The Boy and the Man.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 283, 28 November 1896, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Boy and the Man.

Coleridge Patteson—a scholar afc Efcon, one ot England's famous historic schools — was s high-spirited lad, and a great! fevourits in. fcho crickeb eleven of the school, for he was an uncommonly.good player. At the club suppers ' Coley,' as the boy 3 called him, was disturbed by the quaationable jsstt: and stories of some of the membore, and at length declared publicly that ho should protest against anything Hko in decency in tho conversation or in the songs that were sung. Notwithstanding this, at the next meeting one of the boys began to sine a salacioua ditty, and Coley rose indignantly to his feot. ' If this sorb of thing goes on I shall leave the room,' ho paid. The finger continued and Coley marched our. The next day he wroto to the captain of the clpven, and assured him that unless lie received an apology he should quit the club. He was too important a man to lose, and tho apology was sent. The trial of feeling to the young telloiv who made it could have been tso greater than tho trial of demanding )t and risking a. refusal ; for, like all enfchusi.tstic crickot-playere. Coley was passionately fond of the game. But ho loved character better than criekeb, arid the outcome was a victory of principle. Here win tho kinri of boy of which martyrs are made. Tho spirit that emboldaned him to roseni; vileness sent, him afterward to present Christianity to a pagan people. A group of it-land* north of New Guinea in tr.o .South Pacific became the bnvs? mrm's field of labour, and there ho fell a victim to heathen cruelty. But death has not erased from the memory of earth his example of manly courage and loyal discipleship. The story of iho boy of Eton and ' Martyr Bif-hop of MelnnoMtk 'is told hers—and will ba told for many ft year to com* —to kindla fearless virtue in other minds, and impress a noble lesson of Uhriatiika sacrifice.