The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-11-06 00:00:00

THE L!.TE LORD DEBBY'S CHARITY.

On Sunday (list), St. James` Church. Piccadilly,
London, way hung with black, in mourning for Lord
Derby, whose town house was in St. James'-square,
and who gave the most generous assistance to all the
work of the church in the parish. The rector, the
Rev. J. E. Kempe, preached an imprecise sermon on
the text, 'Tender unto Calor Vie things that are Cwsar's,
and unto God the things that are God's." After a warm
but impartial tribute to Lord Derby's virtues as a pub-
lic man under the first part of the text, Mr. Kenupe
proceeded to recount from his o wn experience some of the
illustrations which the Earl afforded of "ruilering
unto God the things that are God's."

"1 class," the sermon proceeded, "under this head his
Constant, ready, and liberal beneficence. Not a charity in'
this parbh (and I confine myself to the sphere of my own
knowledge) but enrolls Lord Derby's name upon its subscrip-
tion list ; not a special application for alms that I ever made
to him or supported but he answered it with an unhesitating
and ungrudging hand. For many years previous to my own
connection with this parish it had been his wont to authorise
the rector to recommend to him cases of distress which could
not he adequately met by snob petty dol. as the sick and
visiting fund vo uld alone admit of, arid the very first Com-
munication I received from him upon entering on in, office
here seas to the effect that lie was ready nearly to double the
amount to which he had thus been wont to honour as it
were the Church's draughts upon Min Until the lufirmity
which has now brought him to his grave had begun to cripple
hirti, he would not en frequently bestow these gifts withhisown
Laud, and see mpany them with expressiom of goodwill and
sympathy to the poor recipients of his bounty As an
example of a wise consideration iii applying that bounty so
as to reach various forms and grade. of human need, I may
• mention his oiler to intrust to me the sum of 41,000 to be
laid antis, small loans at a very moderate rate of interest, so
as to enable the little trademark or the respectable artizan
to tide over the effects of any temporary Pick of money, and,
, it might be, save him from ruin. The scheme was tried for
I two or three years with every advantage, not only of Intel-
,' ligent and zealous assistance in working it, hut even of
minute suggestiona in matter of detail from its truly noble
projector. It failed, however, 1n consequence of the peculiar
rilfficuillin which were found to beset it in a London popula-
, Hon. But the money which had been placed in my hands
I for this object was left there to,' others of more certain
operation and not leas theoretical usefulnesa The
time does not admit of my dwelling, as I gladly would do,
upon other instances illustrative of this eame spirit of
discriminating. yet mast open-handed beneficence. I pass,
therefore, to the one great example of his rendering to God
the things that are God's which the departed earl has left
am mg UR, in the Church which he may elinost be said to
have enabled us to build for the south-east dies-let of St.
James'. When first that scheme was set on find he was the
renter only, not the covner of a house in the purph. As'rich
he promptly answered the application which I mole to lam
by putting down his uanie for a subscription of .0500. The
year after he purchaeeti the reshimice, which he has since oc-
cupied whenever hosts in London. No sooner had he done
so than I receive.] a letter (rein lam in which he expressed
himself dumb!. that the parish ha I vow a mach stronger
claim upon hint than it had when I first asked his deist-
once, and in consideration ,d this he offared to contribute
(hut anouymoudy; a further eurn of 54.600 upon cooditiona,
the sole object of which ;as he explained) was to stiinulate
and expedite additional contributions. The church of which
in a very few years he laid the Mal done delivering upon
the o,easion an address Which every me felt to be animated
by a deeply Christian spirit; has proved to be a blessing to
, the pariah—yes, and to the (Aural at large—which alone