The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-09-13 00:00:00

MEMORIAL SERMON ON THE LATE
A me SIR ROWLAND HILL:
*
eace
Aortal sermon on the late Sir Rowland Hill was
In Westminster Abbey on Sunday afternoon by the
,::•:I.on in residence, the Rev. R Duckworth, in the presence
t,!eth,t) thief mourner (Mr. Pearson Hill) and the members of
faxallY, about thirty in number, and of many of those
1a: had assembled. on the previous Thursday in the Abbey.
pci seats in the choir were filled, and many worshippers
rn r_eevained standing during the service in the transepts The
• Can Duckworth took as his text the words from the
f,lai+tle to the Hei-rews, Bth chapter, verse 1—" Let us go on
into Prefection." In the course of his sermon he said :
Nly hearers may look round these walls and mark
'sue names in which we glory most. They are those of
Merl who were consumed with desire to leave this
World somehow better than they found it, and who saw
their way to winning some new giftipf truth or liberty
happiness for their fellow men. This is the claim to
aotiour of the heroes, the patriots, the discoverers coin.
Mernorated here, that in some department of human
activity they took a stride towards perfection beyond
4the reach of common men. Rightly, therefore, wa3
resting Place here assigned three days ago to the
Public benefactor who has conferred upon his
int,rYmen, and through them upon mankind, a
leasing SO long familiar and so constantly enjoyed
we seldom pause to measure its greatness.
th 8 departure seems to wake us up suddenly to
3maide of ttre debt we owe to him. A
abl Whole generation lots passed away since that remark-
hisefmae, in tte maiden days of our Sovereign, won
and abrecrue 'triumph over official fears and obstructions,
nou Y one measure revolutionized the socal inter-
r.e of the world. It is not often, we may be sure,
at an enduring service is rendered to mankind by
hccident. And the blessing immortally associated with
the same of Rowland Hill was not the fruit of a
°almal happy thought. It was the achievement of a
liature that had been right nobly trained. It emanated
irtrool a home conspicuous for plain living and original
fug, where not only was each member of the
family taught to make the well•being of the rest his
chief concern, but to form a high ideal of his
life's work, to look beyond the little sphere of kindred
aecl to fit himself to do something outside in the great
World for the comfort and happiness of his fellow
Men. Of the brothers so wisely brought up, the eldest
has left behind him an honoured name, as a leading
Philanthropist of our time and the foremost reformer
Of our prison discipline. The third just taken from
tla.hy working out the simple and peaceful idea which
took Possession of his powerful mind, reformed our
fl).°Btal system, and thus, more, perhaps, than any
Ingle individual we could name, affected for good the
Public and
It private life of the modern world. I repeat,
Was net by a bold guess or by a lucky pamphlet that
?° great a feat was accomplished. We owe it to an
leet;allect gifted with rare powers of organisation and
foresight, and matured by long and laborious ezer-
!lee. We owe it to a heart overflowing with fine
cYmPathies, and ardently set from early days
Tea adding to the sum of human happiness.
1478„t a man endowed and trained like Rowland
't_ul take his place in the working of any system
Whatever, and he will inevitably leave his mark
n_laou it for good. He will never sit still and ac-
qwesce in defects and abuses of which he sees the re-
Moval to be possible. In the might of an enthusiasm
tempered by calm discretion and guided by sound know-
auge, he will be irresistible, Weaker wills and weaker
intellects will bow before him as he insists on going on
Ilato Perfection. IA has not been given to many of the
world h
t "'enek;GOr'S to witness as he has done, through
he latter t, alf of a life prolonged far beyond the com-
zollen B:;,an, the fruits of precious labour. It is the fate
• tuost who bless mankind to die in faith, like the
Worthies of the elder world, only seeing afar off the
Promise of the good thing they toiled for. But here is
~.,°lle who has been spared for 40 years from the date of
ues,_ exploit, to see all his opponents convinced, all his
topes realized, all his calculations verified, all his predic•
"Ma more than fulfilled, And now in the fulness of age
and the plentitude of honour he has gone to his rest, and
what
is mortal of him has been brought here to mingle
L'Ltri the dust of England's noblest sons. His grave
stu yonder chapel, under the shadow of a kindred bene-
L,aactor, the genius whose discoveries paved the way for
'AI work, and blend inseparably with it, will perpe-
Petuate the remembrance of a boon for which, in their
rrrows and their joys, indeed at every turn of their
1,,t137 lives, Englishmen of every class have to thank
fameeing wisdom, his feeling heart, and his in-
mornitable will. The lesson of such a career is surely
It bright and inspiring one. Few indeed can hope to
euefit the world on a similar scale; none of us may
is"ve either the power or the chance to put our neigh-
'Joon under equal obligation; but the spirit of that
lueird and successful life may be caught by us all. It
La the spirit of progress, it is the thirst for perfection,
Which, I have already said, is the very essence of
Uhristianity.'