Alexander Balfour

[Illustration: _From a copyright photograph by Brown, Barnes & Bell photographers to the Queen._

Signature.]

Alexander Balfour.

A Memoir

By

R. H. Lundie, M.A.

Liverpool.

“Thoughts of the marvellous progress of God’s work in Liverpool afford me more comfort and rejoicing, than the perusal of any poem, or the reading of any novel.”

A. Balfour.

Fifth Edition.

LONDON: JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. LIVERPOOL: PHILIP, SON & NEPHEW. 1890.

Preface.

In the following pages the aim has been to give, not an extended biography, but a sketch of Alexander Balfour. He was not an autobiographic man, either in his conversation or his letters. The latter, even when dealing with philanthropic or Christian effort, were generally brief and business-like, touching some practical matter of detail which required attention at the moment. From these, with some exceptions at the commencement and at the close of his life, little help can be got for the biographer. Had it been otherwise, we should gladly have let him speak for himself. But those who knew him, know that to speak for himself was the last thing in the thought or practice of Alexander Balfour. We are constrained, therefore, to give some record of the deeds that speak for him, and to glean some of the impressions and recollections which remain in the minds of those who were associated with him.

In doing this we have aimed at brevity, always welcome in a busy age.

Throughout, we have been painfully reminded of the words of Lord Bacon, “The best part of beauty is that which the painter cannot express.” Narrative is incapable of conveying any adequate idea of the enthusiasm, the affection, the humility, the gentleness, the magnetic influence that glowed in wonderful combination in his countenance, and in his whole person while prosecuting some loved cause. When we can in words describe the fragrance of the mountain thyme, we may with ink and pen depict the finer and the subtler charm which threw its fascination over his friends. When such a man passes away from us, much passes with him which may in part be recalled by those who knew him, but which can never be conveyed to those who knew him not. Facts, incidents, narrative, and even impressions limited and hedged in by words, seem cold. Yet these, alas! are all we have to give.

Contents.

Chap. Page

I. Parentage And Boyhood 1

II. Early Liverpool Life 17

III. The Christian Merchant 35

IV. Service 49

V. Footsteps Among Seamen 89

VI. FOOTSTEPS AMONG SEAMEN--(_continued_) 121

VII. Council Of Education 143

VIII. Mount Alyn: Home Life 161

IX. Conflict--License-Law; Administrative Reform 187

X. License-Law--Legislative Reform 211

XI. Valparaiso 237

XII. Palestine 263

XIII. Jottings From Journals 273

XIV. Closing Days 285

Appendix A.--Funeral Sermon, &C. 321

“ B.--Letter Of Counsel To Young Partners In Business 343

Chapter I.

Parentage And Boyhood.

“I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.”--I SAM. i. 28.

“My heart Is little, and a little rain will fill The lily’s cup, which hardly moists the field.” --EDWIN ARNOLD.

Chapter I.

_Parentage And Boyhood._

Alexander Balfour was born at Leven-Bank, Leven, Fifeshire, on the 2nd of September 1824. He was the eldest of three sons, of whom only one survives. His father was Henry Balfour and his mother Agnes Bisset. Henry Balfour was the owner of a foundry in Leven, which is still carried on. Leven-Bank is a pleasantly situated residence near the foundry, and not distant from the shore of Largo Bay.

A venerable relation in her eighty-ninth year, who has spent her long life in the quaint Fifeshire town of Leven, is the repository of many family traditions, some of which may fitly find a place in these pages.

A few years before his death, Alexander Balfour gathered together some statistics about the ancestry of his family. These he recorded on the fly-leaf of his own Bible, and of another which he presented to one of his kindred. On two of the worthies in his ancestral roll, he used to dwell with peculiar pleasure.

James Wilson of Caskardy, a relation of the house, went to America and took part with George Washington and Franklin in laying the foundations of the American Republic. His portrait is in the great picture in the Capitol of Washington, as one of the worthies who signed the Deed of American Independence on the 4th of July 1776.

When in the United States, a few years ago, Mr. Balfour was presented by an American citizen with a copy--said to be one of the hundred original copies--of the Declaration of Independence. On his return he had it hung up in the office of his firm, and he pointed out to his friends, with enthusiasm, the signature of his kinsman, James Wilson. He believed the original Declaration to have been written by the hand of James Wilson; and certainly there is a marked similarity between his signature and the body of the document.

One of the most cherished incidents in the family record is the following:--When John Balfour of Brokley, in the olden time, lay on his death-bed, his cousin, James Balfour of Dron, came to see him. “Shall I offer prayer with you?” he inquired. “Not prayer but praise,” was the answer of the dying man. On this James began to sing from the time-honoured version of the 145th Psalm as sung in Scotland:--

“O Lord, Thou art my God and King; Thee will I magnify and praise; I will Thee bless and gladly sing Unto Thy holy name always. Each day I rise I will Thee bless, And praise Thy name time without end. Much to be praised and great God is; His greatness none can comprehend. Good unto all men is the Lord, O’er all His works His mercy is. Thy works all praise to Thee afford; Thy saints, O Lord, Thy name shall bless.”

Before James Balfour had finished singing, his cousin had passed into glory. These were bright thoughts to fill the heart of a dying saint. When Alexander’s own summons came, it was much in the bright trustful spirit of his venerable ancestor that he passed away. One of his cousins tells us that he read to her the ancestral roll, containing the brief record given above, and then exclaimed, “I should rather have the blood of men like these flowing in my veins than the blood of kings.”

What subtle influence may have descended upon him from his remote ancestors, who shall say? There cannot, however, be any doubt that some of his marked characteristics came to him from his parents. His father was a man of great hospitality and readiness to give. His mother’s heart was full of generous impulse, and her life abounded in deeds of kindness regulated by discrimination. She feared to injure when her aim was to bless. The same quality was conspicuous in the overflowing beneficence of her son. Those who knew him best know how eager he was to help such as helped themselves, and how resolute he could be in withholding assistance from those who were likely to squander or make a bad use of it. Of course, like others, he was sometimes deceived and disappointed in those he sought to aid.

A contemporary and playmate recalls a characteristic incident of his childish years. The two children were walking together along the road, having each got a penny to spend on sweetmeats. Meeting a poor old man, Alexander slipped the penny into his hand. To the inquiry why he had done this, the boy gravely replied, “Don’t you remember, ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth to the Lord.’” Already this great principle, which exercised so powerful an influence over his life, was beginning to take root in his young heart. He did not on this occasion quote the remainder of the text, but his after experience proved it true, “and that which he hath given will He pay him again.”

It is still remembered by the same companion that when Alexander and he were sent with some delicacies to a patriarchal old Christian, he, looking at the boy’s loving face, said, “That is a child of grace from the womb.”

He was very tender-hearted, and from early childhood his emotions were easily excited by hearing of any act of self-sacrificing devotion. When he was a very small boy, his mother was one evening entertaining company at dinner; and his nurse being required to help in waiting at table, Alexander was allowed to remain in the dining-room on a high chair in a recess, with a little table before him, on which was placed the family-Bible, which he had chosen to amuse himself with. No attention had been paid to him, and he had kept quiet for some time, when the party was startled by a sudden outburst of sobs from his corner. On inquiry being made, when he was able to explain, it was found that he had been reading the history of Abraham, and when he came to the story of his taking his son Isaac to the mount to offer him as a sacrifice, his feelings could not be restrained. In after life he was always much affected in reading this instance of Abraham’s obedience and confidence in God.

The only years spent by Alexander under his father’s roof were those of his childhood, and, like other children of his age on the coast of Fifeshire, he enjoyed a large measure of unrestricted liberty. This “wholesome neglect,” while it fostered the resourceful and independent spirit which has distinguished many sons of the “Kingdom of Fife,” in a larger world, was not without its dangers. On one occasion, when only six years of age, Alexander was amusing himself, along with a companion of equal years and experience, in a small boat moored to the shore. The boat in some way got loose, and the boys had drifted a mile or two out to sea before the position of matters attracted attention. The drifting boat was speedily captured, and the child-mariners were rescued from perils of which they were scarcely conscious.

In his early boyhood Alexander attended the parish school of Leven, which was at that time under the care of the Rev. Thomas Cutler, a “licentiate” of the Church of Scotland. While a good teacher, Mr. Cutler fully shared his pupils’ love of recreation, which had its part in developing manliness of character as well as soundness of health. The prospect of a “foursome” of golf on the breezy links of Leven, which form the fringe of Largo Bay, had irresistible attractions for Mr. Cutler. The quaint old school-house still stands, though no longer devoted to its original purpose. In front of it lies a strip of sand and bent-grass, a portion of the Links, while beyond stretches the noble estuary of the Forth, with the bold Bass Rock of historic memory, and the picturesque “Law” of North Berwick, on the opposite shore. From the three windows of the school-house all this was visible to teacher and scholars. The memory still lingers with some of the old pupils, of certain occasions on which, when a passenger boat from Edinburgh came in view before the hour of closing, and showed symptoms of golf-clubs and golfers, the claims of arithmetic and “the rudiments” were overpowered, and the eager teacher would say, “Well, boys, you may shut your books, there will be no more schooling to-day.” The word of command did not need to be spoken twice, and perhaps the bracing breezes and the free exercise of the links gave no indifferent compensation for what was lost by the curtailment of lessons. At least so it was in the estimation of the scholars.

Alexander delighted in open-air exercise of all kinds. He was devotedly fond of his little shaggy Highland pony, and much of his spare time was spent in roaming about the country on its back. His love for riding continued with him throughout his life. And in all this we see one ground of his earnest efforts, in later years, to furnish our city youths with such healthful exercise as lay within their reach.

It is not without interest to recall that young Alexander paid many a visit to Kilmany, the parish, somewhat before that time, of Dr. Chalmers. He had an uncle there, who was an elder in Kilmany church.

While still a boy he was sent to Dundee, where he enjoyed the advantage of a superior school. In Dundee he had the benefit of living with his grandfather, whose name-son he was, and whom he greatly resembled both physically and mentally. The “old Provost,” as he is still familiarly called in the town, was a notable man at that period. He was a prosperous merchant with large business connections, and was very fond of his grandson. The following brief inscription on a stone in the “Howff” churchyard, in the centre of the town, marks the old man’s resting place: “Alexander Balfour of Airlie Lodge, born at Kilmany, Fifeshire, 30th November 1765, died at Dundee 8th November 1855, aged 89 years.”

Under his roof, in the pleasant mansion bearing the name of Airlie Lodge, which stood at a very short distance from the estuary of the Tay, and which was a Dower House of the Airlie family, Alexander found his home for some years. Airlie Lodge is now replaced by modern houses, and few of those who were dwellers in Dundee at the time of which we speak, survive to tell what they knew of the old Provost’s grandson.

Those who remain speak of the boy in the warmest terms. One of them referring to his ardent temperament says, “Balfour’s youthful character--a character somewhat impetuous--foreshadowed the noble life he lived when he had come under the inspiration of a great love to God and man.” He was naturally eager and hasty, but this temper was not overcome so much as regulated and utilised, so that when prosecuting any good work, an impulse and energy were thrown into it which are given to few men. He was characterised in early life by great strength of will. This, too, was not conquered but controlled. Without this quality, it would have been wholly impossible for him to have accomplished the work which in later life he carried out. Not unfrequently, in training what are called self-willed children, the mistake is made of endeavouring to “break their will.” The truth is, that no life can be powerful and efficient among men without the presence of strong will. Happily in the educational and practical training of his early years, Alexander’s will was not broken, but early yoked to noble purpose, and thus made available for great achievements.

While quick in temper as a youth, he seemed incapable of cherishing animosity against any one. His lovable, generous character made many friends and no enemies.

A faithful servant of old Provost Balfour still survives. It is touching to hear her speak of Alexander. He seems to be the brightest figure in the memories of a long life; and she wearies not in speaking of the golden-haired boy of Airlie Lodge. He was a “most lovable boy,” says Elizabeth; “I would have done anything for him.” Her testimony agrees with that of others who remember his childhood, when she says, “I never heard Master Alec say a word that he might not have said before all the ministers of Dundee.” Elizabeth’s brother had gone to Cincinnati, where he became a prosperous man. In after years she was invited to go out to join him. The advice received from friends was conflicting, and she felt greatly at a loss. In the circumstances she said, “I will just write to Mr. Alec, and whatever he advises me I will do.” His advice was that she should go to her brother. He invited her to go to see him at Mount Alyn, at that time his home, on her way to America. She did so, and she reports: “He loaded me with kindness, and said, ‘Now, Elizabeth, if you find it does not suit you to stay in the States, just come back and live beside me at Mount Alyn, and I will see that you have all you need.’” She did return to this country after a time, but her brother had made all needful provision for her, and she dwells among her own people in Dundee.

Airlie Lodge was on the whole a happy home for Alexander. The old Provost was greatly attached to him. It is curious to hear from contemporaries that Alexander’s way of unconsciously but most effectively using his delicate tapering fingers, in any demonstration or argument in which he was engaged, was almost exactly his grandfather’s method. The old Provost’s wife was not Alexander’s own grandmother. She was in fact the third wife. She seems to have been a lady of quick temper, and to have kept the youthful inmate of her house under the bonds of a somewhat sharp discipline. It was altogether characteristic of his heart, that when some years afterwards he began to draw a salary for himself, one of his first presents was a handsome silk dress which he sent home to the old Provost’s wife. It seemed to be his way of showing that he remembered her kindnesses to him and was forgetful of all else.

Alexander, while living in Airlie Lodge, attended the Academy of Dundee for some time. From Dundee he passed to St. Andrews, where he attended “Madras College,” and then took one or two sessions at the University. After this he entered his grandfather’s office in Dundee, and served his business apprenticeship there.

The religious life of Dundee, a little before the time of which we speak, had been feeble. Largely through the influence of Dr. Chalmers, the Rev. John Roxburgh (afterwards Dr. Roxburgh) was placed in the Cross Church, Dundee. His advent gave a great impulse to the spiritual life of the place. And some time after, the saintly Robert Murray M‘Cheyne was added to the labourers in that field. Alexander with his grandfather was under Mr. Roxburgh’s ministry, but at the same time he attended Mr. M‘Cheyne’s Bible-class. These circumstances, under the arrangement of Divine Providence, were much in favour of the highest interests of the youth. A surviving relative informs us that she distinctly remembers being told by him, that on one occasion Robert M‘Cheyne put his hand upon his shoulder and said, “Alexander, how is it with your soul?” The gentle look, the loving voice, and the all-important inquiry produced a deep impression on his sensitive nature, and left an influence which never passed away.

In a pocket memorandum book, bearing date 1868, we find copied the following words, which had probably been brought under his eye when searching among old papers:--“On an exercise of mine on John x., verse 9, Mr. M‘Cheyne wrote: ‘Very good; now you should seriously inquire whether you have entered at this door or not; or whether you are still a lost sheep like that one in Luke xv. Are you in the fold? Are you saved? Does Jesus give you pasture? Can you sing the 23rd Psalm _in your heart_?--Signed, R. M. M‘C.’”

Thus do we find a link in early life, between one of Scotland’s most saintly and winning ministers, and one of England’s most large-hearted and generous merchants.

We must not close this chapter without recording a family tradition of a dark and dismal character, which is deeply stamped on the memory of the venerable Leven relative above referred to. The incident takes us back to the days of persecution, when the murky moor and the heather-clad mountain were dyed with the blood of Scotland’s noblest sons. For eighteen long years, largely at the instigation of Archbishop Sharp, suffering and death for conscience’ sake were endured. But “they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” The day of vengeance came. Driven to despair, and determined to stop the career of the arch-persecutor, some of the people forgot their own principles, shut their ears to the pleadings of the gentle Hackston of Rathillet, and slew the guilty Sharp on Magus Moor, three miles from St. Andrews, on the 3rd of May 1679. Janet Farmer, a direct ancestress of the Balfours, occupied the farm of Magus. She saw two of the murderers approach her horse-pond and wash the blood from their weapons. Weird and terrible was the sight. No eye beheld but hers. A large reward was offered for information that might lead to the detection of the assassins. But Janet, though doubtless condemning the deed with the general body of the Covenanters, kept her counsel, and would make no sign. She thought that too much blood had flowed already.

Chapter II.

Early Liverpool Life.

“I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.”--Ps. cxix. 14.

“Live while you live, the epicure would say, And seize the pleasures of the present day. Live while you live, the sacred preacher cries, And give to God each moment as it flies: Lord, in my views let both united be, I live in pleasure when I live to Thee.” --DODDRIDGE.

Chapter II.

_Early Liverpool Life._

In August 1844, in consequence of the lamentable state of commerce in Dundee at the time, and of the business affairs of his much respected grandfather “the Provost,” Alexander Balfour removed to Liverpool, to push his fortune there. His path at first was by no means a path of roses, as appears from a number of letters written at that period, which he had never found in his heart to destroy. One of his most intimate friends in Dundee writes to him under date 3rd August 1844: “I know it is very hard to keep one’s spirit up in a situation like yours. I scarcely like to speak of equanimity, lest it should seem as if I did not feel for you so deeply as I do. But still I hope you will be able to meet disappointment, if it be before you, manfully, _like yourself_.”

He succeeded, however, in obtaining a situation as clerk, in the office of Mr. Manuel Blandin, a Spanish merchant in the Mexican trade. Under date 30th October 1844, he writes thus: “Getting a good berth here has been an exceedingly difficult matter. I do not know that I should undergo the same ordeal to obtain it again. The anxiety and trouble I had no idea of till I tried. I was struck with the coldness some folks I had letters to, showed, when they knew my errand: ‘Would be glad to do anything that lay in their power, _but_, &c. &c.’ Such was the usual reception; not, however, in the case of Mr. I.”

It can hardly be doubted that the delay, disappointment, and rebuff through which he passed at this time was a valuable discipline, and helped to produce the peculiar interest which he felt through life in young men coming as strangers to our large towns. He was kind and considerate to such youths to an extraordinary degree. His own sufferings turned to the solace of many.

So much did Alexander Balfour commend himself to Mr. Blandin that the latter offered him a partnership before he quitted his office. But he preferred to enter the employ of Messrs. Graham, Kelly, and Co., where his services were highly appreciated, and where it was put in his power to go abroad, charged with responsible duties. Circumstances, however, did not permit him to avail himself of this offer.

One of the closest companions of Mr. Balfour’s Liverpool life from its commencement to its close says that as a youth he was the brightest of the bright; happy, and always trying to make others happy. In his lodgings he was full of generous hospitality. Friends of his youth who survive, still speak of his joyous companionship, in long walks after office-hours on bright summer evenings, to Childwall Abbey and other favourite resorts. He was then in the vigour of his early manhood--a manhood full of enthusiasm for whatsoever things are true, pure, and lovely, and which could not but communicate its influence to his friends and associates. His delight was to have young men about him. His voice was fine and his musical taste delicate: and sometimes at this period he would enliven an evening with a cheerful song.

Two events occurred in his early manhood which much affected him, the illness and death of his father, of which we shall by-and-by speak, and the death of his beloved brother Robert. He grew more serious and thoughtful. “What is life?” he would ask, and “Why are we here?” A visible change came over him. The great issues of our present condition seemed now to weigh upon him. The alteration in his habits grew naturally out of the deep, if almost insensible, change which had taken place within him. There was from that time a marked ripening of character, which was carried further, when troubles and perplexities overtook him some years later. But already he was a different man. His life had taken a new and final direction. He spoke little of his feelings, but his religious convictions were visible in all he did.

The friend by whom these reminiscences are furnished was never separated from him, at that time, for a single day. And he is able to testify that he never heard from Mr. Balfour’s lips, even in his merriest days, a story that was not absolutely pure and unobjectionable; nor would Mr. Balfour ever join in merriment caused by any utterance unbecoming a Christian and a gentleman.

Mr. Stephen Williamson, afterwards his partner in business, writes: “The first time I saw Alexander Balfour was in Fifeshire, at Leven, his native place. I was passing through, and went to Durie Foundry to see my school-fellow, his beloved brother Robert. Alexander was our senior by several years. He had been on the links golfing and had broken his club. His visit to the foundry was to see his brother, then in the moulding shop, and to get him to mend the broken club. I remember most vividly his sunny, joyous manner; but what struck me most of all was the tender affectionate bearing of the elder brother towards the younger. I had often seen a different course of action on the part of elder brothers: and Alexander’s conduct at this first interview left an indelible impression on my mind. At that early age there had begun to flow through his whole being the deep current of tender human sympathy which never ceased during all his life, but which broadened and deepened to the very end.

“I did not meet him again for several years. His brother, my old school-fellow, was learning his profession of engineering in Liverpool. Alexander was in an office in the same town, and the two brothers lived together for a time in lodgings in Wilton Street. I had just come from Scotland to an office in Liverpool. My first visit was to my old school-fellow at his lodgings, when I again met his brother Alexander. From that hour, during my stay in Liverpool before going abroad, he was my dearest and best friend, the one whose society was most congenial to me, and gave me the greatest happiness. To my great satisfaction we seemed to be mutually drawn together, and not many months elapsed before we arrived at an agreement or understanding, that if ever we were permitted to begin business, we should do so as partners. To that understanding we remained faithful; and I cherish with gratitude the recollection of the fact that, on more than one occasion, my dear friend set aside tempting offers, and remained faithful to our unwritten and even dimly conceived pledges to each other. The time arrived when in God’s good providence we were permitted to embark in business together, in Liverpool. It was in February 1851, the late Mr. David Duncan, afterwards M.P. for a Liverpool constituency, being associated with us from that time till 1863.”

A document is still preserved bearing date, Sabbath, 20th October 1850, and signed A. B., which reveals to us some of the deep springs of his unselfish and elevated life. If we sometimes wonder at the unworldly ways and the marvellous self-abnegation of the man, we find the root of these things here. A fine natural character was purified, deepened, sweetened by heavenly influences. Self-sacrifice and devotion to the good of others, fed from such a source, became natural, and, as it were, indispensable to him. In all the relations of life, his desire was to obey his God, and bless his generation; labour, cost, difficulty counted for little with him if these ends could be attained.

The document to which we refer is a solemn covenant which the distinguished Thomas Boston of Etterick made with God “on the 2nd day of December 1729.” This was copied out and apparently adopted as his own by Alexander Balfour. A portion of it is subjoined. The italics are Mr. Balfour’s.

“In obedience to Thy command and call, I, in myself a poor sinner, do now again _take hold_ of that Covenant of life and salvation to _me_, believing in the name of Christ crucified, who is offered to me as the Great High Priest, who by the sacrifice of Himself, hath made atonement, paid the ransom, and brought in everlasting righteousness for sinners.

“I _credit_ His word of grace to me, and trust in Him, that He with His righteousness will be mine, and that in and through Him, God will be my God, and I shall be one of His people, to be made holy and happy for ever.

“My God, I do by Thy grace acquiesce in that Covenant, as all my salvation, and all my desire, with my whole heart and soul. The Son incarnate is my only Priest, my Surety, my Intercessor, and my Redeemer; and in Him, His Father is my Father, the Holy Ghost is my sanctifier, God is my God.

“I resign myself soul and body to Him, renouncing all confidence in my own righteousness, doings, and sufferings. With my whole heart and soul, I take Him to be my very Head, and I am His only, wholly, and for ever, to live by Him, to Him, and for Him.... I am with my whole heart content, (Lord, Thou knowest), to part with and to renounce every known sin, lust, or idol, particularly that sin which most easily besets me, together with my own foolish will, and all other lords besides Him, _without reservation_, and _without exception_, at His cross.

* * * * *

“Let it be recorded in Heaven, O God, that I, though most unworthy, have this day taken hold of and come into Thy Covenant of Grace, offered to me, in Thy gospel, for time and eternity, that Thou art my God, and I am one of Thy people, from henceforth and for ever.”

Thus did Mr. Balfour, with the faith of a little child, accept the offer of the gospel, and cling to the Person of the Redeemer. In every duty he looked up to His loving eye for guidance, and leant on His strong arm for help. In the way of obedience he scarcely knew what difficulty was; he went right onward, and often did the mountain before him become a plain. He found the paths of wisdom, paths of peace, and in them he seems to have been harassed with no doubts.

On getting such glimpses into the inner life of Mr. Balfour, one can understand how it was that, on one occasion, when a busy merchant whom he frequently encountered parted with him in the street, he said of Mr. Balfour to a friend he met, “that man makes me tremble with his religious earnestness.”

In 1854 Mr. Balfour’s father was seized with alarming sickness. During his illness and convalescence, Alexander showed the greatest solicitude on his behalf. A letter to his father which he penned at this time is remarkable as addressed by a son to a parent. It bears date, Grange Lane, Birkenhead, 2nd June 1854. After expressing his joy at the improvement in his father’s health, he says: “I trust, my dear father, you have now been enabled by the help of God’s own good Spirit, renouncing every other confidence or hope, to lay hold on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. I sincerely trust that no unbelieving doubts or hesitations keep you from cordially and truly obeying His injunction, ‘Come unto _Me_, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ I am sure that every possible encouragement that could be conceived of is employed to gain the confidence of those who are seeking salvation.” After dwelling at some length on Rev. i. 5, 6, he concludes: “How we are struck dumb at the riches of His grace; not only that He should love us, but should wash us from our sins in His own blood, and should make us kings and priests unto God and His Father! Then let us sing, ‘To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.’ Let us seek that His most precious blood be indeed sprinkled on our souls--that we may be washed, may be clean, may be new creatures, and may have praise in our hearts to Him for ever and ever.”

When he went to Liverpool, Alexander Balfour was furnished with a letter of introduction from his mother to Mr. William Kay Coubrough. Mr. Coubrough thus became his first friend in his new place of abode, and Alexander was much with him, spending his Sunday afternoons regularly in the congenial atmosphere of his family. Alexander never could forget kindnesses, and he retained the warmest regard for Mr. Coubrough, amid striking vicissitudes of prosperity and adversity, to the close of his own life. His aged friend, Mr. Coubrough, was among the truest mourners over his removal. His friendship helped to open the way to many other friends.

Among these was Mr. Robert Gibson, a youth like himself, in lodgings in Liverpool. A warm and life-long friendship grew up between them, of which a few particulars may here be given. In May 1847 they both crossed the Mersey to lodge in Birkenhead. Their opportunities for congenial intercourse were increased by the circumstance that they both belonged to Canning Street Presbyterian Church, Liverpool, then under the care of the Rev. Joseph R. Welsh, and for a considerable time continued to attend his ministry. They used to meet regularly in the Woodside boat on their way to church, and had pleasant converse as they walked up together to the house of God. On one occasion the two young friends visited the Sabbath school of the Rev. James Towers, Grange Lane, Birkenhead, when they were enlisted as teachers, and became greatly interested in the work.

Some years later, the materials for the great Montreal Bridge were being prepared at the Canada Engineering Works, Birkenhead, and a large number of artisans, of whom a considerable proportion were from Scotland, took up their abode in the “Dock Cottages,” near the workshops. The district referred to is at some distance from town, and Mr. Balfour thought it would be of advantage to plant a Sabbath school in the heart of the Dock Cottages. This was done by the two young friends in 1855. A goodly number of children were gathered, and the assistance of several intelligent engineers was secured for the work of teaching. Two or three young gentlemen were also drawn in to give their help. Mr. Balfour and Mr. Gibson for the first year or two, before their engagements were too numerous to admit of such occupation, used to go on week days to visit the parents of the scholars. They also secured for the Dock Cottages, lectures on useful and popular subjects; they gave the children treats in winter, and took them on pleasure excursions in summer. Mr. Balfour, it need not be said, prosecuted this work with all his natural enthusiasm; and while the effort benefited many, it was unquestionably of great value to himself, helping to educate him for the Christian work which lay before him in after life.

In 1860 business arrangements required Mr. Balfour to go abroad, and thus, among other things, to sever his connection with his loved labours in the Dock Cottages, to whose inhabitants he had greatly endeared himself. On the 8th of May 1860 he wrote to his friend Mr. Gibson from on board the S.S. _Europa_, a letter which bears the stamp of his continual tendency to take the lowest place, and to appraise at a high value whatever good was done by others. “For all the instances of your regard I would cherish grateful feelings: I feel how unworthy I am to receive them; but this should not prevent my making acknowledgment to a gracious God who has provided the comfort and blessing I have had by your friendship, and the rich associations I am able to connect with it. How can I ever forget the pleasure, pure and full, which has been received in our walks on the Sabbath afternoons, home from ‘the cottages,’ when pleasant conversation occupied us, and the unveiling to one another of similar thoughts. How do such recollections cause the moments thus enjoyed to sparkle in the retrospect.... I would thank you all for the forbearance which my weakness and thoughtlessness may at any time have called forth. I would desire to offer the prayer that of His mercy God may be pleased to keep us from all evil; that we may cultivate humility and self-denial, and a desire for the welfare of others, and every grace; that He may give us His peace and cause His face to shine on us.” Thus did he school himself and make inquisition of his own heart. The foundations of an energetic, eager, unselfish character were being strengthened in this early sphere of modest but useful effort.

It may be mentioned in this connection that in November 1850, Mr. Balfour, for the first time, sat down at the Lord’s Table. It was a matter upon which the two young friends often had communication with one another. On this subject Mr. Balfour had shown hesitation, which arose from his lowly estimate of his own character and preparedness for the sacred ordinance. When at last he made up his mind to join with the Lord’s people in the open confession of Christ in Canning Street Presbyterian Church, it was a matter of great joy to his comrade, who had some years previously taken this step. Mr. Gibson wrote him a letter of earnest welcome on his decision being taken, and to this letter Mr. Balfour sent the following reply, conceived in his own spirit of lowliness, yet of humble trust in his Redeemer.

“BIRKENHEAD, _2nd November 1850_.

“MY DEAR GIBSON,--I have just received your letter, and I accept, with the most cordial satisfaction, the right hand of fellowship stretched out to me, now that I am on the eve of sitting down with Christ’s people at His Table.... Let us seek with our whole heart to do honour to ‘Him that has loved us;’ oh for firm faith to add, ‘and washed us from our sins in His own blood: to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.’ Let me entreat you to pray that the services of to-morrow may be blessed to us, and that we may feel individually, that partaking of those elements of bread and wine may be both a sign and a seal of the benefits of Christ’s death to our otherwise ruined souls.

“I am distressed by the prevalence of sin in every one thing. Accordingly I would tell all men, and would tell the Lord Jesus, I am not worthy to appear at this feast. I can only cry, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’ Yet I go to Christ’s Table to-morrow with something like joy. I desire to believe the testimony given, Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance! Is there not encouragement to the vilest, if only there be belief in this gracious Saviour? Let our cry then be, ‘Increase our faith,’ ‘Help our unbelief.’

“I hope for your friendly counsel, forbearance, and help, to avoid the danger of walking in a way unworthy of my profession, and that we may go on to more sure acquaintance with the things that belong to our peace. And now, in expectation of the great feast, let Christ, with whom we are to hold communion, be all our salvation and all our desire. And think, think, O my soul! of the sacredness of to-morrow, which is to furnish a foretaste of the eternal joy of having fellowship with the Saviour in heaven.”

Chapter III.

The Christian Merchant.

“The crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth.”--ISAIAH xxiii. 8.

“We live in deeds not years; in thoughts not breaths; In feelings not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart-throbs: he most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.” --BAILEY.

“Defer not charities till death; for certainly, if a man weigh it rightly, he that doth so is rather liberal of another man’s than of his own.”--BACON.

Chapter III.

_The Christian Merchant._

When he commenced business for himself, Mr. Balfour intended to succeed; he felt that he had it in him to succeed. He knew that true success could only be realised with the blessing of God, and the proceeds of that success were to be consecrated to the service of God and of his fellow-men. One of his foremost subjects of concern was the application to a right use of the expected gains of the future. Those who knew him will feel that the picture drawn of him at the outset of his business career, by his partner Mr. Williamson, in the following simple touches, is altogether characteristic of the man. He says, “Before we began business, we had naturally to prepare and arrange articles of partnership. I remember with what earnestness he proposed that we should set aside a certain percentage of our profits for religious and benevolent purposes, before any division was made among the partners. His wish was cordially assented to, but the generous purpose originated with him. And to his dying day he never ceased to be thankful for having had so many opportunities of helping and furthering good objects, by means of that Benevolent Fund. It is unnecessary to say that his benefactions were not limited by the measure of this fund: for it is well known that out of his own individual means, he was one of the most generous of givers.”

A business begun in a spirit like this, was not likely to lack the dew of Heaven’s blessing. The large heart of the man was about to find wider scope for its beneficence, than when he wrote, in the year 1843, the following characteristic note to his little brother: “My dear Henry, I enclose you one shilling for pocket money, of which you will please take no notice to anybody; also half-a-dozen postage stamps to keep you from spending your pence. I daresay you are sometimes rather hard up for a little money. When you are in that unfortunate predicament, drop me a line, and I can always afford you sixpence at least.” The boy was father of the man, both in the readiness to give according to his means, and in the wish that “no notice should be taken to anybody.”

Lord Bacon’s wise words on the use of riches have never found more beautiful exemplification than in Mr. Balfour’s case. “Of great riches there is no real use, except it be in distribution: the rest is but conceit. There is a custody of them, or there is a power of dole and donative of them, or a fame of them: but no solid use to the owner.... Seek not proud riches, but such as thou mayest get justly, use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and leave contentedly.”

The aspirations and resolves of Mr. Balfour for his business life call to mind the words reported to have been spoken, not long before his death, by the famous Richard Whittington, who died in 1423. “The fervent desire and busy intention of a prudent, wise, and devout man shall be, to cast before and make sure the state and the end of this short life with deeds of mercy and of pity; and specially to provide for those miserable persons whom the penury of poverty insulteth, and to whom the power of seeking the necessities of life by art or bodily labour is interdicted.”[A]

But there was more to be done than to “cast before” and arrange for the conscientious and generous disposal of profits. The profits must first be made, and to this object the young merchant turned his powers. “During the first decade of our business life,” says Mr. Williamson, “it was of course his duty to throw his energy into our business concerns; and while I dare say we all did our best, I have no hesitation in saying that he, more than any of us, laid the foundations of our business. He was possessed of untiring energy and enthusiasm, qualities which, before the era of the electric telegraph and submarine cables, were perhaps of more importance in commercial affairs than they are now. That energy, it is true, nearly led us into trouble and disaster, for the crisis of 1857 came upon us at a time when our operations were, perhaps, beyond what our means at that time warranted. The anxieties of that period made a deep impression upon him, and left a mark which was never completely effaced. He was full of self-reproach for what he considered to have been a grievous sin rather than an error of judgment; and ever afterwards he was tremblingly solicitous that our business commitments should not exceed what prudence dictated. For some time the anxieties of 1857-1858 pressed heavily upon him, and the recollection of them brought him at times almost to the verge of despondency. But even in this, his singularly beautiful character shone out. It was not the burden which he had himself to carry that disquieted him, but the worry and distress which he imagined he had brought upon others.

“ ... While his whole soul was fired with the desire to distribute with unstinted hand, yet in view of obligations which necessarily arose out of a large and varied business, and which rested upon him and his firm, the necessity was laid upon him to permit a reasonable accumulation of capital. In his later days he frequently made use, both in speech and writing, of this expression, ‘God helping me, I am now determined, so far as I can, to preserve the root while seeking to make good use of the fruit.’ It was well known that having acquired such an amount of capital as he considered adequate to his business obligations, he had for some years made up his mind to allow no further accumulation of his means, but to spend them, as God prospered him, for the promotion of Christian enterprises and social reforms. During one or two years of unremunerative business near the close of his life, he was greatly distressed to find himself unable, except by trenching on what he called the “roots,” to give with so free a hand as he had done during many previous years.

“He had not the remotest intention of retiring from business. It was his wish to die in harness; and this he did, alas! at an age and at a time when many of us thought the world could ill afford to lose him. When rallied by friends about the possibility of his some day becoming a large landed proprietor, he would break out, in his own manner, into derisive laughter at the very suggestion of such a thought. He was wont to say he would not exchange the proud position of a British merchant, with all its interests and opportunities of usefulness, for that of the richest landed proprietor of the realm. He frequently spoke with pity of men who had retired from business, and who had gone to the country to mope and wither and rust. His sole object in continuing to follow business pursuits in Liverpool was, that he might employ the position thus given him, as a fulcrum, by means of which to exercise a salutary influence on the town with which he had been so long and so closely associated.

“ ... When I was abroad, his private letters, amid all the hurry and excitement of business, invariably gave expression to his interest in God’s work in some quarter or other, and were constantly aimed at lifting us up to higher motives and considerations than the mere successful prosecution of business.”

And yet his letters afford little help in the delineation of his character. They contain snatches of devout thought and Christian feeling; but even those which deal with philanthropic questions are directed, for the most part, to some pressing practical point, the interest of which has now passed away.

Suffice it to say, that the business of the firm was conducted on principles of the highest integrity and honour. Soon after Mr. Balfour had been called away from earth, the present writer met a merchant who said to him, “For a long course of years I have done business with Mr. Balfour. Shall I tell you why? It was because I saw that when an order was given to him, it was carried out exactly as if he were acting for himself. Of course I could not but stick to him.” Happily the same thing may be said of many others. The principle on which he acted lies at the root of all honourable business.

Many transactions which are of a questionable character are excused by the familiar saying, “Business is business.” There was nothing on which Mr. Balfour looked with greater scorn, than the idea, that there was a mercantile code of morals and a Christian code. He believed it to be imperative on the man of business to be upright and fair under all competition and in all circumstances. On one occasion he entered into a written agreement with a merchant on certain terms. An uncomfortable conviction crept into his mind that it was too much to the advantage of his own firm. On reaching his office he said to one of his clerks, “Take back this agreement to Mr. ----, and tell him that I wish it cancelled: I think it ought to have been more in his favour than it is.”

The sensitively conscientious and self-forgetting character of Mr. Balfour at times manifested itself in peculiar ways. Mr. Williamson says: “Sometimes his scrupulosity approached to business eccentricity. When at Valparaiso he perplexed the minds of his salesmen occasionally by insisting that, even for most saleable and well-bought goods, they should not charge beyond a low percentage of profit. And it was with difficulty he could be convinced that it was essential to secure a fair profit on fresh well-bought goods, in view of the losses which had to be faced on goods which had become difficult of sale.

“At one time, in the realisation of produce at Liverpool, he set his face like a flint against selling to men who were merely ‘speculators,’ and insisted on sales being made only to dealers, manufacturers, and consumers. It was impossible to maintain that position. This became apparent to him on one occasion upon a serious fall in values, before which he had refused to take satisfactory prices because they were offered by a ‘mere speculator.’ Much to his discomfort, he had eventually to submit to a heavy loss. Such eccentricities or errors--if errors they be--had all a leaning to virtue’s side, and testified to that scrupulous consideration for others which formed so strong a feature of his character.”

Certain it is that the man who could act thus was not likely to violate the rule of merchant life quoted above, viz., to seek only such riches as he might “get justly, use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and leave contentedly.” To most of us the law is difficult which requires us to “love our neighbour as ourselves.” To those who knew him well, it sometimes appeared as if his difficulty was to love himself as his neighbour. Not only in the transactions of business, but in many little ways in the home circle and among his friends, it seemed as if he were more sensibly affected by pleasures and advantages when given to others, than when they fell to his own lot. The idea of securing any benefit to himself, at the cost of loss or trouble to another, was a thing wholly alien to his generous nature.

To be “not slothful in business,” and at the same time “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,” is a task which many have found hard. Mr. Balfour acted on a rule which greatly helped him in the effort to combine diligence in his worldly affairs with the service of the Lord. He was always determined to keep business matters in their proper place, and to confine them to their proper hours. In Valparaiso it was customary for the heads of the English houses to have the young men from their offices living with them; and there Mr. Balfour from the first made it a strict rule not to permit any reference to business to be made at table or in the house. Any breach of this rule greatly displeased him. It was his desire to cherish, in the minds of those associated with him, concern for higher and nobler interests. And even in the busiest seasons, his own spirit, dismissing office cares on the expiry of office hours, was free to expatiate in the fields of usefulness and beneficence in which he found his peculiar delight.

We have seen what indomitable energy characterised his early business life. In his later years he was more “restful” in business concerns, but never slack-handed. It cannot be doubted that the welcome change, from business to beneficence, served as a refreshing influence to his mind, and reacted favourably on his power for the discharge of his duties as a merchant. The man, who day and night has business on the brain, will not do even business so well as he who daily at the appointed time throws aside its cares, that he may advance the kingdom of God and the welfare of man;

“For blessings ever wait on virtuous deeds, And though a late, a sure reward succeeds.”

On the 23rd of March 1864 Mr. Balfour was married to Jessie, third daughter of the Rev. Dr. Roxburgh of Glasgow, whose ministry, in early life, he had attended in Dundee. The union was one in every way happy and helpful, and one for which Mr. Balfour never ceased to thank God.

His letters at this time breathe a spirit of profound gratitude to the Giver of all his blessings. Writing to Mr. Williamson he says: “I wish to let you know how extremely grateful to myself and to my wife have been the hearty feelings you both cherish at the enormous addition which has now been brought to my happiness. I do not lose sight of the main element of congratulation afforded to my own mind, but I do sincerely rejoice that, in addition, I have the further gratification that such thorough satisfaction has been expressed regarding our marriage, on all hands. I am happy to believe the union to be thoroughly in harmony with Dr. and Mrs. Roxburgh’s feelings. For one thing, it seems to link Mrs. Roxburgh to Fife again, and this is a happiness perhaps to her and her husband, but doubly so to all our connection. You cannot think how many different sources of congratulation exist around the union. Yesterday’s post brought me perhaps the most valuable letters that I can remember having received: the West Coast matters all so satisfactory, things in Liverpool going on pleasantly: and then I had such a splendid letter from Dr. Roxburgh; I think it must be kept, and read on every anniversary of the happy 23rd.”

Again he writes in a merry vein: “I have not failed to point out to Dr. Roxburgh the coincidence you refer to, that you went to Free St. John’s of Edinburgh for your wife, and I to Free St. John’s of Glasgow. It is also odd we should each have selected the third daughter in the family, and that in both families the youngest girl is a bright-eyed lassie called ‘Nell.’”

There was a vein of gaiety and mirth in Mr. Balfour which was not visible to all eyes. It was overgrown and overshadowed by the intensity with which he pursued the serious and solemn aims of his life. There were, however, times when the old bent asserted itself. Among children especially he was often free and frolicsome as one of themselves, entering with his whole heart into their amusements, and rejoicing in their joys. He possessed in a peculiar degree the gift of mimicry; but finding that it tended towards discourtesy, and sometimes gave pain, he deliberately abandoned its exercise.

Chapter IV.

Service.

“Oh, hearts are bruised and dead, And homes are bare and cold, And lambs, for whom the Shepherd bled, Are straying from the fold.

To comfort and to bless, To find a balm for woe, To tend the lone and fatherless Is angels’ work below.”--BISHOP HOW.

“I do nothing. I am a chisel which cuts the wood. The Carpenter directs it. If I lose my edge, He must sharpen me. If He puts me aside and takes another, it is His own good will. None are indispensable to Him; He will do His work with a straw equally well.”--GENERAL GORDON.

“Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”--ROM. xii. 13.

Chapter IV.

_Service._

On one of the latest occasions when Mr. Balfour was permitted to attend public worship, he stepped into the vestry at the close and said to the present writer, with the light which sparkled in his eye when his spirit was deeply stirred, and with the emphatic utterance which at such a time was inseparable from his words, “Yes, service, service; _that_ is the word for the Christian--service.” His whole walk was governed by the principle of service. Every day of his life seemed to exemplify the counsel of the Apostle, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men; especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” And thus his footsteps were blessed. Wherever he trod, the grass grew greener. Leven, Liverpool, Valparaiso, San Francisco, can all testify to the truth of what we say. Yet, while ever ready in a good cause to help and to give, he had a quick eye for the detection of shams, and a certain power of making them shrivel up before him, more by his manner than his words.

Much of the service he rendered was doubtless known only to himself and the recipients. But if we examine his footsteps in any period of his life, or in any sphere of his activity, we find traces of his unquenchable generosity, his passion for doing good, for alleviating suffering, for ministering help. “I _am_ my brother’s keeper” seemed to be the motto of every day he lived.

When he was but a youth and had little to give, it came to his knowledge that two ladies, whom he had known from his childhood in Fifeshire, had met with adverse circumstances: they were struggling with difficulties, and were in danger of having to leave their home. He immediately began to send them what help it lay in his power to give; and in order that this help might be increased, he gave up smoking and put some special limitations upon his own daily diet. Self-denial in youth is the surest guarantee for beneficence in manhood.

While speaking of kind deeds done in Fifeshire, it may be mentioned that in after years it was his joyful privilege to take a large share in the founding of the Greig Institute, which does an excellent work, especially among young men, in his native Leven.

As his means increased his benefactions increased. On one occasion, when business was very prosperous, he was restless at night. He rose and paced his bedroom with rapid stride. When the anxious question was put to him if anything were wrong, his answer was, “This will never do at all: we are growing too rich: we must find new outlets for that with which God has so abundantly blessed us. I was just revolving in my mind what causes it would be best to help.”

A relation of Mr. Balfour died, leaving behind him four children who, he had reason to fear, might be but slenderly provided for. He travelled to the town in which the deceased had resided, to attend his funeral. At its close, he stepped into the bank with which his friend had dealt, and after some conversation with the banker, he wrote a cheque for a large sum of money, and said, “Just add that to the account: and nothing need be said about it.”

The following letter from the widow of a clergyman addressed to Mrs. Lundie illustrates the point of which we are speaking. It throws beautiful light, also, upon other features, such as the breadth and catholicity of his mind; but we do not choose to break up the letter into parts.

“---- VICARAGE, _October 2, 1886_.

“My memories of dear Mr. Balfour are very bright and happy ones. It was at the time of the preparations for Mr. Moody’s visit to Liverpool in 1875 that my husband and Mr. Balfour were first drawn together. A very warm friendship sprang up between them. They were one in their deep interest in things spiritual, and no differences in other matters ever seemed of any importance to either. I remember well on the occasion of an election in the town, when my husband’s vote was recorded for the candidate who was being earnestly opposed by Mr. Balfour, our hearts were cheered by his calling at our house the evening of the Sunday he was spending in Liverpool, to bring Mrs. Balfour to our mission-room service.

“The fact of their belonging to different Churches seemed to be scarcely recognised at times. I can recall a letter we received from Mr. Balfour in the summer of 1880, when there had been some anxiety as to the appointment of a first Bishop for Liverpool. In this letter he expressed his warm approval of the appointment made, adding that he wished to mark the event by a little thank-offering, and this was enclosed in a cheque for £100.

“I can scarcely trust myself to speak of my own deep indebtedness to this dear friend. On two different occasions he sent my dear husband abroad in the hope of restoring his failing health. How sensibly impressed with Mr. Balfour’s wondrous liberality he was may be best gathered, from a last message to him, from his dying bed at Marseilles. ‘Tell Mr. Balfour, I will be among the first to welcome him to the everlasting habitations.’

“But it was when I was about to leave Liverpool with my family that the most touching proof was given me of his loving remembrance of my husband. And now I love to recall it and love to tell it you. A letter was brought me enclosing the large sum of £500. I copy our dear friend’s own words, because they show the spirit in which all his gifts were made. With kindest reference to the ministry of my dear husband, his gift is mentioned in the most delicate and beautiful way. He says, ‘I am sure you will be pleased when I mention that the Lord has blessed us last year again with prosperity in business, and from the sum, which He has graciously committed to me as His steward, I wish to make a contribution to your and Mr. R----’s children, which I am sure you will accept from Him.”

There was a touch of delicacy about all his gifts, which made it easy even for the sensitive to receive them. And though he loved his own Church, and repeatedly said to us that he would live and die in it, yet his heart went out to all of every name that loved his Master, as to brothers and sisters.

What Mr. Balfour’s warm heart was capable of doing, even in cases which might not seem to have a strong claim upon him, may be gathered from the following statement, which a friend has furnished. For obvious reasons names are not given.

“I had the good fortune to make Mr. Balfour’s acquaintance, when he went out to South America in 1866 with Mrs. Balfour and his little daughter. I was going to the River Plate with my wife and two young daughters, and we were fellow-passengers. Owing to an accident which happened to the machinery, we were obliged to put back to Cork for repairs, and were detained there for a few days. We made up a party to visit Killarney and other places, and we were all charmed with the brightness, geniality, and gentleness of our newly-found friend. He was always on the alert to do any act of kindness to the ladies and the little ones. Self seemed forgotten or obliterated. On the voyage he visited the sailors a good deal, speaking to them, reading to them, and distributing interesting little books and tracts, of which he always carried a supply. We parted at Monte Video, and did not meet again till his return from Chile.

“What always struck me in him was his quick and tender sympathy with the sorrowing and the suffering. Inconvenience, discomfort, sacrifice, never seemed to weigh with him for a moment, where he thought his presence or his words would bring alleviation.

“Personally, I was on two occasions the object of kindnesses and sacrifices which prominently set forth this beautiful phase of his character. In 1874 I was ordered by my doctor to go to St. Moritz, my wife being unable to accompany me. On informing him of my intended journey, and remarking on its loneliness, he most kindly offered to accompany me. Arrived at our destination, we met several congenial friends, such as Mr. and Mrs. Donald Matheson, Mr. and Mrs. James E. Matheson; and whether climbing the mountains or traversing the glaciers, his bright and cheery presence gave additional zest to every trip we made. I think I see him now starting with the above-named friends for the Morteratsch glacier, as we sang in chorus ‘Safe in the arms of Jesus.’

“During a drive one day, we passed through a village in the Albula Pass, the greater part of which had been burnt down a few days before. He stopped the carriage, made inquiries for the _Curé_, and a few days later sent a handsome donation for the relief of the most destitute. In another small village he called on the Protestant Pastor, and gathering that his means were very straitened, he begged his acceptance of a considerable gift.

“The crowning act of Mr. Balfour’s kindness and generosity towards myself occurred under the following circumstances. In 1876, through a succession of unfortunate business transactions, I was brought into such a critical position, that unless I could obtain time and forbearance, I was threatened with the loss of a large fortune, or the greater part of it. I had never had any business relations with Mr. Balfour or his firm, which might have furnished me with a reason for invoking his advice or assistance. Moreover, at the time when my misfortunes were pressing on me, he was overwhelmed with grief at the loss of his eldest son Alister, which had taken place the previous week. Yet on receipt of a letter from me, he telegraphed that he would come up next day--it happened to be his birthday--and advise what he thought best to be done. He reached London in the afternoon, spent several hours in my office, went carefully into the statement I laid before him, and advised me as to what he considered it necessary to do, in order to save my credit and my property. Expressing his deep sympathy and his earnest desire to help me, he returned that evening to Mount Alyn. In a few days he advised that his firm was prepared to assist me with a large sum of money under most favourable conditions, and that he had also induced another friend to come forward with assistance. The temporary strain was gradually relieved: my property was saved for my family. But for him it would have been sacrificed. Although I and mine owed so much to him, he never in after years alluded to the subject, and seemed to object to my referring to all we owed to him. I have always reflected on this act of self-renouncing sympathy as an index of his generous and noble nature.... He was always so bright in his sayings and doings, that I have often thought of him as one who was marching along, animated by the strain of celestial music which those around him did not hear. Surely there never was a nobler, braver, gentler, Christian gentleman than Alexander Balfour!”

The Rev. James Towers of Birkenhead, whose ministry he at one time attended and greatly valued, lost a daughter in 1859. Mr. Balfour wrote him a letter of warm sympathy and enclosed a cheque, adding: “I have reaped your spiritual things, and hope you will never refuse to share in my carnal things.” Mr. Towers did not fully realise the depth of the spring of gratitude which had been opened in Mr. Balfour’s heart, till his retirement from the active work of the ministry in 1880. In a letter dated the 13th of August in that year, Mr. Balfour says to him: “It was under your ministry that I was first led to that entire surrender of my heart to the Lord which marked an epoch in my existence, the gracious results of which will be unending. While we live on earth we can but faintly realise what is implied in the text, ‘A child of God by faith in Jesus Christ.’”

Strokes of affliction fell fast and heavily on Mr. Towers year after year, till five of his daughters were committed to the grave. Mr. Towers narrates that, in consequence of the obligations connected with sickness and death, he felt himself constrained to depart, for a season, from his usual practice of dedicating a fixed proportion of his income to the Lord’s cause. At the close of this period, however, with his family greatly reduced, he felt warranted in resuming his old habit. He accordingly gave £50. “What was my surprise then,” he says, “when about the New Year I received a cheque for £50, the exact amount at which I had assessed myself. Next year the same favour was repeated, and I am quite assured in both cases it came from Mr. Balfour. This was the Lord’s doing, and perhaps it contained a reproof to myself for withholding, even at the worst of times, a portion so due to my Saviour.... In a long life-time I have known many good men, and some of them as devout as Mr. Balfour, but I have never intimately known one who seemed so thoroughly, from the time he gave his whole heart to the Lord, _to keep it for the Lord_, and to go from strength to strength without looking back.”

The simple incidents recorded above are narrated not because they were of an exceptional character, but as a specimen of the deeds of kindness with which all the path of Mr. Balfour was strewed through life. Often they were unknown save to the recipients, and sometimes those who were benefited were ignorant of the source from which kindnesses had come.

We spoke lately of Mr. Balfour to a clergyman who holds a most important position in an institution that was dear to his heart. “Alexander Balfour!” he exclaimed, his warm heart touched by his memory, “Alexander Balfour! If it had not been for him, I don’t know that I should have been alive to-day. He used to come to me when I was run down by work that put a strain upon the heart as well as the body, and he would urge me to go to the country or the seaside for change, putting a cheque in my hand to enable me to do it: and here I am to this day.”

The following letter was addressed to us by the Rev. Charles Garrett, once President of the Wesleyan Conference. It is so graphic in its description of some leading features of the character of Mr. Balfour, and at the same time so characteristic of the writer himself, that we cannot do otherwise than present it in its entirety, as it flowed fresh from a loving and sorrowing heart.

“My acquaintance with Mr. Balfour extended over about twelve years, and those years are studded with precious memories. He was the most princely man I have ever known. The good of man and the glory of God were his supreme ideas. It was his ‘meat and his drink to do the will of his Father.’ My first acquaintance with him was at Mr. Moody’s meetings, and the wonderful success of those meetings was greatly the result of his influence. I especially remember the eagerness with which, at the all-day convention, he grasped my proposal for the establishment of what are known as ‘Cocoa Rooms.’ As soon as I had made the proposal, Mr. Moody turned to him and said, ‘This is just the thing you want; will you take hold of it?’ and his hearty reply, ‘I will,’ secured the success of the movement. My suggestion would have been useless but for his endorsement, and the British Workman Company is _one_ of his monuments.

“Soon after the establishment of the company, the time arrived when, according to Wesleyan usage, I was to be removed from Liverpool. As soon as Mr. Balfour heard of this, he came to me and said, ‘This must not be; you are exerting an influence for good just where you are most needed, and you must remain.’ I told him that the rules of our Church were never relaxed on this point. With the impetuosity which was one of his characteristics when his heart was set upon anything, he said, ‘But they will have to be relaxed in your case.’ I thought it impossible, but he set to work, memorialised the Conference, and brought such pressure to bear, that, to my own astonishment, the Conference gave way, and I was reappointed to Liverpool. This has changed my destiny and that of my children. I established the Liverpool Wesleyan Home Mission, which has now stations in various parts of the city, worked by a staff of two ministers, seven lay-agents, and a number of voluntary workers. This Mission is therefore _another_ of his monuments.

“As to personal kindnesses, they are almost innumerable. In every imaginable way he cheered me on, and helped me in my work. He never met me without words of cheer, and when help was needed it was given, as he of all the men I have known knew how to give. When, ten years ago, under multiplied labours, my health gave way, and I fainted in the pulpit, he was at my house in a few hours, and everything that could be done to assist in my recovery was done, before most of the members of my own Church had heard of my illness. As soon as I could be moved he took me to his own residence at Mount Alyn, and there for many weeks he watched over me with more than a brother’s care. My restoration was mainly the result of his kindness. My experience at Mount Alyn suggested to me the importance of something being done to provide for the ministers of the Wesleyan Church who might be in sickness without a Mr. Balfour to assist them, and I set to work and raised a House of Rest at Colwyn Bay, where ministers and their families should have such a rest as I had enjoyed at Mount Alyn. A fund also has been established, by which other ministers can be sent to Hydropathic Institutions without charge. Thus our Wesleyan Ministers’ Rest Fund is _another_ of Mr. Balfour’s monuments. Having said so much, do you wonder that to me his name is ‘as ointment poured forth?’ ‘A prince and a great man’ fell when Alexander Balfour passed away. He left a gap that can never be refilled.”

Side by side with this letter, may be placed one from the pen of the Rev. W. Hay M. H. Aitken, in whose remarkable evangelistic labours Mr. Balfour took the deepest interest:--

“Alexander Balfour’s life is written on the hearts of many of us, and will remain there as long as memory lasts.

“I made his acquaintance, I think, at the house of our common friend, the late Mr. Rowe, of the Dingle. He had been up till then an utter stranger to me, and I had no reason to suppose that he took any particular interest in my work. Great was my surprise, therefore, when I received a letter from him, some little time afterwards, containing a cheque for £50, to be employed in helping forward my parochial work. This, like so many of his gifts, was, if I remember rightly, entirely unsolicited, and it was the first of a long series of acts of benevolence, to which I was largely indebted for whatever of outward success seemed to attend my ministry in Everton.

“The acquaintance thus commenced by unlooked-for kindness on his part, and natural gratitude on mine, soon ripened into the closest personal friendship, which did not by any means cease when my work at Liverpool came to an end. I had therefore abundant opportunities of observing, and, I may say, studying his character, and there are few whom I have thus closely observed who have left so happy an impression on my mind. Of his princely liberality it is scarcely necessary for me to speak; for, though he was far from being ostentatious in his charity, it was known to all. But I may say he was one of the few men one meets--alas! that they should be few--who evidently felt giving to be one of the keenest pleasures of life. He would almost lead you to feel that you were doing the kindness in accepting, rather than he in bestowing, his munificent assistance.

“But to pass on to other characteristics, it used to do one distinct good to be thrown into contact with one who was so intensely, and, shall I say, resolutely sanguine. He lived at the dawn of a millennium, commencing already in his own enthusiastic anticipations. You would never hear him talk nonsense about ‘the good old times,’ or find him casting a wistful, lingering look behind. Poor dear old grimy, drink-cursed Liverpool, with all its squalor and wretchedness, he not only loved, as Adam may have loved Eden, but would insist upon regarding as being within almost a measurable distance of a Utopian condition. And it was not only to the town of his election, that these sanguine anticipations were confined. He believed from his heart that God and good and right are stronger than the devil and evil and wrong, and therefore must carry the day. We should most of us add to this confession of faith, ‘sooner or later;’ but whereas a great many, perhaps a large majority, of Christian people would say ‘later,’ he most emphatically maintained ‘_sooner_.’

“But there was nothing fatalistic in this hope. He believed in bringing about the better state of things which he foresaw, and hence the breadth and warmth of his sympathy with every effort in the right direction. Though brought up amidst religious and theological surroundings, that are usually, (whether rightly or wrongly), supposed to be narrowing, it was almost impossible for him to be narrow. The largeness of his heart expanded his mind, and rendered it possible for him to understand and appreciate what he did not endorse.

“Like most sanguine people, he was impulsive almost to a fault, but then his impulses were generous; and I observed, too, that he usually selected for his most trusted friends and counsellors, men of a cautious and prudent habit of mind, and that he allowed himself to be greatly influenced by their advice, while he supplied the enthusiasm that might otherwise have been lacking in their counsels.

“His religion was that of acts rather than words, yet when he did speak on the subject of religion, one always felt that it lay nearer to his heart than any other. When in his normal condition, his religion was full of brightness, and in this respect he did indeed adorn the doctrine of Christ. Strange that he, to whom the joy of the Lord seemed his strength, should have been allowed to spend long weary months in the dungeon of Doubting Castle, and under the most merciless treatment of Giant Despair. Probably the causes of this trying passage in his experience, though he knew it not, were mainly physical. At the same time, it cannot be denied, that those, who enjoy the blessedness of an unusually sanguine temperament, are liable to sudden and violent reactions, and perhaps he may have been more affected by this than he knew. At any rate his name must be added to the list of the many great and good men--the best perhaps that earth has produced--who, at some point in their history, have been permitted to fall into despondency. Thank God the clouds were clean swept from his sky, ere the day closed, and at eventide there was light.

“Dear, grand, noble man! his was one of the last figures that faded from my eyes as I started on my voyage to America in 1885. Little did I think that his voyage was so near its end. And when I returned in February 1886, he was again the first to greet me, as I stepped back on to the shore of my native land. Perhaps he will be amongst the first of the many dear ones to reach out a hand of greeting to his old friend, when my last mission has been closed, and a longer voyage comes to its end. Peace to his memory--we shall not see his like again!”

William Rathbone, Esq., M.P., whose name is a household word in Liverpool, was one of those who not only felt the magic of Mr. Balfour’s indescribable influence, but sought to fathom the sources of his extraordinary wealth and fruitfulness of service. In a letter to us, written after his death, Mr. Rathbone speaks as follows:--

“It is much more easy to feel than to express the loss that Liverpool has sustained, in Mr. Balfour’s death. It is far greater than the loss of the direct influence of his generosity, great as that generosity was, or of his exertions to promote every good cause, unwearied as those exertions were. The influence he exercised over us all effected far more than his own means and time, devoted as they were to the service of his fellow-men, could have accomplished.

“He united, in a degree I have rarely met with in any man, or even in any woman, the three Christian virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. He never seemed to doubt that any good object he undertook could be accomplished, or that those whose help he sought would be less willing to aid, than he himself was. By his genial faith and hope, he often made people what he expected them to be; and even when he failed to make the selfish unselfish, or the sordid generous, this did not seem to excite anger or contempt for the individual. I do not remember ever to have heard him express a harsh or severe judgment of any one; he had indignation for the offence, but not for the offender. He was always disposed to exaggerate the sacrifices and exertions of others while unconscious of his own.

“It was this mixture of enthusiasm, geniality, and simplicity of character which enabled him to carry others with him, and exert so powerful an influence in Liverpool, in promoting education and those schemes for the enlightenment and healthy occupation and amusement of the people, by which he hoped to diminish intemperance and increase virtue and happiness amongst his fellow-men.”

In smaller matters, the following extract from a letter written by Mr. Balfour to Mrs. Lundie on the 20th December 1879 shows how he carried out the Apostolic precept in reference to doing good to all men, but “especially to them that are _of the household of faith_.” “I ordered a bale of twenty-five pairs of blankets to be forwarded to you. They are for distribution to godly poor, or to needy widows.” Countless deeds of such thoughtful and comforting kindness were the work of the same hand.

It was his habit to make his birthdays the occasion, not so much of receiving gifts, as of giving them.

At a late period of his life, when the demands upon him were excessive, and, through the depression of business, his income was curtailed, he printed a circular postcard regretting that he was “Unable to respond to the appeal, owing to other numerous calls on his time and resources.” But though this card passed through the printing-press, it did not go much further. There were very few cases in which he could bring himself to apply it.

A sphere of service which Mr. Balfour found to be most congenial was the Liverpool Young Men’s Christian Association. When he first became connected with it, the Association was housed in small and unsuitable premises; it numbered but a scanty roll of members, and its influence in the town was very limited. He saw what a reserve of power was in the Association, and straightway set himself to the task of developing that reserve.

He offered handsome prizes to successful students, he organised evening classes of various kinds for young men in business, and to make provision for these, additional rooms were secured. It was not long, however, before he became convinced that, if the work was to be done on a scale at all commensurate with the requirements of a great city, it would be necessary to erect a large and commodious building, furnished with convenient class-rooms, reading-room, lecture-hall, and all suitable appliances. A site was purchased in Mount Pleasant, and on it a stately and ample pile began to rise. Mr. Balfour was a constant visitor to the building in the course of its erection, keeping a careful eye on the quality of the work, and ready with suggestions for the perfecting of all arrangements. His desire was to make the structure a model building. He watched over it with a fond and unceasing interest, and after encountering some unlooked-for difficulties, he had the joy of seeing the work crowned with success. Before all was completed the cost did not fall much short of £30,000. His friend Mr. Samuel Smith[B] was closely associated with him in this labour of love, and both bestowed munificent gifts upon the Institution. The services of Mr. D. L. Moody, who was in England at the time, were secured to lay the foundation-stone; and when the building was completed, the late Lord Shaftesbury formally opened it.

Then followed the great work, of fitting the organisation of the Association, to its enlarged premises and its enlarged sphere of operation. This was undertaken with a devotion which esteemed no time too much to spend, no toil too great to undergo, if only the object could be furthered. Mr. Balfour was for fifteen years President of the Association, and, largely owing to his ceaseless fostering care, he had the joy of seeing his wishes in great measure realised. Mr. A. Ferguson, who was for seventeen years Chairman of Committee, was ever ready to co-operate. The roll of members steadily increased, the advantages offered, material, intellectual, and moral, were multiplied year by year, the Institute made itself felt throughout the city, and the blessing of God manifestly rested upon it. A commencement also was made of a Branch Institution in the north end of the town, which is too distant from the central Institution, for easy access. Along with the able and zealous men who were associated with him in the work, he saw, ere he was called away, his plans carried out. Many young men have had the seeds of divine truth lodged in their hearts in these Institutions, many wanderers have been led back to the path from which they had strayed, and many sufferers have been helped and comforted. The young men of this great seaport form an exceptionally migratory class, and scattered on distant shores, not a few of the members of the Liverpool Association have carried with them, not only the desire to bless their fellow-men, but the knowledge of the likeliest means of attaining that end. Happily many remain in their own city, who are beginning to occupy positions of influence and honour, which they adorn in the fear of the Lord.

It should be mentioned that Mr. Balfour placed much value on efforts to make the Association attractive and improving on the social side. He delighted in inviting the members and their friends to large social gatherings in the reading-room. And there, all aglow with animation, and in friendliest relation with all the guests, he moved among them, trusted and loved by everybody, himself appearing the happiest and brightest of all the company. Sometimes, as is elsewhere stated, such gatherings on a still larger scale took place on the green sward of the fields of Mount Alyn.

Mainly through the public spirit and the munificence of Mr. Samuel Smith, Mr. Balfour had the joy of seeing the magnificent Gymnasium in Myrtle Street acquired for the Young Men’s Christian Association. There the young men, under the able management of Mr. Alexander, have the best opportunities for physical exercise and muscular development.

At a large meeting of delegates from Young Men’s Christian Associations throughout the country which was held in Liverpool, Mr. Balfour told what most endeared these Institutions to his heart. “I rejoice,” he said, “that this Association has got on its very front and forehead the word ‘Christian.’ We know very well that this word does not always, on earth, carry with it the honour it should carry. The world rejected Christ, and it will reject His followers. Don’t let there be any mistake on this point: but I am thankful there are so many young men in Liverpool and elsewhere who are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. You see printed around the top of the hall of this Association the words, ‘I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.’ These words, from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, lead my thoughts from Liverpool and this hall where they are inscribed, to Corinth where they were first read. Corinth was one of the greatest centres of commerce in the Apostles’ days, and Liverpool is one of the greatest centres in our days. St. Paul thought it worth his while to address two of his principal Epistles, and to devote much toil, to Corinth: shall we grudge to give hearty labour to Liverpool? St. Paul knew that the seed sown in Corinth would be scattered with its commerce to many distant lands; and we know that if Liverpool is largely blessed of God, that blessing will travel with merchandise, will float in ships, to far-off countries. Liverpool and Corinth, which I lately visited, are linked together in my mind. As the Apostle laboured for Corinth, may we labour for Liverpool; and He who was Paul’s Helper there will be our Helper here. If we learn to know Jesus Christ as Paul did, we shall find that salvation from sin is but the beginning of the business. What shall the end be? With such a hope before us, we shall be able to bear reproach, labour, everything for Him.”

Mr. Balfour had a picture of Corinth hung in the reading-hall of the Association, which still reminds us of the sacred linking in his mind, of that city with the city he most loved.

We must pause. We might go over a much wider range of charities in Liverpool and elsewhere, and still meet with Mr. Balfour. But enough has been said. He resembled the good King Hezekiah, of whom we read, “In every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.” With a Lord High Chancellor of England who was asked the secret of his multifarious achievements, he might have said, “I am a whole man to one thing at a time.”

As we thus dwell on the generous deeds of Mr. Balfour, and yet find that while he cared for others, God cared for him and his, we are reminded of another of Liverpool’s citizens of bright memory, who was born so long ago as 1685. We refer to Bryan Blundell, the founder of a charity of which he himself, writing in 1751, thus speaks: “The charity school has cost between £2000 and £3000, and was finished in 1718, at which time I gave for the encouragement of the charity £750, being one tenth of what it pleased God to bless me with; and did then purpose to give the same proportion of whatever He should indulge me with in time to come, for the benefit and encouragement of the same charity. So great has been the mercy and providence of God in prospering me in business, that I have made up the £750 to £2000, which I have paid to the use of the school; and my children, six in number, the youngest of them now near thirty years of age, are so far from wanting or being worse for what I have given to the school, that they are all benefactors to it, some of them more than £100 at a time. I may truly say, whilst I have been doing for the children of the school, the good providence of God hath been doing for mine.”[C]

It is the divine rule, “There is that scattereth and yet increaseth.” God will be careful for the children of those who are careful for the interests of His children. May men like Bryan Blundell and Alexander Balfour who walk after this rule be multiplied in Liverpool and in our cities--

“Till each man finds his own in all men’s good, And all men work in noble brotherhood.”

Mr. Balfour had it for a guiding principle to give all he could while he lived. He held it little credit for a man to give, when he left the world, what he had no power to keep. Giving was one of the chief joys of his life; it made him radiant. Hence those who love and labour for their city are disposed to link him with Timothy, of whom the Apostle said, “I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your state.”

Mr. Balfour kept before him in his desk, an extract, carefully copied by his own hand, from a paper by Dr. Duff of Calcutta, on “Liberality as a Means of Sanctification.” He evidently framed his giving on the principle it embodies. It is as follows:--“Men’s tendency by nature being to trust in uncertain riches, so as to derive their contentment and serenity mainly from them, instead of from faith and confidence in the love and promise of Him who has at His command the boundless stores of providence and grace,--the only effectual antidote of Divine appointment is freely, cheerfully, and liberally to part with them, for the benefit of the poor and ignorant; and thus to create and cherish a growing sense of perpetual dependence on God, a gradual, and ultimately complete, severance from all undue trust in the perishable substance of earth, and a continued accumulation of treasure in heaven.” Perhaps it was because Mr. Balfour so steadfastly followed this rule, that the “perishable substance of earth” had so slight a hold upon him.

There exists in Liverpool a large class of children who are destitute, suffering, and in many cases neglected. They are early left orphans, or they find themselves from infancy in the slums of the city, amid an environment unfavourable alike to material and moral well-being. Attention had not been strongly directed to the condition of these poor children, but some sixteen years ago the public mind began to be stirred in reference to the matter. Mr. Balfour, when calling on Miss Annie M’Pherson, so honourably known for her successful work in the rescue of waifs in London, met her sister Mrs. Birt. With quick discernment of eye and heart, he saw that one was before him, singularly fitted for carrying on a similar effort in Liverpool. He invited Mrs. Birt to Liverpool; and in a meeting of half-a-dozen friends, the work of child-rescue was discussed. The thing was unfamiliar to the little company, and difficulties were foreseen, but the faith and enthusiasm of Mr. Balfour won the acquiescence of all who were present. Very modestly and quietly the enterprise began. A few Christian ladies met to work together and to pray for the perishing. Sympathisers came forward among the merchants of Liverpool, and none earlier or more cordially than Mr. Samuel Smith and Mr. S. Williamson, who has held the post of Chairman ever since the Association began its benevolent career in Liverpool.

The movement has grown and prospered, under the blessing of God. Boys are sheltered in one Home, girls in another. The Committee are taking steps to erect a special building for the “Sheltering Home,” as it is fittingly called. Meantime, every year, orphans and imperilled little ones are gathered in by Mrs. Birt, are cared for, are trained, are instructed in the gospel. The change wrought upon them in a few brief weeks is almost magical. Drawn often from unclean and unkindly homes, their hearts open, as the daisy opens to the sun, under the influence of Christian love and the brightness of their new surroundings. Hope takes the place of gloom, and perhaps of fear.

After preliminary training, the children are taken out to Canada by Mrs. Birt herself, or sent out in batches under suitable superintendents. Three thousand children have thus been rescued from want and danger, and placed in happy homes in Canada. The present writer has visited many of them there, and can bear testimony to the comfort and happiness which they almost invariably find, in the Christian homes of farmers and others selected for their reception. It is believed that not less than 95 per cent. of these children turn out good and useful citizens. For the present, this method of rescuing and providing for our city waifs seems the best and most effectual, as it is certainly the most economical, known to us. Mr. Balfour delighted in the work, turned a copious stream of his liberality into it, and in many ways encouraged Mrs. Birt and her fellow-labourers. He was often present among the little ones, and loved to watch their changing appearance, as the effects of shelter, food, instruction, and kindness made themselves manifest. He also visited the receiving Home at Knowlton, in the province of Quebec, and satisfied himself in regard to the condition of the children, when on the other side of the Atlantic.

For the rescued little ones, the land to which they go is a veritable land of promise. When nearing the green and sunny shores of Canada on one of the trips, a little girl said, with wistful look, to the writer, “Is this the better land?” As we looked into her bright wondering eyes, we seemed to read the thoughts which passed within. The squalor, the hunger, the poverty, the harshness in deed and coarseness in word of the slum, which she had called home, were all left behind. She had heard and had been taught, with other little ones, to sing of a “happy land, far, far away,” where such things had no place.

Bright sunshine bathed the beautiful shore of the St. Lawrence, peace rippled on the quiet glancing waters, kindness was round about the child like a garment. Was it strange if the enchantment of a change so sudden and so great was upon her, and if in her little mind the thought of the “land that is very far off” was sweetly blended with what she felt, when first she gazed upon the fair land that was to be her earthly home? May the green fields of Canada prove to this simple child, and to many of our British waifs, the way to the country where the pastures are yet more green and the waters yet more still.

Among the many objects which shared Mr. Balfour’s interest, there was perhaps none which appealed more directly to his loving heart, none which he regarded with more confidence and thankfulness, than this work of child-emigration.

At the annual meetings of the “Sheltering Home” and of the “Ragged School Union,” Mr. Balfour hammered with persistent energy at strong drink, and the lavish facilities for obtaining it, as the main producers of destitution and crime.

In Mr. Balfour’s wanderings the world over, it was the same with him; his heart was always devising liberal things for the causes he loved. No interest of travel, no novelty of scene, could repress his loving help. We give a brief extract from his diary in 1882, as a specimen of many such:--“_Athens, May 18._--Devoted the day till four o’clock to writing. Wrote to Dr. Trumbull my sympathies with Mrs. Trumbull and himself, on the death of dear Mary. Made offer, subject to approval of Mr. Williamson, Mr. Merwin, and himself, of founding a Training Institution at Valparaiso, for Chilian school masters and mistresses, and of its maintenance for five years.”

His brother-in-law, Dr. R. Roxburgh, writes: “I remember one day in the autumn of 1883, when I was with Mr. Balfour in New York, he returned to our hotel from the American Board of Missions in great spirits, saying, ‘I have found just the man for ---- (a missionary station in Chile), and I shall have the pleasure of myself supporting him there.’”

An example, like that on which we have been dwelling, teaches us where lie the real value of life and the true use of means. The weighty words of Canon Westcott on this theme are well worthy of being pondered. He says: “Life, then, we can see, consists not in abundance, in the overflowing richness of unemployed resources; it springs not spontaneously from the things which we possess, from our original endowments, as the necessary product of natural gifts. It is the opportunity of the individual to win for God, by God’s help, that which lies within his reach; to accomplish, on a scale little or great, the destiny of humanity as it has been committed to him: to consecrate, it may be, splendid wealth to common service; to transfigure sordid cares by a divine vision.”[D]

There were some spheres in which Mr. Balfour was asked, but did not consent, to serve. He was on more than one occasion invited to become a candidate for a seat in Parliament. The matter was carefully considered, and it was his deliberate judgment that that was not the field in which he could do best service. He used to say that his post was, to take a share in the great work of educating that public opinion, upon which all valuable legislation must be based. And doubtless he judged rightly. He was in full sympathy with the Liberal party in the state, but with his temperament and character, it would have been impossible for him to work on party lines. He would have found himself in frequent and perhaps impatient embarrassment, between the ideal at which he aimed, and the possibilities of practical legislation. The man who laboured most, and most practically, for the social and moral elevation of his countrymen was his man, whether Whig or Tory. The great questions bearing on the amelioration of the condition of the people, with which his head, heart, and hands were full, were better served by him outside the House of Commons.

He accepted a commission as Justice of the Peace for Denbighshire. In that capacity he did what he could to check crime, and abridge the sources of temptation in the county; but he felt, and perhaps chafed under, the limitations which a fair consideration of all the interests involved must impose on the action of every righteous magistrate, in administering the existing license-law. The rate of possible progress was painfully slow. This experience stimulated the desire for improved license legislation, of which we shall have by-and-by to speak.

It is not possible for even the best of men to do the best of service in every department. God has not so distributed gifts to mankind. Mr. Balfour had, through life, to contend with the hastiness of temper which characterised him in childhood. But he had gained such mastery over it, especially in his later years, that many who were closely associated with him saw no traces of it. So much cannot be said in reference to the impetuosity which was natural to him. It had its uses, and helped to overbear many obstacles in his career of beneficence. But it had its drawbacks also, as his friends sometimes felt, if unable to arrive at the same conclusion with himself. From the intensity of his own convictions, he found it difficult to comprehend or brook divergence of opinion, on points connected with what he deemed urgent duty, in the interest of his fellows. Yet it was a fine thing to watch the struggle which he maintained with his impetuous nature, and to see him at times, after days of reflection, entirely abandon some cherished position, and unconditionally lay down his arms. A certain sense of the danger arising from his eager impetuosity appears in the circumstance, that the trusted friends, to the test of whose criticism he was in the habit of submitting his own conclusions, were men distinguished for coolness and sobriety of judgment. And without unduly drawing aside the veil which conceals the sanctities of the home, it may be added, that no counsel was more valued by him, than that of his own wife; nor could he find in his heart to persist in any plan or purpose, in which his eager impetuosity was not buttressed by her calm and deliberate approval.

He appears to have enjoyed almost entire freedom from speculative doubts, in religious matters. This immunity was favourable to the course of Christian activity, in which he delighted. But it unquestionably tended to disqualify him for some branches of service. He could not put himself in the position, nor understand the perplexities, of men of a speculative turn of mind. His grasp of “those things which are most surely believed” among Christians, never relaxed. If a side-glance rested for a moment on the agnostic or sceptical views of the day, he immediately plunged into useful work, and was satisfied. He could not, therefore, be a helpful counsellor of young men whose faith was disturbed, or whose minds were unsettled by honest doubts. This task was for others, not for him; unless, indeed, we recognise that a life like his, of pure motive and of lofty aim, contained in it, an argument, more potent than logic can formulate, for the reality of those principles which had made him what he was.

Chapter V.

Footsteps Among Seamen.

“Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And He said, Come.” --MATT. xiv. 28, 29.

“When hidden is each guiding-star, Flash out the beacon’s light afar; From mist and rock and shoal and spray Protect the sailor on his way; Keep by Thy mighty hand, oh, keep The dwellers on the homeless deep.” --HORATIUS BONAR.

Chapter V.

_Footsteps Among Seamen._

During the whole of his business career, Mr. Balfour took the deepest interest in seamen. His success in life was built largely upon the services of sailors. For him it was impossible to receive a benefit, without an effort to repay it. Seamen in his view were not mere instruments for advancing the fortunes of shipowners and merchants; they were men with human bodies, with reasonable minds, with immortal souls. In all these respects they must be cared for. The improvement of the condition of the sailor became a passion with him. There was nothing about which he was more careful in reference to his own ships, than the accommodations and comfort of the forecastle. When at one period of his life he resided at Valparaiso, it was his delight to board his own and other ships, and enter into free converse with the men about all their interests, and especially about their spiritual welfare. Often might he be seen in the forecastle reading the Bible to or with the men.

His love for sailors was hereditary. His mother before him took a very deep interest in their welfare, and scanned their movements with a discriminating eye. It is said that she minutely examined the shipping lists, and could tell fairly the whereabouts of every sailor and his ship, belonging to the Fifeshire district in which she dwelt.

One morning in March 1873, Mr. Thomas Matheson received a message from Mr. Balfour that he wanted to see him. On repairing to the office, Mr. Matheson found his friend bathed in tears, and evidently in the deepest sorrow. One of the ships of the firm, the _Chacabuco_, while off the Great Orme’s Head the previous night, had been run into by a coasting steamer, and had gone down with all hands but three. His kind heart pictured not only the struggles of the sinking sailors, but the sudden sorrow of their darkened homes. “Oh, my poor men!” exclaimed the heart-stricken merchant. To him the loss of property was of small concern compared with the loss of human lives. Among the drowned was Captain Ritchie, a thoroughly Christian man, who had been long in the employ, and exercised an excellent influence over his crews. The sympathetic nature of Mr. Balfour mourned over “his men” almost as if each had been an intimate friend.

He sent for Mr. Legge, the manager of the Apprentices’ Home, and commissioned him to go to Leamington, where dwelt the parents of one of the lost apprentices, who was their only child, their all: he was to break as gently as he could the tidings of unutterable woe. Selected messengers were sent to others of the bereaved on the same sad errand. Letters were written to the relatives of all the lost sailors who could not be reached personally; and all that kindness and sympathy could do was done, to alleviate the sorrows of the mourners.

As in all such disasters, there were special circumstances which gave peculiar poignancy to grief. Among the five lost apprentices was one fine lad from Scotland, who was bent on going to sea, his parents giving a reluctant consent. Before the time of which we speak, an appointment was secured for him on board of one of the ships of Messrs. Balfour, Williamson, & Co. Something distasteful at the start displeased him, and he left the ship at Cardiff. Cured of his liking for that vessel, he was not cured of his strong bent for the sea, and entreated the firm to give him another chance. A berth was found for him in the _Chacabuco_. The vessel he forsook reached its haven in safety; the vessel he chose was harboured in the bottom of the sea. Mr. Balfour testified the tenderest sympathy for the sorrowing parents of this cherished boy. Doubtless the trouble of his spirit, over his dead sailors and apprentices, stimulated him to still greater efforts for the temporal and spiritual interests of the living.

One of the most practical and effective efforts for the benefit of sailors was the formation of the “Liverpool Committee of Inquiry into the Condition of our Merchant Seamen.” Of this Committee, which continued its labours for ten years, he was one of the chief projectors. With his friends Mr. Christopher Bushell for chairman and Mr. John Williamson for honorary secretary, this Committee rendered most valuable aid in securing enlightened and beneficent legislation, in the interests alike of the seaman and the shipowner; for it was impossible to improve the condition of the former without conferring a benefit upon the latter. The most patent fruit of the Committee’s labours was the passing in 1880, largely through its efforts, of the “Merchant Seamen Payment of Wages and Rating Act.” Everything could not be achieved in a single Act, but a great step in advance was taken. The pernicious system of advance-notes was abolished, lodging-houses for seamen were licensed and superintended, the crimping system was effectually checked, arrest of sailors without warrant was abolished. Unhappily some of the provisions of the Act have proved effective only in part. The rating system was excellent, but it has proved practically inoperative from the omission in the Act to provide adequate machinery for putting it in force. The abolition of advance-notes, too, is evaded by the use of a system of bonuses, without which, shipowners complain that they cannot get men to go to sea.

In spite of such drawbacks, however, a valuable gain has been achieved, especially through the indirect effects of the Committee’s action. Public attention has been called to the subject; shipowners and others have been put on the track of inquiry as to the evils that require remedy, and the best methods of ameliorating the condition of seamen. Soon after the passing of the Act, a marked improvement was observable in the forecastles and in the dietary of the men; plans were put in operation for the transmission of seamen’s wages to their homes, thus enabling them to leave port promptly on arrival, and so to escape from many dangerous influences by which they were formerly surrounded. Thrift and sobriety have palpably grown under these and other beneficial influences; and, as might have been anticipated, there has been improvement likewise in the physique of the men. Such changes have proved advantageous to shipowners, underwriters, and all connected with our mercantile marine.

In 1876 Mr. Balfour and Mr. John Williamson, as representatives of the Committee, read papers on the subject of our seamen, before the Social Science Congress, held in Liverpool, which gave a further impulse to the cause; and a resolution was passed calling on the Council of the Association to “memorialise Government to take into consideration the question of the condition of our seamen, and their deterioration, in its national and professional aspects.” This recommendation was acted upon, and had an important bearing upon the legislation which by and by followed.

When the Act of 1880 had passed the Legislature, the work of the Committee of Inquiry was concluded, and the same year a meeting was summoned to dissolve the Committee. In a speech made at that meeting Mr. Balfour said: “The condition of our seamen in 1870, and the condition of our seamen now, is one that demands the attention, not only of shipowners, but of the general community, and of our Government. Lord Sandon will bear me out, and there are a number of representatives of our leading insurance companies here who also will bear me out, in saying that the main cause of the loss of property and of life at sea is not the overloading of ships, as Mr. Plimsoll has so earnestly pointed out, is not the deficiency of hulls or defective rigging, but mainly arises from defective seamanship. We cannot be too thankful for the steps which were taken to establish the ‘Conway’ training-ship, and to obtain a system of examination for our merchant captains and officers, previous to their being appointed to ships. But the further subject of the efficiency of seamen to discharge their duties is one that, till the preparation of this Bill, now happily an Act of the Legislature, had not been dealt with.”

At the same meeting, Mr. John Williamson, the able and indefatigable secretary, owing, in great measure, to whose labours the work of the Committee was carried to a successful issue, thus referred to a period of great difficulty and discouragement in the course of their operations: “It is only right to state that but for Mr. Balfour at this time, the Committee, disheartened, were almost disposed to cease further efforts.”

This circumstance is characteristic of Mr. Balfour. When once convinced that a cause was right, it was almost an impossibility to discourage him. No difficulty could daunt or deter him. He would say, “It _must_ be done, and God will see us through.” His hope in such a case was inextinguishable, and was based on the conviction that God was on the side of truth and justice. Means flowed in, opposition was overcome, and success was attained. One such man engaged in a noble enterprise will spread the contagion of his faith and hope to those who are ready to faint, and will suffice, in emergency, to save a cause from shipwreck. “All things are possible to him that believeth.”

The inspiring words, of a writer already quoted, were strikingly exemplified in the invincible hope of this man. “As Christians, we are not left, as other men, to quicken our impulses by noble abstractions or splendid guesses. As Christians, we are not constrained, as other men, to acquiesce in the presence of unconquerable suffering. As Christians, we are not condemned, as other men, to gaze with stern resignation upon the spectacle of lost good. If the Word became flesh, the brotherhood of man is a reality for us. If the Son of God was crucified, the fall, and with it the redemption, are realities for us. If the Son of Man rose again from the dead, the eternal significance of our short space of labour is a reality for us.”[E]

There were features in the condition of seamen which early arrested Mr. Balfour’s attention. Of these, the want of continuous service is one of the most prejudicial. It lies very near the root of the disadvantages of their occupation. It has a most important bearing on the improvidence, recklessness, and dissipation which too largely characterise them as a class. We may invite them into “Sailors’ Homes;” we may shelter them in “Strangers’ Rests;” we may appeal to them by seamen’s missionaries; but all this and much more will not make up for the want of that salutary bond, which ought to bind the employed to the employer. When shipowners are benevolent men, this bond, if it could be maintained, would be productive of the best results. It may be doubted whether much will ever be done, fundamentally to improve the condition of our sailors, unless this end be secured. When it is remembered that we have to deal with the interests of some two hundred thousand British seamen, and with all who depend upon them, it will be seen that a question of this kind is of far-reaching concern.

Mr. Balfour felt it to be so, and the subject caused him and his partner in business much thought and care. His servants, male and female, and his employés of various kinds on shore, were on a very different footing from the sailors through whom he was, to some extent, laying the foundations of his fortunes. On the former it was possible to keep a kindly and interested eye, and to attempt at least to exert a healthful moral influence, from day to day and from year to year. His instinct for doing good to all about him, and especially to those who were closely connected with him in business or otherwise, was inextinguishable. Was the seaman to be left outside the wholesome influences which were available for the landsman? The frequent termination of all relation between shipowners and seamen at the close of a voyage, the brief and fugitive character of the connection, placed almost insuperable barriers in the way. He made an effort to overcome these obstacles. His firm for a time paid the travelling expenses of their seamen, when they reached port, to and from their homes, if these were not in Liverpool; they paid them also a modified rate of wages between voyages. But these conditions proving too onerous, the generous plan had to be abandoned.

Another method suggested itself. Could the sailors in their employ be housed in a respectable and comfortable home, provided, on a moderate payment, by the firm; and could they thus be kept together and made to feel the kindly influence of their employers? It was not found practicable to carry this scheme into effect; and besides, the Liverpool Sailors’ Home was doing an excellent work in the same direction, for the seamen of the port in general.

One substantial result, however, grew out of these thoughts and plans. A Home was founded in Duke Street, for apprentices and junior officers. This Home, though intended in the first instance for the young sailors in their own employ, was not limited to these. A large outlay was involved in the founding of this Home, but there was ample reward in the good accomplished. The youths were thus saved from the risks and temptations of such lodgings as many of them might have obtained; they were surrounded by the kindly and Christian influences of the family who were at the head of the Home; their evenings were made pleasant and lively by congenial society, by music, games, &c.

Numerous letters to Mr. Legge, the manager of the Apprentices’ Home from all parts of the world, bear testimony to the gratitude of the apprentices, for the provision thus made for them. In not a few cases, the letters tell of spiritual blessing received in the Home; and the friends of some, who have lost their lives in their perilous calling, have had their sorrow brightened with thanksgiving when they have seen, through the medium of the correspondence kept up with the Home, that their lost ones had been found ere the end came. When the sea gives up the dead which are in it, there will be precious testimony that this Home was not reared in vain.

A glance at the letters referred to gives touching evidence of the hallowed way in which the Home is linked with the hopes and fears, the joys and sorrows, of the boys who have been there, and their parents and friends. A few brief extracts, taken from letters written in 1875, may be given.

“DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN, _January 26, 1875_.

“Our worst fears respecting my dear brother Willie have unhappily been realised. A kind letter from the second mate shuts out all hope. He says that the vessel was out of sight five minutes after she struck, and that dear Willie was in one of the boats, which time did not permit them to unfasten. He was swallowed up by the suction of the sinking ship. I can write no further on this awful subject: it is too dreadful. God give us grace to bear it with Christian resignation, and may He bless you for your lovingkindness to our dear lost sailor.”

“---- VICARAGE, _May 21, 1875_.

“I beg to thank you sincerely for your kindness to my son Basil when under your care. He was very much pleased with your letter to him, received yesterday, and so, I must add, were his father and I. You are indeed a kind friend to young sailors far away from their parents. I thank you also for the nice little books you so kindly forwarded to him. I mean to put them in his chest when he starts on his next voyage--when and where, we do not know yet. May it be his fortune to meet with such good friends as you have proved, in times of need.”

“PONTYPOOL, _June 10, 1875_.

“Now that we have again parted with our dear boy, I wish to thank you, and so does my husband, for the many acts of kindness rendered to him by you during his stay, as well as to Frank when he was at home. We beg to assure you that we deeply and gratefully appreciate your kind attention.”

“FISHGUARD, _October 26, 1875_.

“I saw in the Gazette that _La Escocessa_ was off Holyhead on Saturday. I should feel extremely obliged if you would kindly let me know if she has got up to Liverpool safely. We are very anxious, as last night was such a stormy night. I always feel so thankful when the boys arrive in Liverpool after a voyage, as I know they are well cared for when they are with you.”

“TWEEDMOUTH, _December 3, 1875_.

“I hope you will excuse the liberty of Norman’s sister writing to you. I am going to ask a favour of you, which would be too much to ask of a stranger; but one who loved my brother can be no stranger to me. I opened your letter for papa this morning, but my parents have not seen it; I feel afraid to let them see it, kind and sympathising as it is. Their hopes have been raised this week, and I cannot, oh! I cannot bear to witness their fearful grief when hope is gone.... We were all so bound up in our precious Norman, and feel it almost too hard to give him up. We know, indeed, _if_ he is gone, it is for some wise reason. The favour I would beg is this: will you, dear sir, who I know have prayed for our darling, tell me if you think he was brought into Christ’s fold ere he left you? He wrote a letter just before sailing, which now we prize beyond everything. He said he ‘hoped God would spare us all to meet again, and that we should see a great change for the better in him.’ Dear boy, he had been thinking of little faults at home, which we could not think faults. I know one of God’s people will comfort one who is writing in deep sorrow, and longing for comfort on this point. It will comfort my parents, should they be forced to give up the hope we all yet cling to. I fear it will bring my father to the grave.

“_P.S._--If you have heard bad tidings of the ship, please tell me; it is better than doubt.”

It would be difficult to estimate the value to young sailors such as “Norman” of the pervading Christian influence of such a home as “Balfour House.” It would be difficult to fathom the preciousness, to anxious or bereaved parents and relations, of the tidings and the sympathy which come back to them from such a home, in cases like that just cited. Were all our sailor-boys to be environed thus with loving Christian influence before they sail and after they return from sea, what untold benefits might be secured for themselves, for their families, and for the mercantile marine!

Instances are not wanting of spiritual good done in connection with the Apprentices’ Home. A young sailor named Harold met, at San Francisco, with a Christian youth, whose acquaintance he made at the Home. The ships of the two young men lay side by side at San Francisco, and the two friends spent five consecutive evenings in attending the meetings of Messrs. Moody and Sankey, then being held there, and with the most salutary effect. Soon after this, young Harold was killed by a fall from the mast, and his companion was able to tell his friend’s parents of the faith he had in his Redeemer when they parted. The mourning father writes to Mr. Legge: “I earnestly prayed that our dear boy might be kept from the evil all around him: this I could pray for without reservation; and he has been kept, but not in our way.” The tidings regarding this young sailor gave Mr. Balfour much joy, and all such incidents deepened his sense of the value of the Apprentices’ Home.

Of course such efforts for the good of others, as were involved in the founding of the Apprentices’ Home, cannot be made without reflex benefit to those who make them. The officers and men of the firm have been of excellent quality. It may be doubted if any shipowners in Liverpool or elsewhere have been better served than Messrs. Balfour, Williamson, & Co.

It could not be foreseen, when the Apprentices’ Home was founded, that the capricious, or at least incalculable changes in trade should, within a short time, render it of little value to the firm which carried the plan into execution. But it so happens that the requirements of business have taken the ships of the firm to the Continent, to London, to the Tyne, to the Bristol Channel, and elsewhere, while seldom guiding them to Liverpool; so that for the last two years none of them have come into this port. But happily the advantages which, during recent years they have failed to reap for their own young men, have fallen to the lot of others.

Though the conditions have somewhat altered in the lapse of years, this institution continues, under the admirable management of Mr. Legge, in whom Mr. Balfour justly reposed the greatest confidence. It now bears the name of “Balfour House,” and continues to provide great advantages to the class for whom it was designed.

“Mr. Balfour,” says Mr. Legge, “had the interest of apprentices very much at heart. He never paid us a visit without suggesting something which he thought would promote the comfort and happiness of the boys. It was characteristic of him to treat us, when he came to the Home, as if he were under an obligation to us for receiving him. Though a bedroom was always kept for his use, he invariably sent a messenger to inquire of Mrs. Legge if it would be quite convenient for him to use it.”

Among the means employed for improving their sailors may be mentioned a plan adopted by the firm. A system of bonuses, in addition to the regular wages, was established. Notices were posted in the forecastle intimating that where the character exhibited and the language employed warranted it, a “very good” conduct certificate would be given by the captain, carrying with it a reward at the end of the voyage. The system worked well at first, but, from various causes, it has of late become practically inoperative.

Instances were occurring all through his life of Mr. Balfour’s concern about the personal welfare of sailors. In 1866 he went to Valparaiso in the S.S. _Panama_. In his memorandum-book, in which brief records of the voyage are contained, occurs the following:--“On board the _Panama_ there are thirty-two sailors, firemen, and stokers, of whom only three possessed Bibles. One of them was a Roman Catholic. I distributed amongst them twenty-eight copies of the Scriptures and four religious books, as a memento of our voyage.” Then follows a careful list of all the men, to which is appended a note of satisfaction that all of them now owned copies of the Word of God.

At a later period, when on a voyage, he records his observations in the forecastle, which to him was perhaps the most attractive part of a vessel. “In the evening went with a friend to talk to the seamen in the forecastle; tried to encourage them to look to God for help, and pressed on them the need of self-help; counselled them to trust in the love of God, who has given His own Son to die for us individually. All very thankful for the little books we distributed. The men represented to us very respectfully the crowded state of the forecastle. They pointed out that the forecastle was not properly lined, and that the wet sometimes came down from the roof and sides, so that they could not keep dry, although they used all the sacks and canvas they could get. The forecastle had only one ventilator opening from the roof, and in bad weather, when it is closed, the air becomes so hot and bad that sleep is impossible. In hot weather the air is stifling. The men further represented the insecurity of the forecastle, which is the very foremost part of the ship, and is not separated by a bulkhead, from the bow. If the ship were to run into an iceberg, as the _Arizona_ did, the consequences would be fatal. The men pointed out that there is only one stair, and that a narrow one, by which seamen, stokers, firemen, and others can get on deck, one at a time, and if an accident were to happen and confusion to occur, there would probably be loss of life in attempting to crush up to the deck. I am sure the builders have committed a great oversight in neglecting to provide a proper and secure forecastle for the ----. I have the greatest difficulty myself, with regard to the building of ships in which our firm is interested, in securing that reasonable provision be made for the seamen. I always go to the forecastle of new ships, and take more care to inspect them, than I do to see to the arrangements of the cabins, as captains are well able, as a rule, to attend to the cabins.”

All this information, as the note-book tells us, was communicated by Mr. Balfour to the chairman of the company concerned in a letter which closed thus: “I hope you will pardon my drawing your attention to the forecastle of the ----, as I am sure you would not be satisfied were you to examine it. I am the more anxious to bring this matter before you, as you are building new steamers, whose forecastle arrangements you can readily control.”

Thus did Mr. Balfour’s almost instinctive care for the interests of seamen find expression both as regards his own ships and the ships of others. His concern for the interests of the “men” slumbered not. Nor can it be doubted that it has communicated itself to others. If there is any class of our countrymen whose personal safety, whose reasonable comfort and welfare should specially be regarded by England, surely it is the seamen upon whom her commerce and her safety so largely depend. That these men, by whose perilous exertions wealth and prosperity are attained by many, should have anything less than justice, anything less than kindly consideration, was a thought utterly distasteful to the heart of Mr. Balfour. It was the desire of his soul to guard their interests, for in the matter of self-protection they are feeble; to shield them, for they are tempted; to elevate them, for they are depressed. Our best shipowners sympathise in such aims; but if sympathy were to pervade that class, and indeed all classes of citizens, and to embody itself in practical and operative endeavour, how beneficent a change might speedily be wrought in the condition of our British sailors!

The banishing of grog as an article of daily use from our ships has now become general, and has been of untold advantage to crews, passengers, and shipowners. Messrs. Balfour, Williamson, & Co. very early discerned the benefit of such a course and adopted it. This beneficent system is now also, to a certain extent, adopted in the Royal Navy, an allowance in lieu of strong drink being given to those who choose to avail themselves of it. This contrasts favourably with the time when grog was regularly served out to the men twice a day.

It need scarcely be said that Mr. Balfour took the deepest interest in the Liverpool Sailors’ Home. This large and excellent institution has for many years been under the careful and sympathetic superintendence of Mr. Hanmer. The Home is capable of accommodating more than three hundred men, and has rendered most valuable service to both sailors and shipowners. The instincts of his heart drew Mr. Balfour very much to that centre, and he was ready to do anything that lay in his power, for the wellfare of its ever-changing inmates. The following brief statement from the pen of Mr. Hanmer will indicate the nature of Mr. Balfour’s relations with the institution:--

“It seems to me twenty-seven or twenty-eight years ago, since a tall gentleman came into the service-room at the Sailors’ Home one Sunday evening to worship. His devotion and earnestness drew my attention to him, and at the close of the service he came at once to me and asked if I was the secretary. Being answered in the affirmative, he introduced himself as Mr. Balfour, and expressed himself as highly pleased with the decorum and quiet attention of the seamen present. Then turning round he spoke a few words, in a gracious and winning way, to a number of the men. After walking up and down the great hall with me for a short time, he invited me to call at his office, and so bade me good night.

“From that day to his death, he was one of the most frequent visitors to the institution. I expected a visit every two or three weeks, and was not often disappointed. When he had visitors at his office or residence, he would often bring them with him. He became so familiar with the place, that though, with his unfailing thoughtfulness and kindness, he always asked for me on entering, and wished me, if possible, to accompany him through the Home, yet I had nothing to tell him that he did not know. On these occasions he _always_ spoke kind words to the seamen, as they sat in the great hall and in the sitting-rooms. He and his firm were among the first to subscribe handsomely whenever there was need. He was a life-governor, though he did not see his way, owing to a multitude of other engagements, to accede to the oft-repeated request that he should become a member of committee.

“Many years ago, when it was proposed to form a Widows’ Emigration Society, he entered warmly into the scheme, and became a liberal supporter of it.

When a group of five or six widows and their families were ready to sail for Canada, he asked for the use of a room in the Sailors’ Home, where a farewell meeting might be held; and there, along with others, he addressed the emigrants in wise and affectionate terms.

“My daughter used to visit some of the mission-rooms for seamen and others, in which he was interested, to conduct the praise. She met with many deserving cases which needed assistance, and he supplied her liberally with the means, and urged her to apply to him whenever she required help.”

It may be added, that when the Duke Street Home for Apprentices was in contemplation, Mr. Balfour went to Mr. Hanmer to assure him that there was no wish to do anything which could injuriously affect the Sailors’ Home, which, indeed, was too firmly established to be in any danger. He consulted Mr. Hanmer as to methods and details.

The loss sustained by our sailors, owing to their being to a great extent deprived of the opportunity of public worship, weighed heavily on Mr. Balfour’s heart. It became one of his cherished aims, as far as possible, to remove this disadvantage. Accordingly the paper, to which we have already made reference, delivered by him in the Social Science Congress in Liverpool in 1876, closed with the following words: “I cannot conclude this paper without expressing the hope, that my fellow-shipowners may join our firm, in requiring that religious worship on Sundays shall take place on board all their ships. It is impossible to overstate the injury and loss to seamen and boys, from their passing six or eight or ten months of an East Indian or Australian voyage, without being asked to join in the worship of Almighty God, or hearing His Word read or explained. This duty of holding a religious service on Sunday I trust may become, as stated a part of the discipline on board of merchant ships, as it has become on board of ships of Her Majesty’s Navy.”

Mr. Balfour’s eager desire for the spiritual welfare of our seamen deepened as years rolled on. He held frequent conferences with a friend who was concerned about the same object as to the best means of awakening or deepening the interest of shipowners, captains, and others in this great work. The result was that he resolved to convene a meeting in St. George’s Hall, Liverpool. Arrangements were made for a conversazione on a large and liberal scale, and some three thousand invitations were issued. The meeting was thoroughly representative of the great interests associated with shipping. Shipowners and merchants, captains and officers, with a full complement of ladies, were gathered for social intercourse.

After tea, addresses were delivered by the Bishop of Liverpool, Miss Weston of Devonport, Captain Ward, the President of the Mercantile Marine Service Association, Mr. Christopher Bushell, Mr. Edward Lawrence, and others.

Towards the close of the meeting Mr. Balfour spoke to the following resolution--“That this meeting of shipowners, shipmasters, and others interested in the mercantile marine of Great Britain, respectfully suggests to all who have influence on board ships, that they encourage the practice of having divine service on their ships every Sunday, and on other suitable occasions, during voyages at sea, and when in foreign ports. It is also recommended that a Bethel flag be hoisted whenever service is being held; and this meeting hopes that an invitation may be given to other seamen by captains who fly the Bethel flag, and that the holding of religious services may become general on all British ships.”

In supporting the resolution Mr. Balfour said--“What would be the effect upon us, if we were kept for six or eight months without worshipping God? We might be expected to get as hard as iron; and if these men become so, who is to blame? I feel strongly that these things are too much neglected. I was engaging a ship-master not long ago, and having satisfied myself as to his professional capability, I asked, ‘Are you accustomed to have worship on board your ships?’ He said ‘No.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘it is a very extraordinary thing. Did you have family worship at home, at your father’s house?’ The man was a Scotchman from Aberdeenshire, and he answered ‘Yes.’ ‘And you have been all these years the captain of a ship, and have not had worship on board?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘I have not.’ ‘And how long have you been at sea, from beginning to end?’ I inquired. He said, ‘I have been twelve years at sea.’ And you have not held or attended service all that time?’ ‘No.’ I told that man, ‘If you join this ship, service is to be conducted, as an act of discipline, while you hold the command.’ What has been done in the Royal Navy, in establishing worship on Sundays, can be done in the mercantile navy, if shipowners and shipmasters would but take the matter in hand. I shall altogether fail in my purpose if I do not impress upon you the importance of service of some kind in your ships, the very first Sunday it is practicable.”

The earnest pleading tones of Mr. Balfour as he advocated the spiritual interests of the sailor are still remembered, and the interest of the meeting deepened onward to the close. “Such a meeting,” says Mr. Grylls, the secretary of the Mercantile Marine Service Association, “such a meeting, embracing all classes and all shades of opinion, could have been successfully convened only by a man of the large-hearted sympathies of Mr. Balfour, who thus gathered round him some of the leading citizens of Liverpool. Of the results of this and similar efforts it is not possible to speak definitely, or to gauge the influences for good then set in motion. But the direct effect upon the hearts of the many hundreds present, and the distribution of a full report of the meeting by thousands over land and sea, cannot fail to be far-reaching and eternal.”

The spiritual refreshment of the sailor, through the Sunday service, when far off upon the sea, is sometimes doubtless the result of the stimulus given to effort in this direction, at the remarkable meeting above referred to.

A book of “Services for Seamen,” including sermons by the late Rev. Robert Philip, D.D., of Maberley Chapel, London, the well-known friend of sailors, has been supplied. It contains suitable prayers for use on shipboard, drawn up by well-known ministers of Liverpool and other places. Mr. Balfour took much interest in the issue of this volume, which has proved admirably adapted for its purpose, and which offers welcome help to many a captain, who, without its aid, might have felt embarrassed or remained silent.

Chapter VI.

Footsteps Among Seamen

--_Continued_.

“The sea hath spoken.”--ISAIAH xxiii. 4.

“We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.”--LAMEN. v. 3.

“In Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.”--HOSEA xiv. 3.

“And there was no more sea.”--REV. xxi. I.

Chapter VI.

_FOOTSTEPS AMONG SEAMEN--Continued._

No one interested in seamen can fail to extend his interest to their orphans. Sailors’ lives are exposed to exceptional risks. Of our 200,000 British seamen, it is found that on the average, besides those whose deaths occur at home, more than 4000 annually die abroad, and of these, much more than a half perish by drowning. The returns from the Board of Trade show that in the sixteen years following the establishment of the Liverpool Seamen’s Orphanage, no less than 66,667 sailors died in English ships abroad, of whom 40,551 were drowned. In what condition are their families left? We give the answer in the words of Canon Drummond Anderson, chaplain of the Liverpool Seamen’s Orphanage, than whom few persons, if any, have more frequent contact with the families of sailors whose lives have been lost at sea. “His experience with regard to common sailors was, that whenever poor Jack died, his family were left destitute. If there were any who were better off, or had anything to the fore for a dark and cloudy day, they did not come in his way. The cases with which he had to deal were those in which the loss of poor Jack was the loss of all the support of his family.”[F]

Allowing for the circumstance that the chaplain’s duties call for his presence at the most distressful cases, his avowal reveals a state of things among British common sailors, which should never have existed, and which surely will not be permitted to continue. That expression, “if there were any who were better off,” opens up a field for melancholy reflection. That a large section of our fellow-citizens, subject to painful exposure, and incurring serious peril in their daily calling--men to whom all classes of the community are indebted every day of life--men on whose labours the fortunes of the shipowning and mercantile classes are built--that such men should make no provision for the future, should live literally from hand to mouth, and, when life is cut short, should, as a rule, leave their widows and children destitute, is a thought to touch and trouble the dullest heart. This state of matters cannot exist without something being wrong in the system in which our sailor-citizens have to take their part, something which our seaport communities would do well to search out, something for which the Church of Christ is not without grave responsibility. To diminish a little the desolation, and to soften a little the sorrow of the shipwrecked sailors’ home, is but a small part of our duty. Destitution is not the uniform accompaniment of the bread-winner’s death among toilers on the shore, why should it be so among toilers on the sea? This problem awaits solution. It demands the thought and effort of all good citizens. Who will arise and lead the way? A compulsory system of life-assurance has been suggested, and might be of material value, but the whole condition of our seafaring population needs to be raised, and far more than hitherto leavened with Christian influence. Much valuable work is now done through special missions for seamen, but if the inquiry were made how many of them are members of any of our churches, a most disappointing answer would be the result.

In the meantime an imperative duty is incumbent upon us. The children who, by a single sweep of the hungry sea, are deprived at once of father and of food, must be cared for. They are England’s orphans, and England must provide for them. One case out of hundreds which have come before the chaplain may be cited. He says: “I was sitting in my study reading one morning, when a visitor was shown in. It was a poor young woman with two little infants, twins, in her arms: she sat down in a chair and began to cry; and oh, how she cried! It was a sorrowful sight to see the pale wan face wet with tears. She had been decently brought up, and married a sailor who had gone on a long voyage. The children were born, and were maintained principally by his monthly money. ‘Yesterday,’ she said, ‘I went down to the office, and was told there would be no money for me any more, for the news had just come that the ship was lost with all hands.’ The widow and her children were at once assisted.”

Perhaps we may best convey an idea of the kind of cases admitted to the Orphanage if we transcribe from the register of children in the institution those occurring in the girls’ department under one letter, viz., W, taken almost at random.

_West, Emily._--Father was engineer on board the _Laconia_, and died from pressure on the brain. Seven children dependent on the widow, who has since (with the infant,) died in childbirth.

_Williams, Mary._--Father was chief mate on board the _Zephyr_, and died at sea of fever. Five children dependent on the widow.

_Williams, Mary Ellen._--Father was a fireman on board the steam-tug _Tartar_, and was drowned. Six children dependent on the widow.

_Wooley, Ellen._--Father was steward on board the _Palm_, and died of fever on the coast of Africa. Three children dependent on the widow.

_Wylie, Jane._--Father was chief engineer on board the S.S. _Virago_, and died at sea of apoplexy. Five children dependent on the widow.

In the case of those who are acquainted with the homes of the poor, imagination will have no hard task in picturing the desolation and dismay which fill such households as those above referred to. A family is living in quietness and modest comfort, when suddenly the brief dark message comes, “Lost at sea.” The light of the house has gone out, the bread-winner wins bread no more, and the wan widow and her cheerless children have, unprovided and unprepared, to face the cold world alone, and to fight their way through, as best they may.

Mr. Balfour was one of those who could not contemplate scenes like these without his whole nature being moved. The thought of alleviating sorrow so deep, and of making such provision as the sad circumstances would permit, for the mourning and the destitute, laid firm hold upon his head and heart. To provide for the sailor’s orphans, and to do it on a scale worthy of the great port of Liverpool, was his consuming desire. He was all aglow with this benevolent purpose when first it took tangible form. It was inspiring to meet him and to hear his fervent words. No business aim, no prospect of advantage for himself, ever took possession of him as this object did. He felt, and spoke as if his friends _must_ sympathise with the seamen’s orphans, and be ready to fling themselves into the scheme with an enthusiasm like his own. It was almost impossible to escape the contagion of compassion like his. Embers of mercy, in some about him, were fanned into a flame. He loved to keep in the background, if only instruments were found and the work was done. Those most intimately acquainted with the history of the Orphanage know best, to how large an extent its inception and success were due to his burning zeal and unflagging perseverance.

He had the joy of seeing men raised up able and willing to carry through this noble enterprise, men like Mr. Ralph Brocklebank, the president, whose mind and purse were at the service of the institution, and Mr. James Beazley, the honorary treasurer and chairman of the executive committee, who flung himself with all the energy of his warm heart into the scheme, not to mention a host of fellow-workers.

At an early stage the project was well-nigh extinguished. “I remember,” says his partner, “the anxiety and trouble on his countenance when he told me that, by the narrowest chance, the idea was not rejected by the meeting. It was pointed out by some, that the town abounded with benevolent institutions; feelings were expressed that another for the orphans of seamen could not be maintained. It was with difficulty he got the meeting adjourned, without there and then coming to an adverse decision. He carefully prepared himself, with the aid of Mr. Hanmer of the Sailors’ Home and others, for the adjourned meeting; and I remember with what joyous and triumphant tones he told me that in the end, it had been resolved to go on with the enterprise.”

When the stately building, which was to be the home of the fatherless, was approaching completion, Mr. Balfour claimed the privilege of placing a tablet over the porch, bearing the inscription which so strikingly tells the story of the Orphanage, “In Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.”

When it was completed and tenanted, Mr. Balfour would often spend the night at the home of the present writer, not distant from the institution, and would be off about seven in the morning to refresh himself, before breakfast, with a sight of the healthy and happy faces of the children, to speak to them a word of counsel, and to leave behind h