DEATH OF BISHOP SELWYN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 59

DEATH OF BISHOP SELWYN.

(FfiOM Oue Own Cobbespondent./ _ London, February 18. It is with the deepest regret th&b I have to announce the death of Bishop Selwyn. In a recent letter I mentioned tha.t the bishop had ■ been suffering lately from a severe illness, but that, an improvement having taken place, he had ief t for the South of Fiance in the hope of 'deriving b'enefiii 'from the milder climate. , tlnfoftunately, this hope was nob realised. Jpnly the most meagre accounts of his last hours 'have as yet reached England, bub ib is evident .that a change, for the" .worse must, have taken place-^soon after the .bishop's arrival at? Pau, where he" passed to his rest la&b Saturday tvsuing;; " .v. v . . The news came with a great qhoek because ab each time I -bad seen- the bishop labteily he .»?6ured me (hat the malarial fever, -which seemed to have became permanently engrafted in his system, was growing less and less severe in each attack, although these attacks visited him with almost periodical regularity. Oa one of the occasions when I stayed with him at Selwyn College, ' Cambridge, he gave me a very full account cf the origin aad course of his ' illness. What iavolved-the terrible complication iv his case was the fact that for a long time, while experiencing very iatente pains in the limbs, hips, - and .back, -he was supposed to be undergoing some form of acute rheumatism, as - one phase of the malarial f ever, and was treated accordingly,. tintU at'iength, Ms condition " growing steadily worse, ib was -discovered that ho was suffering from a, frightful abscess in the Lip joint. A vsx'y severe and critical operation t<as necessitated bub although this was in some t"' s gree successful ib had been delayed 60 long '.habit left the fiuffeier crippled for life, one leg remaining quite useless ; so that he was unable to walk except with crutches. . Iv spite of »this deplorable disablement his constitutional vigour of frame t and still more, "the intense strength of will 'and force of char■acter which he inherited from bss great father — the first Bishop of New Zealand, and afterward of Lichfieid — Bishop Selwyn managed to' "do more physically, as well as mentally, than .ijcoreg of men in tuil possession of their bodily powers, .Oa one occasion, ab Norfolk Island, -ac held a confirma'ticnlia his be'drooai while he lying on his hack, unatle to move any part •'sxeepfc his arms, aud the sative candidates knelt *' by his beSside one by one, and duly'jreeeived - the episcopal blessing: At a Ister period he ' was' carried onus, eoucti bo the lawn of Goverinnoeut House, "Sydney, where,' ly in gia a horizontal position aud unabH to raise himself; lie ■ still delivered & most eloquent address on behslf of the Melanesian mission. Since his return to England and his assumption of the mastership of the colle ga (founded in honour of bis father's memory), his extraordinary vitality, energy, and determination were as remarkable as ever-. I have bad more than once the privilege of observing what I may term the domestic life of the college, and ib was a. pleasure to see the deep veneration and enthusiasm, amounting almost to positive worship', ■with whioa this Christian hero and martyr was regarded by all the students of the college, who found in him the kindest, sj'ia pathetic, 1 and most judicious of advisers and guides. Ido not, feel that my use of the term martyr can possibly be deemed misapplied. If evar a man laid down hia life for his faith, hia church, and his fellow creatures Bishop Selwyn did. He knew for. a long while that his persistence in continuing the duties of Bishop of Melanesia' must ultimately wreck his health and cost him his life ; nevertheless, the same spirit which had lad bim to abandon what yt&a a career of assured brilliancy at the bar to take holy order?, and then to enter upon tbe arduous missionary career, impc led him to continue that work until absolute physical, inability forced him most reluctantly to lay it down. But that persistence io doing .wby&t,. be deemed his duty afc his appointed post did co3t him his life, and involved the close of his heroic ».nd useful career at the comparatively early age of 53 is unquestioc*ble. - - - It was, I know, a great happiness to Bishop Selwyn that he lived to wicness the completion and dedication of the beautiful college chapel erected to his father's memory. ' Ib will be remembered that this chapel was dedicated- in October, 1895, by the bishop of the diocese, Lord Alwyn Compton, Bishop of Ely ; the late Archbishop cf Canterbury (Dr Benson) and a very large assemblage of English and colonial bishops being present at the ceremony. Ib was decided that the funeral should take pl&ce where the bishop died, and that to tffiord a large number of liis friends and admirers who desired to pay a "last token of respect to his memory an opportunity of doing co, memorial services should be held in various place?. Although not coming strictly within this, category, perhaps the most interesting cognate occasion was that of the university sermon at Great St. Mary's, Cambridge, when there was a large assemblage of university men of all ranks to hear, a. special sermon by one of the. famous and most thcu^htfnl preachers of -the .day, the Rev.- Canon. Gors. Ib was very shortly before the service thafc a telegram "arrived conveying the sad news of .the logs the university had sustained. In the course of his sermon Canon Gore said : "Ib was only just now that I heard the news of a loss which you in this university have sustained, a loss in -which I share by righb of personal friendship as well as common churchmanahip. The man •whose sickness and.absence.from his mastership "you hoped was only *^ temporary loss to ,you ■of his vigour and goodness yesterday evening, at Pau, passed away peacefully from the -«!hurch on earth. He held, by a double right "as ".spa and master, the hero name of Selwyn ; and surely the hero spirit worked in every "fibre of that crippled body the more conspicuously by the very 'contrast-to its earthen vessel. That body itself bad been crippled by the malarial fever which took possession of him in some of the unhealthy islands of his Melanesian diocese. In a real sense the fever never left him, but it never quenched -that burning spirit. ... To see him in his zeal, .in his courage, in his. unpretentious humility, in hia . Bipgle-hearted Iqvp, was to feel what it is to be a Christian,^ At the close of the service the , organist played the "Dead March" from '•'.Saul," the confii'eg&ljou landing until its ' conclusion. '

In London the principal memorial service was held at All Saintfe' Church, Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge, whose vicar, the Rev. Ravenscroffc Stewart, was an old college friend of the late bishop. It was arranged that the service should take place at the same hour as that at which the actual funeral was proceeding at Pau. As the raelaccboly news had o^ly been received on the previous Say, and thife a Sunday, notice obviously was exceedingly short, but it sufficed to bring together a very large congregation.

The service, which was choral, was deeply solemn and impressive. It mainly followed the course of the ordinary burial, service, with the emission of such portions as were unsuitable. Bishop Barry, late o£, Sydney, officiated, assisted by the Rev. Ravensoroft Setwart. The beautiful and appropriate hymns, "Now the* labourer's task- is" "o'er," "Teh thousand (imes ten -thousand," and •• Peace, perfect peace " were sung. Immediately before the benediction Bishop Barry advanced to the chancel steps and delivered * brief but very touching address, ohteiv'.ng that it had been his privilege to be associated with Bishop Sslwyu in his work in the Antipodes as well as in this country. He could bear testimony to hi 3 thorough manliness, inspired by a life of true godliness. He was simple, earnest, and always cheerful. He was ever hopeful, for Ec was inspired by s. living Christian faith and an unswerving devotion to duty. "He rests now from his labours, bul his works will surely follow Isim. May we all' have grace to follow ths good example he has left us." Before the service the "organist played the air " Oresfe in the Lord," from Mendelssohn's "Elijah"; as the clergy and choir entered the church Handel's "I- know that my redeemer liveth" was played; and at the conclusion the "Dead Match," from " Saul," was given, the congregation reverently standing. Both the officiating c!ergy and the congregation were deeply affected dutivg the service, and I have rarely witnessed an occasion of the kind when the feeling of grief was so uurestrainable. The vicar almost broke down more than once while reading the lesson ; and ib was evidently only by a powerful effort trafc Bishop Barry was able to restrain a manifestation of his deep sorrow.

It was intended, if possible, to hold a memorial servi.e in Selwyn College Chapel simultaneously with the funeral. Bub this proved impracticable owing to the shortness of the notice, so a special service was held yesterday, including a requiem 'celebration of the Huly Communion, at 8 a.m , and the order for the burial of the dead at 1.30 p.m. There was a large attendance of members of the senate and university and friends; and relatives of the deceased biahop. On Monday, at Cambridge, all the boating olubs hud their flags at half-mash, and at Great St. Mary's Church * muffled peal was racg at night.

Tbe Right Rev. Johu Richardson Selwyn, who wasassn at the Right. Rev. George Augustus Selwyn, first Bishop of New Zealand, and sub" sequently Bishop of LicbQeid, was born in 1644 and was educated at Ebcn «nd afterwards at Trinity College, Cambridge. 'He was a renowned oarsman and icaetl in the university race 3of 1884- and 1866. In'rhi3 resjieob ho resembled his famous father, who took part in the first, inter-university boat racg erer held. Mr Selwyn was ordained deacon in 1869 and prieet in the following year.- His first curacy was at; Alrew*!?, his ssooud at Woberhainptob, of which parish he became vica? iv 1871. In 1872 he resigned his vicarage to go otit as a. missionary to Melanesia. After the martyrdom of B;shop Pattason the Rev. J. R. Selwyn was unanimously recommended as his successor. This recommendation came bffore tha General Synod at its triennial session at Nelson, New Zenl&nti, when ib wao unanimously confirmed, and Bisbop Selwyn tfrs consecrated accordingly by the late Bishop Harper, assisted by the other bishops of the ecclesiastical province. How malarial fever and ifcs complications, coupled with excesoively arduous work, finally broke him down and compelled h'.m to relinquieb. working, I havo already related. He returned to Bnglsnd in 1891, and was afc onoe appointed honorary chaplain to Ihs Queen. In 1893 he succeeded the Rev. the Hon. A. T. Lyfcfcelfcon as master of Selwyn College, Cambridge, which had been opsned in 1882, and named after his father.. He wa3 fcwic« married, first, in 1872, to Clara, daughter of Captain J. L. Innes, of the 49th Foot Regiment, and secondly, in 1885, to Annie, elder daughter 1 of the late Mr T. S. Mori-, of Green Oake, Sydney, New South Wales. In each case he found a most congenial and enthusiastic helpmate. The life of the first Mrs Selwyn was in all probability sacrificed to the trying climate of Melanesia. His second wife was always his most earnest and able assistant in the dome#Hc working ,of his college, and was his tender and devoted nurse to the last.