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 UNIVERSITY 
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 ASSIDUITY.
 
 Published under the auspices of the A ustralian Natives' A ssociation. 
 
 ASSIDUITY: 
 
 o tfe late 
 
 OF 
 
 (SOME TIME PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES' ASSOCIATION). 
 
 BY THE 
 
 RE V. THOS. WILLIA MS. 
 
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 PRINTED BY F. W. NIVEN & CO., 34 STURT STREET. 
 
 MDC'CCl. XXXVI.
 
 222. 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Frontispiece : Portrait of Mr. R. H, Hart. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PREFACE ... ... ... ... ... i. 
 
 INTRODUCTION ... ... ... ... 7 
 
 PARENTAGE, CHILDHOOD, AND EARLY BOYIIOOIJ ... ... 12 
 
 WKSLEY COLLEGE ... ... ... ... 47 
 
 MR. HART AS A LOCAL PREACHER ... ... ... 63 
 
 FAKKWKI.I. TO COLLEGE ... ... ... ... 85 
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES' ASSOCIATION ... ... 126 
 
 "THE FLOWER QUEEN" ... ... ... ... 135 
 
 PARLIAMENTARY ASPIRATIONS ... ... ... 175 
 
 LAST DAYS ... . ... ... ... ... 189 
 
 CONCLUSION . . . 225 
 
 1179931
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The difference observable in this memoir, when compared 
 with most others that belong to its class, is the result in 
 part of necessity and in part of design. 
 
 OF NECESSITY because Mr. R. H. Hart did not keep a 
 diary, his correspondence was limited, and his life only a 
 commenced one. Consequently the material by which the 
 compiler of a memoir is enabled to make its subject tell 
 the story of his own life could not be supplied. 
 
 OF DESIGN because young people complain that memoirs 
 are monotonous in their details, and the style of relating 
 those details is a stereotyped one. These evils I have striven 
 to avoid. 
 
 Inasmuch as this book is published under the auspices of 
 the Australian Natives' Association, I have endeavored to 
 respect the non-sectarian and non-political character of the 
 Association ; this I hope I have done without the sacrifice 
 of any principle of faith or honor. 
 
 Well aware that he who walks only in the tracks made by 
 other men will make no discoveries, nor have the sweets of 
 variety at his disposal, I have ventured to leave such tracks
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 at times, and if in doing so I have offended against any 
 canon provided for work of this kind, I have done so un- 
 consciously, and may hope to be forgiven. 
 
 That some parts of this memoir show great minuteness 
 of detail is admitted ; a cause for this has been intimated ; 
 and, to that cause may be added an intense desire to make 
 the book interesting to young readers, and to those also who 
 are engaged in teaching the young. 
 
 If I could do so I would gladly give the name of every 
 author to whom I am indebted, but to do so is an impos- 
 sibility. I wish, however, to state my indebtedness to J. 
 H. Ingham for help in depicting "The FloAver Queen." ; and 
 Edwin Arnold, M.A., C.S.I., for many of the Oriental 
 citations introduced because apposite and new. 
 
 I will hope to be indulged for saying that the quotations 
 placed before the several chapters are selections from my 
 own reading, and will, I believe, be found pertinent to that 
 part of the chapter to which they are referred. 
 
 I gladly record my obligations to Mr. Thomas F. Hart 
 for undertaking to see the memoir of his brother through 
 the press during my unavoidable absence from Yictoria. 
 
 K"o one is more conscious of the faults of this little book 
 than the compiler of it is ; nevertheless as some of these 
 are traceable to a sense of duty to the departed, and others 
 of them to an endeavour to impart instruction whilst afford- 
 ing pleasure, I may hope for consideration on the plea 
 that secured pardon for the slave of Hassan.
 
 PREFACE. Ill 
 
 This is the substance of the story as it is told by Edwin 
 Arnold: 
 
 Hassan, the son of Ali, made a banquet unto sheiks and 
 lords. The slave who bore round the smoking pillaw carried 
 it in Badham's dish, carved from rock-crystal, with the 
 feet in gold, and garnets round the rim ; but the boy slipped 
 and broke the precious dish into shreds of beauty, and 
 scalded the son of Ali. The guests were loud in their de- 
 nunciations of the slave, and in asking for his instant 
 decapitation. The boy fell with his face to the earth and re- 
 minded his lord that "Paradise is for them that check their 
 wrath ;" this text was acknowledged, and the boy sobbed 
 on, "Also, 'tis writ, Pardon the Trespasser" "I forgive," 
 replied Hassan, and then he addressed his guests thus : 
 
 * * * Lords ! he hath marred the dish, but mended 
 fault with wisdom." 
 
 THOS. WILLIAMS. 
 
 Hyrncastre, 
 
 10 Seymour Crescent, 
 August, 30th, 1885.
 
 Who broke our fair companionship, 
 
 And spread his mantle dark and cold ; 
 And wrapt thee formless in the fold, 
 
 And dulled the murmur on thy lip ; 
 
 And bore thee where I could not see 
 
 Nor follow, though I walk in haste ; 
 And think that somewhere in the waste 
 
 The shadow sits and waits for me. In Memoriam. 
 
 For thee, loved ! for thee, the light of lights : 
 For me, the shadow of thine absence falls : 
 To thee, sweet Sabbath rest hath fully risen ; 
 Thy brow hath lost its coronet of care, 
 Thy fair, frail frame, its langour and its pain. 
 Sweet rest is thine, dear weary, weary one. 
 Glad joy is thine, patient sufferer ; 
 Joy mensurate to thy deep capacity ! 
 happy satisfaction ! thro' the glow 
 Of that high Temple foUoiuinrj the Lamb 
 Whitherso'cr He goeth ! this to thee 
 Is heaven, is heaven of heavens. 
 
 But unto me life turns a sadder face ! 
 
 The glow and smile have faded, since thy voice 
 
 And presence have departed. I shall live. 
 
 And work, and joy, and sorrow ! 
 
 But the glow has faded. 
 
 Yet a holier voice's sweet persuasion 
 
 Steals o'er the darkness like a star of dawn. 
 
 If this transplanting of my heart's dear treasure 
 
 Lift mine eyes upward, and the hungry void 
 
 Be tilled with Jesus surely " it is tcell." 
 
 He doeth all things well ! I would trust Him 
 
 That somehow loss shall ripen into gain. 
 
 Miss BLATCHLEY.
 
 MEMOIR 
 
 OF 
 
 RICHARD H. HART. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THOSE who sorrow for the dead whom they have loved 
 whilst living will be condemned by no one except the cold, 
 unfeeling Stoic. To weep under such circumstances is 
 dictated by nature, whose arbitrament in this thing is 
 accepted alike by the sage and the savage, and has, too, the 
 sanction of the highest example. But more than tears arc 
 due to the dead, who, whilst living, were distinguished for 
 talent, benevolence, heroism, or piety. We owe to them 
 some record of what they have achieved, or sought to 
 achieve ; so that, though they cease to speak and act, the 
 gentle influence of their remembered words and acts poor 
 it may be in themselves, but illumined by the light of
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Heaven may be helpful to us who live. The usefulness of 
 such records cannot be measured solely by the social 
 condition of the actors whose deeds arc there recorded. 
 It is not necessary that they should occupy an elevated 
 position in society, should have particularly bright abilities, 
 or that the events of their life should have been extra- 
 ordinary. Men who are not too bright or good for 
 imitation, whose senses were exercised to discern good 
 from evil, serve the purpose of biography better. Infancy 
 excepted, each stage of human life has contributed largely 
 to this class of literature : intelligent childhood with its 
 countless charms, man in the pride and power of his 
 manhood, and man enriched and ennobled by culture, 
 travel, and wide experience is largely represented there ; 
 so that it would be strange, nay passing strange, if man, 
 entering the theatre of active life with the flush of manly 
 purpose on his bi-ow and energy in every limb, but cut off 
 untlmeously, should fail to be a contributor. This, however, 
 is not the case, as attested by the memoirs of the 
 "Wonderful Boy of Bristol," of Henry Kirk White, of 
 John Keats, of Robert Pollok, of David Stoner, of Robert 
 Murray McCheyne, and many other similar ones. The 
 addition of this one to the goodly list will, it is hoped, prove 
 to be an acceptable addition. 
 
 It is a truth beyond dispute that in the present day the 
 young man whose habits are active, associated with force of 
 character showing itself in a resolve to conquer life, to 
 make it his own to an extent that will cause him to be 
 missed when he dies cannot escape observation j and every
 
 INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 effort made by such a young man under the influence of an 
 ambition which spurs him to win for himself the position of 
 a man amongst men, and avoid sinking into that of a fraud 
 amongst frauds, fixes the eye of observers more steadily 
 upon him, and makes his early transference to the nations 
 underground a topic for serious and sympathetic reflection. 
 
 The end of such an one is noticed more, and more freely 
 commented on, than was his life before. One of the results 
 of this closer scrutiny invariably is a conviction that our 
 contemporaries have to die before the real character of any 
 one of them is realised, and that even then our knowledge 
 of them is defective. 
 
 That the subject of this memoir had thought thus on the 
 effect of death on human estimate is clear from a remark 
 found in an essay which he wrote on one of Tennyson's 
 poems. Amongst other reasons assigned for some men not 
 duly appreciating the laureate is this one " He is not dead 
 yet." Death extinguishes envy and makes clear the way to 
 merited fame. The operation of this universal fact of 
 history, " the one great mystery of being not," has a soften- 
 ing effect on the mind, under the influence of which we look 
 differently and more correctly on those who cease on earth 
 to be learn to use words of tenderness when speaking of 
 them, and award to them tender thoughts as their due. 
 
 The frailty of human nature, even in its best estate, is 
 forcibly illustrated by the removal of young men of promise; 
 the well-rounded bubble floats awhile on the wave which 
 gave it birth, then bursts and is no longer seen. But its
 
 10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 disappearance admonishes us who still live to cultivate a spirit 
 of vigilance, promptitude, and dispatch ; that life's day may 
 be devoted sedulously to the duties assigned us, because 
 " the night cometh when no man can work." 
 
 Reflections such as these are suggested by the removal of 
 the late Mr. Richard H. Hart in the forenoon of life, at a 
 time when his friends were expecting for him a lengthened 
 day of varied and valuable service, for which he appeared 
 to be so well qualified and towards which a laudable ambition 
 prompted him. Yet, nevertheless, shall not the Judge of 
 all the earth do right 1 
 
 In Thy dread hand men rest ; 
 
 Their nights and days, their waking and their sleeping, 
 Their birth, and life, and death, be in Thy keeping. 
 
 ORIENT PEARLS.
 
 (.) A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. 
 
 SOLOMON. 
 
 (a.) Howe'er it be it seems to me, 
 
 Tis only noble to be good ; 
 Kind hearts are more than coronets, 
 
 And simple faith than Norman blood. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 (b.) Who is willing to consecrate his service this day 
 
 unto the Lord 1 
 
 KING DAVID. 
 
 (c.) Mysterious to all thought 
 A mother's prime of bliss, 
 When to her eager lips is brought 
 
 Her infant's thrilling kiss ; 
 She joys that one is born 
 Into a world forgiven, 
 Her Father's household to adorn, 
 And dwell with her in heaven, 
 
 KEBLK. 
 
 (d.) Take from my mouth the wish of happy years. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 (<,'.) A holy mother is an angel to' whom God has lent 
 a body for a brief season. 
 
 MAISTRE. 
 
 (/) The parental hearth that rallying place of the affec- 
 tions. 
 
 WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 (a.) I call to rememberance the unfeigned faith that is in 
 thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy 
 mother Eunice. 
 
 PAUL,
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 In pursuance of the plan placed before me as one suited 
 to the material supplied for this book, a brief sketch of the 
 career of the Rev. Richard Hart will aptly precede that 
 of his son. Mr. Hart never thought it necessary to 
 visit Doctors' Commons to ascertain if the authorities there 
 had his family tree in the heraldic conservatory ; or to 
 correspond with the Earl Marshal of the College of Arms 
 in regard to providing one for him ; consequently there are 
 in his case no numerous, complicated genealogical records, 
 or endless genealogies things by which some small minds 
 seek to gratify personal pride, and enforce an unheeded 
 superiority forgetful that 
 
 A pigmy is a pigmy still 
 Though seated on Olympian hill : 
 No elevation of his state 
 Can ever make a pigmy great. 
 
 This omission on Mr. Hart's part makes him the richer by 
 the amount demanded in fees, but leaves the antiquity and 
 distinction of his family in the ample domain of conjecture 
 and probability, and precludes the possibility of the reader 
 being betrayed by me into the mists of a distinguished 
 though mythical ancestry.
 
 PARENT A.C.E. 13 
 
 (a.) Mr. Hart's early days were passed in Nicholls' Green, 
 near Birmingham ; his parents were members of the 
 Wesleyan Methodist Church in that village. Their son 
 was converted early in life. He devoted himself to local 
 church work, with a number of earnest young men whose 
 hearts the Lord had touched to such a degree that they 
 might have carried on their banner, "In tnnlifulness of act 
 be cur faith seen." Most of these young men afterwards 
 entered the Wesleyan itinerant ranks. Of these companions 
 of his youthful labours he now speaks specially of the Revs. 
 James Smith, Edwin Lightwood, Frederick Hart, and 
 pre-eminently, of the late Samuel Coley, whose memory, in 
 the sense of not being forgotten, will be kept green so long 
 as the " Life of the Rev. Thomas Collins " holds its place 
 amongst godly literature. Of these companions in early 
 and pleasurably remembered work few continue unto this 
 day ; the rest having gone, weary and way-sore, but 
 joyfully, to that Paradise, where they shall never hear "the 
 speecli of folly, sin, or dread." 
 
 (b.') In the year 1647 Mr. Hart and the Rev. T. Raston 
 were sent by the Wesleyan Missionary Society to 8 British 
 colonial settlement in Western Africa, named Sierra 
 Leone (Mountain of the Lion). The settlement is really a 
 peninsula with a few islets belonging to it. The formation 
 of this settlement was the outcome of philanthrophy. A 
 body of humane men removed 470 destitute negroes from 
 London in 1787, and settled them there. Three years 
 afterwards 1196 negroes were removed from the too severe 
 climate of Nova Scotia, and added to the first settlers.
 
 14 WESTEKX AFRICA. 
 
 Since thon many slaves, captured by British cruisers, have 
 settled there. The climate is humid and unhealthy. From 
 May to November it is specially pestilential. A limited 
 number of whites are found amongst the colored popu- 
 lation, although the climate is so inimical to the European 
 constitution as to have secured for Sierra Leone the 
 significant alias of "the white man's grave." Indeed, and 
 of a truth, it is a sore, sad, short road by which to journey to 
 the tomb. Yet many have travelled it, quickly to find " their 
 mouth dry with the wind of death." For a short term the 
 road was cooled by soft breezes and gilded by glad suits, then 
 followed a heat that burned, and a damp that blighted, and 
 fever that 
 
 " Drained the strong heart as flames drink oil," 
 till weak and spent, friendless and alone, the struggler 
 died. 
 
 It was to this settlement, where " death's thousand doors 
 stand open four-fold," that Mr. Hart went as a missionary, 
 fully aware of the unfriendliness of the climate, fully aware 
 that a large proportion of those who, leaving all the joys 
 that make life bright and kind behind them, never again 
 returned to those who, with a sort of soft discontent, bade 
 them " farewell." 
 
 A brief resume of the history of this mission will make 
 the foregoing statements painfully intelligible. 
 
 A little more than a hundred years back the Moravians 
 sent a party of nine missionaries to this part of Western 
 Africa ; these all died in two years. Thirty years after 
 other societies sent six missionaries ; within two years three
 
 MORAVIAN AND CTIUBCH OF ENGLAND MISSIONS. 15 
 
 of these died and one was murdered. Fifty-three mission- 
 aries or missionaries' wives, sent there under the auspices 
 of the Church Missionary Society, died in twenty years. In 
 1823 the same society sent five missionaries ; of these four 
 died in six months. Other kindred societies can show a 
 a death rate equally heavy, but these need not be adduced 
 here. Those before the reader will be accepted as sufli- 
 ciently confirmatory of the pernicious influence of the climate 
 on European constitutions. 
 
 The question has been engendered between strong sympathy 
 for the missionaries on the one side, and a low estimate of the 
 negro race on the other, " Why continue such an expenditure 
 of the white man's life in this department of service 1 " The 
 question is not an unreasonable one, but forty or fifty years 
 ago it could not be answered as now it can. " He who 
 knows to-morrow, now, and the far past ;" from whom none 
 can be so distant that their cry cannot reach Him ; who 
 is alike pitiful to small and great, white and black ; whose 
 love is wide and great ; to whom no race is too high or low, 
 too mean or mighty, shewed his compassion to wards the down- 
 trodden dwellers in Western Africa by moving Christian 
 communities to pity them, and notwithstanding the danger, 
 the martyrdom connected with the work, with these full 
 in view, when one man has fallen there has never been 
 wanting "another man to take the colours." We may 
 soften, the martial aspect of the figure by saying these 
 standard bearers were the carriers of a grand message. They 
 told the negro that " the life which will come shall be better 
 than the life of to-day ; " the dispensers of an inestimable
 
 16 VVESI.EYAX MISSION. 
 
 blessing, " the bread of life," and the bestowment of it 
 welcome and cheering to these negroes, as to the Arab in 
 the desert is the savour of new bread smoking from the oven. 
 
 Such a messenger, such a dispenser, was the father of the 
 subject of this memoir. The service to which he and his 
 colleagues devoted themselves was an onerous one, and 
 often their cry was 
 
 " Ah ! gracious Lord we toil to reap 
 The soil is hard the way is steep." 
 
 But the steep was ascended, the hard soil was broken up, 
 and the toilers did reap, and the harvest was an abundant 
 one. A record was made in the missionary annals of the 
 coloured people of Freetown and its suburbs having re- 
 nounced idolatry, and of heathen practices being given up for 
 those taught by our common Christianity, and of a markedly 
 beneficial moral change perceptible in every direction. 
 
 But neither the dankness that creeps stealthily amid a 
 rank and rotting vegetation, and strikes its unanticipated 
 blow, nor the noonday pestilence, allowed the workmen to 
 escape scathless. A succession of fever attacks resulted in 
 a prostration so complete that Mr. Hart's medical adviser 
 ordered him to seek respite and restoration in his native 
 land, and he did so with the cheering consciousness that a 
 host of men who had been degraded so long by that lowest 
 form of superstition, styled FeticMsm, and by the worship of 
 false gods, no longer offered to them iu various dishes 
 " honey, and fruits, and fishes/' to which the green fly came 
 and hummed
 
 WESLEY AN MISSION. 17 
 
 " Scorn of their offering, stealing what she will ; 
 
 And none of these great gods the thief can kill ; 
 So swift she is and small : 
 And none of all 
 
 Can make one little fly, for all their state ; 
 
 So feeble are they, and so falsely great." 
 But, instead, they were being taught to know and to 
 worship Him whom to know is life everlasting ; the Living 
 God, the Selfsubsisting One, the Almighty. And, as candi- 
 dates for " life eternal," to gather some little knowledge of 
 " Heaven's prodigious years " whilst still on earth. To raise 
 their thoughts from that which is degrading to the sublime 
 contemplation of 
 
 " The Life Divine, which lives 
 
 Unending, uncommenced, having no stay 
 
 Of yesterday, to-morrow, or to-day 
 
 Being for ever one unbroken Now 
 
 Where past and future come not." 
 
 Although Mr. Hart was ordered to leave the pestiferous 
 coast of the " Dark Continent " with all expedition, several 
 months passed before an opportunity of doing so occurred. 
 
 An incident took place during the second year of Mr. 
 Hart's sojourn in fever-land which may be recorded here to 
 his credit. It shows what can be accomplished by a man 
 who acts under the impulse of a sincere resolve to do his 
 duty. One week-day, when on his way to preach anniver- 
 sary sermons at a small town seven miles distance from 
 Freetown, his horse took the bit between his teeth and did 
 some smart running on his own account. Another church,
 
 18 GOOD METTLE. 
 
 of which the quadruped had some knowledge, was a few 
 yards off' his course, and when opposite to this he made an 
 unexpected dash through the gate-way, propped, and cast 
 his astonished rider some distance further than he chose 
 to go himself. Mr. Hart usually wore a cap when on horse- 
 back, but on this occasion put on a high crowned hat, under 
 the influence of a strong impellant thought, and to his so 
 doing he ascribes his escape from instant death. He did not, 
 however, escape without serious injury ; his left arm was 
 badly broken, in addition to the severe shock sustained by 
 his system. After resting a short time he was assisted to 
 remount his horse, reached his destination, preached a 
 morning sermon to a large congregation, and in the evening 
 acted the part of a local secretary by reading the Annual 
 Report, and as the deputation by delivering an earnest 
 address on the subject of Christian missions. At the close 
 of this surprising effort, the brave young missionary was so 
 completely exhausted that the humane offer of George 
 Cummings, Esq., J.P., to send him back to his home was 
 accepted with thanks. Four prisoners bore him with care 
 to Freetown, where he lay suffering severe pain until the 
 fourth day after the accident, when the swelling and inflam- 
 mation were sufficiently reduced to allow of the surgeon 
 setting the fractured limb. Had this instance of heroism 
 or its like occurred on the battle-field, it might have won 
 for him a wide-spread fame and promotion. 
 
 Mr. Hart could not leave this land of his toils and 
 successes, early in 1851. without some soreness of heart. 
 The Committee under whose direction he served instructed
 
 YORKSHIRE SCOTLAND. 19 
 
 him to rest, and to use the means prescribed to restore his 
 sadly weakened constitution to a state of vigour. That 
 there was sufficient elasticity remaining for the accomplish- 
 ment of this is evidenced by his taking a circuit not long 
 after his arrival in Old England. The word rest it was found 
 meant no more than a change of employment, inasmuch as 
 three months of the five included in that word were occupied 
 in the discharge of ministerial duties on the Bradford West 
 Circuit, Yorkshire. Here the returned Missionary dis- 
 covered that he had exchanged the fever and delirium of 
 Western Africa for the worse fever and delirium, of the 
 Wesleyan Reform movement ; and the life that had been 
 restored from repeated fever attacks and from accidents was 
 endangered by the infatuated religionists of the West Riding. 
 On one occasion he was assailed by infuriated factory hands 
 at Manningham Lane, and had a narrow escape from des- 
 truction. 
 
 From West Bradford Mr. Hart was removed to the 
 Greenock Circuit, in the county of Renfrew, Scotland. It 
 was during his abode on this south shore of the estuary of 
 the Clyde that Mr. Hart became the subject of those subtle 
 influences 
 
 " Which stir the pulse that couples man and maid," 
 
 and which eventuated in his entering the much wronged 
 and over sorrowed state of matrimony, taking as his 
 partner in the venture Miss Dilks, daughter of Mr. Henry 
 Dilks, of Leith, sister of the Rev. T. T. Dilks who at 
 the time of this being written is the chairman of the 
 Norwich and Lynn District, England and the mother of
 
 20 A BIRTH AT SEA. 
 
 the late Richard H. Hart. The wedding took place on the 
 2nd of December, 1851, at the seaport town of Leith. 
 
 About this time the Australian Wesleyan Conference 
 made an application to the British Conference for additional 
 ministers. Two were set apart accordingly, one of whom 
 was Mr. Hart. Mr. and Mrs. Hart embarked at Gravesend 
 on board the " Maria Louisa " September 17th, 1852, and 
 at the close of a long voyage landed at Hobartown early 
 in January, 1853. 
 
 (c.) An event not to be passed over without note is the 
 birth of a daughter whilst at sea ; thus, as of old, the tide of 
 Nilus laved for a time the ark in which lay the hope of 
 Israel. The home of this little hope of her parents' hearts 
 was laved during three weeks by the tides of the South 
 Pacific Ocean. After a short rest in Tasmania Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hart were removed to Geelong, where Mr. Hart had to 
 undertake, as supply, the duties of a minister who had be- 
 come unable to prosecute them. The young newly arrived 
 couple were soon made acquainted with the inconveniences 
 growing out of the general feverish haste in the pursuit of 
 gold. They were greatly incommoded before a parsonage 
 could be built to receive them. A deep sorrow was added 
 to these inconveniences ; their little Mary Ruth was taken 
 away from them. One of those angels who always stand 
 
 " Waiting with wings outstretched and watchful eyes 
 To do their Master's embassies," 
 
 removed the little one from the arms of her mother, and 
 from the surrounding confusion, to the calm and joy shared
 
 GEELONG EARLY IMMIGRANTS. 21 
 
 where the angels of such do always behold the face of our 
 Father in Heaven, and worship Him amidst a light that 
 " Hath not an earthly name, nor any voice 
 Can tell its splendour ; nay, nor any ear 
 Learn if it listened." 
 
 The removed one was mourned over. But she was " only 
 a baby," the thoughtless ones say. Such words fall very 
 cruelly on the ears of a bereft mother, especially so on those 
 of a young mother, the little one being her first-born. They 
 are an impossibility from the lips of her on whose knees 
 the fair treasure reposed, and from whose embrace it was 
 removed. She instinctively longs for the sweet smile and 
 the soft touch of the beautiful blessing. However, neither 
 mother nor father yielded to a murmuring spirit ; they 
 accepted the trial as from God, and were graciously assisted 
 to bear it. And 
 
 " If one righteously hath borne the rod 
 
 The angels kiss those lips which speak for God." 
 
 Those were the days when a man who had time might 
 study certain phases of the immigration question to advan- 
 tage. Besides the stalwart digger, to whom all honour- 
 and the discarded ne'er-do-weel to whom all shame there 
 was an influx of almost homeless men and women, who 
 " brought with them more covetousness than courtesy, more 
 rudeness than rank, more quarrelsomeness than quiet, and 
 more conceit than common sense." Even the more tolerable 
 portion of these new arrivals contained a large percentage 
 of imperfectly educated and disproportionately developed
 
 22 BIRTH OP R. H. HART. 
 
 men; such as Horace had in view when he wrote of one 
 " Or right or wrong what came into his head he said;" 
 men who state their own views with the double positiveness 
 of ignorance and a stubborn will. Many of these are now in 
 the ranks of our self-made men, disclaiming all that is not 
 them, or of themselves. Some of these men have often a sort 
 of religious earnestness, the chief thing human about them. 
 
 ((/. ) The sorrow of Mary Ruth's parents was mitigated when 
 the subject of this memoir was born. The shadows cast 
 over them by tender memories of the past were " lifted " 
 on the 15th of July, 1854, the day on whidi Richard first 
 saw the light : the patriotic and virtuous St. Swithin's day. 
 
 The birth of their son was celebrated by his parents with 
 an intense though chastened joy. The gap which bereave- 
 ment had made in the little family circle was less perceptible 
 now, and the loss less keenly felt. Whilst the parents of 
 the boy were bright with the gladness of this new joy, he, 
 when freed from their kisses and caresses passed his time 
 quite orthodoxly, unconsciously filling the role assigned to 
 him in common with all infants, 
 
 " Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms." 
 But "Think o' the teethin, sir, and all the colic-pains 
 incident to babbyhood." With a sense of responsibility 
 akin to that which was shown two thousand years before 
 by Manoa, the parents of the newly arrived babe asked as 
 he did How shall we order the child, and how shall we do 
 unto him ? No angel voice was heard by them in answer, 
 but they sacredly registered their resolve that they would 
 " not drink wine nor strong drink," so that the atmosphere
 
 EARLY DAYS. 23 
 
 breathed by the infant should be kept free from the aroma of 
 that which has blighted the prospects of so many young 
 men of promise ; and that in the days yet to come he would 
 have the example of his parents in the practice of temperate 
 habits. The caution of Richard Hart's parents at this 
 time deserves high commendation, and the example they 
 present of care for the right ordering of themselves and 
 their tender charge is worthy of imitation by all parents at 
 such a season. 
 
 This act of abstinence on the part of Richard's parents 
 was endorsed by their son in very early life, as is seen by 
 the registering of his name in Band of Hope and other 
 Temperance Associations. Indeed he was in this particular 
 a Nazarite from his birth. It is not known that he ever 
 used wine or strong drink except as a medicine, and then 
 only a little and rarely, although all the medical men he 
 consulted advised their use. 
 
 In his very early days maternal eyes perceived " a sweet 
 gravity which characterised him and distinguished him from 
 otherbabes." Duringwhatmay be called hispinaf ore days, "his 
 docility was remarkable." He passed with a commendable 
 propriety through those years in which boy nature generally 
 developes itself in a marked affinity to dirt, a resistless de- 
 sire for mischief combined with a genius for effecting it 
 amounting to an inspiration ; also, for illustrating an in- 
 verted principle of construction by destroying whatever 
 came to hand, joined to a faculty for disobedience in 
 general, linked on to the thousand and one elements of un-
 
 24 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 rest and precocity which meet in the make-up of the enjant 
 terrible, and " that horrid boy," and which are pronounced 
 by general opinion to be contagious as measles and diffusive 
 as fire. No one will question the effect of docility and 
 obedience being manifested in the following home penal 
 scene. 
 
 His mother writes thus of him: " He was so easily 
 influenced to do what is right that punishment in any form 
 was seldom necessary." The advice of quaint Francis 
 Quarles is confirmed by this statement. He says: " Be 
 very vigilent over thy child in the April of his under- 
 standing, lest the frosts of May nip his blossoms ; while he 
 is a tender twig, straighten him ; whilst he is a new vessel, 
 season him ; such as thou makest him, such commonly 
 shalt thou find him. Let his first lesson be obedience, and 
 his second shalt be what thou wilt." It needs only a hair 
 to make a tether for such children. 
 
 The wise words of the godly emblematist being securely 
 placed, we now can look at the little offender in durance 
 mild. When either of his parents used that very 
 gentle mode of punishing juvenile delinquents known 
 as " putting them in the corner," Richard was all 
 submissive. If when undergoing his sentence the little 
 transgressor was forgotten, as was the case sometimes, he 
 would not be persuaded by others to leave the corner. He 
 seems to have recognised a fitness in the ban of disgrace 
 being removed by the parties who themselves had inflicted 
 it. He treated all delegated authority as imprisoned 
 Paul did th^t of the Serjeants whom the magistrates sent
 
 EARLY DAYS. 25 
 
 to liberate him. Richard, like Paul, refused freedom on such 
 terms, and virtually said, " Nay, verily ; but let them come 
 themselves and fetch me out." 
 
 In this little incident may be perceived a simplicity akin 
 to unweaned infancy, and the matured judgment of a man. 
 If we seek for the influences at work in forming such a 
 character we are pointed to his surroundings. Surroundings 
 influence each thought and each feeling of each one of us 
 adults; how much more, then, each thought and each feeling of 
 a child 1 If in the case of little Richard we choose for a time 
 to lose sight of hereditary dispositions, we cannot ignore home 
 influences. In a home where piety exerts a pervading 
 influence, and controls the walk and conversation of its 
 relative family associations, their effect in forming the 
 youthful character will be powerful in cases such as the 
 one under consideration may we not say irresistible ? This 
 was the kind of home in which Richard was reared. 
 Judicious training was added to those influences, and these 
 supplemented with the Divine blessing produced happy re- 
 sults. Richard and each of his brothers and sisters gave 
 evidence of early piety ; and the whole, seven in number, 
 were candidates for church membership at an early age, 
 certain of their number being able to speak clearly of the 
 time when God revealed His Son unto them. 
 
 (</.) He whom we have more particularly under consider- 
 ation received decided religious impressions simultaneously 
 with the dawn of intelligence. He had the advantage of a 
 religious descent through two generations at least ; his 
 grandparents on both the paternal and the maternal side
 
 26 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 being godly persons. They happily directed their minds to 
 the serious consideration of things 
 " Glorious and glad and pure, beyond earth's knowing." 
 
 Oh ! that men were wise and understood the wisdom of 
 setting their affections on things above. The injunction of 
 Christ Matth. vi., 19-20. is thus placed in an inter- 
 rogative form by an Orientalist: 
 
 Who would not make merchandise 
 
 Buying bliss in Paradise, 
 Laying up his treasures where 
 Stores are safe and profits clear ? 
 
 ***** 
 Good returning seven times seven 
 
 Paying gifts of earth with Heaven. 
 
 The descendants of ancestors who are wise after this 
 fashion are privileged ; the merciful purposes of God em- 
 brace the children and children's children of the righteous. 
 Richard Hart was no exception to the divine rule, but a 
 confirmation of the assurance that " the mercy of the Lord 
 is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him 
 and his righteousness " his purposes in regard to their 
 becoming righteous " unto children's children." 
 
 Christian parents of every creed ought to be united in 
 thanking God for the One hundred and third Psalm ; and 
 encouraged by that portion of it just cited to train their 
 children in such wise that their prayers for them may be 
 answered, so that a world, the humanity of which has been 
 purchased with the blood of Christ, may become enlightened
 
 EARLY DAYS. 27 
 
 by His wisdom and permeated with His Spirit their own 
 personal influence tending to this end. 
 
 (*.) The tenderer years of Richard Hart were passed more 
 immediately under the eye of his mother than is the case 
 with most boys. Bishop Mant, when writing on the religious 
 training of children, recognises the importance of a father's 
 direction, and adds : " But in the earlier season of instruc- 
 tion the training of the infant mind falls naturally by God's 
 providence into maternal hands ; and on the proper exercise 
 of that talent depends, in a main degree, the future pros- 
 perity of the child." Such is the case in the ordinary 
 progress of human events, and in the case of children 
 circumstanced as was the boy of whom I write, the ordinary 
 course of human events cast him very especially into the 
 hands of the mother who " in her office holds the key of 
 the soul/' The enforced, frequent, and often prolonged 
 absence of an itinerant minister from his own home, 
 throws the serious responsibility of child-training largely 
 upon the mother ; and woe betide those children, thus 
 circumstanced, if the mother is a foolish or an incompetent 
 woman ! Up to his tenth year little Richard found mother, 
 friend, and tutor all in one. Under her ubiquarian presence 
 and control he pursued his infantine studies, she the while 
 watching the emotions of her pupil, directing and controlling 
 their set, with a tender firmness. The force of home dis- 
 cipline was thus brought early to bear upon the child, and, 
 being tempered as well as sustained by maternal affection, 
 the yoke was made easy so easy that when speaking of 
 these times in after years the maternal tutor could say
 
 28 EARLY DAYS. 
 
 " In training him I had little or no trouble ; my will was 
 law, to which he rendered a loving submission." 
 
 Including teaching in the word "training," his mother 
 reports well of his attention to infant-school duties. He 
 mastered his simple lessons readily. So soon as he was 
 well advanced from the grade of an abecedarian he showed 
 a passionate fondness for books. He frequently rose early 
 in the morning to resume reading that had been interrupted 
 by the hour fixed for going to bed, and partially dressing him- 
 self would sit with his book by the bedside of his nurse, 
 maintaining a quiet so complete as not to disturb her slum- 
 bers. When she awoke he availed himself of her assistance 
 to complete his toilet. His morning prayer said, the boy 
 pursued his reading. Yes, a child's morning prayer, and 
 let no one despise it. 
 
 " Daybreak's prayer is surely borne on high 
 By angels changing guard within the sky." 
 
 Thus saith the eastern rosary ; and yet more sweetly 
 when urging attention to " the sweet hour of prayer " and 
 communion with God : 
 
 At late and early prayer 
 The very shadows worshipped Him, low laid. 
 
 An intense quietude, yet not dull, seems to have thrown 
 its mantle over these boy days days of peace at a time 
 when noise and mis-rule have the ascendency. The only 
 disturbing influences, a little soap intruding itself into his 
 eyes when bathed ; or a shade of anxiety discoverable upon 
 asking that stock query with childi'en " What shall we
 
 GOLDEN SQUARE. 29 
 
 play at next 1 " If a ready solution of this important 
 question was not forthcoming Richard returned contentedly 
 to his beloved books and welcome quiet. 
 
 It is on the records that Mr. Hart senior passed three 
 years of his itinerancy at Golden Square, Sandhurst. 
 
 This sojourn at Golden Square was made memorable to 
 Richard by the occurrence of a serious accident, and 
 by the development of a penchant for public speaking. 
 The way in which this indication shewed itself appears to 
 to be common property to the imitative sons son and heir 
 especially of all ministers of divine truth. Can one par- 
 sonage, rectory, vicarage, manse, deanery, or bishop's palace, 
 the world over be named, whose rooms have not echoed to 
 the voice of such a preaching young hopeful, or that has 
 not its traditions of his " having church," though his 
 audience should only be books placed on otherwise vacant 
 chairs 1 Richard used to have church in an unused room, 
 on the Sabbath morning ; his little brother was the congre- 
 gation, and had to serve in the dual character of saint and 
 sinner not, of course, at the same time, or in the one 
 service, but thuswise ; if the little fellow had been naughty 
 during the week, he was lectured on his depravity, and 
 prayed for very earnestly by the mimic ecclesiastic of eight 
 years old. If, however, the little man had achieved a week 
 of goodness, he not only escaped the lecture, but was 
 allowed to take part in the morning's exercises. 
 
 The other reminder of Golden Square is a very painful 
 one. It was his first acquaintance with one of those sad
 
 30 GOLDEN SQUARE. 
 
 contingencies which cast their gloom over bright boy-life. 
 Mostly the like casualties are associated with deeds of 
 daring, of mischief and disobedience ; in the case of Richard 
 it was otherwise. The event has been thus stated to the 
 writer. The lad's father, in adjusting the shelves of his 
 library, found a necessity for the use of a tool that was in 
 another part of the house : Richard was sent to fetch it 
 No sooner was the command spoken, than he, under the 
 impulse of a prompt obedience, was off like a shot, or, as 
 Mansie Wauch puts it, in a couple of hurries. Unknown 
 to the light-hearted and swift-footed messenger, an open 
 trap door was before him in a room through which he must 
 needs pass ; through this opening he fell heavily on to the 
 floor below. He came up from the gloom of a cellar where, 
 if eyesight was not drowned in darkness, there was not a 
 sufficiency of light to distinguish a black hair from a grey 
 to the light of day, and to look on the tenderer light of a 
 mother's eye, and to hear voices loosed to soothe and comfort 
 him. A severe shock and a dislocated collar-bone were the 
 more observable of his injuries. From the weakness caused 
 by the dislocation he never fully recovered. Thus a barrier 
 was placed in the way of his entering heartily into those 
 sports which school-boys glowing hot and unbuttoned 
 pursue with such enviable zest ; and also of his winning 
 distinction as " stroke," " captain of the team," or " prize- 
 taker " on any of the numerous arenas where young Aus- 
 tralia expresses its inborn energies in manly and invigorating 
 amusements. It is probable that could he have indulged in 
 such sports freely, his health would have been more robust 
 as one result.
 
 KILMORE FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL. 31 
 
 Richard continued under home tuition until the year 
 1863, during which his parents removed to Kilraore. Here 
 he was subjected to a change of teacher and to a far greater 
 change of associates. The denominational school of Kil- 
 more was more generally known as the Presbyterian school. 
 Mr. David Murray, and Mr. John Watson had the school 
 in charge at the time, and Richard made his acquaintance 
 with school life in this form under their supervision. It would 
 be instructive to the student of boy-humanity to know how 
 our young friend bore this weaning from a more tolerable 
 and sympathetic care. That a boy naturally gentle, meek 
 and bashful, when transplanted from a genial home teaching 
 to that of a stranger, in a school of strangers, would be 
 conscious of a mental shiver as he stood on a colder soil, 
 surrounded by a bleaker air than ever before he had known, 
 is natural ; but all that he felt under these new experiences 
 is left for us to conjecture. And is it supposable that he 
 escaped those petty but often cruel annoyances practiced 
 by initiated boys on the luckless novitiate 1 Sufficiently 
 sensitive to fancied scorn, or undeserved disgrace, how 
 would the actualities affect the gentle lad 1 Many persons 
 who read this memoir will promptly call to remembrance 
 William Cowper, timid as his own pet leveret, and the days 
 when at Westminster he trembled before his boy-tormentor, 
 not venturing to look higher than the buckles of his tor- 
 mentor's shoes. Little Richard was a fortunate school-boy 
 if he had no memories of this kind ! 
 
 The little we know of those days, that is reliable, is 
 kindly supplied by Mr. John Taylor. The result of enquiries
 
 32 KILMORE FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL. 
 
 made by him, is that our subject was "a boy of a quiet 
 studious disposition, who generally occupied the head of his 
 class, and was exceedingly gentlemanly in his demeanor." 
 Mr. Taylor adds to these statements the favorable reports of 
 former classmates, adding : " I can testify to the latter 
 quality, as he was one of my ' Band of Hope ' boys, and 
 I remember how sorry I was when you in the course of 
 your ministerial duties had to leave the district, taking your 
 boys with you." Thus we see that the stripling stood well 
 with his masters and well with his mates. A pleasing study, 
 in fact, of a remarkably good boy, capital collateral evidence 
 of a truth so plainly put by Longfellow:" That the world 
 is not wholly given over to the devil." 
 
 Yet, after all, in view of maintaining the fitness of things 
 and bringing our little hero nearer to what most boys know 
 themselves and other boys to be, his peers will experience 
 undoubted relief when they know that one authentic instance 
 of his being a naughty boy is supplied by one who was his 
 partner in the distress and in the disgrace which followed. 
 When I read the statements of Mr. Taylor to the brother 
 who is next to Richard in years, he smiled, and then spoke 
 thus : " Well, I do remember his getting into one scrape, 
 and I was with him." The two brothers, it seems, played 
 the truant one day ; the cause of this sad departure was, I 
 found, that little ten footed crustacean, the river lobster, 
 best known as the crayfish. Wishing to regale themselves 
 on this delicacy, the lads stole a holiday and applied them- 
 selves to their work with more earnestness than caution. 
 One result of their doing so was Richard's falling into the
 
 KILMORE FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL. 33 
 
 pond, and narrowly escaping being drowned. On returning 
 home the wet boy was sent at once to bed, where he had to 
 remain some days to recover from the effects of the accident, 
 and the dry brother received what one of my school- masters 
 used to call " a dusting," accomplished in this instance by 
 the vigorous application of the birch. Richard's share of 
 trouble it would appear was the greater, and the remem- 
 brance of it kept his hand from any like evil afterwards. 
 " Lowliness is young ambition's ladder." 
 
 The boy Hart having already placed his foot well on the 
 the lower rung of this ladder, resolved to make a steady 
 ascent, and prove to his companions that modest, unselfish 
 goodness, may be sunshined into nobility and beauty. The 
 foundations of the several branches of knowledge taught in 
 ordinary schools had been so well laid at home, that Richard 
 progressed rapidly in his studies when placed under his 
 Kilmore masters ; and his affable disposition won for him 
 the affection and esteem of masters and schoolmates, too, 
 as already stated, the latter attesting this by according to 
 him a reward " offered to the best liked boy in the school." 
 
 At the close of Mr. Hart's term of service at Kilmore, 
 he and his family were removed to Belfast, on our western 
 coast. The appointments of some Wesleyan Ministers 
 have the appearance at least of singular manipulation. 
 Charity, exercised by the onlookers, when strained to its 
 uttermost tension, cannot hide a vision of something that 
 bears a surprising resemblance to SELF, figuring in the 
 arrangements made for them. If supreme happiness lies 
 in the utter extinction of self, it is natural to ask, When
 
 34 BELFAST (VICT.) CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS. 
 
 will these men attain to its enjoyment 1 During the time 
 occupied by a conference in preparing a " Station sheet " 
 the wavering balance often shakes fitfully and perplexingly. 
 Even when the equipoise has been secured, the balance beam 
 has started and trembled under some occult influence; 
 astounding adj ustments follow; results that have the appear- 
 ance of a reversal of what was are presented ; yet the holders 
 of the scales declare that the weights are equal, and . the 
 beam has all along been in a level position, strictly parallel 
 to the horizon ! Some of these cases are singularly noticeable 
 pronounced mysteries of management, or proofs of a stolid 
 obstinacy ! 
 
 Mr. Hart is to be credited with having acted under the 
 conviction that whenever self shakes the balance, the adjust- 
 ment is rarely a right one, being over-selfish to be strictly 
 just. He arrived on his new field of labor in the great 
 moral vineyard of his Lord, just as his oldest son attained his 
 eleventh year. The boy now required more advanced human 
 culture, and his parents thoughtfully considered the best 
 method of securing this for him. Neither of them was 
 likely to indulge an undue confidence in the use of the 
 means, or to tolerate an indolent reliance on the divine aid. 
 No visionary scheme of attaining an end without the use 
 of appropriate means was favored by them ; neither would 
 they think of trusting alone to the means used. They 
 would apply the means and continue to implore the divine 
 blessing on them. Happily for their son they regarded the 
 culture of his soul for its eternal destiny as the highest 
 end of education. This theory is by too many parents held
 
 PUBLIC OR PRIVATE EDUCATION. 35 
 
 lightly ; but this will never be the case with such as 
 value Christian principle. No enforcement of this theory, 
 however strong, can prejudice any of the subordinate ends 
 of education. Who will refuse to recognise as true educa- 
 tion the instructing of youth to curb the rage of evil, fiery 
 passions ; to attain those acquirements which make men 
 respected in society, and useful to it; to aim conscientiously 
 at success in the line of life selected; to bear the trials and 
 casualities of life that may befall them ; if adversity is 
 allotted instead of prosperity to struggle manfully with it 
 until better days come, and to bow submissively, owning 
 God's justness 1 ? These are recognised elements in a true 
 education, and with each the theory named is accordant 
 
 The relative claims of public and of private education 
 were re-considered. The advantages derivable from the 
 teaching of masters of ability and large attainments, 
 regularity in giving lessons, the influence of numbers on the 
 individual, a rigid discipline, the stimulus of competition, 
 and the valuable awards offered, were talked over asin favor 
 of a public school. Dr. Johnson, in The Idler, names also the 
 Genius of the place as a sort of inspiring deity, prompting 
 to the pursuit of learning which every youth of quick 
 sensibility, joined to a little ingenuousness, creates to 
 himself by reflecting on the distinguished men who under 
 the venerable roofs of such institutions as Eton, West- 
 minster, or Harrow to say nothing of other universities 
 have pursued the same course of study, and from thence 
 have risen to the most elevated heights of literary fame. 
 It would be unseemly for Australians to adopt Johnson's
 
 36 PUBLIC OR PRIVATE EDUCATION. 
 
 phrase until our institutions have produced a Hooker, a 
 Hammond, a Bacon, a Newton, or men like to them. 
 
 The benefits attached to a private education were as 
 impartially canvassed : such as a greater attention to 
 devotional exercises, to bible studies, to the cultivation of 
 a quick conscience, a corrective oversight of budding evils, 
 principle more readily embodied in action, general knowledge 
 more easily added to the higher branches of learning, and 
 the very important one of teaching the pupil to think, may 
 be enumerated as part of these benefits. 
 
 It is scarcely just to accept the dictum of the amiable 
 author of Tirocinum: "The public schools 'tis public folly 
 feeds "; although he is no mean authority on them. Yet that 
 they have sadly failed of their promise may be asserted 
 safely. Too large a percentage of the students sent out by 
 such institutions expose themselves to the charge of discard- 
 ing common sense, and parading in its stead " much specious 
 lore but little understood." " A conceited gowk ! puffed up 
 wi' windy pride" is Burns' description of such an one, and 
 these conceited gowks are described by a gentler pen as, 
 scholastic fops capable only " of talking about conjugated 
 verbs and nouns declined." Happily there are many happy 
 exceptions ; albeit the space open to receive an increase to 
 the number is ample as that represented by unoccupied 
 blocks in an Australian township. 
 
 An opinion may be ventured that, if instruction alone is 
 desired for a boy, that, perhaps, may be best attained in a 
 public school ; but if education in its highest sense, as stated
 
 "COMPOSITE" EDUCATION. 37 
 
 above, is sought for him, the palm must be awarded to 
 home teaching. Instruction is bounded by the school-room, 
 but education is going on in the play ground, the dormitory, 
 the lavatory ; everywhere, indeed, where the boy for the time 
 being is ; hence the importance of an oversight nowhere so 
 attainable as at home. Another element included in home 
 teaching is the table around which the family, including the 
 tutor, gather at meal-times. Here the instruction imparted 
 in previous hours, the use and design of the lessons placed 
 before the pupil for his consideration, can be pleasingly 
 and effectively amplified. The conversation at the table 
 can be made an accessory to the teaching of the class-room. 
 Information of an interesting and useful kind can be im- 
 parted, or illustrated, under circumstances calculated to 
 make an indelible impression. The reason for this is a 
 very simple one ; the understanding of the pupil is aroused 
 and set to work that it may grasp the question under con- 
 sideration a course immeasurably superior to that which 
 only crams the head and burdens the memory. Then again, 
 as the life of the parent is the child's copybook, the life, 
 when a good one, ought always to be under the eye of the 
 child ; when the life is a bad one, the advantage leans to 
 the public school. 
 
 At Belfast Richard's parents decided to adopt a plan which 
 may be described by the architectural word " composite," 
 inasmuch as it comprised elements found in those methods 
 previously adopted home education was to be continued, 
 with the assistance of a private teacher introduced as one of 
 the family, not to sit below the salt, but who quickly became
 
 38 BELFAST. 
 
 a school-master. Mr. C. Lancaster was selected to take 
 charge of the education of Richard and his two brothers. 
 His success as a teacher was such that other parents desired 
 to secure for their children a share in his oversight. Mr. 
 Hart, senr., consenting to a select few being taught with 
 his sons, the small room in the parsonage where Mr. Lancaster 
 began his work was given up, and he and his pupils were 
 removed to a cottage half-a-mile distant. Here a room was 
 fitted up for school purposes, and the three R's, grammar, 
 geography, history, the rudiments of Latin, &c., were care- 
 fully taught. Besides these " the Good Old Book " had a 
 recognised place in the modest curriculum. These Bible 
 readings found great favour with the young students, and 
 especially so with Richard, whose face would light up 
 with the flash of intellect as some hitherto hidden beauty 
 shone with the light of a new star before him. 
 
 From the account given of his pupils by the teacher 
 himself, it is clear that he was more favourably situated than 
 the poor tutor of our fatherland who was doomed to teach 
 
 " The tenth transmitter of a foolish face." 
 
 On looking at the faces of his pupils he could read 
 intelligence there, and the facial index was fairly answered 
 by their school progress. No harm is done to this group of 
 lads by supposing them to be guilty of occasional outbursts 
 of mis-directed energy, fits of idleness or obstinacy, and 
 other juvenile ailments, such as schoolboy *' flesh is heir to." 
 But for these their tutor had a simple remedy, easily 
 applied a Jew kind words. " The desire of a man is kind-
 
 BELFAST. 39 
 
 ness" Solomon says, and it is a power which most boys 
 recognise, and to which they generally succumb. 
 
 The future of the boys who were taught in this cottage 
 room occupied the thoughts of their tutor more frequently 
 than they were themselves likely to conjecture. He prayed 
 for them in addition to instructing them. The uncertainty 
 of their future forced itself before his mind. He knew 
 that however attractive the personal appearance of a boy may 
 be ; a mimic Hercules or a minature Adonis ; of a ready per- 
 ception, well mannered and gentlemanly and that excludes 
 alike English stiffness and French grimace he is at his 
 best a pretty bud unblown, the scent of which may be 
 supposed, and its hues guessed, but neither of these really 
 known. Cowper, whose simile I have just used, compares 
 the after-show of such to the sail of a ship, which goodly 
 as it seemed when furled, unfurled discloses its rents and 
 patches to the eye. And painful experience has taught 
 many worthy parents to know that the fairest promise often 
 disappoints a fond expectation ; and that the most ingen- 
 uous boy may become a vicious and stragetic man. 
 
 But, to return to the Belfast boys and their teacher. He 
 tells us essays were occasionally written by the boys in which, 
 not unfrequently, there were touches of originality, thought- 
 fulness, and raciness of expression. " In these early efforts 
 at composition Richard excelled, and gave evidence of more 
 than ordinary application and ability. He was very careful, 
 assiduous, and conscientious in all his work ; the book in 
 which he wrote illustrations of the various rules of arith- 
 metic was a pattern of neatness. I tried to rule by the
 
 40 BELFAST. 
 
 power of love, and punishment in any form was seldom 
 necessary." 
 
 If it should so happen that any school-boy who is under 
 the rule of an unsympathising overseer takes up this book, 
 the following passage may awake an emotion of envy : 
 " On Saturday afternoons and other holidays we generally 
 went for a ramble and romp on the ocean beach, and most 
 enjoyable times we used to have all boys together run- 
 ning, jumping, wading, picking up shells, and returning in 
 good trim for tea ! " Yet, though the pupils were on such 
 familiar terms with their instructor, they always treated 
 him with respect and affection. In these i-ambles they were 
 naturalists on a small scale. Now and again the discovery 
 by one of the lads of some cause for a new wonder, or a 
 new revelation, threw open every vent of every head, and 
 all but doubled the size of their eyes, besides providing 
 material for inspiriting conversation at the tea table. The 
 advantage of such associations to the tutor are great. He 
 is able from the desk to note the disposition of his pupils in 
 part, but much more so when in the unreserved intercourse 
 of hours of sport he joins them. He may then trace the 
 germinations of each character : the idleness that fore- 
 shadows the vagrant, the viciousness that will form the 
 sensualist, the pride that constitutes the oppressor, the 
 pitiful narrowness that breeds the bigot, and the insolence 
 that betokens the tyrant; or he may note the industry that 
 augurs prosperity, the purity that presages self-denial, the 
 considerateness from which grows the philanthrophist, the 
 large-heartedness which indicates benevolence, charity, and 
 every disposition proper to constitute a true man.
 
 BELFAST. 41 
 
 The moral influence of this period of life extends to the 
 next and to each following period. Hence the importance 
 of the teacher having every opportunity of observing closely, 
 that he may adjust his treatment of each as is best calculated 
 to check the evil and to foster the good that is observable 
 in his pupils. 
 
 Mr. Lancaster more than once describes his pupil 
 Richard, as "amiable, unselfish, and conscientious." His 
 unselfishness he sometimes thought was excessive. He 
 speaks of having seen him, on many occasions, the possessor 
 of some toothsome gift particularly agreeable to his own 
 palate, yet, notwithstanding, the whole of his supply was 
 divided amongst his school-mates, each recipient being 
 made glad as an Arab child when his dark soft eyes are 
 delighted with an unexpected supply of " white cakes, dates, 
 and amber[grapes," and his loud laugh of joy infects all the 
 surrounding tents, he himself the while feasting on their 
 gladness. And had he known the Eastern dictum " Mar 
 not your gifts with grudging word, or will," he could not 
 have been more free of stinginess. What follows will shew 
 that he was open and dutiful, the opposite of those boys 
 who, heedless of much admonishment, excel in avoiding 
 their studies rather than in mastering them : " In his work, 
 as in his play, he was thoroughly conscientious. I never 
 knew him attempt anything like deception ; he was trans- 
 parently truthful and sincere." Such is the testimony of 
 his tutor. Other commendatory remarks made by the same 
 observer suggested Eastern figures to me, for he practised 
 equity even " to a date stone," and acted as though under
 
 42 CONVERSION. 
 
 the eyes of those who register human actions 
 
 "Those Angels of Record who write with an invisible pen, 
 What so he doeth, or sayeth, or thinketh, record ing it still." 
 
 Amongst the many places in this colony visited by the 
 well remembered William Taylor, of California now Bishop 
 Taylor prosecuting his disinterested labors amongst the 
 tribes of Northern Africa, was Kilmore. During the ser- 
 vices he conducted there a deepened religious impression was 
 made on the mind of Richard Hart. About a year after- 
 wards his tutor Mr. (now the Rev.) Charles Lancaster had 
 conducted a weeknight service in Belfast church. He had 
 for his text Heb. xn. 1. " Wherefore seeing we also are 
 compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us 
 lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily 
 beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before 
 us." During the prayer that followed the sermon, Richard 
 made a new resolve to be a Christian indeed. A relative, 
 writing of this event, says Mr. Lancaster sat up with 
 him most of the night conversing and praying with him, 
 and these efforts were owned of God in the boy's con- 
 version. After many doubts as to the divine willingness to 
 pardon, he found that 
 
 Most quick to pardon sins is He : 
 
 Who unto God draws near, 
 One forward step, God taketh three 
 
 To meet, and quit his fear. 
 
 " Then all things were apparelled in celestial light ; the 
 glory and the freshness of a dream,"
 
 CONVERSION. 43 
 
 With the morning light he entered his parents' room, 
 and told them he had decided for Christ. The same relative 
 says, " Usually the time of the conversion of a man or 
 woman stands out as a marked epoch in his or her life ; it 
 was not so with R. H. Hart," and refers this to the duti- 
 fulness of the son, and to the training given to him by his 
 parents. It was the opinion of Richard Baxter " that if 
 parents did their duty as they ought such cases (as young 
 Hart's) would become the rule, not the exception." 
 
 The happy youth did not parade the fact of his spiritual 
 birth. Instead of doing so he registered his resolve, aided 
 by divine grace, to love the Lord his God with all his heart 
 and soul and strength. 
 
 " # * # and in the secret place perfect love for God, 
 words are as breath and will is all." 
 
 Referring in after years to this period Mr. Lancaster 
 writes thus : "Your dear son was amiable, unselfish, and 
 conscientious before his conversion, but from that time 
 these traits of his character were more than ever obser- 
 vable." The Great Teacher says, the tree is known by its 
 fruit. 
 
 Teacher and learners parted from each other with 
 reciprocated esteem and affection in August of 1866, each 
 for new paths in life and duty.
 
 CHAPTER II. : 
 
 WESLEY COLLEGE.
 
 (a.) In its Roman signification a college signified an 
 
 association of persons for a specific purpose. 
 
 CHAMBERS. 
 
 (b.) For though there are not many in every city which 
 be exempt and discharged of all other labors, and appointed 
 only to learning that is to say, such in whom even from 
 their very childhood they have perceived a singular toward 
 ness, a fine wit, and a mind apt to good learning yet all 
 
 * * * be instructed in learning. 
 
 MORES UTOPIA. 
 
 (c.) Honest water, which ne'er -left man in the mud. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 (d.) The youth who hopes th' Olympic prize to gain, 
 
 All arts must try and every toil sustain. 
 
 HORACE. 
 
 (.) The man that hath no music in himself, 
 
 Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds 
 Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils ; 
 
 Let no such man be trusted. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 (f.) He'll be a credit till us all. 
 
 BURKS. 
 
 (g.) Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom. 
 Take fast hold of instruction : let her not go ; keep her, 
 
 for she is thy life. 
 
 SOLOMON.
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 WESLEY COLLEGE. 
 
 1VT A STPR. I* IP r Tt" "X* w Tr w w w w * 1r 
 
 WESLEY COLLEGE, 
 
 ST. KILDA ROAD, 
 
 MELBOURNE, 
 
 is a formula familiar to the eyes of many hundreds of Aus- 
 tralian natives, not a few of whom could, by the insertion 
 of the names they bear in the blank parts of the upper line, 
 call from the recesses of memory the gladness with which 
 they received letters from home thus addressed whilst 
 pursuing their studies at Wesley College; not more welcome 
 the dawn of day to the watch-weary sentinel. 
 
 Occasionally the address was in the firm hand of a solici- 
 tious father, and contained words of wise counsel ; more 
 frequently it was in the delicate penmanship old style of 
 an affectionate mother who covered over the pages with her 
 sweet love ; or her substitute was indicated by the dashing 
 run of undotted i's intermixed with English hieroglyphics 
 new style of a loving sister, a vivacious gossiping epistle. 
 But welcome each and welcome all as witness the eagerness 
 with which the envelope is torn away and the contents of 
 the letter devoured.
 
 48 THE REV. JOHN WESLEY, M.A. 
 
 The Institution itself is one of which Victoria may be 
 proud ; a good Italian facade or elevation prefaces ample 
 accommodation for masters and students, surrounded by 
 expansive gardens and play grounds. It bears the name of 
 one of the most remarkable men known to modern times 
 one who won distinction as a clerical evangelist and mis- 
 sionary ; as a preacher fluent, clear, and argumentative ; as 
 a traveller, voyager, and close observer ; as a translator, 
 author, and publisher ; as a commentator, divine, and poet; 
 as a linguist, logician, and polemic; as an organiser, director, 
 and legislator ; as a disciplinarian, absolute yet tolerant 
 and forbearing ; as imperial in rule, mild in manners, and 
 conscientious in his verdicts ; as wise in counsel, prompt in 
 action, and persistent in purpose ; as cautious in his projects, 
 scrupulous in the discharge of duty, and fearless in danger ; 
 as possessing a fine humour, smart in repartee, and noble 
 in reproof ; as merciful to the weak, liberal to the poor, 
 and hospitable to all men ; as a philanthrophist, a lover of 
 honest men, and intolerant of cant. In social life he was 
 cheerful, affable, and gentlemanly ; amongst the learned he 
 moved as an equal, the rich recognised in him an intelligent 
 companion, and to the needy he was a generous friend. 
 Whilst appreciative of every comfort and elegance of life, 
 he was settled, satisfied, and happy everywhere. He 
 was a patron of medical science, the founder of two High 
 Schools, the editor and proprietor of the first religious 
 magazine published in England, and is the acknowledged 
 father of cheap literature for English speaking peoples. 
 He devoted a prolonged life to the good of human kind, 
 and died in peace, revered and honoured by tens of thousands
 
 WESLEY COLLEGE. 49 
 
 of his countrymen, who mourned his death. " Probably 
 no man ever exei'ted so great an influence on the religious 
 condition of the people of England and America, and his 
 influence has extended to the remotest parts of the world." 
 And much as this summary includes, it only partially 
 represents the worth of the venerable man whose name this 
 College bears. 
 
 No similar institution in the Colony has been more highly 
 favored in the ability of the Head Masters, who have 
 directed its staff of teachers or themselves given instruction. 
 The names of Dr. Corrigan, Professors Irving and Andrew, 
 may be cited in attestation of this remark. 
 
 Young gentlemen who have received their education in 
 the Public Schools and Universities of England have 
 generally proved themselves to be men of the right metal, 
 daring, and endurance. Certain writers ascribe their 
 superior manliness, generosity, and self-control " so sys- 
 tematically hostile to all meanness, pusillanimity, or indirect- 
 ness " to a practice which, though under the severest restraint 
 of honorable laws, is nevertheless too nearly allied to 
 braggadocio and bluster to be greatly favored in the colleges 
 of to-day. 
 
 (h.) Richard H. Hart and a younger brother were entered 
 at Wesley College on the 29th September, 1866. It is 
 greatly to the credit of their mother, and of their Belfast 
 tutor, that Dr. Corrigan at that time the head master 
 complimented the boys on the extent and soundness of the 
 knowledge they had acquired. Richard and his brother
 
 50 WESLEY COLLEGE. 
 
 remained several years at the College as pupils. These 1 years 
 were marked, so far as Richard is concerned and this special 
 notice conveys no reflection on the progress made by his 
 brother " by great assiduity and steady progress," inter- 
 rupted by the occasional failure of his health. Professor 
 Andrew supplies information on each of these points in a 
 few words written by him, and notices in addition the 
 interference caused by ill-health with his prospects in the 
 University. He writes : " Mr. R. H. Hart was for several 
 years a pupil at this College ; as such his career was marked 
 by steady application to work, in which he always showed 
 great intelligence and obtained marked success. He obtained 
 the Draper Scholarship in 1868, and would doubtless have 
 had as successful a career in the University had not ill- 
 health prevented him from reading." 
 
 (c.) Just before Richard and his brother were placed in 
 Wesley College they became members of a juvenile Temper- 
 anceSociety . At the time when theDuke of Edinburgh visited 
 Melbourne a cadet corps was formed, which they joined. On 
 the day of the Prince's arrival wine was provided that 
 the members of the corps might drink to the health of the 
 royal visitor. Richard declined to drink wine. It was 
 against his principles to do so. He had pledged himself 
 not to taste wine, and he regarded that pledge as sacred. 
 " Fulfil your covenants, if ye covenant ; 
 For God is witness ! break no word with men 
 Which God hath heard ; and surely He hears all." 
 
 The young abstainer was thus minded, and neither banter 
 nor the charge of disloyalty could change his resolve to f ul-
 
 MUSICAL STUDIES. 51 
 
 fil his covenant. It was otherwise with his brother, who 
 yielded to persuasion and drank of the wine. His loyalty 
 to the Prince at the cost of loyalty to his pledge caused his 
 consistent brother to insist on his re-signing the pledge as a 
 guarantee for his future faithfulness. 
 
 (d.) Although the attention given to his College studies 
 interrupted young Hart's musical studies, the fact of his 
 making this art a study requires more than a simple 
 statement of it, the more so because as a resident master 
 he paid special attention to it, and because music, in one 
 form or other, occupied so large a share of his atten- 
 tion, that before the close of his life he devoted himself 
 wholly to teaching this artistic art. Therefore ib will be 
 interesting to learn something of his early lessons and 
 musical history from the pen of his mother. 
 
 Mrs. Hart tells us that " Like his other studies, up to 
 the time of his going to Wesley College this was in my own 
 hands. He began when he was six 5tears of age, and plodded 
 steadily on, as he did with everything he undertook. Correct 
 time and delicate touch characterised his playing from the 
 commencement. While at Wesley College, as a pupil, he 
 did nothing at music save in the holidays, and of course 
 could do little then. Some attention was paid to class- 
 singing, and he made good progress in that, having as a 
 boy a beautiful alto voice. When he took the position of a 
 resident master in Wesley College he placed himself under 
 the care of Mr. Russell, now of the ' Melbourne School of 
 Music,' and was his pupil for several years. About the same 
 time he connected himself with the Melbourne Liedertafel, and 
 continued an honorary member of it after coming to Stawell.'
 
 52 LETTERS FROM MR. C. W. RUSSELL. 
 
 His assiduity as a musician is spoken of to this day. He 
 was constantly aiming at an excellency that was in advance 
 of him. He endorsed the sentiment of a kindred spirit 
 "If I say I have expressed that passion which inspired jne, 
 I shall never be a Mozart or Beethovan" ! Mr. Hart had a 
 natural taste for classical music which he strove to cultivate. 
 Ludwig Van Beethoven, called "the unrivalled composer," is 
 supposed to have been his favorite, though Felix Mendelssohn 
 Bartholdy ran a close second. It may be information to 
 some who read this notice, to know that although this dis- 
 tinguished composer was a German, it was in England that 
 he met with a reception proportionate to his genius ; and 
 that, too, close by the birthplace and home of the father of 
 R. H. Hart. His oratorio of St. Paul was produced under 
 his own management on September 20th, 1837, at the 
 Birmingham Festival, and created quite a furore. At the 
 Birmingham Festival of 1846 he achieved another grand 
 success, when he produced his oratorio of Elijah, on which 
 he had labored for nine years. The music of this master- 
 piece is as pure and as noble as was the character of the 
 man by whom it was composed. 
 
 There exists no room for doubt on the question of Mr. 
 C. W. Russell being a leading factor in strengthening 
 Richard's taste for high-class music ; on that account I 
 am more than glad to have at command Mr. Russell's 
 opinion of him. It is contained in a letter addressed to 
 Mrs. Hart and dated from Alma Road, St Kilda, October, 
 1884.
 
 LETTERS FROM MR. C. \V. RUSSELL. 
 
 " DEAR MADAM, 
 
 " It is with great sorrow that I have heard of the death 
 of your much lamented son, Henry, my much esteemed 
 friend and pupil. It is sad to think of a life of promise 
 being closed at so early an age, but it is a consolation 
 to know that a life well spent is a sure passport to a state 
 of more perfect happiness, and all who knew your son 
 could not fail to recognise his many virtues and estimable 
 qualities. 
 
 "I regretted exceedingly that ill-health prevented him from 
 completing his musical studies with me. He was a pupil in 
 whom rare talent was combined with great diligence and an 
 earnest yet gentle and appreciative disposition. He possessed 
 also the rare faculty of discrimination and refined taste in 
 music, and would assuredly have attained great excel- 
 lence as a musician, had a full opportunity for the develop- 
 ment of his talents been available. 
 
 " Begging that you will kindly convey my assurances of 
 sympathy with you to Mr. Hart, 
 
 " I am, dear madam, 
 
 " Yours sincerely, 
 
 " C. W. RUSSELL." 
 
 This graceful testimony to opening and expanding musi- 
 cal talent does not call for any comment from me, and 
 inasmuch as a competent pen has sketched his school days 
 and the successes associated with them, and that sketch will 
 shortly be before the deader, we may pass along to consider 
 Mr. Hart as a TEACHER.
 
 54 MR R. H. HART AS A RESIDENT MASTER. 
 
 (d.) Mr. Robert Lloyd, the friend of Cowper, is credited 
 with having said that if he had a foe on whom he wished 
 to wreck his utmost vengeance he would do so by 
 
 Using him as learning's tool, 
 And make him usher of a school. 
 
 No doubt this indispensable personage is often set to culti- 
 vate a barren ungenerous soil, requiring toil and patience 
 long prolonged to secure even a scanty crop ; and, pinioned 
 to his post, he may find his duties more irksome than his are 
 who is doomed to tug at the slavish oar. 
 
 But the word " usher " in its significant sense of one 
 who introduces junior classes to the higher branches of 
 learning is likely to become obsolete. This is to be regretted, 
 inasmuch as a significant word is too valuable lightly to be 
 cast aside. By whatever name he may be hereafter styled be 
 it -usher, tutor, mentor, or master Richard Hart was elevated 
 to and associated with the staff of masters engaged to teach 
 in Wesley College ; the " freshmen " falling more especially 
 under his care. He was not ignorant of the duties he 
 undertook, and was well qualified for them. No mistake 
 is more gross than that of imagining that undisciplined 
 teachers are the fittest to deal with ignorance and mental 
 rudeness. On the contrary, to force the rays of thought 
 intelligibly through so opaque a medium demands, peculiarly 
 and emphatically, a great clearness and prominency of 
 thinking, and an exact feeling of the effect of words to be 
 chosen, combined and varied. In accordance with the 
 Jewish proverb "First improve thyself, then try to improve
 
 A SUMMARY BY THE REV. DR. WAUGH. 55 
 
 others," Mr. Hart had directed more than common care as 
 his own improvement. He had also thoughtfully considered 
 the principles of effectual teaching. Though young, he was 
 capable. Nothing is risked in applying to him the line 
 " In youth with more than learning's wisdom wise." Of 
 this, proof may be adduced in connection with his work at 
 Wesley College as one of the masters, and at Ellerslie as its 
 principal. 
 
 Respecting his work at Wesley College, let us hear what 
 the Rev. J. S. Waugh, D. D., says. Although by the pre- 
 sentation of the comprehensive statement supplied by him 
 exactly as he has forwarded it for this memoir, some little 
 ground will be re-travelled, and a coming portion of it 
 slightly anticipated, I prefer so to publish it rather than 
 to dismember the statement in the interests of sequential 
 narrative. Writing from Richmond, Dr. Waugh supplies 
 his opinion in the following paper : 
 
 (p.) " Very pleasant are my memories of Richard Henry 
 Hart. My first recollection of him goes back to the latter 
 half of the year 1854. When on a visit to Geelong, I saw 
 him in his father's house presented by the Rev. Isaac 
 Harding, in holy baptism to God. 
 
 " He entered Wesley College as a boarder on the 29th 
 September, 1866, in company with a younger brother. 
 He was then a little more than 12 years old. For more 
 than four years he continued in that relation to the college. 
 He soon won the hearts of the masters and boys by the 
 sweetness of his disposition and unremitting diligence in
 
 56 A SUMMARY BY THE REV. DR. WAUGH. 
 
 work. The distinctions he gained testify to his assiduity 
 and ability as a pupil. In 1867 he won the Amess special 
 prize as the best classical scholar exclusive of the University 
 class. The President's prize for exemplary conduct in the 
 house was awarded to him in 1868, and in the same year 
 he won the Draper scholarship value 25. In 1869 he 
 obtained the Sherrai'd prize of 10, for having passed the 
 best University Matriculation examination. He was the 
 first pupil from Wesley College to pass that examination 
 in the University of Melbourne, but, though he became an 
 under-graduate, the weakness of his health prevented him 
 from pursuing his studies for a degree in that seat of learn- 
 ing. Dr. Corrigan, then head master of Wesley College, 
 entertained a great affection for his docile and promising 
 pupil, and frequently obtained his help as a teacher in the 
 junior forms. Speaking of him as a boy at college, his 
 character was of the highest order. It is a matter of history 
 that, during all his long term of residence, he obtained but 
 one bad conduct mark, which was given by an assistant 
 master, simply because he forgot to strip his bed one morn- 
 ing ! Before coming to the College he had experienced a 
 saving change of heart, and during his entire residence his 
 consistency as a professor of religion was unimpeachable. 
 
 "Mrs. Waugh thinks that his was 'the most perfect boy- 
 life she has ever known.' Mention should be made of 
 his proficiency in elocution ; he frequently recited at college 
 speech days, and on the occasion of the visit of H. R. H. 
 the Duke of Edinburgh, in the year 1868, he was chosen to 
 recite a piece called ' Welcome Prince Alfred,' at the
 
 SCIPIO AFRICANUS AND HANNIBAL. 57 
 
 collegiate schools' united speech-day, when the Prince 
 presided and distributed the prizes. 
 
 "In 1874, Richard Hart became a resident master at 
 Wesley College. Never was there a more conscientious, 
 painstaking teacher. He possessed uncommon tact and 
 aptitude for imparting instruction, and his influence over 
 his classes was truly wonderful. In the house the boarders 
 always rejoiced when it came to his turn to be on duty, for, 
 though strict and vigilant in discipline, his genial manner 
 and bearing towards the boys secured their confidence and 
 affection. He was to quote the words of Professor Irving, 
 who had become head master of Wesley College, after the . 
 death of Dr. Corrigan " a born teacher." Once having 
 some boys in his class who were rather unwilling scholars, he 
 roused their emulation by dividing the class into two bands 
 called Romans and Carthaginians, under the leadership of 
 two captains Scipio Africanus and Hannibal. Each week 
 represented a battle, and each term one of the punic wars. 
 The plan was very successful, and some boys made more 
 progress then than ever before. The marks of each week 
 were eagerly compared, and great was the exultation of the 
 party who were proclaimed as having won that battle. 
 During part of his time as master he suffered greatly from 
 ill-health, but could hardly be persuaded to spare himself 
 in the least and take needful rest. He took a great interest 
 in the boarders' music and elocution, and for some time at 
 the end of each half-year organised and successfully carried 
 through a boarders' concert in the big schoolroom, at which 
 he was both manager and performer. Friends were invited
 
 58 SCIPIO AFRICANUS AND HANNIBAL. 
 
 by ticket, and many will remember the enjoyable evenings 
 thus spent. It was at his instance that a cabinet organ was 
 obtained for use at morning and evening prayer, when he 
 would both play and lead the singing. He was much sought 
 after in society, as his prepossessing appearance and address, 
 combined with rare musical talents and conversational 
 powers, made him a great acquisition in concert room, 
 social evening, on the croquet ground and elsewhere. 
 
 (f.) "I at one time indulged the hope that he would eventu- 
 ally become a candidate for the Wesleyan Ministry, but he 
 did not feel that course to be his providential calling. His 
 mental culture and elocutionary power, together with his 
 love for the truth and for souls, would have made him a 
 desirable candidate. During his stay as a master at Wesley 
 College, he discharged the duties of a local preacher in the 
 several Melbourne circuits with great acceptance. His 
 sermons were well prepared. His delivery had the charms 
 of cultivated voice and manner, and his preaching was 
 blessed by the Spirit of God to the edification of the people." 
 
 Amongst the many public men who knew Mr. R. H. Hart, 
 not one was equally competent to give if I may be tolerated 
 in taking a phrase from cricketers " an all-round " opinion 
 as Dr. Waugh. 
 
 The method adopted by this youthful preceptor to rouse 
 the emulation of a class of careless scholars indicates an 
 aptitude for his profession amounting to genius. Had there 
 been to hand a subtle genius of another order, one possessing 
 the fruitful and discursive mind of Thomas de Quincey, and 
 master of his fascinating powers of description, the literary
 
 SCIPIO AFRICANUS AND HANNIBAL. 59 
 
 world might have rejoiced in the possession of a chapter as 
 wonderful as that writer's " Introduction to the World 
 of Strife"; or, even more so, inasmuch as the Roman and 
 Carthaginian forces, of which that class was composed, sup- 
 plied better material than could be furnished by two gentle- 
 manly boys of Greenhay in conflict with the street urchins 
 of a Manchester suburb. 
 
 It may be asserted, very safely, that both Scipio Africanus 
 and Hannibal, with their respective forces, looked forward 
 to the joy-inspiring thought of the Christmas recess no more 
 gladly than their organiser could do. The haze of over- 
 taxed energies was closing around him again, so that he 
 retired from his college duties to reflect on the strange 
 intermixture of good and of ill in the web of life, and to encour- 
 age himself to a trustful composure. It was an escape from 
 the domain of mental overwork to that of repose, the air of 
 which favors the restoration of disordered nerves. If he 
 wanted words for soliloquy or reflection, these would serve 
 his purpose : 
 
 " I must be patient till the heavens look 
 With an aspect more favorable." 
 
 Wesley College had many tender associations in the 
 musings of R. H. Hart. Prominent amongst other signi- 
 ficant memories of his college life would be this there he 
 attained his majority. A clever biologist has given it as his 
 opinion that : " Let a man live to as many years as he may, 
 the best half of his life is the first 20 years of it." This impor- 
 tant life-line Richard H. Hart passed when assistant master
 
 60 PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF R. H. HART. 
 
 at Wesley College. At the time when his duties in connec- 
 tion with that institution ceased he might be thus described : 
 He was taller than most young men of the day, slightly 
 built, yet there was an elasticity in his step which bespoke 
 a reserve of latent power. He had clear grey eyes, tender in 
 their expression, inducing confidence ; his eyelids drooped 
 with a delicate modesty : his mouth indicated considerable 
 firmness of character and symbolised an inflexible will. 
 That feature of his countenance which most quickly caught 
 the eye was his fair large forehead a brow smooth with 
 truth and out-spoken on his capacity and kindness. It was 
 withal a thoughtful face, with lines of strength faintly 
 painted on it. Go where he might he carried with him the 
 graceful, if silent, commendation of a goodly countenance. 
 In every one of the many communications sent to me he 
 is spoken of as "gentlemanly." Indeed, his carriage dis- 
 tinguished him, and his deportment had in it the subtle 
 beauty of manner, the repression and self-eftacement of good 
 breeding. Such was Richard Hart when he parted from 
 his Alma Mater.
 
 CHAPTEE III. : 
 
 MR. HART A LOCAL 
 PREACHER.
 
 ^a.) A band of men whose hearts the Lord hath touched. 
 
 SAMUEL. 
 
 (b.) Thomas Maxfield is one of the greatest instances of 
 God's peculiar favor that I know * * * * He is my 
 astonishment ; how is God's power shown in weakness ! 
 
 LADY HUNTINGDON. 
 
 (c.) In motive, aim, and deed coincident. Their common 
 rule of life the word of God ; their power to act His grace; 
 
 their highest end His praise. 
 
 MILLS. 
 
 (d.) I am not clear that brother Maxwell should not 
 expound at Greyhound Lane, nor can I as yet do without 
 
 him. 
 
 CHARLES WESLEY. 
 
 Take care what you do with respect to that young man 
 
 (T. M.), for he is as surely called of God to preach as you 
 are. 
 
 WESLEY'S MOTHER. 
 
 (e. ) I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the 
 
 understanding also. 
 
 ST. PAUL. 
 
 (/) Give attendance to reading. 
 
 ST. PAUL.
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 (a.) When Mr. Hart was nineteen years old his name 
 appeared on the William stown Circuit Plan as a local or 
 lay preacher. He took his position there under more 
 favorable circumstances than commonly fall to the lot of 
 those who labor in the church as lay agents. To his personal 
 piety he added the auxiliaries of great natural abilities and 
 considerable scholarship. He esteemed it a privilege to be 
 associated with this devoted class of workers in the Christian 
 church. Of these good men it may be truthfully said, as it 
 was of the early Apostles " They are identical in spirit with 
 their Divine Master ; the whole world over they are one in 
 motive, aim, and deed, and have earned for their order a 
 good report." They have not been deterred either by diffi- 
 culty or danger from taking their part in proclaiming the 
 mercies of that dispensation to which a former, the Mosaic 
 one, was to do homage. They have with talent varying 
 from the ram's-horn to that of the silver trumpet preached 
 it as " a dispensation of life and immortality ; a dispensa- 
 tion far more simple in its constitution, but far more 
 elevating in its bearings and tendencies ; a dispensation 
 rich in the diffusion of spiritual elements, ample in its
 
 64 MR. HART A LOCAL PREACHER. 
 
 resources, liberal in its supplies, vast in its immunities, 
 irrestrictive in its privileges, entrancing in its prospects, 
 ennobling in its communications, inspiriting in its influences, 
 and glorious in its consummation."* 
 
 (b.) It is not my duty here to enter into a defence of 
 this valued coadjutancy, neither is it my intention, yet I 
 may remind those who speak disparagingly of it that the first 
 Christian ministry was, in the strictest acceptancy of the 
 word, a lay ministry that those churches which in past 
 years sternly opposed lay preaching are, at the present time, 
 availing themselves of it as a sort of "fly wheel " to give an 
 increased momentum to more finished machinery, thereby 
 adding to its working speed and power. 
 
 For such persons as object, in spite of the elections made 
 by Christ Jesus himself of His workers, to the absence of 
 status and culture, I bring a reproof from the teachings of 
 an Arab philosopher, who writes thus of God's choice : 
 
 Whom hath He chosen for His priests and preachers 
 
 Lords who were eminent, or men of might 1 
 Kay, but consider how He seeks His teachers, 
 Hidden like rubies unaware of light. 
 Save God, there is none high at all, 
 Nor any low whom He doth call. 
 
 God is The "Honourer," whose favour maketh great. 
 According to Zechariah, the son of Iddo, such work is done 
 " not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the 
 Lord." 
 
 * This citation is taken from an essay on the local or lay ministry 
 by Richard Mills, a Wesleyan local preacher.
 
 A FIRST SERMON. 65 
 
 " After his conversion, whilst at Belfast, Richard soon 
 began to think of working for Jesus, and seemed to have the 
 idea that he would be called into the stated ministry. He 
 frequently gave me Mr. Lancaster wrote thus his ideas 
 on passages of scripture that he thought would make good 
 texts, and he once remarked 'Perhaps you and I may be 
 on the same circuit some time.' " 
 
 Before Mr. Hart's name appeared on the plan just named 
 he had preached his first sermon at Mount Cotterel, near 
 Williamstown. At that time he was about eighteen years 
 of age. A competent judge of his pulpit exercises speaks 
 thus of them : "His sermons were marked by clear thought, 
 beauty of expression, biblical research, and pious earnest- 
 ness, and will be remembered by many who heard them in 
 the circuits of Williamstown, St. Kilda, Prahran, Preston, 
 Heidelberg, and Stawell." 
 
 Another witness says : " As a local preacher his sermons 
 were always listened to with pleasure and admiration ; the 
 announcement that he was to preach in Stawell was always 
 the signal for a full church." 
 
 (c.) Those who form this self-sacrificing order of workers 
 are occasionally prejudiced by men entering their ranks who 
 are 
 
 " Too inspired to seek 
 
 One grace of meaning for the things they speak." 
 
 From the first authority just quoted we learn that when 
 in Stawell he held a number of important offices in the
 
 66 CHURCH WORK. 
 
 church there. His position as a local preacher was no 
 sinecure, and he also undertook the duties of a society class- 
 leader, choir-master and organist, and circuit steward ; 
 rendering very valuable assistance, too, in the Sunday school. 
 
 Whoever has served the church in any one of the offices 
 enumerated will admit that the man who held two or three 
 of them at a time must have been " industrious as a wild 
 bee questing honey-buds, on busy winglets flying," or " active 
 as a hundred-handed Briareus." 
 
 Amidst the demands of secular duties, added to those 
 rendered to the church, he was not neglectful of meetings for 
 united prayer, knowing this assuredly 
 
 " Good fellowship hath any man with him, 
 To whom Heaven's ear as quick inclines itself, 
 As doth a mother's when her babe's lips move." 
 
 ((/.) But to return to the consideration of Mr. Hart as a 
 local preacher. It is pleasing to find the opinions adduced 
 sustained by that of the Rev. J. S. Waugh, 1).D., which 
 will be seen in that gentleman's statement of his esteem for 
 Mr. Hart a few pages further on. 
 
 Those who are curious or interested in this department 
 of his public life may wish to read a passage or two from 
 his sermons. This wish shall be gratified, but it ought to 
 be borne in mind that if the selections presented do not 
 sustain the impression derived from the commendations here 
 produced, Mr. Hart's position will not be singular in this 
 respect. Judging from the only occasion on which I heard 
 him speak in public, I would ascribe his effectiveness to a
 
 KXTRACTS PKOM A SERMON ON "ABIDE WITH US." 67 
 
 pleasing personal appearance, a clear and expressive voice, 
 combined with lucidness of statement, fluency of language 
 if anything too florid and a strong faith in the rigfht- 
 ness of the views which he advocated. Neither voice, 
 action, nor appearance can well be presented in print. 
 
 The young preacher made a good use of his acquaintance 
 with our modern poets, was often very felicitous in the use 
 he made of Holy Scripture, and very often, and naturally, 
 drew assistance from music and the book of nature when 
 illustrating the subjects on which he descanted. 
 
 (c.) He was a worthy representative of the class of 
 preachers to which he belonged. 
 
 The first extracts now presented are taken from a sermon 
 on Luke, 24 ch. 29 v., " Abide with us ; for it is toward 
 evening, and the day is far spent." The cry of Abide with 
 me is treated as the cry of the weary ; of the church, of the 
 contrite, and of the dying. The unconscious cry of the 
 world at the present time for the presence of Christ and the 
 peace he t gives is thus uttered : " 'Abide with us.' It is 
 the unconscious cry of the weary ones for the constant 
 presence of their Lord, the Comforter ; it is the unconscious 
 cry of the world at the present time. We live in an age 
 of profound research, keen criticism, vigorous thought. 
 Everything must be put to the test ; it is not sufficient for 
 us that our fathers have placed their names to certain 
 doctrines and views : we must know why they did so, and 
 we must judge for ourselves whether we will believe the 
 same or not. And, brethren, Christianity has nothing to
 
 68 EXTRACTS FROM A SERMON ON "ABIDE WITH US.' 
 
 fear from this spirit of enquiry, but everything to gain by 
 it. It is only the false diamond that shrinks from the 
 chemist's skilled test; the true diamond comes from the 
 severest ordeals with a brighter lustre and an immensely 
 increased value. So it is with the word of God. Set your 
 keenest intellect to work on that word, and subject it to 
 the closest criticism ; it will bear it all. Those things ac- 
 cepted by the faith of the believer will shine more brightly, 
 and he will have a firmer confidence in the everlasting 
 foundation." 
 
 Church frogs are honestly dealt with, and their croakings 
 reproved, in the extract which follows : 
 
 " How often does the church as a body take this sad walk 
 to Emmaus 1 'We trusted that it had been He that should 
 have redeemed Israel, and besides all this, to-day is the 
 third day since all these things were done,' and the Church 
 of God puts on sackcloth and we hear God's people saying: 
 ' O for the good old times ! Things are not as they used 
 to be. I remember when, we used to have sinners converted 
 every day, and when God's people used to be always pray- 
 ing and blessing God. How I used to enjoy those times! 
 I was as happy as the day was long, but now we never see 
 anything like a good work going on, and everything is so 
 cold and dreary. I don't enjoy coming to church at all. 
 But then we had such holy men of God in those times. 
 They were men of prayer, and wrestled with God and 
 worked like giants; we have no ministers like them now-a- 
 days. We may write Ichabod upon the church doors, ' for 
 the glory is departed from Israel.' " And the young people
 
 EXTRACTS FROM A SERMON ON " ABIDE WITH US." 69 
 
 take up the same sad refrain, and sigh for the good old days 
 of which they hear so much, and prate about the worldliness 
 of God's peoplo. Shame upon you, brethren. Do you re- 
 member what the High Priest used to do with the scape- 
 goat 1 ' And Aaron shall lay his hands upon the head of 
 the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the 
 children of Israel, and all their transgressions and all their 
 sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send 
 him by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.' And 
 that is just what some of you do; you usurp the function of 
 the High Priest, and you come and lay both your hands 
 upon the heads of your ministers and your church officers, 
 and you confess to God a wonderful number of not your 
 own sins, not the sins of the people but their sins, and 
 you tell God how they have failed in their duty, and what 
 a number of things they have forgotten to do, and how 
 under their hands the church is dying away in these days, 
 and His servants are not doing His work. Shame upon you , 
 man ! Have you not enough of your own shortcomings to 
 confess that you must needs go and tell God all about your 
 ministers and your leaders. Down upon your knees and 
 pray that God may forgive your miserable cowardice, and 
 cry from your heart, 'Lord, abide with me.' That is what 
 the church wants, brethren the presence of the Most High, 
 an individual baptism of the Holy Ghost. Let us hear the 
 yearning cry go up from God's people in their helplessness 
 ' Lord, abide with us,' and we shall see the result ; there will 
 be 110 more talk of the decline of the church, and the loss 
 of power in Christianity ; there will be no more mourning 
 over the wandering away of young men and the coldness of
 
 70 EXTRACTS FROM A SERMON ON " ABIDE WITH US." 
 
 our old men. There will be such scenes as we have scarcely 
 dreamed of ; there will be such cries for mercy as will 
 frighten some of the old croakers. ' The Lord whom ye 
 seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger 
 of the covenant whom ye delight in.' It is the cry which 
 should go up from the heart of every member of Christ's 
 church." 
 
 The following passage on the peace of God indicates 
 dormant energy capable of being nursed into uncommon 
 power : 
 
 " But what is this peace of God 1 you ask. I cannot 
 describe it to you ; ' it passeth understanding,' ' it is 
 unspeakable.' Can you talk with nature ? Look, then, at 
 one of our grand sunsets when the ' god of day' is flashing 
 his golden beauty in the west. Does your heart throb to 
 that ? Can you describe your feelings 1 Stand upon the 
 sea shore and explain to me why to-day as those waves are 
 singing a sad, sad song, they make you sad ; why on another 
 day they arouse in you strange wild thoughts, and yet again 
 they soothe your rebellious passionate nature into rest ? 
 Why does the wind, sighing through the branches of the 
 she-oak, sound to you weird and mournful 1 Why does the 
 quiet moonlight hush your heart, and fill it with mournful 
 thought, or awake in you repentance for the past and a 
 passionate yearning to be pure and holy ? Why should 
 music touch your soul, and one movement on the organ 
 make you feel as if you must march in time, whilst a 
 plaintive melody brings a rush of hot tears to your eyes'? 
 Why do we love to look upon the pure and the beautiful 1
 
 EXTRACTS PROM A SERMON ON " ABIDE WITH US." 71 
 
 You cannot explain to me the voice of nature and of art ; 
 neither can I explain to you the peace of God ; but I can 
 feel it in my heart, and you may feel it in yours." 
 
 A passage from the same discourse contains an arousing 
 appeal to the church to be earnest and faithful in dealing 
 with the unsaved. 
 
 " The man is dying morally and spiritually, and ready to 
 go to greater depths of wickedness from his present misery 
 and despair. Nay, but deal lovingly with him. Tell him 
 that above there is a God, and that God is his Father and 
 awaits his return .... We may vaunt the excel- 
 lencies of our system of philosophy and theology ; we may 
 urge the refining influence of literature ; we may praise the 
 purifying influences of music ; we may argue that a man 
 ought to cultivate self-control. I grant you all that, but we 
 have not time to discuss. Here is a dying soul before us, 
 perishing for the bread of life, and in the name of all that 
 is good and true let us not trifle with him. The question 
 now is, how to give him relief and comfort, so we must ask 
 you to stand aside with your elaborated creeds, and your 
 carefully prepared systems, and urge him to cry with a 
 contrite spirit and a true heart, ' Lord, come abide with me.' " 
 
 Yet another passage from this discourse merits a place 
 here. It is a solemn appeal made to the impenitent in 
 view of death. 
 
 " Death and eternity are perhaps the two greatest 
 thoughts in our minds : have you prepared for them 1 
 Have you thought of the time when all labour must cease,
 
 72 EXTRACTS FROM A SERMON ON "THE PRODIGAL SON.' 
 
 when you shall have heard your last sermon and prayed 
 your last prayer, when your last season for repentance will 
 have passed away, and what is undone must be left undone, 
 and as that time finds you whether ready or not you 
 must stand before God ? We dare not hold out to you a 
 hope beyond the grave, and if you die unprepared you must 
 also appear unprepared before the great white throne. A 
 terrible thought, but if you have dared to live without God 
 you will be afraid though bolder than the boldest infidel 
 to die without him ; and you know not when this death 
 may come. The decree goeth forth and in the most unex- 
 pected moment the bolt is launched, and another soul has 
 passed away from earth. The snap of a rope (this sermon 
 was delivered in a mining district), a fall of earth, a single 
 slip of the foot, and the end has come. One moment 
 strong and hearty, a type of noble manhood the next a 
 crushed and mangled corpse, and the spirit has fled." 
 
 Mr. Hart's sermon on the Prodigal Son text, Luke 1 5th 
 ch. 20th v. is one of decided merit. The introduction and 
 the remarks with which it is closed are submitted to the 
 reader, with a description of the prodigal between these : 
 
 " Amongst all the gracious parables spoken by our Lord 
 Jesus Christ while on the earth, the parable of the Prodigal 
 Son stands by itself. It reads like a beautiful idyll, so 
 exquisitely tender in its simplicity, so lovingly faithful in 
 its attention to details. To the Christian it is the expres- 
 sion of a heavenly Father's yearning over a wandering son; 
 to the man of letters, who looks upon it as a literary pro- 
 duction, it is as a beautiful poem, full of force and vivid
 
 EXTRACTS FROM A SERMON ON "THE PRODIGAL SON." 73 
 
 power of description. Written in bold Saxon the backbone 
 and strength of our nervous English it has in it an irre- 
 sistible power of appeal which holds your attention and 
 compels your admiration. It seems to have been drawn 
 from the Great Teacher, if we may so speak, by the circum- 
 stances in which he was placed. The bright and joyous 
 period of our Saviour's ministry was, even at this time, fast 
 passing away. That part of His life which has been so 
 aptly described as ' the Galilean spring ' had gone : the 
 summer and the autumn had shaded away into the past, 
 and the dark heavy clouds of winter were beginning to 
 lower over Him : the snow was falling on his path, and the 
 chilly, frosty blasts of malice and wilful misunderstanding 
 were blowing keenly upon Him. Even now the Sufferer 
 was commencing to drink that bitter cup which was to 
 wring from His lips, in the garden of Gethsemane, that 
 mysterious and awful prayer : ' My Father, if it be possible, 
 let this cup pass from me ; nevertheless, not as I will, but 
 as Thou wilt.' At first the people had hailed with shouts 
 of joy the advent of this mighty Physician, who made their 
 lame to walk, their deaf to hear, their dumb to speak, and 
 their blind to see. The high hopes of the Jewish nation ; 
 the purity of His life ; the grace of His doctrine ; the 
 wonder of His miracles, had all combined to work upon the 
 minds of the multitude. And so whenever he rose to 
 speak in the synagogue there was that hush which testifies 
 to the intensity of the feelings ; and on the Sabbath, in the 
 cool of the day, as by the shores of the beautiful sea of 
 Galilee he had walked amongst the sick and the dying,
 
 74 EXTRACTS FROM A SERMON ON " THE PRODIGAL SON." 
 
 healing their diseases and giving rest to their souls, the 
 bewildered crowds had exclaimed ' Surely this is the 
 Messiah.' But all this was now changing, and a 
 bitter spirit of hate and malice was coming against Him 
 like a surging wave when it angrily tosses its hoary mane 
 and rushes on the doomed vessel. The opposition, too, was 
 coming in the worst of all possible forms : it was the hate 
 of the self-righteous for One whose spotless life was a 
 constant reproof to them. It had risen in Nazareth, where 
 his own townsmen had cast him out, and now even the 
 simple-hearted, guileless Galileans had at last been stirred 
 up against Him by the haughty Scribes and Pharisees. He 
 had offended against all their most cherished notions. He 
 had made Himself equal with God, and had said, ' Thy sins 
 be forgiven thee.' He had gone to feasts and scenes of 
 innocent enjoyment, and they had called him a glutton and 
 a wine-bibber. He had even declined to be bound by their 
 rules for fasting ; and, worst of all, instead of choosing His 
 followers from their ranks instead of going to the schools 
 of Shammai and Hillel for His disciples He had called a 
 publican to Him, had taken a feast in his house, and in the 
 home of a scrupulous Pharisee had allowed an abandoned 
 woman to bend over His feet, bathe them with her tears, 
 and wipe them with her hair. And now, whilst journeying 
 
 to Jerusalem, he had allowed sinners and publicans to eat 
 with him. In answer to the cry then raised ' This man 
 receiveth sinners and eateth with them,' the Master 
 delivered the three parables given in this chapter, of which 
 the parable of the Prodigal Son forms the crown. But you
 
 EXTRACTS FROM A SERMON ON " THE PRODIGAL SON." 75 
 
 say it is a parable. It is a parable a poem, or what you 
 like to call it but I wish this morning to realise it as a 
 home picture, showing us how far we have wandered from 
 God and the Father's tender yearning for us." 
 
 This introduction is followed by a description of the 
 prodigal's home, his folly, fall, and the ensuing misery ex- 
 perienced by him. His past easy life is well contrasted 
 with the drear desertion of his prodigal condition, and is 
 followed by words that furnish a vivid picture of suffering. 
 
 " And now, without the glitter and the glamour of the 
 past, an outcast from society, we have the Prodigal tion. 
 And what a tale of suffering his face, haggard and wan, 
 reveals. Where are his friends, his midnight boon com- 
 panions ? All gone ! Gave they nothing to him 1 They 
 spurned him from them * * * * or bestowed upon him 
 a cold look of contempt. The way of the world all over. 
 God help the man who has lost his money by an excess of 
 generosity, or by extravagance ! He has lost his claims to 
 respect, and the world soon gives to him his place for 
 money can command companions, but it cannot buy friends!" 
 
 Other passages of equal force to the above carry the dis- 
 course to a natural close an earnest appeal to the 
 wanderer from duty and God, based on the love of the 
 Divine Father : 
 
 " But if you still hesitate, and feel half doubtful about 
 coming out from your present state, try to think of the heart, 
 full of bliss, that the prodigal had when he felt himself fully 
 forgiven. I think the pleasures of a lifetime were crowded
 
 76 fcOVB AND JUSTICE. 
 
 into that one happy moment. And it is ten-fold so in the 
 case of the weary seeking rest from God. It is the coming 
 from darkness into grace's mai'vellous light : it is the escap- 
 ing from a state of bitter unrest and dissatisfaction (you 
 know the feeling) into a state of calm and happy peace of 
 deep, abiding joy. Let me, then, urge you by the example 
 of the prodigal son, by the thought of all his unhappiness 
 and misery, and then his happy, happy meeting, to arise and 
 come to your loving Father ; but, if you will come, you must 
 be prepared to leave behind you all your sins and evil com- 
 panions, and in penitence come and kneel at the cross of 
 Jesus, and the same loving One who received the worst 
 sinner of His time will cleanse you and make you strong." 
 
 " Just as I am, without one plea, 
 But that thy blood was shed for me, 
 
 And that thou bidd'st me come to thee ; 
 Lamb of God I come. 
 
 Just as I am, and waiting not 
 
 To rid my soul of one dark blot, 
 To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, 
 
 O Lamb of God I come. 
 
 Just as I am thou wilt receive, 
 
 Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve, 
 
 Because thy promise I believe ; 
 O Lamb of God I come." 
 
 Occasionally the young preacher appears to allow the 
 Divine compassion to overshadow the attribute of justice 
 claimed by Him who by the lips of Isaiah said ' I, the Lord,
 
 PUBLIC READING. T7 
 
 a just God and a Saviour.' Nevertheless, he held firmly, 
 and defended with ability, the attribute of God's justice. 
 
 The attention of young men who are lax on this question 
 is asked to the following passage taken from the Christian 
 Theology of Dr. Pope : " It is possible to exaggerate the love 
 of God, and to make it inconsistent with the most obvious facts 
 of experience. There is prevalent a tendency to ascribe to the 
 Eternal God a certain all-commanding attribute of love, 
 which is so described as to undermine the foundations of 
 the doctrine of the Atonement. Love reigns in God, but 
 not over Him." 
 
 (/.) Mr. Hart excelled as a reader in public. He gave 
 the advantages of his training in elocution to all his pulpit 
 speaking and reading. That mechanical reading of Holy 
 Scripture and noble hymns, so painfully common in connec- 
 tion with the pulpit and the desk, in which the words are 
 uttered without an attempt to express the sentiment of the 
 writer by pause, tone, or emphasis, was never a part of his 
 public efforts. He studied to realise in his own mind the 
 thoughts of the writer, and then to deliver them as he sup- 
 posed the writer himself would have done had he been in 
 his place. To effect this he studied in private what he 
 had to read in public. 
 
 When the requirements for public reading are made a 
 part of our systems of education, and are understood by our 
 audiences, bad readers will aim at improvement, or cease 
 to inflict their defects on their hearers. Our schools will 
 then exert such an influence on our pews that a tame,
 
 78 CHOIR MEISTER AND CHURCH SINGING. 
 
 monotonous, singsong reading, either of Scripture or hymn, 
 by the pulpit will not longer be tolerated. 
 
 Consideration must be extended to such as are not gifted 
 with a good voice, as was Mr. Hart. The master who 
 taught him elocution used to say, " Hart, your voice would 
 make your fortune on the stage." But the owner of that 
 voice counted it a gift from God, and strove to use it for 
 His glory. " I would go any distance to hear Mr. Hart 
 read," was a remark frequently made by those whose privi- 
 lege it was to hear not only the letter but the sense of 
 what was read made clear by his reading. 
 
 He had been carefully drilled into an understanding that 
 " To read well involves a perfect understanding of the 
 construction of sentences, and ability to analyse complex 
 forms of composition, and discriminate between essential 
 and expletive words ; it also involves a nice perception of 
 the qualities of modulation, and their relation to expres- 
 siveness, together with ability to regulate the voice so as 
 exactly to suit the sound to the sense. The study of the 
 art of reading is thus valuable as a means of improvement 
 in composition, as well for its influence in refining the taste, 
 as for exercising all the faculties of perception, expression, 
 and adaption." 
 
 To whomsoever this paragraph belongs it is a study 
 worthy of close attention from everyone called to speak or 
 to read in public. 
 
 No part of Mr. Hart's duties were more carefully or 
 conscientiouslv attended to than those connecting him with
 
 CHOIR MEISTER AND CHURCH SINGING. 79 
 
 the church choir. And to the duties of choir meister, as to 
 those of a public speaker, he brought the aid of study and 
 careful culture. An increase in the number of such meisters 
 will necessarily result from the greater attention that is 
 being paid to this science the world over. The " good old 
 times," when people acted as if they thought that any sort 
 of singing was good enough for God's house, and which were 
 so productive of those very absurd and painfully ridiculous 
 scenes in which parish clerks and country choirs figure, are 
 past, although no further away than the near distant past, 
 some of them being well within the personal knowledge of 
 the -writer. Inasmuch as church singing has been benefited 
 by the wider cultivation of music, the too common absence 
 of expression in congregational singing is an enigma. This 
 defect ought to be remedied. Perhaps, until young Aus- 
 tralia learns music from early childhood, as the Germans 
 learn it, the defect complained of will remain. It certainly 
 will not be removed by such general directions as " sing all, 
 sing all in tune ;" sing in tune will not' effect its removal. 
 Everyone readily admits that the taste for harmony, and 
 competency to take a part, are natural gifts, and the various 
 kinds of voices to be found in a congregation indicate 
 endowments that correspond and wait for culture. Milton 
 in recognising as the first and noblest employment of cherubim 
 and seraphim, the angelic songs of laud which they con- 
 tinually offer, supplies an inspiring idea for singers on this 
 earth : 
 
 Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light, 
 Angels, for ye behold Him, and with songs,
 
 80 CHOIR MEISTER AND CHURCH SINGING. 
 
 And choral symphonies, day without night 
 Circle His throne rejoicing. 
 
 Let earthly choirs emulate the heavenly one, and then ! 
 
 The conspicuous place given to music in the Roman Catholic 
 Church is known generally ; but except amongst the German 
 Roman Catholics the congregation takes no part, so far as 
 I can learn, in its choral services. That part of choral 
 service regarded as the most remarkable is the Anthem, the 
 use of which has become peculiarly Protestant. It gives 
 me pleasure to say that our young concert meister was very 
 careful in the production of the anthem a greater pleasure 
 to present the statement of a competent authority, verbatim, 
 on this part of his Lord's day work. It is thus given : 
 
 " As organist and conductor of the Wesleyan Church 
 Choir, Stawell, he was eminently successful. One feature 
 of his singing instruction was the production of distinct 
 enunciation. He spared no pains to cultivate the particular 
 talent of each and the taste of every member of the choir, 
 and the result was effective and pleasing. His correct ear 
 and poetic taste enabled him to seise the sentiment of the 
 writer of the hymn, and such was the perfect control he had 
 over the choir that by a look or movement of the hand or 
 the striking of a chord upon the organ he could move them 
 from piano to forte at will. He was, if anything, more 
 particular about the singing of the hymns than the anthems, 
 though some of the latter will not soon be forgotten." 
 
 Those persons who yet cherish such memories, and others 
 who have realised the purifying, elevating, disenthralling
 
 SABBATH DUTIES. 81 
 
 effect of such services will probably find a description of 
 the desire and sentiment associated with them in words 
 supplied by an English poet, shy and sensitive as Cowper, 
 but unwisely impulsive ; who had " to die to become 
 appreciated " by his countrymen: 
 
 Let me drink of the spirit of that sweet sound, 
 More ! Oh ! more I am thirsting yet ; 
 
 It loosens the serpent which care has bound, 
 Upon my heart to stifle it ; 
 
 The dissolving strain, through every vein 
 Passes into my heart and brain. 
 
 From two sources I am enabled to follow this hard-work- 
 ing young Christian through a seventh-day's engagements. 
 
 The following duties were attended to on each succeeding 
 Sabbath day when Mr. Hart was not engaged in preaching. 
 At the morning service he presided at the organ, and at the 
 close of it remained to try over the anthem selected for 
 the evening with the choir. After dinner he directed his 
 steps towards the Sunday School, that he might assist the 
 Superintendent when required. After the ordinary duties 
 of the school were closed he remained for religious conver- 
 sation with the numerous members of his catechumen class, 
 on whom he bestowed much pains. This occupied him 
 until tea time ; this taken, often in haste, the time between 
 tea and the evening service was devoted to visiting such 
 cases of sickness as there might be amongst the members of 
 the A.N.A., and from this work of mercy back to his seat at 
 the organ through the evening service.
 
 82 SABBATH DUTIES. 
 
 The happiness of an earnest Christian man is supposed 
 to be complete when his hands are full of work and his 
 heart full of zeal. So be it ; but in view of the worker not 
 being of robust health, and having to rise the following 
 morning at 5.30 a.m. to be in Ballarat, were not these en- 
 gagements excessive ? Evidently Richard Henry Hart 
 lived the distinction between a laborer and a loiterer, be- 
 tween a Christian and the not-a-Christian, and the grave in 
 which he sleeps was not dug by either lethargy or indo- 
 lence. 
 
 Though resting in that grave he, by his consecrated life 
 speaks yet 
 
 " Yet speaketh ! " By that consecrated life, 
 The single-hearted, noble, true and pure, 
 
 Which, lifted far above all worldly strife, 
 Could all but sin so patiently endure. 
 
 Oh eloquence ! by this he speaketh yet ; 
 
 For who that knew and loved could evermore 
 forget 1 ? F. R. HAVERGAL.
 
 CHAPTEE IV.: 
 
 FAREWELL TO 
 COLLEGE.
 
 (a.) For I will restore health unto thee and heal thee. 
 
 JEREMIAH. 
 
 (b.) Get leave to work in the world 'tis the best you 
 
 get after all. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 (c.) I have with much pains and assiduity qualified my- 
 self for a nomenclator. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 (d.) The situation that has not its Duty, its Ideal, was 
 never yet occupied by man. Yes, here, in this poor, 
 miserable, hampered, despicable, Actual, wherein thou even 
 now standest, here or nowhere is thy Ideal ; work it out 
 
 therefrom, and working, believe, live, be free. 
 
 CARLYLE. 
 
 (e.) Attend my word, no place but harbors danger ; 
 
 In every region virtue finds a foe. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 (/) Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt 
 not escape calumny. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 (g.) It is sport to a fool to do mischief : he that uttereth 
 a slander is a fool. 
 
 SOLOMON.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 At the time when Mr. Hart left Wesley College, where as 
 scholar and master he had resided during eight years of a 
 most important part of life, he bade farewell to those whom 
 he had been so successful in teaching, to those with whom 
 he had been so happily associated as a teacher, with the 
 President of the College and his worthy wife, with those 
 tender and well-wishing thoughts called up by the word 
 farewell. Nevertheless, there was one farewell spoken of to 
 few, and then in a soft undertone, more painful to utter 
 than any other ; it was his farewell to hopes of University 
 honors. A painful farewell, this, for an ambitious under- 
 graduate to utter. Often and longingly had he looked 
 towards those as the reward of an unflagging assiduity, 
 assured in his inner consciousness, and by the word of those 
 most competent to give an opinion, that, could he sustain 
 himself sufficiently long on the wing or, in plainer phrase, 
 could he read as he wished to do he would have alighted 
 amidst the competitors on that arena gracefully, and con- 
 tested for those honors with a success equal to that which 
 had marked his school and college course. And it was not 
 from the application or the toil he shrank ; for the spirit
 
 86 HEALTH SEEKING. 
 
 was willing, but the flesh was weak. So he had to wean his 
 thoughts from scholastic distinctions and fix them for a 
 while on the recovery of strength. 
 
 (a.) Made free from professional duties, the young invalid 
 courted the invigorating influences of inland and of sea- 
 side ozone. Geelong and Loutit Bay (or Lome) were suc- 
 cessively tried with slightly beneficial results. 
 
 Thus the erst resident master of Wesley College was 
 cheered by the faint smile of returning health, ministering 
 gladness to the present and hope to the future of his days. 
 He was not at all decided as to the exact course of action 
 he would pursue. A retreat presented itself at Stawell, where 
 he could take rest and have parental counsel whilst evolving 
 and maturing the working of his active brain; and of this he 
 availed himself. His father, the Rev. R. Hart, was nearing 
 the end of his pastoral duties, and looking forward to the 
 enjoyment of 
 
 " The bonny blyth blink o' his ain fireside." 
 
 The constant removals attendant on the " itinerancy" 
 give to such a possibility an inexpressible charm. Whilst 
 the days tended to this point he was joined by his son, who 
 found to his great delight a decided improvement in his 
 health, the air of Stawell agreeing so well with him that 
 he gained strength more rapidly and enjoyed life more 
 vigorously than for a long time previously. 
 
 The subtle art of reading providential dispensation is 
 pi'ofessed by the many ; it is possessed only by the few.
 
 FUTURE PROSPECTS. 87 
 
 They who acknowledge God in all their ways have the 
 promise that their steps shall be directed. Here was a 
 family that acknowledged God; would the promise fail them 1 
 Sincerely and often they had prayed 
 
 " * * * * Lead us not astray 
 
 Teach us to find the proper way." 
 And trustfully saying one to the other 
 " Haply there shall come a grace 
 And a guidance ; and in fearing 
 God and following His will, 
 Blessed and secure shall we be still." 
 
 And the grace and the guidance so earnestly sought had 
 been given; neither was a Daniel needed to read out to them 
 the accompanying indications of security. 
 
 (.) Stawell was the selected home of the parents. Its 
 climate was balsamic and health-giving to their capable son, 
 their friends pointed to an existing want, and under these 
 favoring circumstances Richard H. Hart decided that 
 Stawell should be his "Actual;" here he saw his duty, and, 
 in a philosophic sense, his " Ideal ;" and he commenced the 
 work of realising an exalted one by securing for "Ellerslie," 
 an educational establishment for young ladies, a premier 
 position amongst similar establishments in the colonies. 
 
 (c.) The young Principal was simply just to himself 
 when he headed his prospectus R. H. Hart, Melbourne 
 University, Draper Scholar, formerly Resident Master at 
 Creswick Grammar School, and lately, for four years, at 
 Wesley College, &c.
 
 TESTIMONIALS. 
 
 That his name was not followed by at least one set of 
 initials indicating a University degree was not through any 
 fault of his. Men who carry such honors at the present 
 time, and wear them as tokens that 
 
 " They scorned delights and lived laborious days," 
 
 and burned their midnight oil in the prosecution of hard 
 studies, had a pleasure in speaking of him as possessing 
 " the ability and assiduity" which, but for the obstacle of 
 infirm health, would have secured these for him beyond a 
 doubt. 
 
 Indeed few young men have commenced such duties as 
 he undertook at Stawell with higher testimonials as to 
 moral work and scholastic ability than Mr. Richard H. 
 Hart. The testimonies to his high moral character are 
 many, and the character of them may be judged by the 
 following examples : 
 
 "The most perfect boy -life I have ever known." 
 
 " As a professor of religion his conduct was unimpeach- 
 able." 
 
 " From testimonies which have come to me, unsolicited, 
 I judge that no school was ever blest with two pupils so 
 pure and amiable yet firm in their religious convictions as 
 these two friends" i.e., the son of the writer and the subject 
 of this memoir. 
 
 And let it be borne in mind that the attestors in each 
 case had the best possible means of knowing him of whom 
 they spoke through several successive years. I will only
 
 TESTIMONIALS. 89 
 
 add one other. It, too, is from one who knew him intimately. 
 
 "This I will say, he lives in my memory as the most 
 spiritually minded and consistently Christian youth with 
 whom it has ever been my privilege to associate." 
 
 Equally decisive and honorable are the testimonies pre- 
 sented as to his scholastic attainments and capacity for 
 imparting instruction. The first I adduce is from Mr. 
 Samuel Fiddian, M.A. (St. John's Coll., Camb.), Principal 
 of the Creswick Grammar School. 
 
 " I have much pleasure in testifying to Mr. R. H. Hart's 
 merits as a teacher, as well as to his excellent character and 
 attainments. I consider that he possesses in a considerable 
 degree the art of rendering a subject interesting and intel- 
 ligible to his pupils ; that he has right views about maintain- 
 ing discipline, with kindness and firmness in a word, that 
 he gives promise of becoming a first-rate and successful 
 teacher." 
 
 The second is supplied by a gentlemen of whose assistance 
 in his student days he often spoke, and the memory of whom 
 he cherished to the day of his dying, Mr. H. M. Andrew, 
 M.A., (also of St. John's College, Cambridge), Head Master 
 of Wesley College. 
 
 " In 1873 Mr. Hart joined the staff of the College as a 
 Form Master, a position which he resigned at the end of 
 last year because of his health. In the discharge of his 
 duties he was most conscientious, painstaking, and successful. 
 I have rarely met with a gentleman who so rapidly acquired 
 the difficult art of managing boys by quiet firmness. His
 
 90 TESTIMONIALS. 
 
 attainments both in Language and Mathematics fit him for 
 high work in a public school. I felt justified in entrusting 
 the fourth form of this College to his care (although the 
 first was his own form) in French and in Mathematics ; 
 moreover, Mr. Hart can impart what he knows pleasantly 
 and successfully. In manner, temperament, and disposition, 
 Mr. Hart is so happy that he has always won the affection 
 of his pupils and the sincere regard of his colleagues. 
 I can heartily recommend him for any scholastic appoint- 
 ment of the nature referred to in this certificate, or for any 
 private tuition." 
 
 The third commendation is from a gentlemen whose fame 
 as a genial and exceedingly able professor of the art of 
 teaching is known through all the Australian Colonies and 
 far beyond. 
 
 " Grammer School, Hawthorn, 7th May, 1878. 
 " My friend, Mr. R. H. Hart, worked with and und er me 
 for some years at Wesley College. He had the extremely 
 difficult charge of the Junior Form in the school, and in the 
 discharge of his duty he showed great tact, patience, and 
 ability. Mr. Hart is a very pleasant, as well as a good teacher, 
 and while he made the boys work he also made them like 
 him. At the same time Mr. Hart's knowledge and abilities 
 were equal to far higherwork than that of the form overwhich 
 he habitually presided, and he showed this when from time to 
 time he took charge of higher classes. Whatever the school 
 duty might be which I had to entrust to Mr. Hart, I could 
 always be sure of finding it well and conscientiously dis- 
 charged. Mr. Hart informs me that he now purposes open-
 
 ELLERSLIE. 91 
 
 ing a School for Young Ladies. He is, I am sure, well 
 fitted for the task ; for, though firm in his discipline, he is 
 gentle and patient, and can put all that he has to teach 
 brightly and intelligently before his scholars. 
 
 " M. H. IRVING, M.A., 
 " Late Professor in the University." 
 
 As a preliminary to his main design, Mr. Hart had pur- 
 chased and fitted up suitable premises, situated in one of 
 the most pleasant parts of the town of Stawell. 
 
 ((/.) This establishment, of which he was to be recognised 
 head, was distinguished by the appellation ELLERSLIE, a 
 name taken from some verses written by Eliza Cook, 
 entitled " Marion's Song," which the wife of Sir William 
 Wallace is supposed to have sung during his absence from 
 her. 
 
 There were not wanting amongst Mr. Hart's friends those 
 who spoke of his comparative youth as a disqualifying cir- 
 cumstance in the enterprise; but even this, in view of his 
 exceptionally high reputation, and a knowledge that his 
 parents would form a part of the establishment, was not 
 considered of suificient weight to prejudice it seriously. 
 
 In the month of July, 1878, ELLERSLIE was opened for 
 the reception of pupils. The close of the first term was 
 celebrated joyously. A concert was given, which proved 
 to be a great success. This concert may be regarded as a 
 parent concert of the much larger ones with which the 
 principal's name was afterwards associated. During one of 
 the intervals Mr. Hart presented the first of his half-yearly
 
 92 FIRST REPORT. 
 
 reports of the EUersHe Ladies' School to the parents and 
 friends of his pupils, during the Christmas of 1878. In it 
 he expressed his thankfulness for the amount of support 
 accorded to him, also for the good-will shown towards him 
 by the public generally. A pleasant reference to his youth 
 and to his being a new comer both of which " faults " 
 would be removed by time was followed by a statement 
 that his efforts had been successful to an extent beyond his 
 " most sanguine expectations, and he ventured to assert 
 beyond any similar undertaking of a private nature in the 
 Colony for a long time." 
 
 He was more than pleased, he said, with the work that 
 had been done by his pupils, and referred to the existence 
 amongst them of a healthy esprit de corps. The salient 
 points of daily school life were enumerated. He disclaimed 
 any sympathy with the belief of Dogberry that " to read 
 and write comes by nature," and consequently had mastered 
 the best systems of teaching both these arts. He condemned 
 certain methods of teaching in vogue, and stated his inten- 
 tion to insist upon the work of his scholars being done 
 thoroughly. The examination of the papers prepared by 
 them on various subjects had afforded him pleasure, and 
 gratification "to an extent he had not experienced in 
 the examination of many hundreds of papers " elsewhere. 
 The efficient aid given by Mr. Hart's assistants was acknow- 
 ledged, and the report closed with a piece of opportune 
 advice : " To my pupils I would say As you have worked 
 hard during the school term, so do you play hard during 
 the holidays. Fling Latin and the enjoyable geography to
 
 ADVICE TO A SISTER. 93 
 
 the winds, and allow the fascinating algebra to lose its charms 
 for a season. And if you feel tempted almost beyond 
 endurance to open your books, and do some hard reading, 
 resist the temptation and devote your holidays to their 
 proper purpose innocent and healthful enjoyment. Then 
 come back after the new year, strong and hearty, ready for 
 the next year's work, and by this time 1879, if all go well, 
 we shall be able to give a good account of our doings. And 
 if your holidays give you as much pleasure as your work 
 has given me, then I cannot wish you greater happiness." 
 
 Admirable terms, certainly, on which " to shut up books 
 and off to play." 
 
 The advice which the Principal gave, in all seriousness, 
 to his pupils, was simply the embodiment of a course which 
 he himself practiced as religiously as if he were born to 
 illustrate that passage in the Utopia of Sir Thomas More, 
 in which he teaches that, " When nature biddeth thee to 
 be good and gentle to others, she commandeth thee not to 
 be cruel and ungentle to thyself. Therefore even very 
 nature prescribeth to us a joyful life, that is to say, pleasure 
 at the end of all our operations." 
 
 The following incident is valuable because it indicates 
 at once the impartiality and the solicitude of the brother 
 teacher for the real advancement of a sister. The heroine 
 of it has supplied a neat, honest preamble to her brother's 
 letter. Judge of it yourself, good reader. 
 
 "It was Richard's custom while he held school at Ellerslie 
 to send home with each girl a half-yearly report at Mid-
 
 94 ADVICE TO A SISTER. 
 
 winter and at Christmas of her school work. My own work 
 since Christmas had not been satisfactory, consequently the 
 report I had to take home was not as favorable as it would 
 have been had my lessons been better learnt. Richard 
 knew I would feel troubled about this, and so he sent me 
 a kind, brotherly letter, a copy of which I now send you, 
 dear sir." 
 
 "Geelong, 14th July, 1880. 
 " My dear Florrie, 
 
 " I take the first opportunity that has presented itself of 
 writing to you on the subject of your report. I daresay 
 you felt disappointed and perhaps thought I had spoken too 
 harshly, but I think a moment's reflection will convince you 
 that I could not have spoken truthfully of your work and 
 have said less than I did. But I wish rather to speak of 
 the future. Your success lies in your own hands ; there is 
 no reason why you should not come out splendidly at 
 Christmas. 
 
 " I want you to remember that you have natural good 
 ability, but the best ability is ruined if not combined with 
 steady application. You see a thing quickly, or rather you 
 see half of it, and you therefore do not bend your mind to 
 it as some one else does, who takes longer time, but in the 
 end understands more of the subject than you do. 
 
 " I have had to fight against the same thing, and I know 
 that nothing but a steady application and a determination 
 to thoroughly master every detail of the subject will cure 
 you. I know the difficulty under which you labor that of 
 seeing a point too quickly and too superficially. As I say,
 
 ADVICE TO A SISTER. 95 
 
 I have fought against it myself and I have conquered; you 
 have good health and may do the same. I do not reproach 
 you in the slightest ; very far from it. I wish both you and 
 your sister would make me more your brother than your 
 teacher. I know my manner is often distant. Remember, 
 I have a great deal to think of, but you must not let that 
 keep you away from me. I, on my side, will try to make 
 you feel nearer to me, and you must both try to do the same 
 on your part, so that we may understand each other better. 
 I hope you and your sister will make up your minds for 
 some steady plodding, and will bring your difficulties to me 
 and we shall get on better. With best love to all, in which 
 Tom joins me, 
 
 " Believe me, your ever affectionate brother, 
 
 "R. Hy. HART." 
 
 Thank you very much, Miss Florrie, for allowing us to 
 learn more fully, by the help of this letter, that your brother 
 so thoroughly understood some of the essential elements of 
 successful teaching. He shows in what he wrote to you 
 the importance of winning the confidence of his pupils, of 
 being in sympathy with them, ascertaining their natures 
 and their natural gifts, showing an interest in their advance 
 ment, winning their love as a friend and not exciting their 
 fear as an overseer. The mere recitation of a lesson by a 
 pupil would not satisfy him ; he looked for proof that the 
 understanding was engaged as well as the memory. He 
 evidently might be trusted for doing his part towards 
 impressing the youthful mind with the fact that future 
 success in life depends on doing school work well. The
 
 96 INSPIRED TEACHING. 
 
 inspiration of teaching is bestowed only on favored teachers. 
 A writer on education, one of my respected " Anon's," ex- 
 presses himself thus : " Not one in a thousand of teachers 
 is inspired. The other 999 cannot draw anything out of 
 any soul. Let it content them to furnish food by which 
 the soul may grow ; that is by becoming instructed. Such 
 uninspired teachers may in their hap-hazard or dull plod- 
 ding way, assist some ravenous soul in finding his path to 
 the tree of life (? knowledge) although they themselves have 
 never tasted one of its leaves." This writer, whilst acknow- 
 ledging the worth of educating, feeding the mind, urges 
 that " the light and sweetness of it should be drawn out by 
 the teacher." 
 
 Whether Mr. Hart was or was not an inspired teacher, 
 he is to be credited with endeavoring to arouse and to bring 
 into exercise whatever ability the learners possessed, and 
 impressing on their minds Michael Angelo's significant 
 axiom " Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no 
 trifle." 
 
 It is simply an act of justice to the recipient of the letter, 
 who has so artlessly confessed inattention to school duties, 
 to state that in the following half-yearly report she was 
 greatly commended. In it she is credited with " an excel- 
 lent position in her class, her Bible, English, History, and 
 Latin, progress especially good, and all other subjects (thir- 
 teen in number) shew well." Out of a maximum of 100 
 marks for each subject her numbers ranged from 66 to 97 ; a 
 considerable number being from 80 to over 90. Other 
 proofs of marked advancement are recorded in the report
 
 A VACATION TRIP. 97 
 
 from which these statements are copied ; showing clearly 
 that the kindly advice of her brother had not been lost 
 upon his pupil. 
 
 And now the way is clear for the account of the first 
 vacation trip kindly supplied by that one of the party who 
 narrowly escaped being drowned. 
 
 Some little time before the Christmas vacation of 1879, 
 Mr. Hart suggested to Mr. Akins, an intimate friend, an 
 excursion to some portion of the Colony where shooting and 
 fishing could be indulged in, and where there would be a 
 freedom from the forms which society imposes on its mem- 
 bers. After gathering much information and good advice, 
 most of which was not very suitable to the circumstances, 
 it was decided that the Gippsland Lakes and Mitchell River 
 should be the scene of action. Accordingly a tent and the 
 indispensable billy, fryingpan, &c., were purchased and a 
 start made. The trip over was a most pleasant one, and 
 having reached Bairnsdale in safety they pitched their tent 
 on the banks of the Mitchell, just on the outskirts of the 
 town. Nextmorning, having donned their sporting garments 
 which gave them the appearance of being two newly-fledged 
 bushrangers they waited on the local photographer in order 
 to have their " pictures taken." The good man was somewhat 
 astonished, and evidently puzzled, as to the character of his 
 customers. Having timidly, but unsuccessfully, urged them 
 to brush their hair, he endeavoured to find out what was 
 required of him. He explained the difference between a 
 vignette and full length portrait, and also enlightened 
 them upon the meaning of the term carte de visitc. By
 
 98 A NARROW ESCAPE. 
 
 dint of much questioning he found that his customers 
 wanted s. full length carte de visite, and having announced 
 his terms as leing cash in advance he set to work, and, to 
 do him justice, produced as good a portrait of each as could 
 be expected from such unpromising subjects. A boat was 
 hired, and a few days after they pulled down the river, 
 fixing their camp on the narrow neck of land known as 
 Eagle Point, where easy access could be had either to the 
 river or lake. The only event that marred the enjoyment 
 of the holiday was the narrow escape of Mr. Akins from 
 being drowned while they were out on Lake King shooting. 
 He had swum away from the boat to secure some game, and 
 after a time found he was becoming exhausted. Unfortunately 
 the rowlocks of the boat were so fitted as to require tAvo 
 persons to manage it. Owing to this, and a stiff" breeze which 
 was blowing, Mr. Hart found himself unable to go to the 
 rescue of his friend, who, despairing of help, had struck out 
 for the shore, which was fully a mile distant. But the merci- 
 ful Father, who listens to the cry of his children, gave wisdom 
 to act in that hour of trial, for the idea flashed into Mr. 
 Hart's mind to let the wind propel the boat on one side 
 while he worked the oar on the other. Thus he was enabled to 
 make some headway, and when Mr. Akins turned his head 
 to take what he supposed to be a farewell look, to his great 
 joy he found that the boat was perceptibly nearer. This 
 gave him fresh strength, and, turning his back to the shore, 
 he swam towards the boat, which he eventually reached in 
 the last stage of exhaustion. This incident brought the 
 friends into very close communion, and the night spent by 
 them in that little tent on the shores of Lake King was a
 
 WOMAN'S HOSPITALITY. 99 
 
 sacred time to them both, binding them together not only 
 in the ties of friendship, but in that closer bond that exists 
 between the children of God. 
 
 Out of this incident arose another, which, in itshumour- 
 ousness, contrasted strongly with the former. The re-action 
 upon Mr. Hart had been so great that he felt unequal to 
 the work of helping to row the boat up the Mitchell to 
 Bairnsdale, the difficulty being increased by the loss of one 
 of the oars. It was therefore decided that a farmhouse 
 about three miles up the river should be visited, and a shake- 
 down asked for. Upon reaching it, the grotesque and dilapi- 
 dated appearance of the friends so roused the suspicions of 
 the farmer that he refused the request point blank. He 
 relented so far at last as to refer the castaways to his wife, 
 who, with true womanly sympathy, at once took them in, 
 and gave them a good supper. The farmer, who was a real 
 Englishman, after having his meal, became more friendly, 
 and, entering into conversation, was extremely surprised to 
 find that the two tramps were the principal of a ladies 
 college and a tolerably well-known business man. He 
 made the friends comfortable for the night, and next morn- 
 ing lent them an oar and a hat to replace those which had 
 been lost, and had them conveyed down the river to where 
 their boat was moored. Bairnsdale was reached in due 
 course, and, after a few days spent very pleasantly in that 
 town, Mr. Hart and his friend returned to Stawell and 
 resumed work once more. 
 
 The year following a trip to Cape Bridgewater was ar- 
 ranged. The train was taken to Portland, and the friends, hav-
 
 100 AN UNCERTAIN ABODE. 
 
 ing sent their impedimenta on by a fisherman's cart, walked 
 out to the Cape, a distance of about twelve miles. The 
 tent was pitched in a ravine which had been formed by the 
 face of a hill having slipped away towards the sea, one of 
 the most beautiful spots that could be imagined ; it seemed 
 to be specially designed for comfort and enjoyment, but on 
 the second night a proof to the contrary was given. The 
 wind had changed, and now blew right through the little 
 valley where they had camped, and with such force as to 
 threaten the safety of the tent. There was nothing to be done 
 but slip on a few clothes, and, in the darkness, wind, and 
 drizzle, tighten the pegs and ropes and make things as 
 secure as possible. Many a laugh was indulged in as they 
 thought of the jokes that their friends would have had at 
 their expense could they see them in that lonely spot, 
 fighting the elements for the possession of their frail 
 habitation. Next morning they were none the worse in body, 
 and had received a lesson which, on a subsequent trip, proved 
 of great service. The sea air and dull weather did not seem 
 to agree with Mr. Hart, and as he felt rather unwell at the 
 end of the first week it was decided to break up the establish- 
 ment, and spend the remaining few days at Mr. McKinlay's, 
 where greater comfort and accommodation could be obtained. 
 Hearing that a gentleman with his wife and family were 
 staying there, who might not appreciate their somewhat 
 uncivilised mode of dress, Mr. Akins relates that Mr. Hart 
 indulged in the luxury of a paper collar, while he, who had 
 no collar of any kind, greased his boots as a set off to his 
 companion's intense respectability. The other visitors proved 
 to be old friends of Mr. Hart's, and the rest of the time 
 was passed very pleasantly.
 
 EFFORTS FOR CHARITIES. 101 
 
 Having derived decided benefit to his health from his 
 river and lake excursions, Mr. Hart commenced school 
 duties at the close of the recess with encouraging prospects, 
 whether he regarded himself or his pupils. He secured the 
 help of competent lady assistants, and during three years had 
 met with very marked success. As a day school especially 
 Ellerslie was in favor, and he could count, in addition to the 
 day scholars, a few boarders ; all of whom received careful 
 oversight and judicious direction in the prosecution of their 
 studies. The report already supplied may be accepted, sub- 
 stantially, as representing those he made at the close of 
 successive " halfs." 
 
 Although the master of Ellerslie was sedulously attentive 
 to the duties of his position, he found time to promote the 
 interests of the several public bodies and institutions of the 
 town ; and in particular to its local charities. He organ- 
 ised concerts in aid of the funds of the local Fire Brigade, 
 the Mechanics' Institute, and the Hospital ; each of which 
 was crowned with success and highly remunerative. After 
 the concert given in aid of the Hospital he had the satis- 
 faction of paying 67 into the treasury of that refuge for 
 the sick and injured, and he was elected one of the life 
 governors as an acknowledgment of the service rendered. 
 
 A like honor was conferred on him by the Committee of 
 the Mechanics' Institute ; of this he was made a life 
 member. Much as these proofs that his labors were prized 
 by the committees of these institutions were valued by the 
 recipient of them, he knew that over and above these 
 he had won the goodwill and regard of the great majority
 
 102 EFFORTS FOR CHARITIES. 
 
 of his fellow townsmen. This was light and cheer to him. 
 But the warmth of the sun brings out snakes and other 
 reptiles, as well as birds of song and rich plumage. 
 
 Referring to Mr. Hart's love for music, one of his most 
 intimate friends writes : " There was just this difference 
 between him and most musicians, that he used music in 
 raising himself to higher things. He did not become the 
 slave of music ; although passionately fond of it he did 
 not allow passion to dethrone reason. It is a peculiar fact 
 that musicians as a rule are good for little else. * * * 
 He placed his musical talents at the service of God, and 
 at the disposal of the poor and needy." 
 
 The explicitness of an engagement was always kept in 
 mind by our young friend, yet he would not allow any 
 engagement to lessen the interest he took in the affairs of 
 the Australian Natives' Association ; these lay very near to 
 his heart. Numerous as were his engagements, and exact- 
 ing as at times they were on his strength, he found time to 
 prepare and deliver a number of essays before the Stawell 
 Branch of that Association. " The Round Table," " General 
 Havelock," ''President Garfield," "The Indian Mutiny," 
 and other kindred subjects, were carefully treated by him. 
 
 Just two extracts from " The Round Table" will illustrate 
 his style in this class of composition. The first an enquiry 
 respecting chivalry. 
 
 " What is chivalry 1 As well might you ask yonder couple 
 who walk along, side by side, each wrapped up in the other 
 and equally regardless of the existence of any but them-
 
 STYLE OP COMPOSITION. 103 
 
 selves what is love ? Make the soldier define honor, and 
 the preacher charity, or the Australian native patriotism 
 and when these are defined we may be prepared to define 
 chivalry. You may clothe its meaning in words, but how tame 
 and common-place these seem beside the thing itself. It 
 is something like the bouquet in wine, so much talked of by 
 connoisseurs and so impossible to be described." 
 
 The second may be called an application of his subject : 
 
 "The young men of to-day may learn a lesson from the 
 courtly knightliness of knights of 'The Round Table,' 
 which forbade the sneer of the scornful and hushed to 
 silence the vile slander of the worthless. It is too much 
 the fashion for the young man of the period to regard every 
 woman as having her price, and to speak lightly and sneer- 
 ingly of those who should be held sacred by them and pro- 
 tected from the slightest breath of suspicion. Our youth who 
 is carefully training an incipient moustache and anxiously 
 feeling a downy chin is flattered if he but pass himself off 
 as knowing the ways of the town, and, according to his own 
 account, would glory if he could persuade you that he was 
 a second Don Juan. I believe that the future of our race 
 will depend upon the position that woman holds among us, 
 and I am proud to think that in this direction our Associ- 
 ation may do grand work, and may, if it will, prove a second 
 Round Table for the colonies." 
 
 Such was the bent given by the lecturer to the subjects 
 on which he was accustomed to speak. Enforcing from 
 them lessons of true manliness and purity, such as the 
 above extracts will serve to illustrate, showing that in
 
 104 STYLE OP COMPOSITION. 
 
 comparison with a pure and holy life all the honors and 
 successes of the world are but as dust and ashes. 
 
 " Arthur was true knight and true man; he was also a true 
 friend with a life unstained. He stands like a mighty 
 pillar of strength, the glorious example to us all of the 
 perfect man. No wrong with him remained unrighted, no 
 trust was ever betrayed, no friend was ever forsaken, no 
 claim for justice ever forgotten a bright and shining 
 example to all." 
 
 Occasionally Mr. Hart found time to pen a few lines 
 for The Australian Native, a neat monthly, the first number 
 of which was issued December 19th, 1882, under the auspices 
 of the Board of Directors of the Australian Natives' Associ- 
 ation. The first article on its third page states the paper to be 
 the official organ of the A.N.A., adding, as the Association 
 is entirely non-political and non-religious, so also will this 
 journal be. However, as the mere reports of the various 
 Branch Associations furnished a somewhat monotonous 
 class of reading, the contributions of any one who would 
 be at the pains of writing narratives or neutral articles are 
 worth reading. Now and again weightier matter was 
 relieved by lighter, grave by more gay. As a sample of 
 Mr. Hart's contributions to The Australian Native, his " Jot- 
 tings at the Grampians" may find its place, the more so as 
 it is an account of one of his yearly " outings," in the en- 
 joyment of which he sought recreation and invigoration. 
 
 JOTTINGS AT THE GKAMPIANS. Soon after last Boxing 
 Day we prepared for our annual "outing." I say "we"
 
 " JOTTINGS AT THE GRAMPIANS." 105 
 
 because the same companion, whom we will call George, has 
 shared my joys and sorrows on the three last trips. This 
 year we decided to go to the Grampians, and, having hired a 
 roomy waggonette and a strong horse, we packed up a 
 fortnight's feed for man and beast, a capital old tent, our 
 fishing tackle, and our guns. We left Stawell early on 
 Thursday morning in our " one horse chaise," and the best 
 of spirits. Our trap being well filled, for some time 
 we made slow progress. The groom who started us must 
 have possessed an unsuspected wealth of humour. We put 
 the usual question to him, " Have you given us a good 
 horse 1 ?" (Why have people so little regard for the future 
 welfare of grooms, that they will make them perjure them- 
 selves? I must read up on this, as our Jack would say.) 
 Prompt and ready came the reply, "Capital horse, sir; he's 
 rather fresh; you must be careful how you hit him; speak to 
 him first." We were careful, very careful, and until we 
 found out the fraud that horse had the best of us, but 
 after we had gone for some distance the pace seemed un- 
 reasonably slow. George braced himself up for the occasion. 
 I drew my knees up to my chin for fear the horse's heels 
 might come up too high, and we dared the worst. We spoke 
 kindly to the animal, and touched him with the whip. He 
 took it much more quietly than we expected, and we re- 
 peated the dose in a somewhat stronger form, and after our 
 fears had vanished, we found that the innocent looking 
 groom had taken us in, and that our horse would stand the 
 usual amount of urging to travel without breaking his neck. 
 George had a passion for kangaroo hunting, and we had 
 spent some time looking for dogs for that purpose. We
 
 106 " JOTTINGS AT THE GRAMPIANS." 
 
 called on a number of our friends, who were all pleased to 
 see us and were quite delighted to think that we were going 
 to have such a pleasant trip. They praised our idea of 
 hunting the kangaroos with dogs as an excellent one, and 
 each had his own tale of success in that line. Presently, 
 however, my mate artfully introduced the real object of our 
 visit, and slily insinuated (you don't know George, Mr. 
 Editor, or you would appreciate his playful little style), "I 
 suppose you don't know where we could get a pair of good 
 kangaroo dogs," when all the time he really meant " I guess 
 you know if you like to tell." It was positively amazing 
 to find how soon the fountain of eloquence gave out " all 
 of a suddint like," and each man became distressingly 
 ignorant upon the subject. However we " rose" a dog the 
 next morning. George remembered that a dog had been 
 skulking round his fire-place for some days, and, as a 
 sympathetic friend said, " Try him ; you never know what's 
 in a dog until you try him." The beast was not a pre- 
 possessing animal, but in view of future possibilities he 
 became positively handsome. We placed him in the front 
 of the trap, and lavished attention upon him, even allowing 
 him to slobber over our clothes, and speculating as to the 
 number of hares and kangaroos he would catch. Misplaced 
 confidence. I shudder even now as I think of it, and if I 
 had foreseen the awful force of my friend's prediction "you 
 never know what's in a dog until you try him," I know I 
 should have felt bloodthirsty. But I anticipate. There are 
 some subjects too sad for comment, and this is one. A 
 pair of hobbles and a bell formed part of our outfit, and I 
 always felt happy as I looked upon them, feeling that both
 
 " JOTTINGS AT THE GRAMPIANS." 107 
 
 were in a sense guarantees of the safety of our horse. 
 More misplaced confidence ! Dinner time found us "spanned 
 out" at Ah See's, and before sunset we had passed Brigg's 
 Peak, and entered "the Gap." I should not forget to 
 mention that I saw on the way a genuine Chinese girl, 
 dressed in a charmingly simple costume of loose jumper 
 and a pair of trousers. The road inside the gap became 
 ragged, rocky, and rutty, and to add to our troubles we 
 found no water where we had expected a plentiful supply. 
 The consequence was we had to push on for some distance 
 further. It was later than we had intended it should be, 
 and it took us all our time to get our horse tethered and 
 fed, and the tent rigged up before the sun went down. 
 There was, however, a beautiful long twilight, and we cut 
 gum leaves for a bed, and a splendid bed they made, I can 
 assure you soft, springy, and sweet smelling. We 
 thoroughly enjoyed our tea that evening, although it was 
 only soup, fried parrot, and toast, with plenty of tea. 
 George is a capital cook, and he turns out the meals as well 
 as most ladies. In fact I think he is almost as good as a 
 Chinaman. If you want a dainty dish, shoot some fat 
 parrots and mountain pigeons, as we did, pluck and " draw" 
 them, and cut the bodies down the centre of the breast; 
 fried in fat they can't easily be beaten. After a good meal 
 my mate took out his pipe, and I wandered along the hill- 
 side in the evening light, waiting for the moon to rise. The 
 scene of beauty was one I am not likely soon to forget. I 
 stood in a gorge between two ranges. There in front of me 
 towered the lordly Grampians, rising sheer to the height of 
 several hundreds of feet, every crag and every peak glowing
 
 108 " JOTTINGS AT THE GRAMPIANS." 
 
 gently with the beautiful twilight, which softened down all 
 hardness, and clothed the harshest peak with " a beauty all 
 its own." There were immense rocks, which in the daylight 
 had looked like stern forbidding sentinels placed at the 
 entrance of one of Nature's palaces, which now seemed to 
 beam with kindly welcome on us as guests. Deep ravines 
 took upon them in the softness of the radiance a fresh 
 glory, and lured man on to closer communion with them. 
 Withered and blasted trees, with their gaunt arms stretched 
 out to the sky in pity, which, in the daylight, had seemed 
 to mutter curses on their hard fate, yielded to the magic 
 influence, and brightening up amazingly, tried to think 
 themselves young and blooming again. The shrubbery threw 
 out its richest fragrance, and filled the air with perfume of 
 the rarest delicacy. The trees that were yet young and 
 beautiful nestling together in their timid love, seemed 
 almost afraid to whisper, for fear they would break the 
 strange spell of the silent night ; and the very zephyr 
 hushed its faintest whisper as it passed over the spot, and 
 like the last rich chord of an organist's voluntary, trembled 
 away into a long-drawn sigh. The water at my feet threw 
 back the light of the sparkling stars which were being hung 
 out as lights in the sky above me Longfellow's "forget- 
 me-nots of the angels." Looking upward what a sight met 
 my eyes 1 The milky way was stretched right across the 
 heavens like a well-trodden path, full of mystery and of 
 hallowed beauty. The most striking of all constellations, 
 our glorious Southern Cross, had swung into its place, and 
 Orion's belt shone clear and beautiful, while the rich lines 
 of Sirius glowed like a fire. And while I gazed spellbound,
 
 " JOTTINGS AT THE GRAMPIANS." 109 
 
 held by the intensity of the awful stillness around me, for 
 every sound was hushed to rest in the presence of Nature's 
 glories, suddenly right down the valley a wall of mist came 
 stealthily creeping along until it threatened to blot out 
 everything. The very stars blinked at its presence, and the 
 beauty and majesty of the scene had been rudely broken. 
 But the mist came steadily on, first in puffs of fleecy white- 
 ness, then in deeper and heavier clouds rolling along the 
 mountain's side. But it lay not there for long, for as 
 suddenly as it had come, so suddenly did this cloud lift 
 higher and higher until it left us, and then I could see that 
 it had been only the fall of the curtain before a gorgeous 
 transformation scene, for as it went, I saw that a new 
 beauty and an increased majesty had been added. The 
 queen of night had left her chamber, was starting to pace 
 her path in all her loveliness across the starlit sky. The 
 grandeur of the scene had been increased tenfold, and as I 
 saw how every twig on every tree, how every little head- 
 land on the hills, and every little hollow in our path was 
 crowned with glory and majesty, I felt that Nature had 
 become overpowering, and language unequal to the task of 
 description ; there was nothing left but to take off" one's hat 
 and worship, and rest assured the thoughts of the first 
 evening in the Grampians were " long deep thoughts." 
 Next morning we rose to the song of the warblers, and, 
 after breakfast, strolled off with our guns. On our return 
 to camp our horse, which we had left hobbled, was nowhere 
 to be seen ; tired and hungry there was nothing to be done 
 but go in chase. Fortunately he had only hobbled along for 
 about two miles, but the eager manner in which George and
 
 110 " JOTTINGS AT THE GRAMPIANS." 
 
 I followed up the trail of the hobbles on the road and off 
 the road, would have gladdened the heart of a black-fellow. 
 We profited by our experience, and for the rest of that trip, 
 when we went from camp for any length of time, our fast- 
 going charger suffered the penalty of his indiscretion, and 
 remained tethered. On Saturday we harnessed up and 
 went some miles further on to the Mackenzie River. I 
 dare not start to describe the beauties of that journey. 
 Arrived at the river late in the evening we found ourselves 
 in the midst of rabbits. They were simply everywhere, 
 and our noble dog had ample opportunity of distinguishing 
 himself. You have anticipated my verdict he utterly 
 failed. Of all frauds that make men's hearts ache at the 
 thought of injustice, that dog was the worst. The rabbits 
 " ran rings round him," and I believe thoroughly frightened 
 him out of whatever wits he had once possessed. He 
 contented himself with running, barking, and snapping at 
 some of the smallest. That dog I write it in deep sorrow 
 of heart is as great a fraud as my maiden aunt, who, after 
 a pilgrimage of fifty weary years in this vale of tears, 
 celebrated her twenty-third birthday last week. At least 
 if it wasn't my aunt, it was somebody else's, and that's all 
 the same. As the sky was something like the sweet child 
 making insane attempts to smile at the visitor in other 
 Avords threatened wind we pitched our tent in a group of 
 saplings, and erected a strong break- wind ; having first shot 
 a pair of rabbits for our Sunday dinner. Sunday was like 
 washing day at home, rather squally, and Monday being 
 New Year's Day, we resolved to enjoy ourselves. George's 
 wife had thoughtfully supplied us with an excellent Christ-
 
 " JOTTINGS AT THE GRAMPIANS." Ill 
 
 mas pudding, and part of this formed our second course. I 
 rejoice, now to think that we managed to eat so much of it, 
 but I grieve when I remember that I left a rich plummy 
 piece right in the centre. Leaving it on our "table," we 
 debated whether we should have it next time "hot or cold;" the 
 question was settled for us before we returned. Having per- 
 formed our ablutions at the river, and filled our billies for 
 tea, we returned to the camp full of pleasant anticipations 
 of plum pudding. The first thing I noticed was our 
 dog reposed at full length, wagging his tail, and looking 
 almost angelic. I called George's attention to him, and said, 
 " He's not so bad, after all, if he does love the bunnies too 
 much to try to catch them." The dog's delight seemed so 
 ridiculously disproportioned to the mere fact of our return 
 home, that when I saw some sugar on his nose, I thought 
 it time to look for a better reason. How little did I 
 think that, like some men and women, his grateful looks 
 and smiling welcome arose from the fact that he had 
 filled his stomach at our expense. But so it was. Oh 
 woeful tale ! That wretched dog had eaten all our pudding, 
 finished our parrots, and licked up all the sugar he could 
 find. In the face of such a catastrophe I felt powerless. 
 My grief and sorrow overcame me, and I contented 
 myself with compelling that ungrateful animal to take up 
 his quarters at a distance from our camp. George was 
 very aggravating, almost brutal in his manner. " Never 
 mind," he said "the dog has given you an incident for your 
 notes." As if " an incident " for the Native was to be 
 compared with a slice of fine plum pudding. I wonder 
 I did not brain him on the spot for such a cold-blooded
 
 112 'JOTTINGS AT THE GRAMPIANS." 
 
 thought ! And in talking it over with him, the only con- 
 solation I could obtain was his expression, " I would 
 almost as soon he had prigged the brandy." When I 
 tell you that George is Secretary to a Tent of the I.O.R., 
 you will appreciate the magnitude of his sacrifice. But 
 there ! I can't talk coolly over the subject of that dog's 
 base ingratitude. We spent that afternoon quietly. 
 Soon after we settled down I saw George uneasily 
 investigating a part of his apparel. He was lying on 
 his left side, and hoisting up his right leg he drew his 
 finger smartly along his trousers until, as I saw a light 
 come, it dawned upon me that he was striking a match. I 
 ventured to remark that it was " a custom more honored 
 in the breach than the observance," when he quietly 
 replied " Precisely, I quiet agree with you ; some fellows 
 strike them on their coat, but I like to strike them on the 
 breeches." What can you do with a man who abuses 
 Shakespeare like that 1 I have a great deal to tell you, 
 but I must forbear. If I commenced to write about our 
 fishing and our bathing in some " fairylike bowers," our 
 shooting wild duck, plover and goose, our emu hunting, 
 our kangaroo chase, without a dog, I am afraid I should 
 never stop. The scenery and sport throughout the trip 
 were simply splendid, and to any one who is in search of 
 a thoroughly enjoyable outing, I need only to say " Come 
 to Stawell at the right time of the year (any time but 
 winter) and I can recommend you to a place where you 
 may enjoy yourself to the full, and from which you will 
 come back contented and happy." 
 
 Stawell. R. H. H.
 
 CHARITY CONCERTS. 113 
 
 Thus year succeeded year, during each of which Mr. Hart 
 pursued a steady course of routine duties, his lesser rests 
 taken between the annual outings being simply change of 
 employment, or a variation of his efforts to do good. At 
 one time his talents were placed at the disposal of the 
 danger-daring and toil-enduring miner ; and now the sick 
 in the hospital had the benefit of them ; or, by their use he 
 extended a helping hand to the aged and infirm, who ambled 
 across their own floors, or nursed their " ain fireside." The 
 studious mechanic had the advantage of them one day, 
 and the active knight of the willow another ; occasionally 
 he assisted to give a delicate complimentary " return" for 
 the musical assistance given to Stawell by other musical 
 celebrities ; and, if he ever exerted them with a greater zest 
 than ordinary, perhaps it was when the effort was in favor 
 of those brave men who fight the destructive element of 
 fire under their generous motto " Eeady to Save." 
 
 Thecurt action suggestion "Sometime, somewhere, some- 
 how" kept him constantly at work. Not unfrequently he 
 occupied positions prompting the aspiration in those around 
 him, " such be my labor and such be my reward." 
 
 (^.) But whilst he was thus employed, influences were at 
 work to effect his hurt, the effects of which were too 
 serious to be passed over altogether ; yet, in consideration 
 of those who were implicated, they shall be no further 
 noticed than justice to the memory of ' the deceased 
 demands. 
 
 Men are found in small as well as in large towns " for 
 close designs and crooked counsels fit " men to whom the
 
 114 THE TONGUE OP SLANDER. 
 
 destruction of another man's good name is a delight, and 
 who need no other incentive to the base act than merit 
 in those they seek to traduce. They are as persistent, too, in 
 their evil purpose as the raven who haunts the eagle for 
 perpetual quarrel, although the former knows that in every 
 quarrel she is to come off worsted. The young school-master 
 was called to experience that such men were where he 
 elected to make his home. 
 
 There is a painful appositeness to this case in a couplet 
 from Moore : 
 
 " The heart that is soonest awoke to the flowers, 
 Is always the first to be touched by the thorn." 
 
 (/!) He who loved flowers so much, and inspired a new love 
 for them in so many hearts, was not touched, but pierced to 
 the quick by the thorn of foul-mouthed slander. Of her Dr. 
 Cotton, in his day, wrote: 
 
 " No plea diverts the fury's rage, 
 The fury spares not sex nor age, 
 E'en MERIT, with destructive charms, 
 Provokes the vengeance of her arms." 
 
 Every upright man is conscious of the truth written by 
 Burke : " We are all of us made to shun disgrace as we 
 are made to shrink from pain and poverty." Therefore 
 every upright man will thus shun it. But such a man may 
 adopt other words of the great man just quoted " Whilst I 
 humble myself before God, I do not know that it is for- 
 bidden to repel the attacks of unjust and inconsiderate 
 men ! " Wherever the nature of the attack has connected
 
 THE TONGUE OF SLANDER. 115 
 
 with it that which may be conscientiously conciliated, the 
 claims may not be lightly treated or scorned ; but, where 
 this appears to be an impossibility, other means have to 
 be resorted to. No man ever feared that the truth should 
 be heard except the man whom the truth will condemn. 
 Nevertheless, search for it may require time and skill, for 
 where this thread of truth runs through a web of lies it 
 is not detected without labor and cost. 
 
 (g.) A protracted search, in which paid agencies had to 
 be engaged, resulted in the detection of the principal calum- 
 niator, and steps were at once taken for his prosecution. 
 The exculpatory character of the evidence at command was 
 overwhelming ; nevertheless the action of the law was, in 
 compassion to the offender, arrested, on condition that he 
 published an apology, dictated by Mr. Hart himself, in such 
 of the Colonial papers as Mr. Hart would name, and pay 
 the costs incurred by the lawyers employed by himself and 
 those incurred by Mr. Hart. 
 
 An opinion obtained in certain quarters that the 
 detractor had more than one particeps criminis in this 
 nefarious transaction. Whether this was so or not there 
 is strong truth in the assertion of Howard : 
 
 " It is the master piece of villainy, 
 To smooth thy brow and outface suspicion." 
 
 These strong words of Howard an Earl of Surrey are 
 urged upon the attention of all to whom they are applicable 
 in any degree. 
 
 A church court, called at Mr. Hart's request, for the pur-
 
 116 THE TONGUE OP SLANDER. 
 
 pose of investigating certain similar charges, did so during 
 a sitting of several hours, and in a most exhaustive manner, 
 and by resolutions pronounced him " perfectly innocent of 
 the charges laid against him." The opinion of the vener- 
 able and reverend chairman of that court is thus stated 
 as supplementary to the resolution: "My opinion is that 
 Richard Hart was utterly incapable of the conduct charged 
 against him, * * * that lie was an out-and-out Christian 
 gentleman, incapable of even that levity which is some- 
 times indulged in by young men whose piety is shallow 
 towards the other sex." 
 
 The reader may probably be asking what possible motive 
 could induce different persons to, at different times, indus- 
 triously circulate rumors to Mr. Hart's detriment. The 
 question is easily asked, but not so easily answered. The 
 law of libel is, unfortunately, so uncertainly administered 
 in the colony that it would be dangerous to speak as plainly 
 as might otherwise be done. With one of the principal 
 witnesses in his grave, too, it must be seen that more than 
 usual circumspection has to be observed. 
 
 In the case of the girl, who can say what visions might 
 cross her mind at the power the making of such a charge 
 as she did against her teacher might give her over him % 
 The reader must supply the hiatus for himself, or herself, 
 and to anyone who reads between the lines the task is not 
 a difficult one. The verdict of an impartial church court, 
 at which both parties were heard, carries its own conviction 
 with it, and the character of one exonerated by such a body 
 requires no bolstering up at my hands. Nor will it receive
 
 THE TONGUE OP SLANDER. 117 
 
 any. The second case speaks for itself. A defendant in 
 a slander suit does not usually bear the legal and other 
 expenses incurred by the plaintiff, and the cost of 
 inserting a most abject apology in a number of newspapers, 
 if he has the slightest chance of gaining the case. And 
 such was done in this instance. There are some on whose 
 malevolent spirits the sight of a pure-minded and righteously 
 living person has the same effect as a red garment is said 
 to have on an infuriated bull. Let the reader calmly and 
 dispassionately judge of Mr. Hart's character as pourtrayed 
 in these pages. Read by the light of his other acts the 
 charges are disproved without the necessity of citing evidence. 
 
 The helplessness of a man thus maligned could be illus- 
 trated by the name of some of the noblest and holiest of 
 men ; no wise man will enter into the hazardous course of 
 a solicitous vindication of himself, and the evil consequences 
 of these false allegations can rarely be warded by the hand 
 of another, inasmuch as the vindication travels slower than 
 reproach, rarely extends so far, and men are so constituted 
 that they accept it unwillingly. 
 
 Such was the condition of the young school-master, and. 
 convinced of the most effectual course open to him being 
 to live down the opprobrium, he set himself manfully, if 
 not cheerfully, to accomplish the task, on either the old 
 or on new ground. A conscious integrity sustained him, so 
 that he had solid ground for hoping for a satisfactory 
 result from the severe testing process through which he 
 was passing, and his heart was fixed trusting that somehow 
 loss would^ripen into gain,
 
 118 LIVING DOWN CALUMNY. 
 
 Let it be kept in mind that he thus resolved whilst still 
 walking in a present darkness, and his future all uncertain. 
 Thus to do is to trust God in the truest sense of the word. 
 Too many, alas ! call a belief that God will do what they 
 desire should be done at the time trust in God. But real 
 trust in God inspires such a confidence in His mercy, His 
 faithfulness, His fatherly regard, as is not to be shaken 
 though He see fit to disappoint every hope we have on 
 earth. This gives to trust its value in the sight of a 
 DISPOSER, whose power we are little able to resist, and whose 
 wisdom it behoves us not at all to dispute ; He having 
 ordained our affairs in a manner other than our querulous 
 weakness may suggest, we must accept it so, as the better 
 for us, because : 
 
 " Earth knows, heaven shows ; the holy scriptures say, 
 How righteous and unerring is His way." 
 
 It is not difficult for anyone of us to confide in the 
 Almighty Disposer, when there exists nothing to try our 
 faith. But to do so when the heart is trembling, and the 
 judgment perplexed, and the darkness and the terror plot 
 against us, raising storms and tempests that threaten to 
 overwhelm us this is faith. False in so many things, the 
 Arab prophet was true when he represents the Supreme 
 Being as saying to such : 
 
 * * * \y e also plan 
 
 They that love you are stronger than your haters. 
 
 Trust God, O man! " 
 
 In the case of a young Christian thus experiencing 
 the darkness of adverse providences, when it appears as if
 
 LIVING DOWN CALUMNY. 119 
 
 God had closed His ear to his prayer and forsaken him, 
 it is well that an Elisha should be at hand to speak those 
 words of assurance which drove away the fears of his 
 servant, " Fear not ; for they that be with us are more 
 than they that be with them." And if such an encourager 
 is not at hand, an intelligent confidence in the unerring 
 wisdom of God will overcome mistrust, and inspire the soul 
 with a courage such as no emeny can overawe, no uncer- 
 tainty terrify, no difficulty overcome. The more intimate 
 friends of Mr. Hart recognised on his part the exercise of 
 such a trust during this severe ordeal, and it was the basis 
 of his courage undoubtedly. 
 
 At the close of 1881, Ellerslie experienced one of those 
 lulls known to all educational establishments. The senior 
 girls had completed the time assigned to them by their 
 parentsfor school instruction, or, as a mischievious phrase has 
 it, " having finished their education," left the school. Those 
 who otherwise would have taken their place were not old 
 enough. This, with the depressed state of the mining interests, 
 and the prejudical effect from the far-flying shafts of the busy 
 vixen scandal, led the principal to seek support elsewhere. 
 Ellerslie was sustained until the end of 1882, when it 
 ceased to be open for the reception of pupils. The necessity 
 for this was not an absolute one, as the attendance showed, 
 but in view of the several causes stated, it was judged 
 advisable to take this step. 
 
 His pupils presented Mr. Hart with a valuable and 
 handsome gold locket at the concert with which he closed
 
 120 A COMPLIMENTARY BENEFIT. 
 
 the school. On the part of the public there was a general 
 expression of regret when his decision to break up the 
 establishment was known. 
 
 That Mr. Hart could not close Ellerslie, on which he had 
 expended considerable sums of money to fit the edifice for 
 what it was intended, without considerable financial loss, was 
 an impossibility. The respectable portion of his fellow 
 townsmen recognised this, and there was not wanting on 
 the part of many of them the will to alleviate this part of 
 his trouble practically. 
 
 A complimentary benefit was resolved upon ; and an effi- 
 cient committee formed to make it a monetary success and at 
 the same time an evidence of the esteem in which the benifi- 
 ciaire was held by his fellow towns-folk. The following account 
 of the entertainment is by the Stawell correspondent of 
 the Ararat Advertiser : " Not since it was opened has the 
 Stawell Town Hall presented a more gay and lively appear- 
 ance than it did on Tuesday evening last, on the occasion of 
 the complimentary benefit to Mr. B,. H. Hart, Prin- 
 cipal of Ellerslie Ladies' School. Everything that earnest- 
 ness of purpose and unflagging energy could do to 
 secure a complete success was accomplished by the gentle- 
 men who took the matter in hand. Every available seat, 
 from its first front to the extreme back, was occupied, and 
 the audience was in every sense a truly representative 
 one, every class of the community, and almost every 
 Friendly Society, giving their patronage. The concert was 
 intended as an acknowledgment of the many services ren- 
 dered by Mr. Hart to the charitable and other institutions
 
 THE MYSTIC BROTHERHOOD. 121 
 
 of the[town, as well as an expression of sympathy for that 
 gentleman on account of the injuries he had sustained 
 through vile slander and idle gossip. The respectability 
 and intelligence of Stawell, however, marked, in a most 
 unmistakable manner, its reprobation and abhorrence of 
 Mr. Hart calumniators by its presence on the occasion, and 
 its enthusiastic applause when Mr. Hart came before the 
 curtain to return thanks." The writer alludes to the aid 
 given by Mr. Hart to the Mechanics' Institute, Hospital, 
 Fire Brigade, and " other Institutions of the town," which 
 had resulted in large sums of money being handed over to 
 them, the Hospital and Fire Brigade especially. Prior to 
 the commencement of the entertainment the members of 
 the Fire Brigade, headed by a brass band, marched along 
 Patrick and Main Streets, going through the evolutions 
 usual on such occasions, under Captain Haddocks' command. 
 The spectacular effect was good, and formed an important 
 feature in the night's entertainment. The proceedings of 
 the evening were brought to a close by singing the National 
 Anthem, in which the principals and the pupils of Ellei-slie 
 sustained the main part leading the audience. It was 
 observed that not one person left the room until the patriotic 
 anthem was sung through. 
 
 In 1879 Mr. Hart joined the Masonic brotherhood, 
 which boasts that it sprang from the soul of wisdom and 
 has " the works of upright men for its monument of 
 praise." In that year he was admitted a member of the 
 Eureka Lodge, No. 987, E.G., of Freemasons. He was con- 
 nected with that lodsre and filled various offices in it till
 
 122 A BRIEF SPEECH. 
 
 the beginning of 1883, when, finding that his profession 
 would require him to spend a large portion of his time in 
 Ballarat, he joined the Orion Lodge of that City, in which 
 lodge, at the time of his last illness, he held the office of 
 S.D. Just before his death he expressed a wish to be buried 
 with Masonic honors. During the whole of his illness the 
 members of the fraternity had shown the deepest sympathy, 
 and, when the sad event of his . death occurred, a large 
 number of officers and members from Ballarat, Creswick, 
 Ararat, and other parts, came to Stawell to join with the 
 brethren of the local lodges in showing respect and doing 
 honor to the name of the departed. The Masonic portion of 
 the funeral was conducted by Bro. S. J. Morgan, Worship- 
 ful Master of the Orion Lodge, assisted by Bro. Henry 
 Jebb, Worshipful Master of the Creswick Lodge. 
 
 Anent his Masonic Associations, we are told that once, 
 when on a visit to Ballarat, he appeared amongst the brethren 
 of the craft " whom the Creator has enlightened, whom 
 equity directs, and truth guides," as a visitor, he made 
 his visit memorable by a remarkable speech. 
 
 " Spartan brevity " is the pattern formula by which a 
 letter, bulletin, or despatch expressed in a few words is 
 represented. I imagine the suitableness of the phrase to 
 describe the speech delivered by Mr. Hart will be admitted 
 by all who read it ; nor will they fail to recognise the 
 quick perception and mother-wit which he showed. At 
 the close of the ordinary business a request was sent up to 
 the Worshipful Master that he would ask Mr. Hart to 
 address the brethren, so that those curious to do so might
 
 A BRIEF SPEECH. 123 
 
 iudge of his ability as a speaker. The worthy occupant of 
 the chair was anxious, it appears, to bring the sitting to a 
 close, therefore his consent was given reluctantly, and 
 accompanied with the remark "Just one word, Mr. 
 Hart." The popular young Mason rose from his seat, to 
 the delight of the expectant brethren. Having bowed to 
 the chair, he commenced his speech " Worshipful Master 
 and brother Masons Thanks." He obeyed orders, or the 
 order, literally, though by doing so he greatly disappointed 
 those who had hoped for a speech.
 
 CHAPTEE V. : 
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN 
 NATIVES' ASSOCIATION
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Thousands, when in union joined, 
 
 Can mutual aid and thought supply, 
 Building up with strength combined 
 
 The giant tower of industry. 
 
 SCHILLER. 
 
 Among the great truths now generally accepted, none are 
 better recognised than this one, that, from the earliest 
 period of the history of our race, whether in barbarous or 
 civilized states, all great enterprises possessing a common 
 interest have been attempted by the united agency of organ- 
 ised associations. The existence of fraternal guilds, or associ- 
 ations, similar in principle and, in some particulars, similar 
 in detail to the A.N.A., have been traced as far back as the 
 reign of King Canute. The principle of combination has 
 exerted a powerful influence over the affairs of man from 
 the earliest ages. Its power has been a cumulative one up to 
 the present hour, and it will increase yet more and more. 
 In it is embodied the main-spring of power, and in pro- 
 portion as its impulses are stupidly or intelligently directed, 
 the varied interests of the social economy are injured or 
 benefited. Thus far it has been a hand-in-hand companion
 
 ORGANISED ASSOCIATIONS. 127 
 
 with progressive civilisation ; a truth which speaks largely 
 in its favor. Probably the objections occasionally heard 
 against organised combinations rest on their being capable 
 of direction to an evil end. If so, therein lies a potent 
 reason for the increase of those which have before them a 
 high and noble ideal that such objections may be removed, 
 or, at least, their force diminished. 
 
 May not the disposition which man manifested so early 
 in his history in favor of organised combination have had 
 nature for its foster-mother, if not for its real mother 1 All 
 God's higher works are organised bodies, not loose elements 
 or disjointed members among which we look in vain for 
 connection or co-operation. Men who profess faith in great 
 and benevolent, and, I will add, Christlike undertakings, yet, 
 nevertheless, persist in condemning organised combinations, 
 would be equally consistent in saying they believe in roots 
 and branches and leaves, but not in trees ; in flesh and blood 
 and bones, but not in bodies ! The folly of such a position 
 is so obvious as not to need comment. Organisation implies 
 union, and union is strength. 
 
 Somewhere I have read these words : " In this country 
 institutions are spread over every part of its surface ; 
 embracing every kind of object, possessing every element 
 of power, combining every degree of energy, and affording 
 scope for the developement and exercise of the vast 
 resources of diversified talent, which give to this nation 
 its acknowledged pre-eminence over other civilized states." 
 Applicable primarily to the British Empire, this sentence 
 is, with the exception of its closing words, applicable
 
 128 ORGANISED ASSOCIATIONS. 
 
 to Britons' sons in Australia ; and the pre-eminence 
 of the parent country is shaping the ambition of ours. 
 Young Australians are the sons of British sires, and they 
 have already shown the father-land that on the field for 
 sport, on the river, and on the field for battle, they possess 
 the vigor of body and the energy of purpose which have 
 characterised the stock from which they spring. The pro- 
 gress of Australia has been well described as being " by 
 leaps and bounds." She cannot longer be overlooked by 
 older nations. In a clear strong voice, combined with a 
 firm and respectful manner, she has preferred her claim to 
 a voice and a vote in the management of British affairs. 
 She has told France and Germany that she demands con- 
 sideration from them, and intimated to Russia her inten- 
 tion to defend her coasts against all invaders. And within 
 due limits, young Australia can fulfil the obligations of an 
 advanced civilisation equal to other nations. Appearances 
 are all in favor of this southern race making their home 
 Australia Felix, although the felicitous name is no longer 
 to the fore, for, according to Kingsley, " Wherever is 
 love and loyalty, great purposes and lofty souls, even 
 though in a hut or a mine, there is fairyland." All these 
 belong to the patriotic sons of Australia. They are there - 
 fore, justified in claiming that title for this island continent 
 in the face of the world ; and claiming it they are, under 
 a solemn obligation to maintain it. The Daily Telegraph, 
 commenting on the laureate's declaration that we are 
 sweeping into the younger day, says: "Younger heads, 
 younger hearts, and stronger limbs are to the fore. Men 
 brimful of life and vigor are taking up the task which their
 
 ORGANISED ASSOCIATIONS. 129 
 
 elders are fain to relinquish ; reinforcements are pressing 
 towards the breaches, where the veterans of British coloni- 
 sation have fallen. ' The older order changeth, yielding 
 place to the new,' and youth, ' full of pleasure,' is super- 
 seding age, which is 'full of care.' " Well, indeed, would it be 
 if every young Australian would make the acquaintance of 
 this well-drawn vigorous picture, study it daily, and weigh 
 the grave responsibilities it suggests ! The veteran colonisers 
 have passed or are fast passing away. How familiar to 
 the eye of him who reads our daily papers are the words: 
 " One of the first settlers of * * * passed away on 
 the * * instant." " Another of the first arrivals on 
 these diggings died * * 188 ." "Our readers will 
 be sorry to learn that Mr. * * * died yesterday at 
 his residence. He was the first who settled on the * * 
 plains." Yes, assuredly, the old order changeth, passeth, 
 and yieldeth to the new. Instead of the fathers are their 
 sons. And on these sons devolves the solemn duty of 
 shaping the course of this new country. Its future is being 
 confided to such young men as are swelling the ranks of 
 the A.N.A. at the present time. 
 
 There are two amongst the many combined organisations 
 which have grown up amongst us in Victoria that ought to 
 be objects of interest to every Australian, whether such by 
 adoption or birth. These are that of the Old Identities' Asso- 
 ciation and the Australian Natives'. The difference in age 
 and object by which these associations are characterised in- 
 creases the interest attached to them rather than otherwise. 
 The one touches life where the shades of eventide are creep-
 
 130 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES' ASSOCIATION. 
 
 ing slowly but surely over it ; the other touches it where 
 the honest, manly heart is lighted by " the cloudless noon of 
 youth." The first suggests to the aged and travelled man 
 the sturdy oaks of Sherwood and Windsor, the Barnum 
 beeches, or the cedars that strike their roots into the lime- 
 stone rock of Libanus, which are. decaying towards decrease 
 and death; the second brings to memory the period when 
 
 " Life went a Maying 
 With Nature, Hope, and Poesy ;" 
 
 or, when invested with a kingly dignity fitting man to be 
 "an angel's peer." Australians ought to know more of the 
 Australian Natives' Association than at present appears to 
 be known. An attempt to supply the desired informa- 
 tion will not be regarded as out of place in a memoir 
 of an ex-president of the Association, published, too, under 
 the auspices of that organisation. 
 
 The Melbourne Daily Telegraph did the A.N.A. good 
 service when in the columns of its issue for May 1st, 1885, 
 appeared a leader and a lengthy article respecting it. What 
 follows will be close on the lines of those articles, or extracts 
 from them verbatim. 
 
 Although the society has been prominently brought before 
 the Victorian public of late years, it has not been understood; 
 consequently its origin, its aims, and its claims have not 
 been justly represented. By many people it is looked at 
 suspiciously as a political organisation of a mischievous 
 class, aiming especially at influencing the party politics of 
 the colony ; whilst others, again, regard it as composed of a
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES' ASSOCIATION. 131 
 
 band of precocious young men who wish to seize the helm 
 of government and steer our little ship of state through 
 short but perilous channels into the haven of prosperity. 
 By these and other similar misconceptions the Association has 
 suffered injury. The facts are that it eschews politics, 
 respects experienced intelligence, and venerates the hoary 
 head. 
 
 The honor of founding the Australian Natives' Associa- 
 tion belongs to Victoria. On the 24th of April, 1871, 
 fourteen gentlemen met at Grimwood's Hotel, Elizabeth- 
 street, Melbourne, for the purpose of forming such a frater- 
 nity. They constituted themselves a committee, of which 
 Mr. Samuel Lyons was the Chairman and Treasurer, and 
 Mr. W. H. Leahy the Secretary pro. tern. Their object 
 was to form a benefit society, of which only Natives of 
 Victoria should be members. At subsequent meetings 
 rules were drawn up, the objects to be secured by the society 
 settled, and other matters necessary to its solidification 
 decided on. On the 6th of July, in the same year, a com- 
 mittee of the new brotherhood met, and the needed officers 
 were elected as follows J. W. Fleming, President ; 
 Messrs. J. F. Levien and S. Lyons, Vice-Presidents ; and 
 Messrs. Brown, Butler, Colgan, Treacy, Burns, Winter, 
 Oliver, Leahy, and Jenning, the Committee ; with H. B. 
 Wilson as Medical Officer. The diversified nationalities 
 represented on the Committee might have suggested a 
 broader basis than is indicated by the title selected, viz. 
 " The Friendly Society of Victorian Natives." Whether it 
 did or not, the more comprehensive one of The Australian
 
 132 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES' ASSOCIATION. 
 
 Natives' Association was afterwards adopted. The question of 
 insignia, or as it is commonly called regalia (a somewhat im- 
 proper use of the word) was mooted, and then, as since, resolu- 
 tions affecting the wearing of some badge were proposed. At 
 one general meeting it was determined that a blue rosette 
 and sash should be worn ; but up to the present the Asso- 
 ciation has maintained a republican simplicity in this 
 particular. 
 
 During the fourteen years of its existence the Austra- 
 lian Natives' Association has steadily advanced. The exist- 
 ence of vigorous branches at Ballarat, Sandhurst, Stawell, 
 Creswick, Clunes, Maryborough, Buninyong, Kerang, Mai- 
 don, Ararat, Murtoa, Kingston, Horsham, Haddon, Donald, 
 St. Arnaud, Port Melbourne, Prahran, Dimboola, Charlton, 
 South Melbourne, Dunolly, Charters Towers (Queensland), 
 and numerous other places, reflects credit on the parent 
 stem, so short a time ago planted in the city of Melbourne. 
 Additional proof of the progress of the Association is seen 
 in its numbers and financial position. The several branches 
 number 1,600 members, and have funds invested to the 
 amount of 5,000. The Ballarat is the most important branch ; 
 it has (July, 1885) 500 members, and 1,500 to its credit. 
 
 As a Friendly Society the Australian Natives' Association 
 is registered under the "Friendly Societies' Act," and 
 according to the reports of the Government Statist, and 
 of Mr. Owen, Actuary of Friendly Societies, " its financial 
 condition is most flourishing." At the conference of Feb 
 ruary 19th and 20th, 1885, a new scale of subscriptions, 
 based on Mr. Owen's report, was adopted.
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES' ASSOCIATION. 133 
 
 It was not until April 25th, 1872, that all Natives of 
 Australia were recognised as eligible to join the Society, 
 and power given to establish branches throughout the Aus- 
 tralian colonies. The setting apart of a sum of money to 
 assist in paying the expenses of delegates to the neighbor- 
 ing colonies, for the purpose of forming branch Associations, 
 is likely to add largely to the number of existing ones. 
 
 It is not as a benefit society only that this Association 
 claims public recognition. Whilst the sentiment is endorsed 
 " A brother to relieve, how exquisite the bliss" it aims 
 at yet higher ends. Its objects beyond this, as stated in the 
 general laws, are "to promote the moral, social, and intellec- 
 tual improvement of its members." High and noble ends, 
 as well as those benevolent ones indicated, are designed: 
 To prevent or cure every form of vice by opposing to it 
 moral influences ; to advance and regulate the duties per 
 taming to society, by throwing a truer light upon them ; 
 to cultivate that faculty of the human mind which receives 
 the ideas conveyed to it by the senses ; by directing, and 
 if able to do so, providing the means for expanding and 
 refining its capacity. One at least of these ends is to be 
 effected by means of courses of " lectures, essays, and 
 debates, &c." Here we are about axle deep in the old rut ; 
 so deep that a suggestion of change may be acceptable. 
 Why not a course of factories, of workshops, of sample 
 rooms 1 O, what an encyclopedia of information of sound 
 knowledge is derivable from these sources, especially if 
 conversation with the intelligent men at work in them be 
 added ! The working man on given lines can teach impor- 
 tant lessons to lecturers and professors. When will a more
 
 134 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES 5 ASSOCIATION. 
 
 extended use be made of the riches of these storehouses '? 
 The Ballarat School of Mines is a step in this direction, 
 worthy of all honor and of generous support ; but we 
 ought not to stop at this. 
 
 Let me not be understood as depreciating in the slightest 
 degree the wise precautions of the society which provides 
 for the exigencies linked on to sickness and bereavement. 
 The heart of many a member of it, who in hope and fear 
 toils through rough paths or desert sands of life, sore tried, 
 has been cheered by the thought of these, and encouraged 
 to be firm, and brave, and patient. Yet, nevertheless, 
 although this is a pleasing fact, the nobler objects of the 
 Association are those which aim at the moral and mental 
 elevation of its members, and the unification of the 
 colonies. 
 
 The Telegraph justly lays stress on the Society endeavor- 
 ing " to promote that national feeling without which no 
 country can ever hope to be great." Love of country has 
 been denned thus " An amalgamated multitude of sym- 
 pathies in brethren's hearts ; a participation in that whole 
 spirit which has breathed in the breath of that whole 
 race of which we are sprung." The promotion of this 
 SYMPATHY OP RACE is one of the grander aims of this 
 Association. " It does not say advance Victoria, or advance 
 New South Wales, nor any such cry, but Advance Australia. 
 Australia is to it one great colony ; one wide-spread com- 
 munity with the same ties, the same feelings, the same 
 aspirations. It admits every honest native-born person, 
 no matter what nationality his parents may be or what
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES' ASSOCIATION. 135 
 
 creed they profess. It recognises that no society can be- 
 come a national power which divides people into parties and 
 sects, and the members of the Australian Natives' Associa- 
 tion hope in the not distant future to see the dream of a 
 federated Australia become a waking reality." And why 
 are such views to be regarded as utopian 1 Let those who 
 think the Directors of this Association have only slight 
 grounds for their expectations consider to what a large 
 extent we are at this moment under the influence of that 
 sympathy which is the ground- work of patriotism, a stepping 
 stone to the federation sought. Are we not now federate in 
 the tenacity with which we cling to old institutions ; to the 
 dress, and manner, arid diet of our fathers ; to national and 
 in some instances dialectic peculiarities of our forefathers ? 
 No one can say we are not. Why, then, should we doubt 
 as to that federation of the colonies, which this society 
 seeks to promote " by fostering Australian literature, wise 
 and liberal legislation, the control of the islands adjoining 
 Australian coasts, which it regards as means to such an endT 
 What a decrease, if not cessation, of mistrust and anxiety 
 would follow a consciousness that each colony was sus- 
 tained and strengthened by a firm alliance with the others ! 
 When this consummation, so devoutly wished, is effected, 
 then Australia will be in relation to her majestic mother 
 
 * " Another morn 
 Eisen on midday." 
 
 The problem of preserving and strengthening connecting 
 links between communities possessing the fullest powers 
 of local self-government is a very delicate one to deal with,
 
 136 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVES' ASSOCIATION. 
 
 requiring no small amount of judgment, caution, and, it 
 may be, of time to solve it. Be this as it may, every effort 
 put forth to save the great commonwealth, founded and 
 fostered by England in the Southern Pacific, from disin- 
 tegration, and commencing a separate national existence, 
 is laudable. Whatever re-adjustments may be required 
 between the colonies themselves, or between the colonies 
 and England, should be made under the sentiment of a 
 common patriotism, so that those who are made one in 
 name and law may be one in heart and interest. 
 
 The claims of an association which aims at the accom- 
 plishment of its noble ends in a manner so open, unassuming, 
 and lawful as this one does, will be admitted by every 
 impartial man and supported by every patriotic Australian. 
 They need no advocate when they are known ; the advocate 
 may fold his arms, lay down his pen, and leave them to 
 assert their own merits. There is an obvious nobility in the 
 unselfish, unpretentious, and far-seeing labors undertaken 
 by the A.N. A. They are working for a " new generation," 
 " the heirs of all ages," more than they work for themselves. 
 This new generation will be Australian Natives in the 
 natural course of things, and they ought to be members of 
 the Association on principle. 
 
 The "lines of empire," says the article already cited, " are 
 being slowly but surely developed on the face of the cradled 
 ' Hercules ' which, in Milton's words, is ' mewing its mighty 
 youth^on the Australian continent ;' " and the disposition 
 shown by this young corporate body to assert its influence 
 as a national Society, seeking to create a national sentiment
 
 THE FUTURE OP AUSTRALIA. 137 
 
 by uniting reputable Australian Natives in one firm bond 
 of brotherhood, and to animate them with a love for the 
 land of their birth more strong, more sacred, if possible, 
 than that which binds us exotics to the mother country, and 
 a resolve to seek and to secure its interests, hap what may, 
 cannot be spoken of in terms too high. 
 
 Writers in the old country have said that war only was 
 needed to effect a disruption between the colonies and 
 England. To men of this school the appearance of Aus- 
 tralian soldiers in the Soudan should teach the truth that 
 whatever threatens the security of the throne and the honor 
 of the nation will rally the forces of the colonies to their 
 support. 
 
 It is gratifying, says one of the reports, that during the 
 past year (1884), under the directorship of Messrs. O. E. 
 Wilson, President ; A. Reed and A. J. Peacock, Vice- 
 Presidents ; J. Colgan, Treasurer ; and F. C. Wainwright, 
 Secretary, the society has made unparalleled progress, and 
 that the prospects of the present year (1885) are exceedingly 
 bright. 
 
 As the future of this land must, we repeat, necessarily be 
 confided to our young men, how necessary it is that their 
 high aim for her future should be sustained. Nothing 
 less than her elevation by the arts of peace, by an extended 
 commerce, and by an advanced morality, fitting her to take 
 a foremost place amongst the nations of the world, ought 
 to content them. Young Australians must be great in 
 purposes, great in desires, and great in hopes, or they
 
 138 THE FUTURE OP AUSTRALIA. 
 
 will fail of accomplishing their grand mission. To carry 
 this to its legitimate issue, each man will need a 
 surplusage of hope, unflagging energy, and a vitality 
 above proof. The work of converting our vast plains 
 into well watered pastures and gardens, and making 
 each coast town " a city of merchants," a mart of com- 
 merce, rivalling those of the eastern and western world, 
 is only a part of the work before them. Literature, 
 science, art, and religion must be sedulously cultivated 
 the latter most carefully otherwise our boundless plains 
 teeming with inexhaustible riches, our mines adding their 
 auriferous and carboniferous wealth, supplemented by the 
 ail-but untouched resources of vast oceans, supplying the 
 means for building noble cities, and constructing exten- 
 sive harbours with all their accessories, in extent and gran- 
 deur competing with those of the old or the new world, 
 may, in this, our newer world, induce a forgetfulness of 
 God, and a haughty national pride, which will, as they did 
 to imperial nations of old, serve as conductors of the divine 
 displeasure as the insulated metallic rod attracts the 
 lightening until beneath His " eyes of high rebuke and 
 wrath " an Australia that has obtained a proud position 
 may be shrivelled to a desolation such as travellers report 
 of proud Tyrus, bare " as the top of a rock ! with a few 
 starving wretches housing among the ruins, " or, left to rot 
 down to a degradation like to that we see in the fragmentary 
 aboriginal tribes dying out around us. 
 
 A reverential recognition of that Being called by Aristotle 
 the DESIRABLE because all creatures desire Him and
 
 THE FUTURE OP AUSTRALIA. 139 
 
 move towards Him is the only safeguard against a national 
 pride that has in all ages presaged national destruction. 
 
 Assuredly it is a disgrace to mankind that both eastern 
 and western philosophers have written against it the con- 
 demnatory couplet 
 
 " For all things serve their Maker and their God, 
 Better than thankless man." 
 
 Reflection must bring a conviction that such thankless- 
 ness against a Being so mighty, so merciful, so without an 
 equal, is indefensible is pregnant with evil. Young Aus- 
 tralia will be prosperous and secure as she recognises her 
 dependence on God, and no further, for 
 
 " Verily, mighty is He, and what He bestoweth 
 
 of blessing, 
 None can withhold; and none what He withhold- 
 
 eth can send. 
 Children of men remember the mercies of God 
 
 towards ye ; 
 Is there a Maker save this, is there another such 
 
 friend?" 
 
 The reflection advised will result in the " pots praising 
 the potter" 
 
 " Nowhere another can we see, 
 Wondrous Artificer like Thee" 
 
 And beget with those words of praise an appropriate 
 reverence for and trust in Him.
 
 140 HONOR TO THE PIONEERS. 
 
 The ranks of the A.N. A. contain few, let us say none, who 
 are not prepared to do honor to the land of their fathers, 
 and to adopt the words of the subject of this memoir to 
 the pioneers of this colony. "I honor to the full the noble 
 pioneers of this land, and I glory in the splendid light they 
 have made on our behalf. The pioneers of this land were 
 men of the right sort the very pick and flower of Britain's 
 nobility, and if the Natives tread in their footsteps they 
 will become a noble race. But do not blame us if we, too, 
 are fond of our country. What would you think of an English- 
 man who did not join the glad refrain ' Britons never, never 
 shall be slaves;' or the Scotchman who could not sing 
 ' The bonny hills of Scotland,' or the Irishman who did 
 not love the sight of ' The dear little shamrock,' or the 
 Welshman whose eye did not glisten as he thought of the 
 grand old hills of his fatherland ! Young Australians thus 
 far honor old England honor Britain ; may they ever do 
 so. They are ill-bred sons who refuse to recognise the 
 greatness of their forefather ; ill-mannered if they refuse 
 to be instructed by them, and deficient in true wisdom if 
 they refuse to follow in the steps which have won a premier 
 position for Britian amongst the kingdoms of the world." 
 
 " Though some few spots be on her flowing robe, 
 Of stateliest beauty," 
 
 She yet carries her trident with grace, and still she is 
 worthy to wear the proud title she won so hardly and so 
 well Queen of the Sea." 
 
 There exists a lurking danger against which every 
 member of the Association ought to be on his guard. It is
 
 HONOR TO THE PIONEERS. 141 
 
 this, the merging of his personal responsibility as a citizen 
 in that of the corporation to which he belongs. Speaking 
 on the subject of individual responsibility only a few months 
 ago in a lecture delivered before the Young Men's Christian 
 Association, the lecturer the Rev. J. W. Inglis drew 
 attention to the " magnitude of individual responsi- 
 bility in a colony where each youth when he attained to 
 manhood was invested with the full political rights enjoyed 
 by the oldest colonists. Where this was so, it was advisable 
 that religion should be taken as a guide for action. If 
 religion were not too frequently bowed out of the political 
 arena, the atmosphere would, perchance, be much purer. 
 He regarded politics as the grandest subject, next to religion, 
 on which a man's mind could be exercised. One great aim 
 of honest politicians was to preserve the liberty of the sub- 
 ject. The ballot-box could not do this, but by the light 
 shed by religion this object was achieved. Pure politics 
 also taught the respect due to those in authority. It was 
 sometimes a difficult task to decide between authority and 
 freedom, and to weigh the balances properly the truths of 
 religion were necessary. The object of both was to do good 
 to the people." 
 
 Those members of the A. N. Association who sincerely 
 seek the 1 well-being of their fellow colonists must insist on 
 the importance of individual responsibility, and, to secure 
 this and unite their intelligence in opposing everything that 
 would becloud their intellect, warp their judgments, tram- 
 mel their minds, or give fervour to class prejudices, say 
 with Burns
 
 142 SYMPATHY OF RACE. 
 
 " Is there, for honest poverty, 
 
 That hangs his head, and a' that ? 
 
 ****** 
 
 The honest man, tho' e'er so poor 
 Is king o' men for a' that." 
 
 Every effort ought to be put forth by the A.N.A. indi- 
 vidually to make this a country in which each class of 
 society shall know and respect the peculiar and becoming 
 virtues of all other classes, for in so doing lies the germ of 
 the greatest national strength. Mark this, young men : the 
 greatest enemy a country has is the man who seeks to set 
 one class against another by studied misrepresentations or 
 by rousing national prejudices, whether openly or secretly. 
 Such men have souls " dark as the heart of night." Never 
 forget that one of your professed purposes, perhaps the 
 grandest one, for it is a stride towards affiliation, is to 
 promote SYMPATHY OF RACE. 
 
 The allusion made in the above extract to manhood suf- 
 frage justifies a remark or two on the qualifications to be 
 sought in those who offer themselves as your representatives 
 in Parliament. Look to the pedigree of such, at their 
 parentage, for assuredly good principles early laid in the 
 mind are the seed of an honest future. Bishop Berkeley 
 advises the election of a native rather than a foreigner ; 
 a married man than a bachelor ; a believer than an infidel ; 
 as there is a better chance of the man being a patriot ; 
 and you may assume and postulate this as a dictum a man 
 who has no sense of God or of conscience is unfit in any 
 sense to be a guardian of the state, therefore not worthy 
 of your votes.
 
 SCIENCE AND RELIGION. 143 
 
 Guard with jealousy the honor of your Association. 
 Let your rank and tile cherish this sentiment as decidedly 
 as you who are in official positions. The strength or weak- 
 ness of your organisation will be judged of by the common 
 mind as it shows itself on this point ; let probity, impar- 
 tiality, and fidelity give character to all your transactions. 
 
 One word more. In these days there is much talk of science 
 being opposed to religion. It is not so. Religion can never 
 have any cause for fear from the facts of science. The 
 evil exists in the asseverations of science in a transition 
 state being accepted as finalities. Science is but a young 
 experimenter. " No single fact in science has ever dis- 
 credited a fact in religion." But, it is said, the mysteries 
 of religion are so startling. And has not science her 
 mysteries ? The fact is "a science without mystery is 
 unknown ; a religion without mystery is absurd." 
 
 Even to a scientific mind that is reverently disposed 
 
 " The earth is cramm'd with heaven, 
 And every common bush afire with God." 
 
 As men you have your share of that dangerous faculty 
 which man has for forgetting the soul and God ; albeit 
 the Creator has planted within you a sublime and pious 
 curiosity you cannot quell, a faculty for knowing which 
 will not be satisfied with less than a knowledge of Him. 
 
 All true men want the Infinite, the Perfect : to know, to 
 love, to serve Him is supreme happiness. They have a 
 capacity for God, an expectancy which has Him for its 
 object, a felt want until He comes. An intelligent soul
 
 144 SCIENCE AND RELIGION. 
 
 has been resembled to those members of the insect world 
 which wave their tentacles in the empty air, feeling after God, 
 if so be they may find Him. He who denies this places him- 
 self outside the common pale of humanity. This hunger 
 of the soul of man is recognised by every student of man's 
 place in nature. 
 
 " I feel I am an imperfect and changeable thing, 
 aspiring incessantly towards that which is perfect and 
 unchangeable." It was thus Descartes expressed himself 
 nearly 300 years ago. And from that time down to the 
 present these words have been spoken of as the most preg- 
 nant and profound in which the secret of consciousness has 
 ever been expressed. 
 
 There is a grandeur in this cry after God of which no 
 man may be ashamed. No illusion of to-day is more false 
 than that which asserts that " matter alone exists, and that 
 matter must be everything to man." Close your ear 
 against such teaching ; it is specious in approach, scientific 
 in garb, and popular in tone, but utterly false. A wise 
 doubt is frequently a safeguard against false teaching, but 
 to suppose that science can fill the void within, or slake the 
 thirst to know which parches you, is folly rank folly. 
 
 The satisfaction, the rest, the happiness desired by every 
 man is thus summarised by the wise man " Fear God and 
 keep His commandments." That is the true way to true 
 satisfaction, rest, and happiness, and besides it there is no 
 other. 
 
 This advice shall end with the words used by Henry
 
 EVOLUTION OR REDEMPTION. 145 
 
 Drummond, F.R.S., F.L.S., cited in closing his clever book 
 on " Natural Law in the Spiritual World." After remark- 
 ing on the interesting phenomenon of the whole system of 
 nature gravitating towards quality he says : But now, at 
 last, we see the kingdoms themselves evolving. And that 
 supreme law which has guided the development from simple 
 to complex in matter, in individual, in sub-kingdom, and in 
 kingdom, until only two or three great kingdoms remain, 
 now begins at the beginning again, directing the evolution of 
 these million-peopled worlds as if they were simple cells or 
 organisms. Thus what applies to the individual applies 
 to the family ; what applies to the family applies to the 
 kingdom ; what applies to the kingdom applies to the king- 
 doms. And so, out of infinite complexity, there rises an 
 infinite simplicity, the foreshadowing of a final unity of that 
 
 " One God, one law, one element, 
 
 And one far-off divine event, 
 To which the whole creation moves." 
 
 This is the final triumph of continuity, the heart-secret 
 of Creation, the unspoken prophecy of Christianity. To 
 science, defining it as a working principle, this mighty 
 process of amelioration is evolution. To Christianity, dis- 
 cerning the end through the means it is redemption. 
 These silent and patient processes elaborating, eliminating, 
 developing all from the first of time ; conducting the evolu- 
 tion from millennium to millennium with unaltering purpose 
 and unfaltering power are the early stages in the redemp- 
 tive work, the unseen approach of that kingdom, whose 
 strange mark is that it " cometh without observation."
 
 146 MR. HART'S CONNECTION WITH THE A. N. A. 
 
 And these kingdoms, rising tier above tier in ever increasing 
 sublimity and beauty, their foundations visibly fixed in the 
 past, their progress and the direction of their progress 
 being facts in nature still, are the signs which, since the 
 Magi saw His star in the east, have never been wanting 
 from the firmament of truth, and which in every age, 
 with growing clearness to the wise, and with ever strength- 
 ening mystery to the uninitiated, proclaim that " the king- 
 dom of God is at hand." 
 
 The subject of this memoir first became connected with 
 the A. 1ST. A. in January, 1880. Prior to that date he had 
 had several conversations with the Hon. H. H. Wettenhall, 
 M.L.C., who had not at that time sought the Parliamentary 
 honors he afterwards attained. The result of these colloquys 
 was that it was decided to endeavor to open a branch of 
 the Association in Stawell. To decide was to act, and the 
 two worked together with a will. Their representations 
 to the young men of Stawell brought forth fruit, and very 
 soon a branch was opened, Avith every prospect of success. 
 Mr. Wettenhall was elected President, and Mr. R. H. 
 Hart Vice-President, but owing to the former gentle- 
 man residing at some distance from the town, he 
 was unable to attend the meetings with such regularity 
 as he desired, and as he thought the duties of the office 
 demanded. He accordingly, after a time, resigned the 
 position, which was thereupon conferred on Mr. R. H. 
 Hart, and which the latter held for some time after his 
 seizure with the illness that proved fatal to him. Even 
 whilst lying on a sick-bed the honor was still within his
 
 MB. HART'S CONNECTION WITH THE A. N. A. 147 
 
 grasp, the members being anxious that he should retain the 
 Presidentship and allow the duties to be performed by the 
 Vice-President during his illness. It was only at Mr. 
 Hart's urgent request that the office passed into the hands of 
 Mr. Kruse, who fulfilled the duties pertaining to it with credit 
 to himself and to the branch. Mr. Hart's influence on the 
 members was wonderful. He excited amongst them feelings 
 of emulation that resulted in the general prosperity of the 
 branch, whose numbers rapidly increased, until at one time 
 they reached over 200. But above all this, he fostered a 
 desire to excel in what is excellent. Bashful members 
 were incited to renewed endeavors to overcome their back- 
 wardness in speaking, and every effort to improve the 
 mind or the character met with his warmest sympathy and 
 support. A high moral tone pervaded the meetings over 
 which he presided, and anything that would tend to elevate 
 the Association or improve the members in any way was 
 certain of his assistance. The result of this was that his 
 memory is still green in the minds of the young men with 
 whom he came in contact as that of one who had their 
 true interests at heart, and who thought no work too 
 laborious, no efforts too great, to do them good. He was 
 the beau-ideal of many, and none would be found amongst 
 them to speak a despiteful word concerning him. In 1881 
 he attended the Annual Conference of the Association, and 
 though he was not then elected to office on the Board of 
 Directors, he was marked as a "coming man." In the 
 following year he was again a representative at the Con- 
 ference, and on this occasion was voted to the position of 
 Vice-President. From that time he ceased to be regarded
 
 148 MR. HART'S CONNECTION WITH THE A. N. A. 
 
 so much as merely the President of the Stawell branch, 
 and was looked upon more as a representative native. His 
 services were in request for the opening of many branches, 
 and his reputation as an able speaker gradually spread. 
 In January, 1883, the supreme honor of the Association 
 was conferred upon him, by his election to the position of 
 President of the Board of Directors. In this position he 
 was naturally called upon to assume more responsibilities, 
 and undertake more work. During Mr. Hart's year of 
 office the Association received an impetus that it had not 
 had before. Popular alike with members and the public, 
 his presence was welcomed everywhere, not alone on 
 account of his talents as a speaker but also for his qualities 
 as a member of a social party. Branches already started 
 were strengthened by his eloquence and incited to renewed 
 efforts ; whilst his powerful advocacy of the advantages of 
 the Association inspired the members of new branches with 
 a pride in the body with which they had become connected 
 and a desire to spread its benefits as widely as possible. 
 But no matter how arduous the labors, or how many 
 other duties stood in the way, Mr. Hart always found 
 time to forward the interests of the Association. Its 
 welfare lay near to his heart, and he thought any time 
 or energy expended on its behalf was well spent. It 
 was at the time when matters of great importance to 
 Australia were in full tide of agitation. France's pro- 
 posal to discharge upon the shores of New Caledonia 
 the refuse of her convicts, and to more fully carry 
 out her proposed system of transportation annex the 
 New Hebrides Islands, was exciting the ire of all the
 
 MR. HART'S CONNECTION WITH THE A. N. A. 149 
 
 inhabitants of Australia ; when Prince Bismarck's action, 
 and Lord Derby's inaction, with reference to the disposal 
 of New Guinea, excited feelings of apprehension of 
 indignation against one statesman, and indignation mingled 
 with contempt against the other ; and when federation was 
 regarded by experienced politicians as the only way of 
 making the voice of Australia heard effectively. Meetings 
 to protest against the carrying out of the proposed recidiviste 
 scheme on the one hand and foreign annexation on the other, 
 and to promote federation, were held in all parts of the colony 
 of Victoria. The Australian Natives' Association took a 
 prominent part in moving for the protection of the native 
 land of its members. At these meetings, side by side with 
 some of our foremost public men, Mr. Hart took his stand. 
 "What man or woman, who heard his eloquent address in 
 the Alfred Hall at Ballarat, will readily forget his impas- 
 sionate tones as he declaimed against the wrong proposed 
 to be done to Australia, or implored the residents in the 
 colony to stand firm on the point ! His remarks breathed the 
 spirit of true patriotism, and his lips were touched with 
 an eloquence such as few possessed. He then enlarged his 
 reputation as an orator, and great things were anticipated 
 from him when the vote of the electors should give him a 
 seat amongst our legislators. It was about this time, too, 
 that it was decided to endeavor to open branches of the 
 Association in New South Wales, and Mr. Hart was 
 selected as the fittest man both by skill as a speaker, and by 
 his position as President of the body, to undertake the 
 work. Arrangements were made for the trip, and almost 
 everything was in readiness for the attempt to weld another
 
 150 THE A. N. A. IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 link in the chain of federation. But "man proposes, God 
 disposes." When the plans were almost complete, Mr. 
 Hart was seized with the illness which "killed his young 
 life." Plans were shattered ; the extension of the Associa- 
 tion, on which Mr. Hart had so set his mind, was delayed for 
 a time ; and the strong hand and bright intellect that had 
 stood in the forefront of the affairs of the Association 
 were, ere twelve months had elapsed, reft of strength, and 
 dimmed by the hand of death. 
 
 " Leaves have their time to fall, 
 And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, 
 
 And stars to set ; but all 
 Thou hast all seasons for thine own, death ! " 
 
 [Since the above was in the hands of the printers, the 
 project which it was intended should be carried out by Mr. 
 Hart has been brought to a successful issue by two repre- 
 sentative Natives Mr. A. Peacock, president of the Board 
 of Directors ; and Mr. 0. E. Wilson, ex-president of the 
 same body. They proceeded to New South Wales with 
 credentials from the Association, charged with the work of 
 awakening an interest in its aims and establishing branches 
 in the sister colony. Their task was no easy one. The 
 prejudices of effete politicians, who had lost " the touch of 
 the times," were cast into the balance against them, and all 
 the force that past honors and exalted positions won by hard 
 and honorable labors gave was exerted against them by 
 several New South Wales public men. Fortunately, the 
 young men of the present age are not so readily moved by 
 the narrow-mindedness of those who seek to retard the
 
 THE A. N. A. IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 151 
 
 wheels of progress. The two young Victorian delegates 
 established branches at Sydney and Mudgee, and, having 
 done so, returned with well-earned laurels. When the 
 history of Australia comes to be written for future gener- 
 ations, the names of Messrs. Peacock and Wilson will be 
 linked with one of the most important movements towards 
 establishing a united Australian continent. 
 
 Their visit to Sydney was marked by an insult by one of 
 these fossil politicians that reflected no credit on either his 
 heart or his head. It was, however, just what might have 
 been expected from Sir John Robertson, whose mental vision 
 is so beclouded by prejudice as to enable him to see in Victoria 
 nothing but a " cabbage garden." Messrs. Peacock and 
 Wilson anxious not to appear discourteous to one who had 
 in his day occupied a prominent position in New South 
 Wales politics called upon the veteran at his residence. 
 Their visit was paid as representatives of a powerful 
 organisation in Victoria, and as such they were received. 
 Whether Sir John's liver had been troubling him more than 
 usual, or his favorite servant had displeased him, does not 
 appear. But the young delegates had to suffer from his 
 splenetic attack. His remarks were in the worse taste 
 seeing that the young men were his guests. The modest 
 though dignified rejoinder of the youthful president of the 
 Association stood out in marked contrast to the remarks of 
 the elder man ; and while Sir John had the doubtful honor 
 of giving the hardest rap, there are few right-thinking 
 people but will admit that the Victorian delegates came off 
 more honorably from the encounter.]
 
 CHAPTEK VI.: 
 
 THE FLOWER QUEEN."
 
 (.) A man's heart deviseth his way : but the Lord 
 
 directeth his steps. 
 
 SOLOMON. 
 
 (b.) Upon such sacrifices 
 
 The Gods themselves throw incense. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 (c.) Let me drink of the spirit of that sweet sound ; 
 
 More, O more I am thirsting yet ; 
 It loosens the serpent which care has bound 
 
 Upon my heart to stifle it ; 
 The dissolving strain, through every vein 
 
 Passes into my heart and brain. 
 
 SHELLY 
 
 (d.) And so I live, you see, 
 
 Go through the world, try, prove, reject, 
 Prefer, still struggling to effect 
 My warfare ; happy that I can 
 Be crossed and thwarted as a man, 
 Not left in. God's contempt apart, 
 With ghastly smooth life, dead at heart, 
 Tame in earth's paddock, as her praise.
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 (a.) During the year 1883 the tall lithe figure, the quick 
 elastic step, and the kindly smile of Mr. Richard H. Hart, 
 and his prompt nod of recognition, became as well known in 
 the principal streets of Ballarat as the face, figure, and gait 
 of the best known broker of the " Corner," the Rialto of the 
 fair city of Ballarat, "where men most do congregate." 
 
 Notwithstanding the many proofs he received from the 
 good people of Stawell of his being, as it were, '.' intrenched 
 in their affection," calculated in themselves to create that 
 " merry heart" which " maketh a cheerful countenance ;" 
 the experience in part of the proverb " by sorrow of the heart 
 the spirit is broken" was forced upon him by the injustice of 
 others. Consequently a degree of depression marked the 
 first days of his Ballarat life, and it is not unlikely that 
 there were brief periods of that time when he would have 
 recognised a picture of himself in a verse of a hymn of 
 the 14th century as he watched the night close over 
 labor not too remunerative. 
 
 Fighting the battle of life 
 
 With a weary heart and head, 
 For in the midst of the strife,
 
 156 STARTS IN BALLARAT. 
 
 The banners of joy are fled ! 
 Fled and gone out of sight, 
 
 When I thought they were so near, 
 And the murmur of hope this night 
 
 Is dying away on mine ear. 
 
 (b.) This state of depression was not of long continuance. 
 The murmurs of hope were quickened into the whispers of 
 success as the number of his pupils was steadily increasing 
 and his ability as a teacher of music and singing became a 
 topic of conversation at the family board. Everyone who 
 knew the determined efforts of Mr. Hart to win for himself 
 the confidence of the Ballarat public, the sacrifice of ease 
 and home comfort made by him daily in fighting the battle 
 of life, recognised his efforts admiringly. He appeared as 
 if the ruthless manner in which he had been crossed 
 and thwarted by man inspired, or, rather, strengthened 
 his conviction of the Divine regard for him. The crosses 
 began to be understood as disguised blessings, whilst the 
 measure of patronage he was receiving gave to him that 
 gladness of heart which makes a cheerful countenance. 
 
 A few months after Mr. Hart's appearance as a profes- 
 sional teacher of music and singing he undertook the 
 responsibility of producing a cantata in the Ballarat Academy 
 of Music. In this undertaking he was thoroughly supported 
 by the Ballarat Branch of the A.N. A. Two ends were to be 
 answered by the proposed concert the augmentation of the 
 Association's building fund, and giving to Mr. Hart an 
 opportunity of showing to the public the proficiency of his 
 pupils. Adults are not supposed to take interest in the
 
 YOUTH AND MUSIC. 157 
 
 account of this entertainment, and therefore they can pass 
 it by ; it is designed to instruct and please those who are in 
 their teens or just out of them, who have a love for pretty 
 flowers and for sweet music also. 
 
 There is a seeming naturalness in young people being 
 powerfully attracted by music. It appears always to have 
 been so. We observe that the musicians figured on ancient 
 tombs and obelisks are youthful ones. Ever since three 
 tendons were stretched across the back shell of a tortoise, 
 and musical sounds produced by their vibration, or, by the 
 vibrations of a confined column of air passing through a 
 prepared reed, it has been so, and so it continues to be. 
 The philosophy of this fact may be found, probably, in the 
 feelings of young people being considerably in advance of 
 thought ; to such music naturally becomes the highest form 
 of expression, and the mental sensation caused by it rises 
 to an inexpressible condition of enjoyment. If so, we can- 
 not be surprised that the young are so powerfully drawn 
 towards music. 
 
 It is natural, too, to associate music with objects and 
 scenes that are lovely, and with occasions that are festive 
 or pathetic. In this we find another reason of great strength 
 for its influence on the minds of young persons. 
 
 The best instance of flowers conjoined to pathos which 
 now presents itself to my memory, is that which occurs in 
 the monody on Lycidas. In the interests of the young, 
 for whom this chapter is written more especially, I will 
 place a few lines from Milton's touching lay over the 
 drowned young poet, "dead ere his prime."
 
 158 LYCIDAS. 
 
 With words of apology to the laurel, the myrtle, and the 
 ivy for " forced fingers rude" disturbing their " berries harsh 
 and crude," he passes along to " the wild thyme, the gadding 
 vine, the willows, and hazel copses green," and calls upon the 
 vales and bids them cast 
 
 Their bells and flowerets of a thousand hues. 
 
 ******** 
 
 Throw hither all your quaint enamelled eyes, 
 
 That on the green turf suck the honeyed showers, 
 
 And purple all the ground with vernal flowers : 
 
 Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies, 
 
 The tufted crow-toe, and pale jesamine, 
 
 The white pink, and the pansy freaked with jet, 
 
 The glowing violet, 
 
 The musk rose, and the well attired woodbine 
 
 With cowslips wan that hang the pensive head, 
 
 And every flower that sad embroidery wears ; 
 
 Bid amaranthus all his beauty shed 
 
 And daffodillies fill their cup with tears 
 
 To show the laurel hearse where Lycid lies. 
 
 Someone, somewhere, has asked that his name might 
 "be written amidst songs and flowers." The man whose 
 name is his monument has here written young Lycidas's 
 name thus midst song and flowers. 
 
 This one instance will suffice as an illustration of the 
 pathetic ; whilst it will serve well as a contrast to others 
 in which those " frail tissues which are the most brilliant 
 colour threads in nature's great loom," appear in festive
 
 THE PATHOS OF MUSIC. 159 
 
 scenes. Illustrations of this kind abound. The one first 
 claiming attention takes us back nearly three thousand 
 years in the world's life. It is the song of songs, an 
 epithalamium, or nuptial song, and, as is fitting to such an 
 occasion, it runs its numbers through a perfumed atmosphere 
 of floral and arborescent beauty. A thousand years after 
 Solomon wrote that song, another Oriental, of another faith, 
 drew a scene of loveliness, 
 " Wherefrom arose 
 
 Lands to the glory of God, filling the blue 
 
 With lovely music, as rose-gardens 
 
 Fill a land with essences. 
 
 And nearer to us in time, our own grand 
 
 Bard sings in a kindred style : 
 
 That strain again : It had a dying fall ; 
 
 0, it came o'er my ear like the sweet south, 
 
 That breathes upon a bank of violets, 
 
 Stealing and giving odour." 
 
 And again : 
 
 " The setting sun, and music at the close, 
 As the last taste of sweets is sweetest last, 
 .Writ in remembrance more than things long past." 
 
 Campbell places his " Harper " on the green banks of the 
 Shannon, with his loved Sheelah nigh to him, in his 
 blither days. Before leaving this tempting field of illus- 
 tration let me call to remembrance " The Music's Duel," 
 by Strada, translated from the Latin by the pious Crashaw, 
 200 years ago. It is " a sweet luxurious strain of pure 
 description and sentiment." In it is described this duel
 
 160 THE PATHOS OP MUSIC. 
 
 which took place at eventide. 
 
 " Hard by the streams 
 Of Tiber, on the scene of a green plat, 
 Under protection of an oak, 
 There 'the sweet lute's master,' 
 And the ' syrene nightingale, harmless 
 Syrene she,' competed for the 
 Mastery : She fails, and failing grieves, 
 And grieving dies." 
 
 The attempt to realize the nightingale's sweet ''streams 
 of liquid harmony " ever brings to my remembrance a 
 pleasant apropos incident, to which is attached a sweetly 
 suggestive moral well deserving consideration. It occurs 
 in "Izaak Walton's Complete Angler." Once when the kind 
 old English gentleman was taking his constitutional in the 
 country, walking along a flowery velvet carpet, such as an 
 English summer spreads under the feet of her favored 
 sons and daughters, and the choristers of the copse poured 
 forth their wild notes and mellifluous songs, every smooth 
 turn and every delicious trill calling to life some new 
 charm, his pious and elevated meditations lead him to 
 anticipate the richer strains of the celestial choirs, and, 
 whilst thus engaged, the scholarly and venerable Christian 
 exclaimed : " Lord, if thou hast provided such music for 
 sinners on earth, what hast thou in store for Thy saints in 
 heaven 1 " 
 
 The ear that is open to sweet sound is mostly accompanied 
 by an eye that delights in graceful forms, -and lovely colors,
 
 "THE FLOWER QUEEN." 161 
 
 and organs of smell quick to detect and appreciate refresh- 
 ing perfumes. These remarks are prefatory to placing 
 under the eye of the reader a musical composition with 
 which the name of Richard H. Hart is associated in the 
 memories of thousands of persons in the Ballarat district 
 a composition in which sweet strains, forms of grace, variety 
 of colors, and the most exquisite aroma of nature are 
 happily associated with enjoyable poetry and sentiment 
 elevated and pure " and sweet as gentle rain from out the 
 sky." Such a melodious musical setting of comparatively 
 simple ideas, kind reader, is The Flower Queen ; a flow of 
 " magic numbers and persuasive sounds," the loosened notes 
 of which " fell in a silver shower" on those who heard them. 
 
 One of our poets tells us that when his feet trod only on 
 flowers time passed unheeded by ; so may it be with the 
 reader of this precis of one of the most charming com- 
 positions of its class so effectively produced. 
 
 A detailed account of this piece will give pleasure to 
 many youthful readers, and convey information to some. 
 Amongst the Cantatas prepared for the use of schools 
 the one entitled "The Flower Queen" holds a very high 
 place. The poetry, written by Miss Frances Jane Crosby, 
 is simple, natural, and sweetly refreshing ; unfolding 
 its subject as naturally as the petals of living flowers 
 unfold themselves ; the music, composed for the words by 
 G. F. Root, is light and tuneful, and so harmonised that very 
 charming effects are produced when the vocalisation is 
 entrusted to skilled and tuneful voices. It then is what 
 M'Donald calls poetry in solution. Moreover these stars
 
 162 "THE FLOWER QUEEN." 
 
 of this lower world, these lovely children of Flora, are, for 
 the time, raised from " the tesselate of nature," and made 
 to teach many lessons besides those important ones of love 
 and duty, the instruction being conveyed in numbers sweet 
 as the hopes of youth or the memories of old age. The 
 question raised by the flowers " Who shall be our queen 1 " 
 if left to the popular voice would, we think, have for its 
 answer the rose. Nevertheless, the thought resulting from 
 intelligent enquiry and close observation will show that 
 her position as the premier flower is not so assured as her 
 admirers suppose. A great botanist of the present day 
 would likely enough name the daisy " whose white invest- 
 ments figure innocence;" this "e'e of day" runs the rose 
 very closely in the race for the poets' favor. Only a careful 
 reader of English poetry will not be surprised at the praise 
 it has won, for, as Montgomery reminds us, 
 
 " The rose has but a Summer reign ; 
 The daisy never dies." 
 
 A glance at a few poetic opinions on the right of sove- 
 reignty amongst the flowers will show no one flower so 
 secure as the oak is amongst trees ; for " the oak stands 
 unrivalled as king," such is the voice of all. 
 
 In pursuing our purpose of enumerating some of the 
 rivals of the rose, we name the modest daisy first. Words- 
 worth calls this scentless little flower : 
 
 "A queen in crown of rubies dress'd." 
 
 And the microscope is adding daily to the number of her 
 admirers, for she is a colony of flowers rather than a single
 
 "THE FLOWER QUEEN." 163 
 
 flower. Jean Ingelow claims the crown for that ornament 
 of landscape scenery, the hollyhock, but this preference is 
 only one remove from that shown for the rose. Its clusters 
 have been called " a bouquet of roses, " and those splendour- 
 dressed clusters merit such a name ; on these the eyes of 
 our English friends can rest when the hues of other favorite 
 flowers are dead. Churchill asks the crown for the jasmine 
 on account of its delicate beauty and delicious scent. Keats 
 calls that timid little blossom, the lily of the valley, the 
 queen of flowers ; and adds 
 
 " No flower amid the garden fairer grows." 
 
 Milton, I think, puts in a claim for the ordinary lily, 
 " The pure lily, spotless and white, 
 Fit to be queen of the flowers." 
 
 Even that "little darling" of the French folks, the 
 mignonette, has been nominated, the reason assigned for its 
 nomination being its delicate perfume Heavenly ambrosia. 
 Wordsworth again the slight inconsistency is pardonable 
 in a poet urges the queenly elevation of the " bright 
 coronel " of the celandine. Eastern poets nominate the 
 lotus, so famous in mythology and tradition, and so valuable 
 an adjunct in decorative architecture. And there is yet 
 another of the enthralling little flowers in reserve ; the pet 
 of the poets from Homer down to Tennyson and Browning; 
 for, verily, the violet has "perfumed the songs of all literature 
 and the gardens of all time." That peripatetic quack, 
 Paracelsus, propounded an arrangement of plants according 
 to the particular odour of each. Had this idea been carried 
 out, the violet how pretty and modest the little word
 
 164 " THE FLOWER QUEEN." 
 
 looks the combination of beauty and fragrance, which 
 meet in this floweret, would have won a unanimous call 
 from its own sequestered dell to accept the queenship of 
 its sister flowers. 
 
 Fashion has exerted her sway in flower culture, as else- 
 where, now elevating a flower into popular regard and 
 quickly dooming it to neglect. The common garden violet, 
 because of its intrinsic loveliness, is above the caprice of 
 fashion. From ancient days until now it has maintained 
 its high position. Ovid pictures the innocent girl, Proser- 
 pine, filling her lap with blue and white violets ; Virgil 
 does not overlook the violo odorata ; Bulwer makes the 
 blind flower girl, Nydia, a vendor of violets. 
 
 " Hear" says Anon "our own English poets on the violet. 
 " First, Barry Cornwall : 
 
 ' I love, how much I love the rose, 
 On whose soft lips the south wind blows 
 
 In pretty amorous threat ; 
 The lily, paler than the moon, 
 The odorous, wondrous world of June, 
 Yet more the violet. 
 
 1 She comes the first, the fairest thing 
 That heaven upon the earth doth fling, 
 
 Ere winter's star has set ; 
 She dwells behind her leafy screen, 
 And gives, as angels give, unseen, 
 
 To love the violet.'
 
 " THE FLOWER QUEEN." 165 
 
 " Then poor L.E.L. pays her heart- felt tribute : 
 
 ' Why better than the lady rose 
 
 Love I this little flower? 
 Because its fragrant leaves are those 
 I loved in childhood's hour. 
 
 ' Let Nature spread her loveliest, 
 
 By spring or summer nurst, 
 Yet still I love the violet best, 
 Because I loved it first.' 
 
 "Shakespeare loved violets. No more fitting couch for the 
 repose of so aerial a being as Titania could even his imagina- 
 tion devise than one on which ' the nodding violet grows.' 
 
 " Again, Laertes is made to exclaim over the pure corpse 
 of Ophelia : 
 
 ' Lay her i' the earth ; 
 And from her fair and unpolluted flesh 
 May violets spring !' 
 
 " The suitableness of the emblem here chosen for virgin 
 innocence and blight finds an echo in every human breast." 
 
 The foregoing examples will suffice to show that the claim 
 of the rose, the rose, the glorious rose, though " go sweet 
 and proud and fair a thing," to the queenship is not an un- 
 disputed one. 
 
 But, leaving for a while the opinions of the poets, we will 
 hear those of the flowers and note the election made by 
 themselves as presented in this charming oratorio, the 
 dramatis personce of which are their representatives.
 
 166 DESCRIPTION OF "THE FLOWER QUEEN." 
 
 It is presumable that many of the readers of these pages 
 have not seen this cantata placed before the public. To such 
 an attempted description will convey further information, 
 and to those readers who witnessed either of the happy 
 efforts present to the mind of the writer the attempt will 
 be a pleasant reminder of a scene which needed only the 
 babble of the purling brook and gracefully falling waters of 
 fountains to make it a spot in fairyland. 
 
 Beauty has been styled "God's handwriting." If so, a very 
 attractive page of it was opened out in the Bailarat 
 Academy of Music, under the patronage of the Bailarat 
 Branch of the Australian Natives' Association, on the 
 evening of Thursday, 28th September, 1882, when forty 
 young damsels, of from seven years to twenty, appeared there 
 at the word of their instructor. Their personal appear- 
 ance and their surroundings were a forcible comment 
 on the axiom, " Nature always avoids angular lines" (the 
 writer would except lightning flashes). Lines soft and 
 curved enough to satisfy the line-loving Hogarth filled the 
 space. Only an Oriental pen could do justice to the scenes 
 of that evening, and as mine is simply an English " Inter- 
 national Exhibition" pen, it is driven to seek Oriental aid. 
 The rosy magic of youth which turns life's waters into wine 
 was the charm of that group. Although the girls who 
 formed it were not chosen so much for any personal 
 resemblance to the flower they represented as for their 
 suitability of voice, there was, nevertheless, a display of 
 lovely forms and of native ease ; youth, and grace, and 
 harmony attendant on every movement. Each girl was
 
 DESCRIPTION OP " THE FLOWER QUEEN." 167 
 
 dressed in a pure white dress. A garland of green leaves 
 was fastened to her left shoulder, and this, crossing her 
 breast, was fastened on her right side just below her waist. 
 The flower which was more especially her own was con- 
 spicuously placed on her left shoulder. Small sprays of 
 leaves and her own special flower looped up each girl's dress 
 in two or three places. No color was worn by any girl 
 except the color of her own flower that only. 
 
 These girl-flowers were selected by Mr. Hart from 
 amongst his " Ellerslie" pupils, a class of pupils to whom he 
 taught singing privately, and from the Wesleyan Church 
 choir, where he officiated as organist. As an illustration of the 
 musical tendencies of the Hart family it may be stated that 
 four of his sisters took parts in the cantata. *I have before 
 me a description of each of the principal vocalists such as 
 would guide a detective in pursuit of either one if necessary. 
 It supplies pretty proof that a true girl can afford to have 
 love and candour for her companion girls ; the epithet 
 " pretty," " pleasing," or " fair," is used without grudging 
 of them. Between two of the girls there is a difference 
 only like that of two pins taken from the same row. Grey 
 and brown eyes preponderate, but one " blue were her eyes 
 as the fairy-flax ;" the Orient eye " those eyes of yonder, 
 large dark eyes" occurs also in one instance ; eyes " of 
 vesper tenderness" smiled on grey and blue and black alike. 
 
 And now let the Orient pen supply an applicable de- 
 scription of the appearance of these fair representatives of 
 
 * The description of the dresses is kindly supplied by Miss Hart.
 
 168 DESCRIPTION OF "THE FLOWER QUEEN." 
 
 the flower-world whilst executing the various movements 
 required by them. Each 
 
 * * * * Fairy form showed perfect grace 
 Of soft arms wreathed and ripe lips moving 
 In accents musical and loving. 
 
 By the proper arrangement of the branches of trees and 
 
 evergreens the resemblance of a secluded dell in a forest 
 
 is produced. Here the flowers assemble to elect from amongst 
 
 themselves a queen. When the curtain rose on this forest 
 
 scene there was loud applause. To the introductory music 
 
 a bold march played on an unseen pianoforte the flowers 
 
 make their appearance, singing, " We are the flowers." On 
 
 hearing the sound of footsteps, these representatives of our 
 
 globe's marvellous mosaics return again to their homes in 
 
 the dell. The cause of their alarm is a weary disappointed 
 
 recluse, who sings of wishes foiled, and hopes betrayed, and 
 
 of his resolve to quit the scenes of strife, and care, and 
 
 immure himself in forest solitudes. His plaints are heard 
 
 by the concealed flowers, who sing sweetly of " rest," and 
 
 promise to soothe and tranquilise his spirits. Lost in wonder 
 
 at this sweet surprise, he seeks an explanation. Then the 
 
 rose and the lily appear to him as "Nature's artless minstrels," 
 
 taught to bring thoughts of rest and happiness to weary 
 
 spirits. To their dulcet duet the recluse replies in a very 
 
 melodious solo, "O gentle Peace," in which he confesses 
 
 himself the captive of peace and of the song. Having done 
 
 so he retires, and the flowers resume the chorus, energetically 
 
 urging the query Who shall be queen of the flowers ?
 
 DESCRIPTION OP " THE FLOWER QUEEN." 169 
 
 Promptly the emblem of cheerfulness, the pretty simple 
 CROCUS, prefers her claim, on the ground that she is the 
 first flower that hails the opening spring, and her claim is 
 supported by her sisters in an appropriate chorus. But 
 though the little flower might boast of being clothed in a 
 " golden dye rich as the hue of the morn," there appears 
 an objector to her claim, who spurns her as " a false 
 pretender." It is the coarse pompous 
 
 DAHLIA the unsung of the poets, gaudy and scentless. 
 She urges her claim because her blossoms are gay and her 
 form stately. To her the flowers administer a severe rebuke. 
 The heliotrope and the mignonette are deputed to remind 
 her that mere boasting is not proof of worth, and that 
 purity, goodness, wisdom and innocence are to be preferred 
 before beauty, because " hues that are brightest fade soonest 
 away." These homely truths are conveyed in a very beautiful 
 duet. 
 
 On the plea of being " prized by the beautiful and the 
 gay, " because of its bright rose color and apple blossom 
 like flower, the JAPONICA, or Japan rose, regarded by some 
 authorities as " perfected loveliness," claims a peerless name 
 and an unrivalled claim to queenly honors. Her claims 
 are favored by the other flowers, who sing this fact to piano 
 staccato music. 
 
 The imperious command, " Make way ye silly praters 
 all," introduces " the lofty flower of the sun." The SUN- 
 FLOWER asserts possession of " the noblest and broadest 
 flower of them all," and bids them " down at her feet,"
 
 170 DESCRIPTION OP " THE FLOWER QUEEN." 
 
 as she alone " has right to reign." The proud and 
 boastful assumption of the " foolish mimic sun " is replied 
 to in a chorus sprightly with derisive music, pointed with 
 the dismissal gibe, "Bombastes, ever hail !" 
 
 This clamorous dismissal of the owner of the "golden 
 circle" is followed by a kindly call for " our favourite LILY,' 
 the " dark eyed VIOLET," and " the fairest and dearest, our 
 beautiful blushing ROSE." This lovely selection from the 
 sisterhood quickly appear. The lily and violet acknowledge 
 the compliment paid them in a pleasing duet " Sister 
 flowerets, we are here ;" but not to boast of our beauty or seek 
 distinction, but asking to remain in loved seclusion, useful 
 there " until we pass away." 
 
 The reply of the rose is made in a florid solo, in which 
 she speaks of her " balmy odours" and her " silken leaves" 
 as gifts of the Great Creator and to be returned to Him by 
 herself. 
 
 Arrived at this part of the cantata the flower of vivid, 
 varied color is made prominent. The tulips, in a contralti 
 chorus, announce the " twilight shadows," harbingers of the 
 approaching night. Then the sleep-bringing poppies, four 
 of them, wave their somniferous wands as they walk around 
 their sisters, who, obedient to the drowsy power, gradually 
 droop their graceful heads, close their eyes, and lean in 
 groops together, thus answering the call to sleep most 
 artistically. 
 
 After a time the sleepers start up, rub their eyes, and, 
 with half-slumbrous steps, retire to the forest shades, and
 
 DESCRIPTION OP " TIIE FLOWER QUEEN." 171 
 
 accompanied by the recluse, they sing a beautiful hymn to 
 night. 
 
 An interlude occurs here, in which the rose, standing as in 
 a broad beam of moonlight, thrown across the stage by the 
 help of lime-light, sings, " Wherefore dost thou thus enchant 
 me T a recognition of the rich notes of the nightingale, 
 well imitated on the flute, with a piano accompaniment. 
 The dawn of day is then greeted in the sprightly chorus, 
 " Good morning." 
 
 An interesting episode follows, in the form of a new 
 candidate for the crown appearing. She is one of the floral 
 giants, much loved by the landscape gardener, the 
 
 HOLLYHOCK. She modestly reminds her friends of "their 
 having forgotten her," another proof that " sweet simplicity 
 and real worth " are too often thrown aside ; thus cleverly 
 advancing her own claims in the words of censure dealt out 
 to her fair sisters. Their rejoinder is an affectionate one 
 "We love you all with true sincerity, and would to each 
 most willing subjects be, yet one alone the crown must wear." 
 
 Thus the fair competitors are the Crocus, the Dahlia, the 
 Japonica, the Sun/tower, and the Hollyhock The flowers 
 now call on the recluse to act as their umpire. " Stranger 
 thou hast heard our claims, tell us who our queen shall 
 bel" " 'Tis hard to choose, " he says, amidst so much rich and 
 beauty ; 
 
 "Yet in the rose we find 
 A simple grace, a sweet perfume, 
 With loveliness combined.
 
 172 DESCRIPTION OF " THE FLOWER QUEEN." 
 
 ****** 
 
 Wisdom must guide me in my choice, 
 
 Say shall it be the rose 1 " 
 
 The flowers sustain the umpire's suggested choice, singing 
 " The rose, the rose, our queen shall be." Thus is rung out 
 the award of supremacy to the masterpiece of florigraphy. 
 Twenty of Mr. Hart's youngest pupils then sang a very 
 pretty chorus. They appeared before the audience as 
 HeatherleUs (the white and pink erica was used). These little 
 ones said, in sweet child song, they had " come from the hill- 
 side" to join their sisters who had come "from the meadow, 
 the mountain, the forest, the glade, a chaplet to place on the 
 head of the queen." And charmingly they told their errand, 
 with voices silvery as the Lady bells of a minster, and in 
 time that rivalled the beat of the metronome. 
 
 The whole party followed the song of the heatherbells 
 with a grand coronation march, at the close of which the 
 curtain fell. Quickly it rose again, and the delighted crowd 
 looked upon a pretty, slight, and graceful girl, whose merry 
 grey eyes were full of joy and her rich brown hair thrown back 
 from her fair forehead, so soon to be graced with the coveted 
 wreath. The Star reported thus on the scene " The coron- 
 ation was a beautiful sight, the mechanical effects being well 
 managed. The queen was seated on an artistically con- 
 structed throne. The heliotrope, lily, mignonette, and 
 violet, are leaders in the crowning semi-chorus : 
 
 " On thy brow the crown we place, 
 
 Deck'd with purity and grace, 
 May the smile of heaven serene, 
 Rest upon thee, gentle queen."
 
 DESCRIPTION OF " THE FLOWER QUEEN." 173 
 
 A chorus with echo, " Long live our beauteous queen," 
 prepares the way for a sweet song of thanksgiving from the 
 queen, in singing which the effectiveness of her very fine 
 mezzo-soprano voice had full scope. 
 
 The fine bass voice of the recluse whose jolly appearance, 
 by the way, certainly belied his gloomy pretensions was 
 heard to advantage in a song of gratitude for the lesson he 
 had learned from those "simple flowers," that it is folly to 
 repine over life's trials and wisdom to trust an ever-ruling 
 Providence through them all, producing, on his part, a resolve 
 to aim in the future at living a life of usefulness and 
 content. The cantata closes with a noble hymn of praise 
 to God the grandest part of the cantata in which the 
 queen, recluse, soprano soloists, alto soloists, and general 
 chorus sing parts which, taken separately, would prove 
 acceptable solos, while as a combination they make a richly 
 harmonious chorus. 
 
 The audience which crowded the Ballarat Academy of 
 Music was enthusiastic, and the music and movements of the 
 cantata were so fresh and vigorous that inattention to its 
 details was an impossibility and weariness was forgotten. 
 The enthusiasm of the fair actors in the fairy-like scene was 
 contagious. It extended to the on-lookers, who awarded to 
 the whole performance and to the performers the highest 
 awards of praise. 
 
 (d.) Our world has in it a large number of men who joy 
 in their work whilst it is in hand, but are dissatisfied with 
 it when accomplished. Mr. Hart was not one of this half-
 
 174 DESCRIPTION OF " THE FLOWER QUEEN." 
 
 blessed class. He had not to write one thing inside the 
 book and another on its cover. To him Was given joy in 
 what he did and the joy of satisfactory results. The 
 spacious hall was crowded over crowded. Two thousand 
 delighted spectators had loudly applauded his efforts. The 
 treasurer, after deducting the necessarily heavy expenses 
 incurred though the Stawell contingent made no charge 
 had placed a handsome sum to the building fund of the 
 Ballarat Branch of the Australian Natives' Association. 
 The local press had paid high compliments to his skill as a 
 teacher, and to his pupils for their proficiency in the parts 
 sung, which, to the English ears of the older part of the 
 audience, were as rich in harmony as the song of the lark 
 at morning or the blackbird at evening as heard in our 
 much loved father-land. 
 
 The approving voice of the city was added to the frequent 
 and hearty applause of the citizens when Mayor Claxton 
 " thanked the young ladies who had so kindly come from 
 Stawell to assist at the Natives' concert ; and expressed his 
 gladness that Mr. Hart was coming as a teacher to Ballarat." 
 Mr. O. E. Wilson, president of the Ballarat Branch of the 
 AN. A., thanked the patrons of the entertainment for their 
 hearty support. Neither were the local papers wanting in 
 words of admiration more fully expressed than in those 
 already named. 
 
 " The expectations formed regarding Root's charming 
 cantata were more than realised, and great credit is due to 
 Mr. R. H. Hart, for the careful training of his pupils is 
 evidenced by the quality of the solos and the precision of 
 the choruses sung in the cantata." Star.
 
 PARLIAMENTARY ASPIRATIONS. 175 
 
 " The singing of the young people from Stawell fairly 
 surprised the audience by its accuracy and finish, even the 
 tiniest vocalist of the forty singing with distinct enunciation 
 and taste, which spoke volumes for the capabilities of the pupils 
 and their teacher, particularly the latter. When all did so 
 well we would not make comparisons beyond complimenting 
 the queen on her performance, and speaking very highly in 
 praise of the musical director (Mr. Hart played all the 
 accompaniments himself), Mr. R. H. Hart, who has by 
 his own and his pupils' performances in this instance fairly 
 established his reputation as a musician of more than 
 ordinary ability. " Courier. 
 
 Additions to the foregoing complimentary remarks are to 
 hand, but I decline to produce them, knowing well that 
 excessive laudation defeats its own ends. 
 
 Parliamentary honors were the ambition of Mr. Hart, 
 not solely because he sought for distinction, but from a con- 
 viction that he would be able to exert an influence, in asso- 
 ciation with members of high principle, in correcting 
 existing wrongs and securing equitable legislation for his 
 native land. If his attempt to secure a seat in Parliament 
 was daring, the issue of it showed to what a large degree 
 he was justified in making it. One of the members of Mr. 
 Hart's Stawell Committee has kindly supplied a statement 
 of the reasons which induced Mr. Hart to seek a seat as a 
 member of the Victorian Parliament. He has written the 
 following particulars : 
 
 " Towards the end of 1881, the indication of a dissolution 
 of Parliament caused a stir on Stawell as elsewhere. A
 
 176 PARLIAMENTARY ASPIRATIONS. 
 
 large section of the community felt that a change of repre- 
 sentative was desirable, and the choice of a candidate to 
 oppose the sitting member lay between Mr. Hart and 
 another local resident (Mr. J. P. Evans). After several 
 conferences between the two committees it was agreed that 
 Mr. Hart should be the one to oppose the Hon. John Woods. 
 The usual plans were laid and steps taken to secure his 
 election, and an immense amount of enthusiasm shown by his 
 supporters ; but, after, perhaps, the keenest contest in the 
 colony at that period, he was beaten by 18 votes; the numbers 
 polled being 1168. As those who knew Mr. Hart will 
 understand, during the campaign he firmly held to his 
 political views, but never allowed himself to act in an 
 ungentlemanly manner. His addresses to the electors, by 
 their matter and manner, secured him a respectful hearing 
 from friends and opponents alike. Although not elected, 
 the outcome of the contest must be regarded as a great 
 success, and highly complimentary to Mr. Hart. That a 
 man, young in years, and new to the political world, should 
 have run one who had represented the district for some 
 fifteen years so closely, was an evidence that he was believed 
 to have a peculiar aptitude for that sphere of labor, and 
 that he enjoyed the confidence of his fellow-townsmen. 
 Indeed, when the news of his death was made known, one 
 of the oft uttered expressions of regret was that one had 
 passed away whose education, ability, and talents fitted him 
 to be a representative man among his fellowmen." 
 
 This certainly was the belief of a large number of the 
 A.N.A. Recognising in him a salient living spring of
 
 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 177 
 
 generous and manly action, rarely found except in men 
 qualified for public life, they wished to place him where it 
 could have full play. There was a perceptible weakness, 
 but a natural one, which we all show. 
 
 Men are well represented as " gregarious animals in a 
 moral as well as a physical sense." Most of our fellow men 
 find it easier to accept the opinions of others rather than 
 to work out an opinion for themselves, or seek, in doing so 
 the brighter shining of " the light that lightens all who 
 live;" they therefore follow in the track prepared for them, 
 often unquestionably. 
 
 So far as the candidate for Parliamentary honors was 
 himself concerned, he longed for a wider sphere of action 
 than the one in which he moved, and knowing "we bring 
 forth weeds when our quick minds be still," he seemed to 
 dread inaction. 
 
 Mr. Richard H. Hart made his first appearance before 
 the electors of Stawell on the evening of Monday. There 
 was a crowded house to receive him in the style which a 
 contested election has made its own particular one, but 
 applause was in the ascendant, and under the presidency of 
 the Mayor, Mr. Hart proceeded to woo the sweet voices of 
 the people. In a manly address, characterised by a clear 
 statement of his position and his views, he secured the at- 
 tention of his audience to its close. 
 
 The fresh and youthful appearance of Mr. Hart was 
 
 made the most of by his opponents, as disqualifying him 
 
 r the prominent position to which he aspired. Against
 
 178 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 
 
 this charge he defended himself with a mixture of humour 
 and seriousness which was very effective. He said : 
 "As for the youthfulness of the Native, I think there must 
 be some mistake here. I notice that one of these sprightly 
 damsels a Native died at Sydney the other clay, in all her 
 sweet gushing innocence, at the age of ninety-five (laughter), 
 and I think that, as often happens in a family, our fathers 
 have failed to notice that ' the boys' are rapidly growing up 
 into men, able and ready to think for themselves. Most of 
 the greatest men the world has ever seen have started public 
 life much earlier than myself, and though I have not pre- 
 sumption enough to place myself amongst the future great 
 men of this colony, I have, I believe, the advantage in age 
 over two of the best speakers and most promising members 
 of the past Assembly Mr. Deakin and Dr. Quick. (Cheers. ) 
 However that may be, I fancy that the charge of this 
 hideous crime of youth will not go for much with an intel- 
 ligent audience like the present, who will readily grant that 
 when a man stands, as I do, on the verge of thirty, he has 
 arrived at an age when he should at least know his own 
 mind, and be prepared to give a reason for his faith. I 
 therefore venture to lay before you my views upon questions 
 of interest to us all, and what I lack in experience and 
 knowledge I am willing and anxious to learn. As a young 
 man, I have at any rate one great advantage my public 
 life is all before me. And I would infinitely prefer to stand 
 before you as a young man who ' has his spurs to win' than 
 as a hoary-headed politician, up to every move and dodge in 
 politics, capable of the most determined log-rolling, having 
 to apologise for a broken woi-d, violated pledges, and
 
 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 179 
 
 ' peculiar' votes, and feeling that I had betrayed my trust, 
 and had proved false alike to my constituents, my party, and 
 the country. (Much cheering.) I -have not the advantage 
 of my friend Mr. Evans I have not been a Liberal since 
 I was sixteen. On the contrary, I was cradled and brought 
 up in Conservatism. My education and training had been 
 Conservative, and the views that I place before you to-night 
 are the result of long and patient thought and observation. 
 And I have yet to learn that a man who is a Liberal by force 
 of circumstances holds his views any more strongly than a 
 man who, as the result of patient conviction, deliberately 
 breaks away from old associations, and unites himself with 
 those views which he considers most in harmony with the 
 progress and well-being of his native land. I break away 
 from many an old friend, and many an old tie, but when I 
 announce Liberal principles, you will do me the justice, I am 
 sure, of believing me sincere. With regard to the present 
 position of the contest in Stawell, I agree with Mr. Evans 
 that it is a pity for more than one of us to stand. I am 
 unlike Mr. Evans, however, in one respect ; I am anxious 
 for Parliamentary honors, and, if I am defeated this time, 
 I shall try again and again (cheers) until I succeed." 
 
 After some precursory remarks concerning the Ministry, 
 which ought never to have had an existence, and the history 
 of which he characterised as " a tale of hopeless blundering 
 and total incapacity to deal with state affairs," he called 
 special attention to the disgraceful " G rattan address," and 
 to the reliable future of the new house. He said ''Nor 
 would it be fitting to close this brief glance at the history
 
 180 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 
 
 of the O'Loghlen Ministry without an allusion to the 
 notorious ' Grattan address.' And here one can scarcely 
 find words sufficiently strong to express his indignation at 
 this foul document. An address signed by members of our 
 Parliament men returned by the voice of the people to 
 represent their views in which it was declared that the 
 union between Great Britain and Ireland ' is incompatible 
 and detestible.' Gentlemen, as a native of this colony, I 
 have not had the opportunity of looking upon the gracious 
 face of our much-loved Queen. I have not had such oppor- 
 tunies as many of you have had of being impressed with 
 her nobility of character ; but, as a native, I blushed to find 
 that there were men in this colony, members of the Legis- 
 lative Assembly, sworn to loyalty, who could so disgrace 
 themselves as to sign such treason. And how did Parlia- 
 ment deal with these men 1 Well, we know how the Premier 
 dealt with the matter ; he declined to take any notice of it, 
 and it went out to the world that the leader of this fair 
 colony shielded by his position in the House these traitors 
 and rebels ! To the honor of James Patterson, be it said, 
 that he tabled a motion dealing with the matter, as it should 
 be dealt with, and proposing to inflict upon these five mem- 
 bers the punishment they so richly deserved. How that 
 motion was practically defeated, I need not remind you, nor 
 who by his vote yielded protection to those who had so grossly 
 insulted our Queen. We, in this southern land, are as loyal 
 to our Queen as any Englishman can be, and the feeling that 
 condemned the action of Parliament was not confined to 
 one class or section of the community, but was felt in all 
 ranks, and amongst all classes, and nowhere in the colony
 
 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 181 
 
 did men sing ' God save our gracious Queen' more lustily 
 and more sincerely than in Stawell. (Great cheering.) That 
 feeling has not died away ; the votes recorded on that 
 question have not been forgotten, and I trust that the electors 
 of this colony will rise as one man, and declare that we have 
 no sympathy with those who talk treason, or with those 
 who shelter them. And yet the man who shirked his duty 
 as the leader of the House has the coolness to talk about 
 all men meeting together in peace. We will not ' cry peace 
 where there is no peace,' but we will declare that, living, as 
 we do, under the Government of the throne of England, we 
 will allow no member of our Legislative Assembly to talk 
 sedition and treason. The day of reckoning has come, and 
 we may dismiss the O'Loghlen Ministry with the verdict 
 that, entering upon their duties with the motto of ' peace, 
 progress, and prosperity,' they leave it with the motto of 
 'patronage, place, and plunder.' What will be the constitu- 
 tion of the new House it is impossible, of course, to say, 
 but I think everyone must have been struck with the great 
 moderation in all the speeches delivered. The Premier's 
 speech was so moderate that there was absolutely nothing 
 in it. Mr. Berry's speech was one of the most able and 
 moderate speeches that has ever been delivered on a Vic- 
 torian platform, and from the utterances of Mr. Gillies and 
 Mr. Service it may be seen that there is a general desire to 
 forget party differences and legislate for the national good. 
 I believe, myself, that Conservatives all over the colony unite 
 in condemning the action of the small Melbourne party 
 calling themselves constitutional leaders in supporting the 
 O'Loghlen Ministry, and that the Liberal party will be
 
 182 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 
 
 stronger now than it has ever been. The Argus says that 
 the O'Loghlen Ministry has disappointed them, and what 
 else can be expected when a party supports a suspicious 
 combination merely in order to keep out of office an opposi- 
 tion party. Dishonest practices can never pay, and the 
 result is now seen when the Conservatives stand before 
 the country without a party, without a leader, and without 
 a policy ; and indeed, to my mind, there never was a time 
 when the leaders of public opinion managed to say less than 
 at the present time. The late Premier, as I have said 
 before, has laid down no programme. Mr. Gillies does not 
 give the slightest hint of a policy, and Mr. Service declares 
 himself a Liberal. The only man before the country with 
 a policy at the present time is Mr. Berry, and with his 
 programme I heartily agree. The question of free trade and 
 protection has ceased to be a burning question long ago, 
 and protection is the settled policy of the country. Under 
 its influence ' Our Boys ' have found employment, indus- 
 tries have sprung up and grown, and Victoria bids fair to 
 be a flourishing manufacturing land. That policy must be 
 maintained, and I for one support protection to native in- 
 dustries." (Cheers.) He stated his disapproval of large 
 estates and closed roads, when speaking on the Land Bill ; 
 urged the conservation of water, regarding this as of vital 
 importance ; strongly opposed such centralisation as was 
 seen in the outlay of public money on Melbourne. He re- 
 garded a good Mining Bill and a Mining on Private 
 Property Act as claiming first consideration ; advocated the 
 extension of railways, a Local Option Bill, and the Federa- 
 tion of the colonies as a very large and important question,
 
 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 183 
 
 looking forward to the time when all these colonies, welded 
 into one powerful state, will become ' a voice among the 
 nations of the earth ;' and closed with the question of 
 education. 
 
 " And now I have left and purposely so to the last, the 
 most important subject of all, the Education Act. And 
 here I say, without any reservation whatever, that the Act 
 must be defended against all its assailants, whoever they 
 may be. No more glorious heritage has been handed down 
 to us by our fathers, and that heritage must be sacredly 
 and lovingly guarded. We are proud of the rights we 
 possess as British citizens. We are grateful to our fathers 
 for our civil and religious liberty, and we say that we will 
 never allow any of the three principles of our Education 
 Act to be touched, whoever the assailant may be priest, 
 clergyman, or layman we say to him, ' hands off, and leave 
 our Education Act alone.' (Cheers.) It is one the broadest 
 planks in the platform of a democratic government, and, I 
 believe, it is dearer to the people of this colony than any 
 other privilege they possess. Long may it continue so ! 
 I am quite aware now that certain of our fellow citizens 
 imagine that they have a grievance against the Act, but we 
 deny the existence of such a grievance. 'Let me say here 
 that I am no bigot. I yield freely to every man the right 
 to choose his own religion, and I acknowledge that a Catholic 
 has as good a right to be a Catholic as I have to be a Protes- 
 tant ; but when we find them declaring their intention to 
 agitate until they secure their end, I say that the time has 
 come for all Protestants to stand together and declare that 
 they will not allow this Act to be tampered with in any
 
 184 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 
 
 shape or form. As Mr. Service well put it the other 
 evening, ' Our Roman Catholic friends say, We do not 
 see why you should take our money to keep on State schools, 
 and not give out any of our books.' To that I reply just 
 one word, and that is, ' We do not take your money to 
 teach our religion, and we shan't give you our money to teach 
 yours.' The whole position lies in a nutshell. Maintain 
 the three glorious principles free, secular, and compulsory 
 education !" These were his closing words, "If in the way 
 of doing my duty fairly and manfully, office comes to me, I 
 shall accept it, and be thankful, but if not I can do my 
 duty and wait. I have laid my views before you ; if you 
 like them give me your votes, if not vote for a better 
 man. If I enter Parliament I shall not forget my pledges, 
 and shall take as my motto the words of England's great 
 dramatist, 
 
 'To thine ownself be true, 
 And it must follow as the night the day ; 
 Thou canst not then be false to any man.' " 
 
 The speaker finished amidst prolonged applause. 
 
 Mr. Hart is not to be understood to undervalue Biblical 
 instruction by his objection to the Bible being introduced 
 into our State schools in the remarks he made when 
 addressing the electors. Another reason influenced him 
 which may readily be conceived. Unless provision was made 
 for religious instruction, apart from the day school, his 
 remarks would have been in a different strain. Any system 
 of education which limits instruction to the study of what is
 
 ADDRESS TO THE ELECTORS. 185 
 
 material, to the science of matter only, excluding the 
 highest of all study, that of the Creator of man and the 
 soul breathed into him by God, would have been condemned 
 by him with a strong condemnation. Such a system is too 
 closely allied to the existing neglect and impiety of the day 
 to secure the support of any right-minded man. Scripture 
 truth is the cure for these evils, and such truth to be prized 
 must be known, and to be known it must be taught. He 
 who was a teacher of it from the desk and in the Sabbath 
 school cannot be suspected of ever regarding it lightly. 
 
 The reader of Mr Hart's political addresses will fail to 
 trace either of the three E/'s of politics in them. He 
 neither rails, rages, nor raves none but patriots open to 
 suspicions do. It is mostly the case that men who use 
 these R's when on the hustings, are, if sent into the House, 
 remarkable for the three B's afterwards ; they excel in 
 blundering, bribery and bullying, rather than those excel- 
 lencies desirable in a representative of the people. 
 
 At a meeting held in the Town Hall on the eve of the election, 
 Mr. Hart, on coming forward after the usual introduction 
 by His Worship the Mayor, was received with deafening 
 cheers, amongst which were a few ironical ones from the 
 oppositionists. Mr Hart said, " He expected to be stren- 
 uously opposed, and he was. He understood that the 
 Liberal lion and the Conservative lamb had agreed, the one 
 to propose and the other to second a vote of confidence in 
 Mr. Woods. He admitted that he had been brought up in . 
 Conservative principles, but he stood on his first political 
 platform as an acknowledged Liberal. Mr. Woods was re-
 
 186 RESULT OF THE ELECTION. 
 
 pudiated by Mr. Berry and by the Conservatives, and he must 
 now be before them as an Independent a character which 
 he not long ago described as a 'political humbug.'" He 
 hoped they would "carry him triumphantly to the head of 
 the poll on the morrow, but, above all, stand tirmly by the 
 Education Act." (Loud and continued cheering as Mr. 
 Hart resumed his seat.) 
 
 As the young candidate sat thus with the strong glare 
 of public life upon him, not one of the multitude that 
 looked at him supposed his retirement to the privacy of a 
 sick room was so soon to follow. 
 
 The result of the election did not place Mr. Hart in 
 Parliament, but it was a noble one, and may be regarded as 
 an assurance of his return had he contested the seat again. 
 That, it will be observed, he said he would do. A sage 
 has said "He that shooteth oft at last shall hit the mark." 
 Providence, however, had other designs for him.
 
 CHAPTEE VII. : 
 
 LAST DAYS.
 
 (a.) In labors more abundant. 
 
 ST. PAUL. 
 
 (6.) So like a poplar that in wat'ry ground 
 
 Raised high the head with stately branches crown'd ; 
 Cut down it lies, tall, smooth, and largely spread, 
 With all its beauteous honors on its head. 
 
 HOMER. 
 
 (c.) Oh ! for a rest ***** 
 * * though the worm may feed there, 
 Where the sod weighs the head but not sorrow or care ; 
 The grave, the grave, the home of the free ; 
 This is the rest the rest for me. 
 
 HENRY NEELE. 
 
 (cZ.) God's finger touched him, and he slept. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 (e.) Sweet friends ! what the women lave, 
 For its last bed in the grave, 
 Is a tent which I am quitting, 
 Is a garment no more fitting, 
 Is a cage from which at last, 
 Like a bird my soul hath passed. 
 Cease your tears, and let it lie ; 
 
 It ivas mine, it is not I. 
 
 PEARLS OP THE FAITH.
 
 CHAPTER YIT. 
 
 An account of Mr. Hart's last public engagements pre- 
 sents to us the beginning of the end. The tremulous hand 
 of his mother, under the guidance of eyes dim with the 
 starting tear, has written a statement of the services in 
 which her son engaged on October 28th, 1883; the last 
 Sabbath which he was permitted to devote to his divine 
 Master on earth. In the morning of that day he con- 
 ducted public worship, taking as the basis of his discourse 
 Matthew xxii. 42" What think ye of Christ V Although 
 his face indicated great suffering during the delivery of the 
 sermon, he was at home with his subject ; he chose Gospel 
 texts chiefly, as most calculated for useful exposition. "And 
 above all" to use the subtle sweet words of De Quincey 
 " he loved the story of that just man -man and yet not man, 
 real above all things and yet shadowy above things who 
 had suffered the passion of death in Palestine, which had 
 slept upon his mind like early dawn upon the waters;" and 
 been made so precious to him by a personal trust in Christ 
 as his Saviour. 
 
 The preacher could appeal to his own personal experience 
 of Jesus' love when he enforced the significant enquiry 
 "What think ye of Christ 1" on the attention of his hearers:
 
 190 HIS LAST CONCERT. 
 
 many of these shewed a tender sympathy with the suffer- 
 ing preacher. In the afternoon he was at his post in the 
 Sunday school, conveying instruction to those who received 
 it from his lips with pleasure, the more so because they 
 knew he was making an effort to communicate it to them. 
 
 He remarked to a friend as he was returning to his home 
 " I do not know how I shall play the organ to-night ;" but 
 when a supply was suggested the energy of a brave resolve 
 to do his own work asserted itself, and the suggestion was 
 dismissed with " Oh no, that will not do." He presided 
 at the organ that evening with his wonted skill, and it was 
 the last time that instrument gave forth its melodious 
 sounds, responsive to his firm but gentle touch. 
 
 Referring again to the paper written by Mrs. Hart. I 
 find that it contains a statement not only of his last Sab- 
 bath's work, but notices also of Monday, Tuesday, Wednes- 
 day, and Thursday's work are there too, and these show that 
 he served others when he ought to have spared himself. 
 
 Mrs. Hart states that " on Monday morning he started as 
 usual -rising at 5.30 for Ballarat, hiding from his loved 
 ones the fact that he was suffering. On the Tuesday he had 
 occasion to try a piano for a gentleman who was about to 
 make a purchase. While playing he was seized with acute 
 pain, which caused him a sleepless night. On Wednesday 
 he went to a concert at Creswick, given under the auspices 
 of the Creswick Branch of the A.N.A., in aid of the 
 Ladies' Benevolent Society. He was very ill, but, never- 
 theless, went through the duties required of him, returned
 
 PERITONITIS. 191 
 
 that night to Ballarat, and was kindly attended to by the 
 friends with whom he boarded. 
 
 " Thursday was fixed upon for a concert at Stawell, on 
 behalf of the local cricket club. But for this necessity (of 
 returning) he might have remained in Ballarat, and never 
 been able to come home. Never shall I forget his ghastly 
 face when I met him at the gate ! He had but a few 
 minutes in which to prepare for the concert, and was unable 
 to take any refreshment, as every attempt to do so pro- 
 duced vomiting. He got through his evening's work and 
 hastened home. Mr. Hart and I sat up with him till 
 nearly morning, applying all the remedies within our reach, 
 as we could not get the doctor that night, and did not 
 apprehend any danger. 
 
 "In the morning the doctor came and prescribed for him, 
 but did not think his case serious. One of the first questions 
 Richard asked him was ' Do you think I will be able to 
 go to Ballarat on Monday V ' Oh yes, I think so,' was the 
 reply. 
 
 (b.) " The medicine prescribed failed in its effects, and 
 the next day, Saturday, Richard became alarmingly ill, 
 though it was not till Sunday that the symptoms became 
 sufficiently marked to enable the doctor to pronounce the 
 disease Peritonitis. Then commenced the ' long agony, 
 which, with but slight intervals, continued to the end." 
 
 The word Peritonitis need only to be understood, and 
 " long agony" will be understood also. It means an in- 
 flamed condition of the thin, smooth, serous membr
 
 192 " LOUD, THE FIGHT IS HARD." 
 
 which invests the whole internal surface of the abdomen 
 and with more or less completeness all the viscera contained 
 in it. And this was the disease with which he retired to 
 his chamber after a week of exacting labors prosecuted 
 whilst suffering from the first attacks of the malady. His 
 many friends hoped he would recover quickly ; but as time 
 advanced, and relief from one aspect of the ailment was 
 followed by the appearance of danger from another, they 
 scarcely dare encourage the hope of his recovery. The 
 young man of promise had gone into his room to fight with 
 death's messenger. The conflict was painful and protracted. 
 Those dear ones who in quiet and patience watched its 
 stages often looked upwards, as he did who was directly 
 engaged in it, and this cry ascended heavenwards 
 
 " Lord, the fight is hard, and we, 
 Thy creatures, have no other 
 Help but Thee." 
 
 The prayer of the prostrated patient was that he might 
 show " a lamb-like patience" and be preserved from com- 
 plaints compared to the impatient bleating of an ewe 
 detained against her will. 
 
 During many weeks the struggle was continued, the sick 
 man growing less capable of resistance. He became so 
 reduced by the frequent application of leeches, the use of 
 opium, and being restricted to milk diet, that when by these 
 means the inflammation was subdued he was reduced 
 to a state of infantine feebleness, and the recovery of his 
 lost strength appeared all but an impossibility.
 
 A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. 193 
 
 The year was close to its end, the intense heat of Decem- 
 ber having asserted itself before marked progress was made. 
 The wearisome days and the more wearisome nights of more 
 than two months had passed away, unmarked except by 
 patient suffering on the one part and affectionate attention 
 on the other. The sick-room, in which the events of one 
 day are a reflex of the day before, and foreshadow what is 
 to be on the day to follow, supplies no variety except change 
 in the form of suffering or serving. 
 
 On Christmas Day the Helper of those who owned they 
 had no help but from Him, gave cheer to this afflicted 
 family more welcome than words can tell. The enfeebled 
 sufferer hailed the return of strength, and hope, and life 
 again. Although in a small degree, it was so full of comfort 
 and of gladness that he wished in some suitable way to 
 acknowledge it. At his request each member of the family 
 gathered in his room. He then asked that the second 
 chapter of St. Luke's Gospel might be read. After listen- 
 ing to the beautiful narrative of our Saviour's nativity and 
 the song of the angels, so full of glory and of goodwill, he 
 led the family in prayer, the Holy Spirit helping his in- 
 firmities so greatly that he prayed with much power. It 
 was thus that he used the first return of strength, to direct 
 and take a prominent part in the family worship on that 
 glad Christmas morn. 
 
 The natural kindness of his heart was indulged in the 
 selection of a number of Christmas cards which,', without 
 provoking exhaustion, he addressed to the several members 
 of the family especially careful for those away from home,
 
 194 LETTER TO MR. HAIN. 
 
 A day or two after this pleasing respite the disease again 
 assumed the ascendancy, and he was very ill for a short time. 
 
 Early in January of 1884, the sufferer indicated further 
 symptoms of improvement. He was able to pencil a few 
 lines to a friend living in Ballarat, who had kindly executed 
 a small order for ice, fish, and other things not always or 
 easily procurable at Stawell. Beyond showing his thank- 
 fulness, and displaying his sadly reduced condition, the letter 
 contains nothing of interest to any but those to whom it 
 was written. 
 
 " Stawell, January 4th, 1884. 
 " My dear Hain, 
 
 " I am sure you will be glad to hear from me. I really do 
 not know where to begin to thank you ; my own brother 
 could not have done more for me, or have done it more 
 nicely. Accept my assurance that my father and mother 
 as well as myself appreciate to the full your great kindness. 
 
 " I have had a hard pull of it. Several times it was hard 
 to tell whether it would be life or death, but a merciful 
 Father hath delivered me. My relapse was painful and 
 serious, dysentery, which seemed to defy all efforts to stop 
 it, and a terrible attack of hiccough, loud, and seeming to 
 tear me in pieces, and lasting for several days. However, 
 the doctor thinks it is unlikely I shall have another relapse 
 now, and inch by inch I am gaining strength. To-morrow 
 a bed is to be made for me in the front room, and the 
 doctor is to carry me in. He hopes to have me out of the 
 bed by the end of the month, but that is the best he can 
 say. He will not hear of my working for months to come.
 
 LETTER TO MR. HAIN. 195 
 
 Let my attack be a warning for someone else. If I were in 
 his place I should give up all extra work for the next six 
 months and take a back seat ; the reward is certain and 
 large. 
 
 I enjoyed those perch so much, 
 
 and the salmon trout will make me an agreeable change. 
 I tire soon of one kind of fish. 
 
 "* * I had my first fruit to-day, 
 
 three beautiful strawberries. If they agree with me I am 
 to increase the quantity daily. It is the only fruit allowed 
 so far. 
 
 " Give my kindest regards to Mrs. Hain and Mr. Edwards, 
 and with many thanks and best wishes, Yours as ever, 
 
 " R. HY. HART." 
 
 " January 5th. 
 
 " Between ourselves, I shall not be able to be at Con- 
 ference (A.N.A.) Doctor says it is absolutely impossible, 
 but I believe I am a Stawell delegate. Sixteen strawberries 
 to-day. In future I am to have strawberries or raspberries 
 as I can eat them, but I may not touch a stale one. This 
 is an improvement, as I have been longing for fruit." 
 
 The statements here made as to his reduced strength are 
 touching, and indicate close proximity to the grave. When 
 the physical force of a young man's life is measured by his 
 ability to eat a few strawberries, that force is a very tiny 
 thing, only less small than the dharra amongst the purple 
 seeds of the fig not seen at all until *it moves,
 
 196 THE LAST DRIVE. 
 
 Similar acts of thoughtful attention on the part of Mr. 
 H. W. H. Irvine are spoken of with gratitude by Mr. Hart's 
 family. 
 
 Mrs. Hart takes up the narrative again here: "According 
 to arrangement Richard was moved from the room he 
 had occupied into the drawing-room, which was cleared of 
 superfluous furniture, and fitted up for his comfort. It is a 
 large cheerful room, and the change was very pleasing to 
 him. He was soon able to move from the bed to the sofa, 
 and even to walk a little. After a short time a bath chair 
 was procured, and he was wheeled about the garden, when 
 his delight in being able to see the flowers and enjoy the 
 fresh air was very great. On one occasion his devoted friend 
 Dr. Bennett drove him out a short distance." Permitted once 
 more to look on that vast expanse of blue sky in which no 
 man can detect fault or flaw, to catch the sweet joyful 
 carols uttered by the birds, and to look over all that 
 enlivened and beautified the landscape, his heart, if not 
 his lips, would say 
 
 " world ! Thou art wond'rous fair." 
 
 This was his last talk with nature. " At this time all looked 
 hopeful; he seemed to be gradually gaining strength, 
 though the pains in the side gave us some uneasiness. A 
 day or two after his drive symptoms of inflammation 
 again showed themselves, and recourse was once more had to 
 leeches. He was again confined to bed, from which he 
 never rose." 
 
 Some of the South Sea islanders have a strikingly signi-
 
 DOKO. 197 
 
 ficant word, the synonym of the English word relapse. 
 Hazlewood, in his admirable dictionary of the Fijian language, 
 simply gives relapse as its meaning. The word is Ta-n' 
 Doko; compounded of Ta, to chop or cut with an axe 
 and n'Doko, a pointed stick used as a pick or a spade. 
 The Anglicised meaning of the word literally is he has 
 cut his stick, or he has procured the spade with which to 
 dig his grave ; recovery after a relapse being considered 
 an impossibility. 
 
 Mrs. Hart's account of the invalid's patience is that it 
 was " amazing under continuous acute suffering," and his 
 desire to live was strong. How much there was to make 
 him to live, 'and to achieve what he knew, if blessed with 
 health, was within his power ! 
 
 " There was hope in Israel concerning him," and the extent 
 to which he shared in it is shown in a cheerful letter 
 written to his sister, then at Murtoa : 
 
 " Stawell, 26th January, 1884. 
 " My dear Florrie, 
 
 " I am sure you will be pleased to hear from me, and you 
 may tell the others I write to you as the 'boss' of the Murtoa 
 household. I miss you and Minnie very much, and poor 
 mother misses you more. You must not be surprised if 
 home letters sometimes seem gloomy. Both father and 
 mother are thoroughly out of sorts. Father seems completely 
 dejected, and mother has not been outside the house since my 
 illness, mow over twelve weeks, and is really jaded and over- 
 worked. * * Of course this will all pass away when I am 
 about and the pressure removed. I am getting on splendidly
 
 198 HOPEFULNESS, 
 
 now. Fancy me walking across the drawing-room with one 
 arm resting on mother's and the other on father's arm. I 
 will sketch you to-day's proceedings. * * 
 
 Friends vie with one another in sending me nice things. (A 
 list of donations, the donors gratefully named, and the 
 invalid's enjoyment of the gifts takes up some space here.) 
 
 " The doctor expects to have me out on the verandah 
 when we have a fine day. I really am putting on strength 
 and flesh every day, and feel quite encouraged. 
 
 ********* 
 
 " Best love from all to all. 
 
 "Your ever affectionate brother, 
 
 "R. HY. HART." 
 
 To this letter is appended a postscript of unusual length, 
 added next day. The importance of one part of it claims 
 notice. 
 
 " Tell Tom 1 am so grieved to think that my illness will 
 cause our family to be unrepresented at his wedding. I 
 hope he will not allow himself to feel it, because it is out of 
 our power to remedy. We shall be with him in spirit. 
 
 " I see I have not made it quite clear about Minnie's holi- 
 day * * I cannot write clearly just now, 
 but hope you will understand this. 
 
 " Mother has been unable to write, but will try to write a 
 few lines to-night (28th) for Tom, to Emily, that he may 
 get them to-morrow." 
 
 This letter reveals much kind thought for those on whose
 
 "TELL JESUS." 199 
 
 health a cheerfully rendered service was making inroads ; 
 but "of course this will all pass when I am about again." 
 So said hope, the curer of all our ills ! And how mindful 
 he was of friendly kindnesses. The fiery affliction had not 
 dried up the soft dews of his youth, nor his kind-heartedness. 
 The brief respite granted from the live twinges of his deep- 
 seated disease is filled in with reciting the kindly acts of 
 relatives and friends in kindly phrase. Love for friends 
 was supplemented with love of God, which is the sublimest 
 gratitude. 
 
 "His faith," Mrs. Hart says, " was simple as that of a little 
 child. I remember once when Miss Shipton's small book, 
 ' Tell Jesus,' lay on his table, I asked him if he had been 
 reading it. He said ' No, I cannot read ; but the title is 
 enough.' That day an article of diet on which he depended 
 was exhausted, and as there was some difficulty in getting 
 a fresh supply, his sister was looking anxious. He said 
 ' Don't trouble, it will come.' Shortly after a friend 
 called and brought the article required. He had told Jesus, 
 and hence his freedom from anxiety !'' 
 
 Richard was always very reticent in giving expression to 
 his religious experience, but his patient acquiescence in the 
 Divine will spoke volumes. On one occasion he said "I 
 am not like some people, who say they can shout God's 
 praises when they are in an agony of pain, but I am quite 
 resigned to the will of God " " Sweet is the cup of bitter- 
 ness which cometh in such wise." No word of murmuring 
 escaped him ; and his gratitude for little acts of kindness 
 made it a pleasure to wait upon him. " Do not think I am
 
 200 "A LITTLE BETTER " " SLIGHTLY WORSE." 
 
 ungrateful if I do not say Thank you," he would often 
 say. 
 
 In view of Richard H. Hart's reticency the following 
 passage, taken from the very heart of one of his sermons, 
 is singularly significant. 
 
 " I especially thank God that He ever put it into the 
 heart of good John Wesley who now abideth in God's 
 presence for ever to establish the class-meeting. I have 
 gone there feeling broken down and wearied, or with my 
 ' heart hot and restless,' and feeling the burden laid upon 
 me to seem greater than I could bear, and, as one after 
 another has spoken of God's goodness, I have felt my heart 
 throb and settle down, and the dark clouds have rolled 
 away, and the bright Son of Righteousness has ' arisen with 
 healing in His wings.' There was a time when I valued 
 not this means of grace, when I did not understand its 
 worth. I thank God I have lived to see my error, and 
 to-day there is no service of the sanctuary I value more 
 highly, for it is in the class-meeting that God has sent to 
 me some of his sweetest and tenderest messages." 
 
 Month succeeded month, allowing his attendants little 
 choice of reply to the unceasing enquiries of kind friends. 
 Time was yet the sick man's tabernacle ; he was yet a 
 sojourner on earth, but alternating between "a little better" and 
 "slightly worse, " until hope was dead in nearly every bosom, 
 his own excepted. Nevertheless, not a few men of influence 
 entertained the opinion that his was a life of too much 
 value to be jeopardised without a special effort to preserve
 
 A TRIPLE MEDICAL CONSULTATION. 201 
 
 it. Not a few of these thought, with the Hon. A. Deakin, 
 the Minister of Public Works, that his death would be a 
 national loss, to be averted if possible. The many con- 
 sultations held by the local medical men resulted in an 
 increased perplexity. Thus affairs continued until the 
 month of July ; then the Miners' Association, mindful of 
 past services rendered by Mr. Hart, at considerable personal 
 inconvenience, subscribed the sum of 10 towards the 
 20 required to secure the services of Dr. John Tremearne, 
 and the Wesleyan Church Choir paid the other half. On 
 the Sunday following the evening of the doctor's arrival, 
 Stawell is described as being " in a state of subdued 
 excitement." The consultation was held on a Sunday' 
 morning. An announcement to that effect was made to the 
 congregation assembled in the Wesleyan Church, and, ac- 
 cording to the Evening Post, " the whole congregation joined 
 in earnest prayer to God that the consultation might be 
 guided aright, and that the patient's life might be spared." 
 The examination to which he was subjected was an exhaus- 
 tive one, the decision being that an abscess had formed 
 on the liver. No operation was considered necessary. 
 Contrary to a generally existing opinion, Mr. Hart was pro- 
 nounced to have " a very strong vital constitution," and 
 every hope of his recovery was held out. The patient was 
 assured that if he would keep up his spirits, eat little and 
 often, he would wear out the disease. On his own part he 
 was hopeful, satisfied that the result would be ultimate re- 
 covery. On learning these particulars the expectations of 
 his friends were once more raised, and the hope was en- 
 couraged that the Giver of those sparks which light life's
 
 202 THE BEGINNING OP THE END. 
 
 flame would let the bright, joyous, warm light of vigorous 
 life shine on him again. 
 
 It was with an eager expectation that the watchers waited 
 for signs of the improvement predicted but in vain. The 
 remedies prescribed were taken, but the sufferer could not 
 retain them ; neither could he take required support, so 
 that his strength and his flesh gradually wasted away. All 
 the rays of home affection were now directed to the room 
 in which the sick one lay. When September had run out 
 half its days he was unable to be raised from a strictly re- 
 cumbent position, neither could he, when the middle of 
 October was reached, swallow the light food on which for 
 several weeks he had subsisted. The statement of this to 
 his mother brought about one of those " moments of mingled 
 sorrow and tenderness" which, says Washington Irving, 
 "hallow the caresses of affection." 
 
 The twelfth day of October was no ordinary day to the 
 occupants of Gleneira. The weary months of ceaseless at- 
 tention on their sick son were telling painfully on the health 
 of his parents, and on this day the climax of endurance was 
 arrived at by his father, but not before a great joy had been 
 Touchsafed. Mrs. Hart, who had carried the burden of a 
 knowledge that her son's end was near, but feared to tell 
 him so, had left his bedside, reflecting sadly on his inability 
 to receive nutriment, and her place was taken by her 
 husband. To him the long restrained tongue of his son was 
 loosed. The hallowed fire was kindled within him, and he 
 spake precious words of an assured confidence in his Saviour. 
 
 (c.) " It is all right, father. I have given myself so fully
 
 KINDNESS OF FRIENDS. 203 
 
 to the Saviour as I never did before, and am quite ready to 
 go ; I am so happy." And so was the father who had 
 listened to a beloved dying son's heart-gladdening words. 
 
 The interview between the father and the son was their 
 last on earth. A short time after the gladdened father had 
 listened to the precious words of his son, exhausted nature 
 succumbed. The weary watcher was stricken down, and so 
 severe was his sickness that the attention of the doctor was 
 diverted from the dying son to the prostrated condition of 
 the father, whose situation was so critical as to justify its 
 being kept secret from the majority of the family. 
 
 Of the times prior to this sad augmentation of her 
 trouble, Mrs. Hart writes : " The kind sympathy of friends 
 in Stawell and in different parts of the colony was grate- 
 fully appreciated by Richard, and will never be forgot- 
 ten by us who survive him. When it was necessary that 
 a watch should be kept through the night, volunteers were 
 ever ready for the work, and no hired hand ever waited 
 upon him ; indeed, so great was the public interest in him 
 that it became no small part of the duty of his attend- 
 ants to answer enquiries made about him !" When it 
 became known that Mr. Hart, sen., had sunk under the 
 prolonged strain to which he had been subjected, this new 
 sorrow added force to the kindness of all previously so very 
 considerate, for again Mrs. Hart writes : " Kind friends 
 shared with me the task of administering to my sick 
 husband's wants, and of soothing the dying hours of my 
 dear son. That week will never be forgotten !"
 
 204 " I AM GOING HOME." 
 
 Lest an affectionate mother should be swallowed up of 
 overmuch sorrow, her sinking son became her comforter : 
 " Richard, unselfish to the last, was now the one to cheer 
 us." 
 
 Ever after he had spoken of his peace of mind and joy 
 of heart to his father, that peace remained unbroken, and 
 not a shadow passed over his view of the future. "His 
 joy at times was extatic, and found utterance in constant 
 ascriptions of praise to God." On the Tuesday morning 
 he expressed a wish to know what his medical friend really 
 thought of his condition, and stated this wish to him. " I 
 want you," he said, "to tell me if there is any hope of my 
 recovery." Observing that a reply to his enquiry was not 
 made promptly, he added " You need not fear to tell me." 
 " I fear I can give you no hope," was the answer given ! 
 Then, with hisusual sweet smile, hesaid "All right, doctor." 
 
 On the following Wednesday morning he gave the ques- 
 tion a different cast. Referring to his approaching end, he 
 said " Doctor, how long do you think it will be 1 " Perceiv- 
 ing hesitancy again on the part of his friend, he continued 
 " It does not matter much, but I would like to see my 
 brothers and sister." On learning that they were all on 
 their way to see him he was quite satisfied, adding this to 
 his former words of happy trust " You know, doctor, I 
 have a home to go to. I am going home." Happy are 
 they who can thus, when descending the banks of the cold 
 river, trust in God : " He made life, and He takes it, but 
 instead gives more."
 
 THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM. 205 
 
 Notwithstanding the prostrated condition of the sufferer, 
 his delight this time was to have as many members of the 
 family near to him as was practicable, his eyes in electric 
 communication with theirs, always discountenancing the 
 least appearance of gloom perceptible on the countenance 
 of any of them. 
 
 When his sufferings did not render his seeing visitors 
 imprudent, he welcomed them, dismissing each with this 
 injunction " Meet me in heaven." 
 
 As his weakness increased so as not to allow of his 
 speaking, except in a whisper, he, in this manner, repeated 
 a number of passages of Scripture, and select verses from 
 hymns, with marked accuracy. On one occasion Mrs. Hart 
 became the reciter, her son the hearer. She repeated the 
 four verses with which the seventh chapter of the Revela- 
 tion of St. John the Divine closes. When repeating the 
 sixteenth verse she made a slight mistake, giving it thus : 
 " They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; 
 neither shall the sun shine on them, nor any heat." The 
 mistake was at once detected and corrected " light on 
 them," he said quietly. 
 
 Mrs. Hart further states that once he himself repeated 
 the 23rd Psalm. It appears he was blessed with an 
 interval of ease ; this, he, who as the boy orator had recited 
 Mrs. T. P. Hill's poem of " Welcome to the Prince, the 
 Duke of Edinburgh," in the old Exhibition Buildings, 
 now employed to deliver this Psalm of comfort with a more 
 chastened elocution.
 
 206 WATER AND ICE ONLY. 
 
 To his sister who was constant in her attendance upon 
 him, and whom he observed to be in tears, he said " I 
 shall soon be leaving you, Florrie." Seeing her troubled 
 countenance on hearing these words, he added, " You must 
 think of me as away from all pain and trouble, for it has 
 been one long agony from the first day of my illness." Well 
 may his mother exclaim "How much was expressed in those 
 sad words, who can tell 1 ?" 
 
 " As an instance of the loving interest taken in him," 
 writes his mother, " I may just say that during the last 
 few evenings of his life, the cabmen, 011 their way to the 
 Railway Station, walked their horses past the house. The 
 most painful feature of his disease was the intense thirst 
 it caused, which nothing could effectually assuage. During 
 the last week he would often murmur ' How sweet ! Foun- 
 tains of living waters.' ' They shall thirst no more.' Up 
 to the 12th October he had been able to take a little solid 
 food ; on that morning he tried to take it, but could not ; 
 at night he took a little milk, and after that, although he 
 lived six days, he took nothing but water and ice. During 
 that night he conversed quite cheerfully with the friend 
 who watched with him ; dwelling much on the joy which 
 awaited him, and urging her to live fully to God. On 
 Wednesday afternoon his brothers and sister arrived, and 
 he roused himself to cheer and comfort them ; obtaining 
 from each a promise to meet him in heaven. His calm 
 demeanour seemed to infuse comfort and peace all around 
 him. The very atmosphere of the room seemed to partake 
 of it, and we scarcely dared to mourn. During Thursday
 
 " OH, YES, MUSIC." 207 
 
 he took leave of several friends, and distributed tokens of 
 affection amongst his loved relatives." 
 
 Although Mr. Hart mostly urged his relatives to restrain 
 their emotions he made an exception on the entrance of one 
 of his brothers, who knelt by the bed on which he lay and 
 sobbed aloud. " That's right," Richard said, " have a good 
 cry ; we all feel like that" thus encouraging the weeper to 
 relieve his burdened heart by shedding tears. 
 
 He derived great satisfaction in conversing with those 
 about him regarding the employment of the blest in heaven, 
 and, when amongst their other joys that of elevated music 
 and sweet song was named, " the ruling passion, strong in 
 death," manifested itself. He lingered over the loved idea, 
 and, when putting it into words himself, " his joyful utter- 
 ance of the word music was something to hear." The 
 impression was the same on his sister's mind : " On one 
 occasion, when my mother took my brother's hand in hers 
 and remarked, ' This poor wasted hand will soon be sweep- 
 ing the strings of a harp in the New Jerusalem,' the 
 drooping Asaph of the Stawell sanctuary, roused by the 
 thought of heaven's sweet melodies, replied ' Oh, yes, MUSIC.' 
 But words fail to express the pathos he infused into that 
 one word ' music.' " 
 
 With the intention of cheering the sorrowing ones, on 
 whom he looked with the strong and pure affection of an 
 obedient son and loving brother, he used to say, " I shall 
 often be hovering around you." 
 
 " What a sweet thought it is," said he, "that the angels
 
 208 " PRAISE, PRAISE." 
 
 will come right down into this room where I lie, and bear 
 me upwards in their arms." 
 
 " On the afternoon of Thursday he suffered fearfully from 
 thirst. Turning to one who was keeping watch with me 
 Miss Hart he said, very earnestly, ' You will meet me at 
 the fountain, won't you ?' We both replied ' Oh yes,' at 
 which he appeared much pleased." 
 
 " His medical attendant directed us to give my brother ice, 
 and as ice was not procurable in Stawell we telegraphed to 
 Ballarat for a supply, and were informed a quantity would 
 reach Stawell by eight o'clock p.m. Never shall I forget 
 those tedious hours between five o'clock and eight o'clock ! 
 The poor sufferer asked at brief intervals to be told the time, 
 following each answer that indicated progress to the longed- 
 for hour with the words, ' Thank God' sighed rather than 
 spoken." So piteous was the silent pleading of his eyes for 
 relief that his sister often had to leave the room to escape 
 the distress it occasioned her. 
 
 " My mother and I kept watch together on the following 
 day (Friday). Once he looked upwards and said ' There 
 is a happy land no not far, far away, but quite close.' 
 Then he raised his voice and tried to sing the hymn. At 
 the end of two lines his voice failed him, and he said 'No ! 
 I can't sing it.' After resting a moment or two he said 
 'Praise, Praise.' My mother then asked if he was at- 
 tempting to say ' Praise God from whom' ' Yes ! Yes !' 
 he said, with pauses, 
 
 Praise God from whom all 
 
 blessings flow
 
 " COVER ME WITH WHITE ROSES." 209 
 
 Praise Him all creatures 
 
 here below Mother " 
 
 It was during Friday afternoon that Mrs. Hart again 
 knelt by her son, and, on repeating the first line of his 
 favorite Psalm, " The Lord is my shepherd," he rejoined 
 " I shall not want;" and did not stop until he was in the 
 middle of the 4th verse. Here he paused, but, on his mother 
 supplying the words " Thy rod and Thy staff," her son 
 exclaimed triumphantly "they comfort me." 
 
 Miss Hart writes : 
 
 " My brother always talked about his own death so near 
 with great calmness, and the thought of flowers seemed 
 to be linked on to his bier. ' You will cover me with 
 white roses, won't you And again, on the last day of his 
 conscious sojourn with us, he spoke tenderly to me of his 
 burial. His ardent passion for flowers guided his words, 
 ' You will be able to procure plenty of white flowers for me, 
 Florrie.' He derived real pleasure from this thought. 
 And his wish was faithfully carried out to the letter. His 
 coffin was covered over with white roses supplied by friends 
 in Stawell, by other friends in Melbourne, and by 
 members of the A. N. A., Ballarat Branch. Some of these 
 were sent as bouquets, and others as wreaths a la immor- 
 telle." 
 
 " On Friday" writes his mother "he seemed continually 
 to suffer from thirst, constantly craving for ice. Several 
 times during that day we thought the end had come, 
 but he still lingered on. Towards night his mind began
 
 210 "MOTHER'S TENDER TOUCH." 
 
 to wander, and at times he did not seem to recognise any 
 of us. Once when I had been away from him, taking a 
 little rest, having left loving hands to minister to his wants, 
 on returning I knelt by his bedside, longing for another 
 recognition. He opened his eyes and with his own bright 
 smile murmured ' Mother's tender touch.' Saturday he 
 passed for the greater part in a state of insensibility. Once 
 a gleam of consciousness shone in his face, and he whispered 
 ' the Lamb,' and again relapsed. 
 
 (d.) "That night, when Dr. Bennet examinedhim, he said 
 ' He will not suffer any more, and will probably pass 
 away at midnight.' We watched silently by his bed, all 
 but his father being present, and, just as Sabbath dawned, 
 he passed away so gently that we scarcely knew when he 
 ceased to breathe. So easy was the transit that one of his 
 sisters said ' Is this death ? I shall never fear to die ! ' " 
 It was 
 
 " His true eyes glazed in death, 
 And the warm heart wearied had beat 
 The last drum of its long defeat. 
 An Angel * * * 
 Took his Spirit by the hand, 
 And gently spake ' Dear brother come, 
 A sore road thou didst journey home.' 
 * * * * 
 
 Then with swift flght those twain did rise, 
 Unto the gates of Paradise." 
 
 And the disembodied spirit thus received into the man- 
 sions of the blest, his body lay where so long it had travelled
 
 LAST MESSAGE TO SUNDAY SCHOOL. 211 
 
 that " sore road," pale and white and cold as snow ; so dead 
 that it could not alter one muscle of its calm and placid 
 features. 
 
 During the last week of Mr. Hart's illness his thoughts 
 were directed towards the Sunday School and to his many 
 juvenile friends receiving true religious instruction in the 
 classes taught there. He asked that Mr. Akins, the super- 
 intendent of the school, might see him, that through him he 
 might speak farewell words to the scholars. Mr. Akins 
 received the message from dying lips. On the following 
 Lord's Day he endeavoured to deliver it. The occasion, as 
 described by an eye-witness, was not only a solemn but a 
 deeply affecting one. The pillars of the spacious triple-roofed 
 hall were draped with black cloth, and a long strip of the same 
 material, on which the words " For ever with the Lord" 
 were sewn in raised white characters, was stretched high 
 over the platform. 
 
 The duties of the afternoon were commenced under 
 hushed, reverent feelings. The dolesome emblems around 
 the place spoke, with a voiceless gravity, of the removal of 
 a teacher greatly beloved. The heavy hearts of surviving 
 teachers, and the more intelligent of the scholars, hung on 
 those exquisitely pathetic lines, 
 
 " But for the touch of a vanished hand 
 And the sound of a voice that is still." 
 
 Pensive memories crowded in upon them, and longings 
 for one more look upon that face so quick to kindle into 
 smiles, and to be led once again in the sweet service of song
 
 212 AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE. 
 
 by that voice that was gone gone to join in the song of the 
 redeemed, elevated by its theme 
 
 " Far o'er the music of angels, the song 
 Of the Lamb that was slain." 
 
 A hymn, solemn in its sentiment and sung to an appro- 
 priate tune, was followed by a prayer offered by Mr. Hain, 
 senr., and the closing half of the seventh chapter of Reve- 
 lations, beginning at the ninth verse, was read " After that 
 I beheld and, lo, a great number, which no man could 
 number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and 
 tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, 
 clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands :" and so 
 on to the end of chapter. 
 
 Mr. Akins then addressed himself to the task of describing 
 the interview with his deceased friend, and attempted to 
 deliver the message entrusted to him. But this needed a 
 self-control, a steeling of the heart, to which the man who 
 had been to the deceased what Jonathan was to David was 
 unequal. His high opinion of the dead, his strong affection 
 for him, his keen sense of a loss he could not speak, over- 
 mastered him. He stood and wept. There were present 
 those who went up to that hall " weeping as they went," 
 and now they wept aloud. All attempt at the conceal- 
 ment of emotion was relinquished. All who were there 
 bewailed their loss as "with the weeping of Jazer, " a 
 lamentation that was deep and bitter. This was especially 
 the case with the older scholars, in the minds of whom he 
 had assisted to implant desires for a life of love and duty 
 to their Creator God.
 
 AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE. 213 
 
 When the voice of weeping had subsided into the softer 
 expressions of sobs and sighs, Mr. Akins succeeded in com- 
 manding his voice so as to deliver the message. It was simple 
 and kindly, and becoming one who spoke it from the river 
 of death : 
 
 " Tell the scholars I want them all to meet me in heaven ; 
 and say I shall watch over them all if I am permitted to do 
 so, and I firmly believe I shall be. Tell them how happy 
 the thought makes me that I am going home." 
 
 The impression made on many young minds by that touch- 
 ing service, and the farewell words of Richard H. Hart, 
 remain unto this day ; and are likely to follow them 
 through life. Several of the scholars have said since that 
 the message then delivered to them has strengthened them 
 in their endeavors to live a godly life, by encouraging 
 within them the hope of meeting in heaven one to whom 
 they had been so strongly attached whilst amongst them 
 on earth. 
 
 The death of Mr. Hart was telegraphed to the Melbourne 
 morning papers ; and during Monday the telegraph and the 
 post brought words of condolence and sympathy from nearly 
 all parts of the colony, supplying proof, in a fresh form, 
 to the bereaved family of the high esteem in which Richard 
 Henry Hart was held alike by his friends whom they knew 
 and friends to them unknown. 
 
 Not a few of the Victorian papers directed the attention 
 of their readers in a special manner to his death. These 
 notices had, of necessity, a memento mori cast, but anything
 
 214 NEWSPAPER OBITUARIES. 
 
 approaching a Memphian shade or overcast could not be 
 found in one of them. One sample, taken from a secular 
 paper, and one, taken from a religious journal, must suffice 
 to show the general tone of these mortuary notifications. 
 A contributor to a leading Ballarat paper expressed his 
 views of the event thus : 
 
 " Victorian society has received a shock in the lamented 
 death of Mr. R. H. Hart, the man of all the talents 
 
 A man so various, that he seems to be 
 Not one but all mankind's epitome. 
 
 It was not easy to tell which was his leading talent, but, 
 without doubt, it was as an orator that he was best known 
 to old and young in his native country. I do not know of 
 any orator possessed of a clearer, smoother, sweeter, and 
 distincter voice. The last time I had the pleasure of hearing 
 him in public was, I think, at the first Recidiviste meeting 
 in the Alfred Hall. I have had several lengthy conversa- 
 tions with him on social and political matters, and it was 
 one of my most ardent desires to see him in Parliament as 
 the natural leader of the natives, for, in spite of his Con- 
 servative training, he was ultra-Liberal to the backbone, 
 and I do not think that the offer of any portfolio would 
 have caused him to throw in his influence with the moppers- 
 up of the soil. The Natives trusted in him, and sure I am 
 that he would never have betrayed that trust had it pleased 
 Heaven to have permitted him to legislate for his native 
 land. But it was not to be. ' Those whom the gods love 
 die young.' Genius too often preys on itself the mental
 
 NEWSPAPER OBITUARIES. 215 
 
 faculties are too often allowed to develop at the expense of 
 the physical powers, and so it is that the Keats and the 
 Kirke Whites die away just as we know their value, and 
 cling to them to stay. What Mr. Hart would have been 
 had he lived in full vigor into the seventies it is not very 
 hard to surmise. With the intellect and the talents he 
 possessed, and the integrity which made all who knew him 
 hold him to be as true as steel, that he should have been the 
 leading man of Victoria, and perhaps of Australia, was not 
 impossible. Heaven send another like him." 
 
 A Melbourne religious paper, which has a circulation 
 throughout Australia, said : " The news of the death of 
 Mr. R. H. Hart, of Stawell, will be received throughout 
 the colony with great regret. He was greatly gifted and 
 much beloved. In addition to having been a local preacher 
 and earnest worker in our church, he was a prominent 
 member of the Australian Natives' Association, upon which 
 he exercised a wide and healthy influence. He would, 
 doubtless, had his life been spared, have become a leader 
 amongst men. It is one of the great mysteries by which 
 we are surrounded that a life of so much promise has been 
 cut short. ' He withholdeth the face of His throne, and 
 spreadeth His cloud upon it.' About a year ago Mr. Hart 
 was laid aside by disease ; and while life was very precious 
 to him, we believe death had no terror for him. With 
 great patience and Christian fortitude he bore his long- 
 continued sufferings, and peacefully passed away on Sunday 
 morning."
 
 216 THE FUNERAL. 
 
 Gone ; but nothing can bereave him 
 
 Of the force he made his own, 
 
 Being here ; and we believe him 
 
 Something far advanced in state ; 
 
 And he wears a truer crown 
 
 Than any wreath that man can weave him. 
 
 Tuesday, the 21st of October, 1884, was the day decided 
 on for committing the shell to its last bed in the 
 grave. On the preceding day Mr. Hart, senr., had with 
 considerable effort left his own sick bed to take a last look 
 at the mortal remains of his first-born son. That scene is 
 one too tender and too solemn to admit of a description of 
 it here. If the trembling man did not say there lies the 
 pride of all my hopes, he could say of so very many of them ; 
 and the anticipated shade of his declining years. 
 
 On Tuesday, before the mournful cortege left " Gleneira" 
 for the cemetery, a part of the funeral service was conducted 
 by the bed side of Mr. Hart, senr., at which all the members 
 of the family were present. This service is described as " a 
 peculiarly solemn one." The Rev. Joseph Albiston con- 
 ducted it, and continued the service by the side of the 
 grave. Fuller particulars are supplied in an account of the 
 burial which appeared in the Pleasant Creek News of 
 Thursday. 
 
 " The funeral of the late Mr. Richard Henry Hart took 
 place on Tuesday, the respect in which he was held being 
 testified by the large attendance of mourners, which (says 
 the News) numbered more than a thousand, while about
 
 THE FUNERAL. 217 
 
 twenty vehicles, containing a number of residents of the 
 district, were included in the procession, which started from 
 the deceased's late residence, shortly after four o'clock, and 
 slowly wended its way to the Stawell Cemetery, where the 
 interment took place. The Wesleyan Church choir, which 
 had been conducted by the deceased, sang a number of 
 hymns on the way to the cemetery. The mournful pro- 
 cession was led by members of the Freemasons order, to 
 which Mr. Hart belonged, and which included representa- 
 tives of the lodges at Ballarat, Horsham, Murtoa, Ararat, 
 and other places; next followed the hearse, although 
 immediately after this were the members of the Australian 
 Natives' Association, six of whom were carrying the coffin' 
 on which were placed a number of wreaths and bouquets of 
 flowers ; next followed the choir, while immediately after 
 this was the mourning coach, which contained the two 
 brothers of the deceased ; next followed a long line of 
 mourners, while the vehicles brought up the rear. A 
 large number of the Branches of the A.N.A. throughout 
 the colony were represented. The Rev. Mr. Albiston, of 
 the Wesleyan Church, performed the last obsequies at the 
 grave, and the masonic service was conducted by Past- 
 master Morgan, of the Orion Lodge, E.G., Ballarat." 
 
 These are the circumstantials of the last attentions of 
 which the young man of such large promise and so many 
 hopes was the recipient. He was placed in that grave by 
 those who loved him, in a sleep from which no human power 
 can awake and which none can disturb. 
 
 The assertion of a gifted modern writer that there is
 
 218 ACTION OF THE A.N.A. 
 
 " In every home a trouble a memory that comes with the 
 twilight and grows mightier as the day leaves us," is 
 understood by those who form the " Gleneira " family. 
 And often, even now, as that family sits by the silent 
 hearth when the sun sinks to his rest, touching 
 
 c * * * * O iif e the pictures on the wall, 
 And smiting the dusk with bars of amber" 
 in a calm endeavour to recall words of kindness gone, 
 and sounds of mirth now dumb for ever, they ask no other 
 comment on that assertion than is supplied by their own 
 experience, as evening follows evening. 
 
 The first fortnightly meeting of the Ballarat branch of 
 the Australian Natives' Association, held after the hand 
 of death had deprived the Association of its loved and 
 respected leader, was adjourned out of respect to Mr. Hart, 
 no business except what was urgent and necessary being 
 transacted. The President (Mr. D. J. Wheal), in very 
 touching language, referred to the loss the Association had 
 sustained by Mr. Hart's death, and at the same meeting a 
 proposal to raise funds for a memorial stone was carried 
 unanimously. The motion for the adjournment, and a letter 
 of condolence to be sent to the parents, was moved, seconded, 
 and carried in silence, and the meeting closed. 
 
 Shortly after the demise of Mr. Hart an " In Memoriam" 
 lecture was delivered at Stawell, in the Town Hall, under 
 the auspices of the A.N.A., by Mr. R. Hain, junr., of Bal- 
 larat. Mr. Hain claimed for his departed friend what the 
 orator Burke claimed for his brother orator and politician,
 
 " IN MEMORIAM " LECTURE. 219 
 
 Fox " That he was born to be loved." They mourned his re- 
 moval, but it must not be forgotten that he had lived to 
 purpose, and had left them in his life and work a brilliant 
 example which they all ought to emulate. The deceased 
 recognised that life, however bright and beautiful, is a stern 
 reality. The lecturer recited Longfellow's Psalm of Life 
 as expressing the life Mr. Hart had lived. His birth, early 
 love for music, school and college life, his life as a tutor 
 where before he had been taught, his oratorical abilities, 
 his settlement at Stawell, and his assistance of the public 
 charities and the poor were all placed before a large and 
 deeply interested audience. The lecturer then proceeded to 
 notice his course as a Christian and a politician. As a 
 Christian he had a well-thought-out theory in regard to 
 religion, and his life was consistent therewith. He did not 
 trouble himself about the creed of another man so long as 
 he followed the one ideal Jesus Christ. His opinion of 
 the sin of bigotry was expressed in the strong words of 
 " O ! Bigotry, most cursed in heaven most damned in hell." 
 
 As a politician he sought the good of his country. 
 Unassuming though he was, it had been truly said of him, 
 " No one could buy him, no one could intimidate him." For 
 this reason the Natives looked to him as a national leader. 
 As the young men of Italy had made such a noble stand for 
 the right under Garibaldi, so the youth of this colony had 
 been prepared to act under Mr. Hart. His political 
 influence was widely felt, although he was never in Parliament. 
 Had he lived, a position in the Legislative Assembly would 
 have been made certain for him, and without doubt he
 
 220 " IN MEMORIAM " LECTURE. 
 
 would have taken a prominent position there. He had the 
 will to tell those who trifled with the interests of our land 
 they must do so no longer, and would have had the oppor- 
 tunity. His loss to the Natives' cause could never be 
 repaired ; no one could inspire such respect and gain such 
 esteem. He was prompted to connect himself with the 
 Natives' Association by the idea that it might be used as 
 an efficient lever for the elevation of the youth of the 
 land. There was something almost prophetic in the last 
 piece which he recited in public being 
 
 " Break, break, break at the foot of thy crags, O sea ! 
 But the tender grace of a day that is dead, 
 Will never come back to me !" 
 
 And his intensely earnest rendition of this pathetic compo- 
 sition thrilled the large audience before which it was delivered. 
 He died as he lived, a true Christian, leaving behind him a 
 record which every Australian would do well to study. 
 
 Mr. Hain concluded his well-delivered lecture amidst 
 loud applause. 
 
 A month later Mr. Hain delivered this lecture in the 
 Town Hall, Creswick, at the request of Branch No. 1 1 of 
 the Association. Here again he had a crowded and 
 enthusiastic assembly, who gladly availed themselves of the 
 opportunity of doing honor to the memory of R. H. Hart in 
 the belief that not only noble, but 
 
 " Faithful and true, patient and pure 
 Had been his years."
 
 " A LEADER AMONGST MEN." 221 
 
 But it is chiefly as a public man, assisting in any 
 movement that had for its object the amelioration of suffer- 
 ing or the advancement of the district, that his loss will be 
 felt. His talents eminently fitted him to be "a leader 
 amongst men," and his was the guiding hand that conducted 
 to a successful issue many efforts that might have resulted 
 in failure under less skilful management 
 
 In the Natives' Association his abilities were warmly 
 admired and often called into requisition, and it is mainly 
 owing to his indefatigable labours and peculiar talent for 
 organisation that the Society occupies so prominent a position 
 in Stawell as it does at present. For twelve months he 
 occupied the position of President of the Board of Directors, 
 which position his capacity for business and eloquence 
 as a speaker eminently qualified him to adorn. As a public 
 speaker he was clear, logical, forcible, and eloquent to a high 
 degree ; so much so, that even amongst more experienced 
 men, who are regarded as political orators, he always com- 
 manded an enthusiastic reception. 
 
 No additional word need be added to prove that as a 
 private man Richard H. Hart, by his noble qualities, won 
 for himself a large circle of attached friends ; or, that he 
 was never slack in the service of his God; or, when his fellow- 
 man asked his assistance, slow to give it. These truths are 
 as obvious as that when he had attained the age of thirty 
 years, "after he had served his own generation, by the will 
 of God he fell asleep."
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. : 
 
 CONCLUSION.
 
 " Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of 
 the same." ST. PAUL. 
 
 " That which is good has of its very essence a longer 
 existence than evil. Moreover, the fleshly garment of decay 
 veils from our view much that is beautiful and lovable in 
 men ; and the windings and difficulties of the road they 
 walk on will often distort or hide the true character of 
 their pursuits so that we do not see them as they are. 
 When the veil is removed by death, and the rough places 
 and the bitter struggles made known, we are in a better 
 position to judge justly." ANON.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 At the close of this book the words written at its com- 
 mencement may be repeated in substance. It has become 
 almost an impossibility for a young man in this age to 
 elude a close scrutiny if he appears on any of the more 
 thronged of men's pathways, acting under a conviction that 
 he has a vocation amongst men, and with a modest self 
 assertiveness directs his energies to the effective accomplish- 
 ment of that vocation. The possibilities and the pro- 
 babilities attached to such a course throw a charm about 
 the young man who pursues it, and questions as to its 
 issue increase as our knowledge of the ideal he has erected 
 as his goal is enlarged. 
 
 And how wide a field is opened before us for reflection, 
 when such a course is suddenly arrested by death ! Amidst 
 the clouds and darkness ai'ound the event, feeble sense is 
 sure to stumble and to misread the deed. The hand of a 
 supreme power may be acknowledged ; but the hands of a 
 surprised onlooker are folded more easily than his will, for 
 this reason the removal of what was so fruitful in promise 
 is so contrary to the thoughts and ways of men. This 
 difficulty need not be amplified here and now. For the 
 present hear the customary exclamation of an Eastern 
 philosopher and keep silence :
 
 226 CONCLUSION. 
 
 "Nay! Accurst are they who judge of God by man;" 
 
 And consider the solemn enquiries put to us by the same 
 authority : 
 
 " Wilt thou be wiser than God, 
 Who knoweth the beginning and end 1 
 Wilt thou be juster than He 
 Whose balance is turned by a sigh 1 " 
 
 Also, consider a similar query proposed by Job " Shall 
 any teach God knowledge 1 Seeing He judgeth those that 
 are high : and let us remember ever that though He maketh 
 sore He bindeth up, and though He woundeth His hands 
 make whole." 
 
 Inasmuch, therefore, as God thus sets His mercies over 
 against his judgments, like the sunshine and the showers 
 of an English April day, it is man's duty to cultivate a 
 submissive and thankful spirit, making family mercies and 
 family trials helps to the growth of family religion. To do 
 this we have reason to believe is the purpose of the sur- 
 viving members of the family from which Mr. Hart is 
 taken away. Thus the vista of the future is brightened by 
 their united faith and hope, and their expectancy of meet- 
 ing no wanderer lost " an unbroken family in heaven" 
 is strengthened. 
 
 As illustrative of St. Paul's words that to right and 
 good acts praise shall be awarded, I ask attention to the 
 wprds of Samuel Fiddian, M.A., the Rev. W. A. Quick, 
 and the Hon. Alfred Deakin, each of whom touches on 
 different points of his character Mr. Deakin exhaustively.
 
 MH. FIDDIAN'S TESTIMONY. 227 
 
 To these the reader can add the high testimonials to his moral 
 character and literary abilities to be found in Chapter IV. 
 
 "My acquaintance with the late Richard Hart began in 
 the year 1872, when he came to assist me in the school. 
 He remained with me a few months, and from my recol- 
 lections of that early period I can add but little to the 
 general estimate of his character. The Christian principle, 
 the natural politeness, and the passion for music which then 
 distinguished him were afterwards further developed and 
 matured, and became widely known. 
 
 " But seeing that his first engagement as a teacher was with 
 me, I may just say that I was impressed with his happy 
 manner in dealing with boys. He arrested attention and 
 maintained order by tact and gentle firmness, without 
 resorting to those harsh measures which sometimes make 
 the relations of pupil and master anything but pleasant. 
 
 "S. F." 
 
 The few months might have been many but for delicate 
 health. Dr. Lindsay, under whose care he was at this time, 
 pointed out to him his danger from " brain fag," and urged 
 a respite from study. 
 
 The Rev. W. A. Quick had the opportunity of seeing 
 Mr. Hart in sunshine and in shade ; and his high esteem 
 for him never suffered abatement. 
 
 "Did not know and had not heard much about him before I 
 had the pleasure of seeing him. * 
 He was both sensible and sober minded, besides being a
 
 228 HON. A. DEAKIN'S TESTIMONY. 
 
 young man of great and varied talents. If the Lord had 
 spared him he would have added to his usefulness in our 
 church considerable service to the State. It is much to his 
 credit as a young man of promise that he was all but suc- 
 cessful at the last Stawell election against an experienced 
 politician who had for years represented that constituency." 
 
 The opinion entertained of Mr. Hart and the probabili- 
 ties of his future by the present Minister of Public Works, 
 Alfred Deakin, Esq., are stated in a letter addressed to Mrs. 
 Hart, sen. 
 
 " Dear Madam, Your son first met me at the Ararat 
 station in order to welcome me to the Stawell Branch of 
 the Australian Natives' Association, then holding its annual 
 meeting. This was, I think, in 1881. A year or so after, 
 when again in Stawell, we met in connection with a similar 
 celebration, and on several occasions he visited me in town. 
 What first attached me to him was his singularly frank, 
 open, loving manner, his almost feminine sweetness of dis- 
 position, united to a manly firmness of self-control. He 
 was unique, it seemed to me, in his combination of delicacy 
 and purity of sentiment with masculine energy and will. 
 I found him in Stawell, by natural pre-eminence of ability, 
 the intellectual leader of the youth of the neighborhood, 
 and by his lofty moral character a most potent influence for 
 good among them. Never do I remember noticing a 
 gathering of young men more excellently disciplined by the 
 elevating influence of an elder teacher than there, where 
 many almost as old or older than himself were quietly
 
 HO\. A. DEAKIN'S TESTIMONY. 229 
 
 tutored by him. He had a sweet reasonableness and flow 
 of toleration which enabled him to lead gently but surely 
 many of them towards temperance of habit and higher 
 ideals of life who would have failed to respond to any more 
 assertive authority. His brain development was always 
 palpably over-taxing his physical strength, and though its 
 quality was sound and active it was coupled with an 
 organisation, mental and physical, of extreme fineness. 
 He was withal no formalist, but broad and liberal in bis 
 ideas and inclinations. He had a natural bent for humani- 
 tarian exertion, and would have been most excellently 
 adapted for the life of a pastor. As it transpired, however, 
 he took a political turn, and threw 7 himself into the investi- 
 gation and discussion of social problems with all the ardour 
 of a missionary. His was a zeal for the general welfare 
 and for universal enlightenment which raised him above 
 parties, but, at the same time, he was not so visionary as to 
 be in the least afraid to enrol himself in the ranks of 
 practical politicians. He had no fear of the reproach which 
 attaches to the sincere partisan, but accepted the constitu- 
 tional position, determined to make the best of things as 
 they were and guide future growths in the higher direction. 
 He had marked natural gifts, some of which arose from the 
 simplicity and straightforwardness of his disposition ; others 
 from his habits of thoughtful study and patient enquiry. 
 But he had also the fluency and the verve of the public 
 speaker, with a musical voice, a winning presence, and an 
 admirable elocution. It was no wonder, with all these 
 qualifications, that he seemed destined by nature for a 
 career of well-earned fame and large public usefulness.
 
 230 TION. A. DEAKIN'S TESTIMONY. 
 
 Patriotism was an especial characteristic of his, which 
 speedily discovered itself. He had an intense feeling of 
 affection for all his brother Australians, and spent a groat 
 part of his time in building up and cementing their associ- 
 ation and in guiding it to the best ends. Had he lived he 
 would have done much more. As it is, his memory should 
 be precious and sacred to them. What I write may seem 
 something like a panegyric, but it is based wholly and 
 solely upon my knowledge of him. Those who knew him 
 better may add much, but cannot take anything of this 
 testimony away from him. He was deeply and sincerely 
 religious in spirit as well as in form, and recognised clearly 
 that it was the truest and highest inspiration of his whole 
 being and conscious existence. His was thoroughly and 
 nobly a religion of love of the love which overlooks all 
 surface difficulties and clings to its own reality under any 
 and every guise of race and creed. When I first saw him 
 it was as the eloquent speaker swaying his audience with 
 cultured enthusiasm the young leader of the young 
 looked up to by them as a hero and a teacher. Soon after 
 he entered the lists of political warfare, and at once took a 
 high place, narrowly missing a seat in Parliament, and 
 securing the good opinion even of those who opposed him 
 in the contest. When I last saw him he was pale and frail, 
 but placid and peaceful upon the bed which was to be his 
 death bed, where he had spent month after month of suffer- 
 ing and weary weakness. He was then worn to a shadow, 
 and his wasted hand seemed too feeble to withstand a clasp; 
 but he was self-contained, and resolute, and cheerful still, 
 accepting his lot without murmur and with the almost
 
 WORDS OF CAUTION. 231 
 
 triumphant resignation of a martyr. Tt was thus that I 
 last saw him and shall continue to see him while memory 
 remains as it seemed and seems to me, in spite of the 
 mystery of his pain and death, a victor over all. AVith 
 much sincere sympathy, 
 
 "I am, dear Madam, faithfully your.", 
 
 "ALFRED PEAKIN." 
 
 Such testimonies as these to the ability, goodness, and 
 worth of the departed partakes of a quality akin to that 
 which we ascribe to mercy, in being " twice blessed," inas- 
 much as the admiration and esteem which we, the living, 
 show for those who have 
 
 " Just gone before, a heart-beat's time, 
 A grey ant's pace," 
 
 is likely to be repaid with the commendations of those who 
 survive us if we have lived so as to merit them. 
 
 The writer would not readily suppose that any young 
 man who reads the above does not wish to live such a life. 
 Mr. Richard H. Hart won the esteem awarded him by 
 avoiding evils against which I will now venture to add a 
 word of warning. 
 
 Young men are never far away from those who watch 
 and wait to set soft sins and pleasures before them, and 
 make the pathway to ruin broad and plain. The weakness 
 and inconsistency of humanity is well understood by such 
 betrayers. They delight to put aside the scruples of virtuous 
 youth, and pass them over to pleasure of the sensual kind,
 
 232 WORDS OF CAUTION. 
 
 and smile to see them in its deathly grip. Then soon the 
 will of the victim becomes enervated, the reason confused, 
 the character rendered weak, and the syren smiles on the 
 victims whose marrow she consumes, whose blood she 
 poisons, until they die in hosts from inanition, without suf- 
 ficient force to resist death or render it desirable that they 
 should live. This is a picture not too highly coloured, and 
 alas ! that it is so of daily occurrence. 
 
 The evil work done by these men reflects the tinct of 
 minds discouraged withered blase souls, in whom all sense 
 of virtue is blunted by long commerce with vice. Hope 
 within them is dead ; they have no horizon beyond the eai'th, 
 on which they crawl rather than walk : they have no 
 acknowledged father on earth or in heaven, and no pleasure 
 except in degrading others to their own level. Are they 
 not evil spirits in disguise ; Mephistophelean personages ; 
 characters whose delight it is to crush the better instincts 
 of the youthful heart, to lead it to confound truth and 
 falsehood, right and wrong, until driven to desperation the 
 victim will 
 
 " curse his better angels from his side 
 And fall to reprobation T 
 
 Associated with such agencies as those just noticed is 
 another subtle seducer, waylaying young men. It is 
 DRINK. Seventy years ago William Cobbett, the celebrated 
 English politicial writer, dedicated a book of advice to 
 young men and women. He was a man not frightened 
 at his own thoughts, nor afraid to express them with, at 
 times, great severity. His advice to young men, however,
 
 WORDS OF CAfTIOX. 233 
 
 was sound and kindly, and his opinion on the ruinous 
 Hli'cts of this vice, as expressed in the following extract, is 
 recommended with all earnestness to every young man who 
 has in any degree trifled with this evil : "When this vice has 
 taken fast hold of a man, farewell industry, farewell emula- 
 tion, farewell to things worthy of attention, farewell love of 
 virtuous society, farewell decency of manners, and farewell, 
 too, even attention to person ; everything is sunk by this 
 predominant and brutal appetite." Complimentary doctors 
 are accustomed politely to credit these so called " Eccen- 
 tricities " to "d. t.," but their doing so connot save those 
 for whom they do it from disgrace, or those dependent on 
 them from ruin. At last it strong drink biteth like a 
 serpent, and stingeth like the death-darting cockatrice. One 
 word more on this subject. The words are those of the man 
 who has been designated " the chief literary glory of 
 England" "0 strange! To be now a sensible man, bye- 
 and-by a fool, and presently a beast ! Every inordinate cup 
 is unblessed, and the ingredient is a devil." Let young men 
 mark the progressive degradation, and shun strong drink. 
 
 By avoiding cards, dice, and the racecourse, you will escape 
 contact with social sponges, bipedal parasites, who seek to 
 secure a hasty wealth by the chances of speculation ; who 
 are ever on the alert to transfer into their pockets the 
 money which ought to remain in your own ; who would 
 enter on the possession of your own pretty cottage with as 
 few qualms of conscience as the hermit-crab has when, 
 after subsisting for a time on the juices of its unlucky 
 occupant, it appropriates to its own use the shell of the 
 whelk. One of these parasites would occupy your home
 
 234 WORDS OP CAUTION. 
 
 with as much complacency, nay, as proudly and securely, as 
 if built at his own cost. 
 
 Avoid, then, the evils of sensuality, drink, and gambling; 
 and not these alone, but every phrase of fast living, for 
 that word means a life of shame and dying as quickly as 
 possible. Who has not observed, alas ! how often noble 
 young men, enriched by culture, high-toned, stirred by lofty 
 impulses, men of uncommon promise, commanding a spon- 
 taneous admiration from all who look on them, suddenly 
 disappear from public gaze, disappointing most reasonable 
 expectation of their attaining eminence, fall from that 
 to which they have attained in the twinkling of an eye 
 
 " Like a poised eagle whom the lightnings blast." 
 
 Let me say to the members of the A.N.A. practice the 
 kindly and loftier teachings embodied in your own code of 
 laws ; then, in addition to escaping the evils against which 
 you are cautioned, you will live to do good, and learn that 
 good deeds seldom cause weariness, and that righteousness 
 never carves wrinkles on the brow. Let those laws be 
 honestly carried into effect, and you will not, either individu- 
 ally or as an association, drift into " a copartnery to do 
 business for the devil without mentioning his name in the 
 firm." 
 
 Like to your late Ex-Chairman, learn to know God's will 
 and to do it in every step of life ; then most assuredly you, 
 when removed from the place you occupy, shall be followed 
 by such expressions of affection and esteem as those which 
 follow the departed,
 
 'DEPARTED.' 
 
 Departed never more to go or come; 
 
 Leaving men's moans and gibes, and sighs and grins, 
 
 Their unbless'd blessings, urirepented sins ; 
 Departed from among us and gone home ! 
 Thou look'st no more with us on yon blue dome ; 
 
 Thy laugh no more rings out like these glad rills 
 
 That break the purple silence of the hills, 
 Decking the hard, rough rocks with dazzling foam ; 
 
 As thou so many years didst deck our lives 
 
 With thy bright patience, and the strength which strives 
 To know God's will and do it, however sore. 
 
 Sweet soul ! that to the pure heart of a boy 
 
 Joined a man's power, to suffer and enjoy. 
 Six feet in earth we laid thee and all's o'er ! 
 Not o'er ! Forbid it, all ye infinite deeps 
 
 Of sky and sea, hills set in amber air : 
 
 Why should God make this outward world so fair, 
 If souls who love Him, He nor loves nor keeps, 
 But lets slip from Him into deathly sleeps 
 
 Of cold corruption 1 And thee most of all, 
 
 Who heard, long ere we heard it ! the last call, 
 ' Son come up higher,' and through such silent steeps 
 
 Of pain toiled upwards to Him. Their desire 
 
 Those sure attain who righteously aspire : 
 Therefore adieu a little while a Dim ! 
 
 To God we give thee and to God we tend. 
 
 No tears ! thou wept'st not ; but expect us, friend, 
 In thy far land where the heavens and earth are new. 
 
 The Author of " JOHN HALIFAX, GKNTLF.MAX."
 
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