The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-03-16
THE VICAR OF moRwENsrow.
Closing Lecture In the Mechanics
Association Course.

Mr.. S. L. Pickard, of the Transcript, Lave
the tenth and closing lecture in the Mechanics
Association course to large and we'll
pleased audience last vening. A sketch was
given of the life of Robert Stephen Hawkes.,
an eccentric Cornish clergyman, prefaced by
brief essay on the value of biography in
general The story of any simple, sincere,
human life has for us an interest that at
taches to all its details. One does not tire of
hearing how any and every emergency of
life has been met by soul that acts its
nature freely We each wear our rue with a
difference, and 1t pleases us to imagine how
we should have met the emergencies pre-
sented in the experience of the subject of
any biography The casting of shot was
used as an illustration. The melted lead is
poured through sieve at the top of a tall
tower and falls in globnles into tank of
water at its base. Most of the shot form as
they fall into perfect spheres, but many are
pear shaped, and these last go back to the
melting pot. Each perfect shot goes straight
to the pocket at the foot of the slide. But
the slightest eccentricity causes the imper-
feet shot to roll off, at one side or the other.
When the singuarity of queer soul appears
to be studied affectation, we have little
patience with it, and do not care much on
which side of the path it may roll, nor how.
often it has to be melted over before 1t loses
its vexatious angles. But if its singularity
is simple, genuine, Unborn, we cannot only
bear with it, but enjoy it. The gates of
heaven are wide enough to let such eccentrics
roll in, as the surgeons say, ''by first inten-
ticD." When man of exceptional ability
finds himself in narrow and isolated corner,
he must needs spend his activities on COM
monplace things. He is apt to relieve him
self by doing his duty in odd and eccentric
ways. If, like the Vicar of Morwenstow,
he has spice of humor in his composition,
the story of his life cannot fail to be very
amusing as well as pathetic.
lIRobert Stephen Hawkes. was born in 1904,
and was for Al years Vicar of Morwenstow, a
parish on the widest and most isolated part
of the coast of Cornwall. He was a grand
son of DIR. Hawkes. who wrote the well
known hymn:
"Lord dismiss us us with Thy blessing,
Fill our hearts with Joy and peace"
He was committed to his grandfather to be
educated, and during his teens was so full
of his pranks as to fill the heart of the old
gentleman with anything but Joy and
peace" and when he was at last dismissed
and sent home the whole community sung
the benedlction very heartily His father
was unable to maintain him at Oxford, and
to obtain the funds needed to secure his edu-
cation, he adopted the remarkable expedien
OF marrying his godmother, lady more than
double his age, who was indeed year older
than his mother. Marriage did not tame him
much. and the traditions OF his college were
enriched by him with very amusing series
of mischievous practical jokes, some of
which were related. He played upon the SUI
perstitious people of Bude the absurd hoax
of personating mermaid. Night after night
he sat on rock little way from the shore,
wearing a wig made OF sea weed, with his
legs enveloped in an oilskin wrap, and other
wise naked, flashing moonbeams about with
| a hand mirror. Crowds assembled to see
| the wonder, and telescopes were leyelled at
him, but no one was found brave enough to
| attempt the capture of the sea monster.
In the intervals of his study he wrote bal
lads and legends, some Of them remarkably
"Song of the Western Men,"
-"And shall Trelawney de-
The twenty thousand Cornish men
Shall know the reason why"
The parish of Morwenstow is located on
| the toughest coast of England, where Ship
| wrecks often occur, and where it is almost
ON its inhospitable rocks. Probably no man
| ever interested himself so deeply, as a life
work, in the care of shipwrecked sailors of
all sea-faring races, as did Mr.. Hawkes.. Ii
each calling in life had its saints in these
days, as it had of old, this eccentric clergy
man would be the patron saint of the sailor,
| although he was never in his life on the
| deck of a ship at sea. Until Hawkes. shamed
them out of it, the race of Cornish men liv-
| ing in these cliffs were as cruel as the waves
to save life. The whole pop.
| ulation was made up of wreckers, who held
| it as an axiom to be strictly 0beyed,
Save stranger from the sea,
And he'll turn your enemy"
They did not scruple to shove drowning
man into the sea who had nearly made his
escape unaided. Many anecdotes were Civ.
en- of Mr.. Hawkes. philanthropic work. BE
had a graveyard especially consecrated TO thu
burial OF shipwrecked sailors, and personal
| ly assisted in giving the last offices of the
church to more then so men, whose mangled
remains were found on the hore. The pa
per was largely made up of accounts of Mr.
Hawkes. eccentric ways, both in the church
and among the people of his parish. The
stories were some of them amusing ant
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