, 390
Sharp, Rev. Canon John, 292
Shelford, Rev. Prebendary, 143
Short, Bishop Vowler, 44
Shrewsbury, Bishop of, 315

School, 13
Sites for See house, 261
" Slumming," 198
Smith, Rt. Hon. W. H., 327, 330
Socialist debate, 194
Sonnets, 397

South Parade, Wakefield, 258
Spiritual difficulties, 469
Stack Lodge, 338
Stainforth House, 132, 166, 455
Sullivan, Sir Arthur, 352

Temple, Rt. Rev. Dr., 208, 210,

212, 224, 238
Tennyson, 407

486

Index

Thomas, Archdeacon, 150
Thornhill colHery explosion, 303

Parish Magazine, 242
Tram-car conductor, the, 176
Truth tribute to the Bishop,
372

U

Una, lines to, 104
University and PubHc School
Missions, 199

V

Verney, Rev. the Hon. W. R.,

446
Vestments, 73, 286
Viceregal Lodge, Dublin, 191

W

Wadham College, Oxford, 16
Waifs and Strays, Church of

England Society for, 429
Wakefield, offer of See of, 226
welcome from Churchmen,

243
journey to, 242
See house, 256
Walrond, Mr. M., 187

Walsham How Memorial Home,
217

Watchers and Workers, 163

Waugh, Rev. B., 388

White Cross Society, 320

Whittington, 43, 44, 45, 46, 242,
448

Whitwell, Mr. W., 449

Wilberforce, Rt. Rev. Dr. Ernest,
440

Wilkinson, Canon G., 178

Winchester, offer of Canonry of,
123

Windsor, visits to, 195, 361
offer of Vicarage of, 122

Women's Help Association, 173,

Wood, Mr. J., 458

Worcester Festival, 37

Wordsworth, Rt. Rev. Dr. Chris-
topher, 138

Work, letter on, 479

Working man, letter from, 317

Worsley-Benison, Mr. 402

Wybergh, 11

YoNGE, Miss C. M., 192
Yorkshire stories, 295

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