A LIVINGSTONE MEMORIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20870, 9 November 1929, Page 4

A LIVINGSTONE MEMORIAL.

MUSEUM AT BLANTYEE. (From Odb Own Correspondent.) l ' Tti n . , September 26. Jn October the Duchess of York is to open a memorial to Livingstone at Bian“1B birthplace near Glasgow. The old home of the missionary explorer and the surrounding houses have been converted into a museum to place on record nis great work. Livingstone was born in.a tenement of .| InK i e apartment dwellings, and the . . chamber has been restored to its original condition. There are two beds in the room each occupying an alcove such as is still familiar in many Scottish homes of a humble type. The coverlet.is of patchwork, and the hangings-are of print.. Beside the open fire is a cradle. A ■ wag at the wa’ " ticks gravely, and" a chest of drawers, reputed to be part of the Livingstone family possessions, au armchair with a like pedigree, a shortened chair for the nursing mother, and a "big ha Bible, ’ until recently the property of a neighbouring household, complete the mam furnishings, Another apartment is devoted to the family tree of Livingstone, tesufying to the Covenanting stock from which he sprang. TABLEAUX. OF CHARACTER. The Glasgow correspondent of the Daily Telegraph gives the following additional information:— Going through the other rooms one sees the story of Livingstone's adventurous life told by a series of panels in ternpera. by Mr Hasrvell Miller. Absorbing as the record proves, the climax ig reached in the gallery devoted to tableaux illustratiye of his character rather than his exploits. ' Visitors enter a darkened room, which has been contrived by cutting through a number of the houses. One by one the tableaux locally in what had. been a bed recess, take form. Each of the eight cost £l5O, and included among the donors were 8 tribe in Africa, and the Daily Telegraph ■ which sent Stanley to Africa to find Livingstone, "Made of cement, coloured and moulded on one side, the tableaux represent Vision, truth. Faitn, Mercy, Courage, Renuncianon, Endurance, and Sacrifice, the last showing Livingstone at dawn, dead on his knees by the side of a truckle bed, and two awe-stricken servants pausing at the doorway. ■ “Personal _ relics are encountered further on—his surgical outfit, sextant, consular cap and sword, his silver watch and chain, his telescope, his Bible, almost unreadable at parts by reason of the thumb marks, and, one of the grimmest, a cast of his left arm, showing the imperfect joint which was mauled by a lion. J “The last scene of all is a shrine in process of completion. For background it will have a cross painted on the panelawu on i 6 aB a t Westminster A bbey, where his body lies, a brass will tell what manner of man he was. and m the foreground will be ranged simple African flowers. While more than £12,000 has at present beet! received, approximately £SOOO is needed to complete the scheme. Two purposes will be served when the. money 1 c a ,V al ,• The first is the transference ot the old scheme where Livingstone attended evening classes to the grounds, where it is to be used as a hall and shelter, and the second is to create a endowment fund which will make the memorial independent of entrance fee?.