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I
REPORT OF THE CHAPTER uF
~be
®rbet of
~t+
Sfobn of
~rru9alem
in (tnglanb: READ A TD ADOPTED AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
Or
MONDAY, THE (tlte day jollowing SI.
25TH
J Ollli
OF JUNE,
Baptist's Day),
1877:
LONDON: HARRISOK AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S L-\"NE,
~urtopolitr.
This Office is at present vacant.
fLortJ Urtor. HIS GRACE 'VILLIAM DROGO, DUKE OF MANCIIEBTER, 1'.1'.
tiatlitf of )Sagle. The Right Honble. WILLLt\.M IlENRY, BARO" LEIGII. ~ommantJtr
of manit!}
~aatlc.
Sir EDnruND A. H. LECH~1ERE, Bart., M.P., F.~ ..A. ~fJe
\!rU t erbrr of ~t. ~obll of ~rru5al£l1t.
Q!ounttl.
PRESIDENT-Lieut.-General Sir JOHN ST. GEORGE, K.C.B. TIIE EXEOUTIVE OFFICERS. The Chaplain-General, the Right Rey. the Lunl Bishop of ST. ALBANS. The Right Honble; . the Earl of GLASGOW. The Right Bonble. the Enrl of DUDLEY. Sir EDWARD G. L. PERROTT, Bart. Sir BROOK KAY, Bart. l\lajor-General Six H. C. B. DAUBE~"'EY, K.O.13. l\Iajor FRANCI' DUXCAN, n.A., D.C.L., LL.D. JOHN FURLEY.
iSxetutibe
~tIittra.
CHANOELLOR-Lieut.-General Sir JOHN ST. GEORGE. K.C.B. SEORETARY AND REOEIVER-Sir E. A. H. LEOH;)1ERE, Bart., M.P., F.S.A. ALMONER-Captain FORTESCUE. REGISTRAR-RICHARD WOOLFE, F.S.A., F.R.S.L. GENEAL 0 GISTLIBRA.RIAN-Lieut.-Colonel GOULD VVESTON, F.S.A. ASSISTANT-SEORETARY-Captain PERROTT. AMBULANOE DEPARTMENT-Director: Major FRANClSDuNOAN, R.A., D.C.L., LL.D.
BANKER 8 -The London and Westminster Bank, 1, St. James's Square, S. W. JEWELLERS-Messrs. PHILLIPS, Cocksp'll?' Street, S. W. Communications may be addressed to thc Secretary of the Order of St. John, St. John's Gate, Clerkenwell, London, E.C.
REPORT. THE Chaptcr prcsellts the follu,yillg HCpOlt. to thc Allllual Gelleral Assembly.
The following amnlRsions to the Order have been made dnri])g the past year:Cltevalie7's of Justice-Colollel James Bourne, M.P.; Captain Herbert C. Perrott. Clwplcdns- The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Gibraltar; the Right Rev. thc Lord Bishop of St. Albans. . Dames Clievalie7'es-Her Royal Highlless the Princess of 'Vales; Mrs. Gould 'Veston. Chevalie'J'S of G?'ClCe- Dr. Charles Shrimpton) l\I.D.; Edwin Freshfiolc1, :M.A., F .S.A. Donats-Augustus Frederick Godson, M.A.; Robert Vigers. In reporting the election, at her own desire, of Her Royal Highness the Princess of 'Vales, as a Dame Chevalicre, the Chapter offers its sincere congratulations to the Assembly.
4
'Vith deep regret, the decease, during the past year, IS recorded of:Cheualie1' of Justice-The Honorary Commander, Sir FranciR Shuckblugh, Bart., F.R.S. Chaplain-The Rev. Thoma IIngo M.A., F . . . , F.R .. L. Chevalier of G?'ace-Chandos Wren Ho kyn . I-Iono?'ary Associate-H. ,V. Rum ey M.D. F.R.~ '. By the death of the Reverend Chaplain Hugo, we hav not only been deprived of OlU' genealogi t. but of' one who, 'e antiquarian lore, extensive knowl dge of the hi, ·tor)· of the Order (as te tified by his publi hed ,yorks and num'rour; literary contributions to its archiv s), and earllC t c1oeln·nce and z~al as one of OlU Chaplains, renller d him alike yaluabl (l, an officer, and honoured and esteemcc.l as a confTe?'e. IIi · lo,' . will be felt far beyond the limits of onr fraternity' for Ml'. lIngo was as well known for hi., devotion to his clerical dut:v a. for his erudition and literary abilities, which h e was ever ready to exercise in furtherance of \yorthy objects. The late Sir F. Shuckburgh wn,s one of the oldest member,' of the English Langue. Though latterly he c a, d to tak an active part in our affair. , his liberal contributions continued to the end. ,Vhen tlie medals of the Order were institut d, he readily consented at the fmggestion of Sir E. Perrott, to appropriate a fund of £81 to the maintenance of these medals. By this means a nucleus was formed, which it is hoped the liberality of the members of the Order WIll continu to augment. Mr. Chandos ,!\Tren Hoskyns was, from early associations, disposed to become an IIospitaller. His house was built on the Bite of one of the ancient Commanderies of the Order, and he caused to be erected, in the interesting church adjoining (formerly the chapel of the Commandery), a richly painted window, illustrative of some of the charitable deeds of our predecessors. His life was one of public usefulness, and his
writings cUlltril.mted )Jot a little to the pl'Omotioll of those agricultural improvements which, dlu'lng the pa,t few years. have proved 0 highly beneficial to the British farmer. Dr. Rumsey', devotion to the cause of sanitary science, and hi, humalle effort. to extend such knowledge in every way conducive to the \vell-being of the working clas os, by constantly bringing bc'fore the llotice of the State questions of popular h!J!Jienf' I' llder d him a most valuable colleague. He took great iutere. ·t ill the proceedings of the Order, and, whenever po ... 'ill1e attended it meetings. Ilis experience on question. relating to nursing' the .'ick, rendered him of great value to t1le Ordc'r in it., effurt· to 'all public attention to the need of well-trCluwc1 llurses for the poor, and to Dr. Rumsey and 1'. ~ lieveking the thanks of the Order are mainly clue for the able> pnper.' nlldrepol't by means of which this subject wa. first brought before the publiu, and \vhich conduced so greatly to the ultimate foundatioll, under the au pice, of the Order, of the pre. cut Metropolitnu and Nn.tional Nursing A sociation. The following alterations have occurred in the Roll : Til l'(1"ignation of urgeon-:\Iajor ,V. G. 1. T. jlanley. lJ.Q!., I 'nperiuteuclcllt of the Ambulancc department. The eleution to that office of Frere Chen1.lil'l' Major Fnmci,' Duncan, R.A. The succession to Surgeon-Major Manley' seat on the COUll eil of the Frere Chevalier John Furley. The Rev. George R. PorteLl, whose five years' term of office expires this day. has been succeecled as Chaplain-General by thc Right Rov. the Lord Bishop of St. Albans. Captain Perrott has been elected a Chevalier of Justice in recognition of his able and energetic ervices as Honorary Secretary of the "Easterll War," &c., Committee. The r esigllation of Slugeon-Major l\Ianley, ill 'onsequence of departure on fOl'eign service, is mueh regrdted by the Chapter, and it is to his zeal and energy in its organiza.tion and development that the Ambulance department i, mainly indeLtccl I
7
6 for its present high st<1te of l'fficiency. The Order, however. is to Le congratul<1teel in the succession to the office of so able a representative a Major Duncan, and on the fact that ~Ul'gC'Oll Major ·M anley has accepted the post of Commil:)sioncr for the Ord8r in India. The Order's two-wheeled patent Ambulance Litter (which together with a case containing medals awarded for saving life on land, was exhibited at the Brussels "Exposition 11lh r11a,; tionale Hygiene et Sauvetnge") was COll ielerec.l so well adapted for the purposes for which it ·w as iutenc.1<.~ll, that the International J1U'Y awardLt.l it the silver medal of the second class, accompanied by a vellum diploma.. The bronze medal of the Order waR conferred during the past year on a sewer-flusher, named George Gntes ·who) ill August last, re-descended with great gallantry, into the 1 \..!"\y ROd.d Sewer, at Battersea, although hims(~lf in a half-sblpilicu state, and rescued two men who, but for hi, coul'ngeou' C011duct, would have shared the fate of a comradl' who hall already suceumbed to the poisonous gases, and whose ueac.l body was recovered by Gates. y
The Chapter has resolved to award the medal to those heroic men who were most conspicuous in the rescue of the imprisoned miners in the recent disaster at the TynewYlld Colliery near POlltypridd, and has decided, on the recommenda.tion of the Local Committee, represOlJtecl by the Rev. David vYilliams, its Chairman, to confer the silver medal upon the four men who have been selected. for the distinction of tile First Class Albert Medal, and also upon Mr. ",Vales, the Government Inspector of Mines for the district) who shared the same danger with the others, and risked his life. It is heped that the Lord Prior, or the Bailiff .of Eagle will visit the scene of the disaster, III order to present the medals, and thus contribute to make the objects of the Order better known in this extensive colliery and mining district. The Order has thus once more taken the
initiative in supplying a great national want, and the Chapter rejoices to think that, whilst the extension of the Albert MCllal to ea es of brclvcry on lanel, is a proof of the pxistence of that ·w aut, thl' yalue of thc medal., of the Order is in 110 way affedec.l by this gracious aot. on the part of Her Jlajesty the QUCCll. It may hero be mentioned that the Order's medals are exhibited in the Museums of the Royal United Service Institution, the Guihlhall Free Library, and at the Jewellers to the English Langue, ·ilIessrs. Phillips, Cockspur Street. The' COllllnan d(' r of the \Y orcestershire (Hanley Oastle) Commundcry, reports that:The uniformly continuo Llt:i success of the dietary system estaLlislwd some years since, in connection with the "'V Ql'cester DiRpellS<.1r,Y, to which is now attached the encouraging bUll -fit.' of the provident principle, hardly calls for other eOllllllellt than thu ;:L'SUl'UllCe that additional experience gives Htill moru ample gU'U'<.llltue of its great value. The following is a l'l' turn for the year which has elapsed since the allllual as. 'l'11lbly of 1 )7 G:-_ _ Quarter ending
29th 25Lh 25th 24th
SepLember December Murch June " Totals
..
I Tltmbcr of Patients.
Number of Diets.
Cost per Diet.
--------------------378
36 :!.7
M
30
20
368 350
113
1,5.11
8
d.
1 0
O} ll!
1
1
The Chevalier Rupert Kettle, of Merridale, 'Volverhampton wTites : " I have to report to you of the St. John's dinners, given to " the necessitons out-patients of our great Hospital, that, d.uring " the past year, these d.inners have been provided twice in ,. ettch week, as 11su[\1, on Tuesday and Thm·slby. The dinners " ha.ve consisted of roasted beef and mutton 011 alternate days, " with two kinds of vegetables, und milk puddings. A the " recipients are generally of the artizan cla.ss, who havo fallen
8 ., into misforhuw tlmmgh . ickll('SN or accident it i' ne . s, ary .. to Lear ill miull tilei!' ordinary haLit~, when clt'alillg wit]l ,. them a 110 'pital patients. Tili' I' IH.lerH the co,·t of onr "dinner more than they would be, if pI' 'pare 1 fur the luwe ·t .. cla s of our population. During the p<1 ,t year 1,300 of the~ "dinners have been provided. The remain,' of each da,y'H "dilUler i madc up by thc Cook on the n \xt elil)', allcl htl.' ,. provide 1 dinners for 4.J:G of the very poor of th llcighhOlU.. hood. IIitherto I havc been a si,ted Ly private friends in .( bearing the expcll e of this 'luuity, Lut, from variout::; cau, .. I fear I must cither make a, mol' general npp ~al fur help, .. or ask the Ho pital COllullitt 'e to undertnl.;:e t 11 work ., 'which the member' of my family have a ,'i ,t ,<1 m to ',UT ., on for more tlwll h'i' O yearR, mainly at 111)' own COI-'lt." The . . Umoner report thn,t diet· eOll. i,·ting oC llouri. hing food have again, during the paRt y a1', becll grantcd tn paiil'ntN eli charged from the 1harillg ()roNR antl King"R C()lleg' IIoNpital. 1.420 of these diets haye been i.'RnC(1, at a CO,t on the whole of about £50; 17 men and () women hayl' rOC'l'ivl'(l ihl'Rt' (lidN for the latter, and 20 mell and 5t; wOlllen for the fOl'lnor IIn'pital. The cost of theRe diets-lId. cach-haN been YeT)' Nlllall, <111(1 the (bets w II Hnd carefully cooked Ly th' ~ 'i .. te1'N of 'to .Tohll'N Housc. Norfolk ~trect, ~tnm(l. to whom the Chapt '1' d Hil'CR to convey its thank •. The Almoncr has also di,tribnted to de, erving pOOl' a larg numher of IIo8pital and ConvaleFlcellt ti ·ketF, presented by the Bailiff of Eagle, the Chevalier 1ajor Duncan, th ArchbiHh0l' of Canterbury, and other . The Superintendent of the Ambulance Departmcnt reports :That during the fivE: -and-a-half months since he und dook the duties hitherto pcrformed by Surgeon-Major Manley, he has succeeded in selling the littcrs patentod by the Order. to companieH or individuals at the fonowing places ;-
Blackheath, :-)willton, Cln,ycro., .
\7I.,T estlnin, ter,
Liverpool, ' VeRhvard Ho! • ~ even oaks,
and • ~tafford .
Enquiries are now very frequent and he has found it nece, sary to order another upply of litter from the maker at Berlin. The reIorts as to the us fulne s of the litters are very sa,ti. ,factory, especially the d tailed reports from Bur'lulll . IIe attentled a meeting of mining and mechanical engineers at 0hcHteriieltl, and eXIlainecl the litter, by means of one . ent for l'xhiLition, which waR purcha 'cd by the proprietor uf a llcighLouring colliery, who wa' among the aurlience . lIe al '0 de 'crib d the . cheme for general aid in ca e of Hccillcll t or war, 'w hich is now uncleI' the consideration of th Onl 1', and Lelieve8 that ho ucceeded in enlisting the sympathie' of tho 'e pre 'cnt. Many member, and a, ociate. of the Order, 'who havc had Iractical experience in ambulanc ,york, have kindly con 'onted to ,'erve on the Ambulance COlllmittee; and [It a recent Chapter nearly £1,000 was guaranteed Ly the mmnbcl's present to mect any immediate exp 111'3 s which might follow an ontbreak of war ill which England should be ngagod, pending the receipt of the sub cription which wouhl flow in from the public. Upwanl of fiv hundrcd copies of the Ambulance Pamphlet, and a thou and of tll Mcdal Pamphlet, with descriptive cir 'ubI' letters, have rocently been circulated amongst proprietors of collieries, boards of guardians, &c. Fifty copi ·s of the pap l' read at the last General A mbly by Surgeon Sandford :MoOl'e, have been di tributed among t the l eading Railway Companies. By these means the Chapter hopes to oLtain the puLlicity rcqui ite for the attainment of the object of the Or ieI'. 1
Th last edition of the Roll having fall ~n out of print, a new ono, compiled by the Hegistrar, will bo i ucel to Members with this Heport. Tho initiation by the Order of tho Eastern , Val' • ick and
10
11
,V ounded Reliof Fund, is doubtless well known to tho Goneral Assembly. It may, however, be well to recapitulate tho circumstance undcr which the Fund originated. It was suggested last 'ummer by mem1wl't-i of the Order that steps should be taken to alloyiato the sufferillgR of the sick and wounded in tho Turco-Nen?inn "\Yar. To thi~ eud a Committeo, of which Sir Edmund Lechmero was Chairman, was held at his house in Bolton Ruw, and was numerously attended by members cf the Order, and a few other'; mllong.'t them, .Miss A. P. Irby and :Miss P. John, ton. Tho lattcr la(ly generously transferred to the Fund an amuunt of £:")15, collected by her for the sufferors in the ,Val', and, with tlli" sum, the Committee was enable(l, almo t siInulLuH'olL·ly with its formatioll, and pending tho l'f-:ceipt of subscriptioJll-i. to despatch Dr. Laseron, 1\Iessrs. nIarsclin, RaUlo'dell, .A. MacKellar, F.R.C.S., T. nlant Sandwith, T. IIuIne, Atb,"outl, and Evall Hare, a small but effective body of ,yell-equipp ,(1 slu'geons, and a dresser, nIl'. Boyd, to the scat of war. The movement being thus initiated, the COlllmittee, in order to give it more publicity, heh1 a Public Meeting at ,Yilli ·'8 Rooms, at which r esolutions approying the course of action taken) were unanimously passcd, and negociations were entered into with the National Aid Society, resulting in all amalgamation, and the formation of au Executive Committee for "Turco-Servian Relief," in the proportion of two-thirds members of the National Aid Society, and one-third of the Eastern War Committee; the former allotting £20,000 from funds at its disposal, receiving the balance of subscriptions, and taking over the surgeons and dressers already sent out by the Eastern War Committee. The Chaptf~r lS not altogethor satisfied with the result of this amalgamation. An E~ 'ecutive Committee was formed, in which the basis of tho proportion in which the two bodies were to work in unison was Llisregarded, and in which tho Eastern ,Val' Relief Committee had scarcely any voice. Thcro were, too, defects in tho organization, and even in the plan pursued; in administering the relief of the wounded (l1otably the abseuce of a movC1ble
hospital noarer the front than Belgrade, and defective transport), which no activity or zeal on the part of our energetic Associate, "Mr. Barrington Kennett, could possibly remedy. ::;till a great amount of .'uffering was alleviated, and the British IIOf~pital at Belgrade left nothing to be desired in its internul Lli.'clpliuc tllHlm<lllagemcnt. The Chapter has had the satisfaction of receiving an acknowledgment from the Servian authorities of the part which the Order took in sending out the fir. t and mo. t valuable contingent of Slugcons, and has only thiR week heard of the probalJility of a more formal expression of their gratitude whi(;h 'will Le sent through the Servian Prime Minister, :JI. Ristichs. The Chapter has great pleasure in reporting that the Sultan of Turkey has conferred tho Order of the Medjidie of the f)ccolld lass upon tho Secretary of the Order, as a mark of his appreciation of his services in connection with the Relief }; undH, and of the aid rendered to His ~Iajesty's sick and wounded subj ects by Sir Edmund and Lady L echmere during their tours of in pection of the Hospitals in the East. The same Order has al::;o been confened upon the Honorary Associate) Mr. ,V. MaeCormac, F.R.C.S. (Surgeon-in-Chief), and others of tho Surgeons sent out by the Order, and by the National Aid Bociety, in recognition of their distinguished conduct in affording aid to the wounded, frequently under the most deadly fire of the enemy. The Chapter regret to observe that a mis-statement has appeared in the April number of the Bulletin intenwtional, the recognised organ of the Red Cross Societies, and that in this publication the credit properly belonging to the Order, for having initiated the Turco-Servian Relief Fund, has boen entirely ignored. The Council desire to pay a merited tribute to the noble efforts of its Dame Chevahcre, the Viscountess Strangford, and its Honorary Associ.ate, M'". V. Barrington Kennett. The benevolent exertions of the former in Bulgaria for the alleviating tho misery of the unfortunate inhabitants (whose protracted
12
13
sufferings from the ravages of war had evok c1 Flueh g'nel'a] commiseration in thi. country). are too w ell known to I) cd recapitulation. Lady 1trnugford's knowl c1,o'e of the peop1 , and her per onal activity on the . pot, render c1 her selTices of the greatest value, by directing the Rpontaneous ·harit), of the British nation in a proper channel, and securing n cli"tributioll of relief in the mo. t u eful and practic:al form . As Ambulance Sup erintcndent of th e Turco-~'1erv-ian 'ommittee, JUl'. Barrington K enn tt con tantly expoR ed him,' If, not only to great hardship, but al 0 to per onal danger. Aft l:r hi, duties in tIllS capacity had cea 'cd, ill con.'('quance of th· t ermination of the war. h e offered his , el'vicc. to Lady Strangfol'd, and ably. upported and co-operated \\rith 11 l' ill the arduouR task whic:h she had llnc1ertak ' 11.
Ma1erialH for a Ill. tory of Malta Mr. K Woof. Brydon'R Tour in . icily and Malta De 'cription of Malta (Fortification, &c .) ;) II Ip for, ick und Wounded From the Translator, .NIl'. J. Furley. The Lire Roat aud it "Vork .. IIerbert C. Perrot 1. n IJOJ't.', ~ational NUl' ing As. ociatioll Captain Fortescue. Pru ' iun \Var Office Instruction ' ill Training} From the Translator, Smick Bearers. . . .. .. .. geon S. Moore.
The Librarian report' the following library:1875.
adc1ition ,' to Do
the
OIL
History of the Royal Artillery. From the Author Iaju)' P. Duncall. The Armenian Church. . 'aptain Fort ,Cll . Les Chevaliers de lYIalte Iajor U. J. Burg SR. Description de l'Univers, 1685. . Captain Blair. The Surgeon's Pocket Book (Empress Uf} From tho Allth ul', . Ill'geollGermany's Prize E. say, 1874) Majur,1. rL Porter. 1876. Malta Gazettes, 1812-13-14 'ir E. Leclnuere. Della Descrittone di Malta, 1647 Vade Mecum dell' Agricoltori . . Duc di Brolo. Lecture at the United Service In.,titution on} From the Lecturer, :Mr. J. the Convention of Geneva, &c. . . Furley. Strugg'les and Experiences of a Neutral} From the Author, Ir. Yolunteer. John Furley. Among the Cal'lists From tbe Author, Mr. Johu FUl'ley. llistoire de Pierre d'Aubusson MI'. R. \Voof. Martin's Blitish Colonial Library ., Gli Ultimi Giomi dei Cavalieri di Malta,
1 77.
'ir R. Broun's Knightag of Great Britain and Ir land .. 5th n port harity Org auization Society Archivio ,'torico , iciliano Egyptian, t'pnlchre and Yl'ian Shrine 27 1 upi . of th Bulletiu Intornational de ~ Societrs de ecoill' all..'{ Iilitaires Bles e )
ir E. Perrott. Captain Fortescue. Due di Brolo. Captain Perrott. 8ir E. L8chmere.
Th Librarian would venture to suggt.:::lt to the members gonerally that the gift of any book r elating to the history of the Order or to antiquarian 01' archreological ubj ects, as well <1. ' those l' lating to the more special objects of the Order, would be very acceptable. The Chapter de ire to aclmowledge the .'ervice of aptain P errott, who has carefully supplemented the worl~ commenced by our conjl'el'e Mr. \\ oof, by carrying out, on the baslf::l la,ic1 clown by him, the revision and continuation of the hbrary catalogue. 1\1 mb rs are reminded that books can be had from the library on application to OlU' Assistant Secretary, who is in attelJdance at the Chancery every Tuesday. The Receiver's ACCOUllts~ which hav been examined and audited, show a Gash balance to the credit of the Order, at the London and Vvestmin tel' Bank, of £210 48. 5cl. The balance on the Medal Account is £60 08. SeT. The Capital of the Order amounts to a total of £688, consisting of £288 invested in £120 58. Bank Stock, and £400 invested in Queensland 4 per cent. Government Bonds. This improved state of our finances will, it trusts, justify .the Cha.pter in the arrangements which it has made for renting'
14
the room in which we are to-day a sembled for tile first time (and which has lately been restored by the owner of till: building), as well as the Chancery and the staircase, which is now private, and no longer connected with the ad,i oinillg premi 'es. The Order will thus have, in the Chancery, a good room for ordinary business, and the meetings of the Council, -whilfo;t the more important chamber will be elevoted to the lllectingH of the Chapter, and to such other purposes from tUlle to tillle a' lllay be thought desirable for the advantage of the Order and the promotion of its objects. The Chapter cannot but think that. this fresh acquisition will tend very much to illcrca,'e the interest of :Members of the Order in this anciellt builclillg, and to seClU'e a larger attendance at our quarterly III ·otings. In conclusion, the Chapter would again remind the members and associates of the Order, of the really practically 1veful and national works, in the initiation and devclopm 'nt of 'which it is now engaged, and would ask for a continuation of such hearty and active support and co-operation as may aid ancl encourage its efforts to place our lio. pitailer Confraterllity in a position still more worthy of its glorious associations with the past.
TRUSTEES OF INVESTMENTS. The Right Hon ble. Lord LEIGH. 'i)' ED:JIUND A. II. LECffilERE, Dart., ]\f.P. Lieut.-General Sir J OnN ST. GEORGE, K.C.B.
FOR~I
OF BEQUEST TO TIlB
@rber of
~t.
30bn of
3eru~a(ent
in lEnglan]).
1 give and bequeath to the Receiver for the time being of
the English (Protestant) Langue of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in England the sum of
£,_
to be applied at the diseretion of the Chapter of the said Order towards the charitable
0
bj ects of such Order, and I
direct that the said sum shall be paid, £:ee of legacy duty, out of such part of my personal estate as may be legally bequeathed for charitable purposes, and I declare that the receipt of such Receiver shall be a perfect and complete discharge to my Executors.
( (,0)
A COMMEMORATION
SERMON PREACHED (BY
PER~IISSION OF HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY) IN THE
CHAPEL
ROYAL AT
THE
SAVOY,
BEFORE THE
erbtt of
~t.
IDofJn of IDtrusalttn in C@nglanb,
ON TIlE FE TIVAL OF ST. ] OH
~rll
BAPTIST, 18 77,
Wtilitate JOminl11n. By
THE RIGHT R EVERE D
THE LORD BISHOP OF ST. ALBANS, ONE OF THE CHAPLAINS OF THE ORDER.
LONDON: HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, ~-rint.crlS in @r:billlui! fn- !l5.cr ~tajcst!l.
If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and sati fy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noonday. And the Lord hall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring of water who c waler fail not. And they that be of thee shall build the old wa te places; thou shalt raise up the foundalion of many generations; and thou shalt be called the repairer of the brcach, tho re torer of paths to dwell in.-Tsaiah, lviii, 10-12.
NOTE. F'ull information as to the
'tatute, Regulation. Publica-
tions, and Work of the Order may be obtained
Oll
application
to the Secretaryir E. A. H . LECIDIERE, Bart., M.P ., The Ohancery, " St. John's Gate, Clerkenwell, London, E .C.
It may be thi promise of God is having a fulfilment (the promi , of God have many fulfilment, age after age wit11 sseth them-thc fathers to the children make kno-wn His truth, and then again, when they come up, they teach their children the same and so the te timony is carried on, and l' peat it elf through successive generations), and I say it may be this promi e of God that from the merciful and the loyal and the charitable shall spring the builders of old wast place, the raisers up of old foundation, the repairers of breache , the re torer of paths to dwell in, i being fulfilled to you the chilru:en of . uch) and hall be fulfilled to YOlU' children after you. And all along through the ages they hall feel the hand of the Lord guiding them-their s'Juls shall be satisfied in the time of drought, when all things are dried up and withered around them. "Thou shalt be like a water ed garden," said the prophet, "and like a spring of water who e waters fail "not." The exigencies of one age and generation of mankind may differ somewhat from the exigencies of another. At one time the ravages of iut rnecine war; at another time oppression of subj ct races; at another time excess of civilisation and social r efinement, corrupting the morals of society, and that very evil which we see with our eyes consequent thereoni.e., cruel sufferings by cold and nakedness and want of all
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things, closo by luxluious enjoyment, great spl nelour, and gratification of very sense; at anoth~r time, whiuh wo have also seen, the growth of. coVOtOUSllOS , which is idolatry in tho very heart of a nation; the idolatry of wealth; tho hamelc s and reckle s eagerness and ha te to be rich; and tho mi. cry and ruin of thou ands, the thou and. who have been duped awl deceived, which this manner of idolatry surely briugs 'with it· then the breaking up of homes; the engenderillg of sicknc .. and disease; tho wanderings UI and down of pOOl' d tituto persons, all traceable to the oue cause-all the e uce ssiv' alld varying exigencies-and I mu t add at th pre. ellt tim the horrible cruelty and depravity which ari e from the iut >lllp rat' indulgence in chink by all da e, but mol' fa tally in the lowest cla's-all these exigencies of our age and nation, haye given rise to l' modial institution of all kin 1, Rom llC''Idy conceived and imagined, according to the n ed that arOf:ie; others, and e pecially thi of the Knights Ho I itall r', graft cl on an ancient order and rule . Brethren, we have this 'piritual inheritance from our forefather. ; we claim descent from tho. ' who in old times in the spirit of chivalry and of love, w nt forth to loose. as well as they might, the bands of wickcdll 'sto lmdo the heavy burdens-to let the oppres, od go fr' anel to break every yoke; from those who dealt their bread to the hungry, and brought the poor that were 11aked to their hou 'e . C'Vhat was the Hospitium opened for poor pilgrim. at J ru alem by that guild or company of Amalfi, but the very fulfilment of that charitable pllrpose~) The blessing that was promised to such as did these things vvas promised also to those that be of them-that they should build the old wastes and restore the desolations of ag s. ThCtt cannot mean the building up of the very places in which l..hey worshipped-of their pleasances, and refectories, and gardens of delight, which in fact turned to their own decay, and were a snare unto them; as it is written, " They sha.ll be ashamed of "the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded " for the gardens thCtt ye have chosen." It must mean that we , if we be their true descendants, and fulfil their works of love ,
and are courageous as thoy wore once, shall raise up their foundations in another sell E', which is not obscurely declared in th 'se wt)l,ds of tho t~xt, " Thou .. halt be called the repairer of " the broach the re,torer of paths to dwell in." The breach wa ' lllaLIe by mi. 'doing-we shall repair it by well-doing. "The " paths to dwen in' were the ,. peacpable habitations-the sure " dwelIing.,-the quiet resting places," which it was the chivalrom; object of the fu-st Knights of the order to seCUl'e for persons pel' 'ocuted and oppressod. And to be the restorers of theseto make at lea. ,t somo IlLllllbIc attempt at their rostoration-to do good to poor aud needy J?ersons destitute of help, a,s far as our m ·tw. allo'lY, to u. e every llcleavour to increase the means of usefuh.l.cf:is atouI' eli 'po. aI, for the sacred purposes of love and helpfuillc " not for OlU' o,vn glory or aggrandisement-this is tho hI 0,'. ing whiuh 'IV • hum11y hopo has de cended on those who u .. e the same holy ymbols which were used by the order of old not for J?omp or . how, but for love' sake and the honour rhich com th of God only. III what channels our love should flow, the nood andllece ... 'ities of OlU' fellow men InU t determine. Tho sick and wounded in war have a strong claim ou the de 'condants of thoso who waxed valiant in fight of old, and turued to flight the armies of the aliens. The imprisoned captivo .hould hayo our sympathy in remembrance of those who had trial of cruel working. and SCOlU'gingS in old time, yea, moreovor, of bonds and imprisonment. The destitute and afflicted, the wandcrer in deserts and mOlmtain , in dens and cave of the earth, may look for help to men who find it written in the archives of their order, that those who went before them en dured such things, and succom'ed those that were so temptEd. To such sufferers, then,we seek to render help; and we feel that in so doing we keop in remembrance OlU' first founders, who in a very difforent state of society from that in which we now live bore theil' part valiantly. But the changes of men's occupations, the multiplied inventions, the explorations beneath the earth's surface and to her fnrthest shor8s, have introduced new and strango dangers; and they who desire to set up the banner of philanthropy for a tokon, and to say in the name of Him ' Vho
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all the affliction of His creatures was Himself afflicted, and was touched with the feeling of OlU' infil'mitie , Himself having shared them with us-" ,Ve are ready to help" -an order, lay, which professes this willingnes to h Ip those who ufter must employ divers operation . I doubt Dot that as time goe on and as the zeal and love of the brethren become more fervent , and as they commend themselves more to that pOI ular esteem and support which is absolutely necessary to the canying on such a work as this all that now eems new and strange, and even fanciful, will be seell in the light of a common and mattE:'r-offact thing, and then it will have the U1 port it d crve,. And lmiting as it does in one noble endeavour to do the work.· of love the highest alJd the lowest personag , it will take root dO·Wllward and bear fruit upward. The Order of ~ t. John, with the Cross which is its ymbol, will b known wher' the maimed and wounded need transport, where the ick and weakly n d nourishing food, where in sudden danger. by land and ea pret-3ence of mind and fearlessness of elf hav b en bI '." d to the rescue of precious lives-ah, brethren, may I not ay of precious souls as well as of preciou livc ?-wh'rc r licfhas been brought to bear beyond hope, beyond expcctation of life, by ingenuity of contrivance. And what is ingenuity of contrivance in this kind but a proof of pious thought and care employed for the good of them who work for us while we dwell in safety, by sea and land and underground; who venture their lives) their health for us; who are entitled by every claim that man can have on man to our help, our sympathy, our love, our prayers ~ These are but a few of the thoughts which the present anniversary brings with it. But one thing I must say before we part; it is for myself, that, being constantly engaged in a different, yet, I hope, a kindred work, I have not considered with sufficient care the holy objects which your rule comprehends-that, since I have considered them, I have concluded that your work only needs to be more known to be very widely and extensively appreciated; that great service has been rendered in this respect by those who have invented appliances for the r elief of suffering; by those who have enlisted the III
sympathy uf the dwellers in populous places by their activity and zeal in cases of distress; by those who have helped in building almshouses for widows and aged out-door poor, or securing sueh foundations from attempts made to rlivert them to oiher uses; by those who give care and at.t~nti()n to the organi ation of trained nurses for the sick poor; by those who have encouraged bold adventure, even to the risk of life, for saving men ready to peri h, by conferring on successful adven turer medals of the Order of t. John, setting forth its work of love, aud that it sole object is to bind men together for mutual help, and to fulfil the words of the Apostle, "See that ye love . one another with a plU' heart fervently." That love may be your portion for the love's ake you bear not to the brotherhood only", but to all men-that your hearts may be knit tog ther in lov , and unto all riches of the full aSSlli'ance of lmderstancling to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and of the Ii ather and of Christ-that others may be led by yonI' .·ample to xchange a life of weariness, which men can pleaslli'e, for the nobler delight of doing good, which many wish ecretly in their hearts but though they admire and applaud noble acts, have not the courage to come out from the circle in whi h they live to take part in these efforts to save life and benefit mankind-that God may put gladness in yOlli' heart more than in the time when your order was far more wealthy but 1 ss active for good, less approved of men, less blessed of God-thi , brethren is my prayer for you to-day, on the fir t occasion on which I have had the honour and privilege of taking my place in your assembly as a Ohaplain of yOlli' Ord er, which, may God enrich and bless and prosper in its undertakings evermore.
lIARlllSOlii AND SONS, l'RINTEllS IN ORDINARY TO tiER MA.Jl:STl', ST. MARTIN'S LA"E.
Jto ijitilitate
~Ominllm.