Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-11
LORD SHAFTESBURY.
HIS NOBLE LIFE AND WORKS
x,,es,s 20 end personsi Rnsaiasseences 81
sse srsps rniiapssrepsss ss s,s nsser %.
tssRs. a. -

NNtR the IcFthNchtcAt titf tttsAtt1c
world has sustained IN the death of the
Eafl OF Shafteshury IA awakening the
attention and sorrow Of the Chris
iian public, take advantage Of the op-
poriunity OF paying al humble tribute
TO the memory Of this eminent philan.
throplst and devoted servant Of God.
You nav have observed that some oil
cur American correspondents for The
press, IN their sketches Of distinguished
men with whom they have come
IN contact when abroad, make the
impression that they were quite
intimate with the eminent per-
sonsges about whom they write so
Familiarity. Ia giving, as ! may 40 IN
this letter. some personal reeoiiections
of Lord shsitesbnry. ! do not wish to
intimate ANYTHING OF the kind The al
teutions I received from him were only
xuch As he would have paid 10 any one
who had been properly introduced. and
the service he rendered me was prompt
ed only by his desire 10 aid me in an
undertaking which seemed to him 70
promise good.
The entire public career OF Lord
Shaftesbury was. IN some respects.
without q parallel. Born almost with
the century in 1901 and having just
finished his course, he was probably
associated with greater number OF
philsnthropic and religious enterprises,
and Tor a longer time, than any other
man who ever lived.
This regard with which his memory
will be cherished will toe owing far less
10 his illustrious ancestry or % his
services a a statesman than TO has sue
cessful efforts IN ameliorating he con-
dition Of the lab0ring classes and MS
hearty sympathy and jealous coopera-
tion N the numbeTless schemes which
had for Their supreme aim the advance
ment Of the kingdom Of Christ IN the
world. HIS services as Commissioner
Of the Board Of Control under the
Duke Of Wellington. his brief tenure Of
Office under Sir Robert Peel a.
Lord Of the Admiralty. and bis long
parliamentary career OF iitty-nine
wears. characterized by unselhsh pa
triotisu and 81 integrity never cues
toned. NAV have had then counterparts
among other statesmen, bat no other
English nobleman has left a record Of
such conservation 10 the cause Of Christ
and such devotion 20 the interests of
suffering humanity. For forty-one
wears he labored persistently TO miti-
gate the hard bondage OF the factory
operatives m the manufacturing dis
tiicts. where women and children were
subjected 10 the oppression o. over
seers whose pay was IL proportion TO
the amount OF work oxacted OF them,
until tht passage Of what was called
the tcn-hours bill brought relief TO
hundred. of thousands Of those whose
unre1uited tolls were once declared 70
be necessary to the commercial pros
perty e the country.
Another OF the philanthropy move
ment. % which be addressed himself
wa the establishment Of the ragged
school system IN London. similar 70
that which l,r. Chalmers so successfully
advocated IN the city Of Edinburgh.
Before Lord Shaftesbury finished his
useul life be had the satisfaction OF
knowing that these schools had resc led
between two ana three hundred thou
sand children Of both sexes from the
degradation Of ignorance and wee and
OF preparing them 10 become reputable
citizens.
One OF the most historic buildings n
London, Of those associated with Chris
tiau work. Is Exeter Hall. for so many
years the place where the anniversaries
Of various religious societies were held,
and from whose platform such men a
Cumming. Livingston, MOfAt, Cough,
Moody. anu Spurgeon addressed then
large assemblies.
When the lease Of the building ex-
pred and the report went out that il
was 90 be converted into 3 varieties
theatre. SIX benevolent gentlemen pun
chased II for rs, 900. and It was inat-
gurated anew when II became the pro-
perty Of the Dung Men Christian As
ISOLATION. At that great meeting Lord
Shattesbury presided, and from that
time until the last wear OF his life he
was president Of the Association and
chairman az every anniversary.
lie was the president OF the Victoria
Institute lscienuiicl. and connected with
many other institutions and societies
which had for their aim the temporal
and spiritual good q the people.
But the institution which more than
any other enlisted his interest was the
British and Foreign Bible Society
standing a. II does al the head OF the
long and splendid line Of the enterprises
Of Christian benevolence which c0nsti-
Jutc the glory Of the century.
during the great civil war, while the
Confederate States were suffering lor
supplies Of every kind. there was a
dosutution OF the bread OF liie quite a
lAmentablt and widespread. The reis-
tions Of the Virginia Bible Society with
INC y llAA 4aAI hAf-A -NNfS+1 Az w"
York were suspended. our stock Of
Bibles was exhausted. and we had not
the facilities Of Publishing new ones.
For TWO wears ! had been a volunteer
chaplain az Camp lee ION the present
Agricultural faiI-GrOundsl. where
preached every Sunday afternoon, Dr..
Thomas Y. Moore, then pastor OF thg
FIRST Presbyterian church. occupying
NY pulpit N town al the same hour
and / officiating IN hi, church N return
fof bis kindness al night. During nv
connection with Camp Lee--the camp
Of instruction, where newiy-enlisted
regiments were drilled and equipped iol
the feld-a hundred thousand mer
passed through Il, some OF them re-
mSining only few weeks and other:
for months. thus hkd 81 opportunity
Of knowing something Of the scarcity
Of Bibles among our soldiers. The
men were constantly applying TO me for
copies. ! sent 10 Charleston and
% Nashville for what could bS
spared from those cities and made Al
appeal TO our Virginia people
who had more Bibles than they needed
N their own families 10 send them TO