Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-07-01

This was the subject treated by Miss
Teia Patterson McCallum very Interest
Ingly
Fifty years ago, when questions of
radical social reform began to be agitated
all over the civilized world, a young man
OF noble mind and tender heart was en-
tering upon his life work in the parish of
Eversley, England. The misery and
wretchedness. the poverty and ignorance
of the people who were enacting the
drama of life before his very eyes. APP
psallcd powerfnily 70 such .. 4 nature s =. as
lent, that England Must A Sthe condi-
ton to which Size had 1ay5th, and he
threw himself into the wofAU1 social re-
form with such ar4or and ntAusiasm
that within a few yessfs the name Of
Charles Kingsley became one at which
the believers in .slaissez faire'' hurled
bitter criticisms and Kingsley himself
was looked upon as dangHous factor
~ ASheugh sohss,gi Kingsley had bsen 4 watching
the affairs Of the worki people ,oi
kEngland with attentpn anu43nte crest. he
was not publicly concerned in them him
sS ilt un npIsSs lsss she e year great The
attempts of the Chartists came to nothing
and Kingsley wrote a pfacard to the
'.Workmen OF England which is a brief
exponent Of hif theory Of social reform
Ioliows: The MAN burden of his teach
lrf~ was tha@a the. working men must
9mancipate themselves from the tyranny
OF their own vices before theK could be
emancipaNs1 from the tyranny sUf bal
social arrssngements:: that they must
cultivate the highest elements of L com-
mon humanity among themselves before.
they could obtain their share of the heri-l
taseI of national civilization. Before
Kingsley returned fsem London, ar
rangements had been made that he was
to become one of the contributors to the
new periodical Politics for the People.
In writing these articles, Kingsley as
stained the nom de plume ''Parson Lot,
and Id was under that name that he first
bsCame famous, or rather notorious
throughout England In the latter part
of this year, lSis Yeast began TO ap-
pear as d serial in Fraser's Magazine. ..
SO tlae course of his life ran on, his
time filled with parish work. with writ
Ing in behalf of the poor and oppressed.
with novel writing. and with an immense
and ever growing correspondence. 1t
was no wonder that even his magnificent
physique could nots stand the strain and
ne was several times obliged to leave
Eversley and take a complete rest. AS
years went on. he devoted himself more
and more to sanitary reform. He often
lectured to mechanics institutes and 10
classes of women who were eager to do
something to aid the poor and needy.
During his last years, popular opinion IN
regard to him began TO c.iange: he was
honored with the cerfidenre and suppor.
of the queen and was made one of her
chaplains. He became professor Of mod
ern history at Cambridge and mad the
honor of giving a private course of lee
.tures to the Prince of Wales and chos-
Aer class of students. He was made canon
OF Chester. and later, he resigned this
honor to become canon of Westminster.
where his sermons were listened to by
immense throngs. But for years Kings
ley had been working under too heavy q
strain. He died on the 2Sd of January,
1875.
Everyone who knew him loved him.
and his funeral was attended by throngs
who had been the recipients of his low
ing kindness. Even at his death, the
odium which had been attached to his
name was beginning to die away and
time has justified his teachings. He was
in many respects ahead of his age. and
he died. worn out by his efforts to make
men see the truth.