_VALPARAISO._
In 1860 Mr. Balfour paid his first visit to Chile, remaining in
Valparaiso for two or three years. Change of place to some extent
changed the objects of his interest, but made no alteration in the bent
of his soul. Wherever he was, his life seemed to carry out the apostolic
precept, “To do good and to communicate forget not, for with such
sacrifices God is well pleased.” Among those settled in Valparaiso
before his arrival, he found Mr. Elliot W. Davidson, now of Liverpool,
with whom he formed a warm and lasting friendship, and in whose family
he was a constant and welcome guest.
Mr. Davidson tells how at once, on his arrival, he plunged into
beneficent Christian work. His instincts seemed to guide him to the
right field of labour. Within a week of his setting foot in Valparaiso,
he was to be found in the hospital, in which were placed sick and
disabled sailors from both men-of-war and merchant-ships. Might he be
allowed to bring fruit and flowers to the invalids? The request was
readily complied with; and thus favourably introduced, his next request
was, that he might be permitted to read to the men. This request too was
granted. When the men became convalescent, he would inquire if they had
written to their friends at home, and if not, he would get them to
write, or failing their ability to do so, would write in their behalf.
So, like a good angel, he went in and out among the sick sailors,
smoothing the pillow of sickness, and pointing the sufferers to that
Friend who would never fail them, at home or abroad. Here, as at home,
he had assistants in the office well qualified to carry on the details
of business, and was thus enabled to follow the leadings of his heart,
and to occupy a considerable portion of his time in work like this.
He was not long in finding his way to the Spanish Hospital, though not
able at first to speak much Spanish. The hospital at that time was badly
administered, and was altogether in a very poor condition. Mr. Balfour
soon secured friendly relations with the hospital authorities, and was
able quietly to get reform after reform introduced, till in a few months
the whole aspect of the institution was altered. During all his stay in
Valparaiso he continued his interest in and his visits to the hospital.
Mr. Balfour found that a considerable number of English artisans were
settled in Valparaiso, many of them engaged in railway work at the
extreme end of the town. He at once interested himself, in the most
lively and practical manner, in their welfare. The distance, from his
own residence on the _Cerro Alegre_ to the railway, did not prevent him
from paying frequent visits to the men who laboured there. Some were
serious, right-thinking men, but many were careless. Mr. Balfour lost no
time in setting on foot efforts for their social and moral amelioration.
He started a reading-room for the artisans, which was used for social
and religious meetings. The men, speedily convinced that this new-comer
was their true friend, gave heed to his counsels, and ere long the good
wages earned were put to a good use, by many who before had squandered
them, and a marked change took place among them, which made itself
easily visible in their appearance and manners. The bond thus formed was
a very salutary and a very endearing one. When, at length, the time for
Mr. Balfour’s return to England arrived, the men invited him to a
farewell tea-party, at which, in their own downright and simple way,
they bore testimony to the gratitude they felt toward him. The speech of
one working-man was this: “Mr. Balfour, we respect you: that is not
it--we love you.”
Among other efforts made by him for the good of the people, Mr. Balfour
initiated the idea, and was one of the founders, of a savings-bank. He
also, along with the Rev. Dr. Trumbull, the excellent Protestant pastor
in Valparaiso, and Mrs. Williamson, who with her husband, Mr. Balfour’s
partner, joined him in Valparaiso in February 1862, aided in the
formation of a Temperance Society. This was probably the first society
of the kind formed on the west coast of South America.
When Mr. Balfour went to Valparaiso in 1860, he went alone; when he
returned to it in 1867, he was accompanied by his wife, and his home
thus became the centre of still more genial influence and extensive
usefulness.
During both periods of Mr. Balfour’s residence in Valparaiso, the Rev.
Dr. Trumbull, still the much-respected senior minister of Union Church,
was his pastor, and became his intimate friend. Dr. Trumbull,
accordingly, had the best opportunities of knowing his “manner of life,
purpose, faith.” We cannot do better than avail ourselves of some of Dr.
Trumbull’s reminiscences of him. He says:--“During the quarter of a
century that has elapsed since Mr. Balfour first set foot in
Valparaiso, he has been a leader and originator in many schemes for
education, culture, and piety. It was delightful to hear him in prayer.
He manifested such reverence, that it was always uplifting to unite with
him in calling on the name of the Lord. Our climate here is unfavourable
to activity in religion, as in other matters; but it could not repress
his zeal. He gave an impulse to Christian effort among us, the effect of
which has not yet disappeared. There are working-men here to-day, who
cherish the recollection of his visits to them at their rooms at the
railway station, and who remember with what cordiality he provided for
their singing-classes, soirees, and social diversions. He never lost
sight of the aim of inviting them to the house of the Lord, and indeed
of urging them to come personally and promptly to the Saviour. In
subsequent years, as intelligence reached him of the death of one after
another of those he knew here, his replies showed that during the long
interval, he had borne them on his heart, and had remembered them at the
throne of grace.
“When, in 1861, Mr. Corfield came again to this coast as an agent of the
British and Foreign Bible Society, Mr. Balfour had a warm welcome for
him as a messenger of God; and when the proposal was, soon afterwards,
made to organise a local society for the distribution of the Holy
Scriptures in all tongues, and especially in Spanish, he instantly
replied, ‘Let us arise and build.’ About a year after this, he left for
England, but his interest in the Bible-work never flagged. Remittances
were sent by him from England. His firm was requested to subscribe
occasionally in solid sums, for him, here. And when he returned to Chile
in 1867, he laid right hold of the work with redoubled zeal, presided at
the annual meetings, became President of the Society, and in all places,
and with all people, pleaded for the cause, obtaining for it both funds
and friends. His interest in it was undiminished to the day of his
death. Thousands of dollars Mr. Balfour has placed in the treasury of
this Society, which, since he helped to form it, has put into
circulation sixty thousand copies of the Holy Scriptures, among the
inhabitants of this Republic.”
As manifesting the spirit in which his Bible-work in Valparaiso was
carried on, a few sentences may be introduced from a speech delivered by
Mr. Balfour as President of the Valparaiso Bible Society in the year
1868:--“It is cause for deep thankfulness that new openings for the
exertions of the Committee have presented themselves, and the
opportunities for usefulness in this country, by distributing the
Scriptures, are now undoubtedly greater than ever. Since 1865 religious
tolerance to all has become the law of this country.... Should it ever
happen that those of the Roman Catholic persuasion dispute the propriety
of our attempts to convey God’s own Scriptures of truth to their
fellow-countrymen now ignorant of them, we must bring before their minds
the principle which had been accepted by us, and has determined our own
conduct. This is, that, in circulating the Word of God, and calling the
attention of individuals to its truths, we do no injury to any man, but,
on the contrary, aim at distributing to others a source of light which,
however inadequately we ourselves may prize it, we are nevertheless
persuaded, in this world of darkness, is of unspeakable, inestimable
value. We entertain hostility to no one, but would seek to be helpful to
persons of every class and of all forms of religious belief.... May I be
allowed to impress on all members of this Society, the importance of
aiming that the institution shall fulfil the very highest designs and
purposes? These, primarily, are, that our fellow-men shall really know
God as He is revealed in His Word, and that they be led to trust, love,
and serve Him. Remembering that it is declared that the justification of
the sinner, in God’s sight, depends on the belief he cherishes in Jesus
Christ our Saviour, of what unutterable importance is it that all shall
learn of this great Saviour as He is revealed in the Bible! Every new
victory gained, in the strife that is waged, will afford, to all good
men in all countries, a theme for rejoicing and thanksgiving. Let us
animate ourselves to needed labour by the thought that, if we are
faithful to our duty, victory in the end is sure.” The conviction last
expressed, that every good cause was on the way to victory, was deeply
stamped on his soul, and was ever an inspiration to him, filling him
with patience and courage.
Dr. Trumbull continues:--“In 1867 he, with the Rev. Dr. Dennett, the
Rev. Allen Gardiner, Messrs. George Jenkins, and Henry Birrell, sought
to found in Valparaiso, a branch of the Young Men’s Christian
Association. Their efforts were not at the time carried to a successful
issue. At a later period, however, the Association was founded, and a
spontaneous and general sentiment demanded that Mr. Balfour, though in
Europe, should be appointed the Honorary President, since his name would
give prestige to the work, and stimulate young men to a kindly sympathy
with the Association. He at once accepted, and has every year since that
time been re-elected to the Presidency. It may be also mentioned that in
Portland, Oregon, he addressed the members of the Young Men’s Christian
Association, pressing on their attention their personal need of an
interest in the Saviour as their King and Teacher.
“He favoured schools, and gave lavishly to their initiation and
maintenance, both here and in Coquimbo. Thousands of pounds sterling he
devoted to our educational institutions, of the humbler and of the
higher sort. To him belongs the thought, and to him the first endowment,
of the Theological and Training School now located in Santiago. The
English Board School at Valparaiso was a special object of his attention
and generosity, his great desire in regard to it being, that its pupils
should be instructed in the way of the Lord.
“For my own part, how often have I thought, What could we have done
without Mr. Balfour’s assistance? To me he was a brother. His generous
gifts went up to thousands of dollars for the church; first, to build
it; second, to maintain it; and finally, to sustain me in its
ministrations. Almost never, when in town, was he absent from his place
in the church. He took an active part in the devotional meetings; in
prayer he was most solemn, and sometimes his words were so fraught with
a spirit of seriousness, self-renunciation, and love to the Saviour, as
to bear all hearts along with him in devotion and zeal.
“Mr. Balfour in numerous ways advanced the doctrine of God our Saviour.
His aim was unostentatiously to let his light shine, for the honour, not
of himself, but of his Heavenly Master. Perhaps no man ever resided on
this coast who left a more universally favourable impression in behalf
of the Gospel. Men who did not accept his views esteemed him, spoke well
of him, and when he had gone away, cherished a most honourable estimate
of him. His charity and complete honesty of purpose, coupled with a
deeply humble dependence on, and love to his Lord and Redeemer,
impressed those who came at all into intimate contact with him. We bless
the Lord that, as a living epistle, a working example of faith put into
practice, he ever came among us.... One thing certainly has been shown
to the young men of this city, namely, that Christian principle can be
carried into the details of commercial life, and that it is not opposed
to success, but tends directly and effectively to promote it.”
One fruitful friendship which Mr. Balfour formed in Chile had its origin
in this wise. When about to proceed to Valparaiso he went to his
bookseller’s in search of books to read on the voyage. The bookseller
produced the life of Captain Allen Gardiner, saying, “This, I think,
will suit you.” Like others who have read it, Mr. Balfour was
captivated with the book. On arriving at his destination, one of the
first strangers with whom he met was another Allen Gardiner, the only
son of the man whose life had so much called out his sympathies on the
way. Mr. Gardiner was sent by the South American Missionary Society to
the Indians of Southern Chile, but proposed first to go to Lota to look
after the English and Scottish miners and their families whose spiritual
need was urgent. A warm friendship sprang up at once between the two
men; and Mr. Balfour became a most generous supporter of the work in
Lota, where Mr. Gardiner prosecuted his laborious work as pastor,
physician, and teacher.
In connection with Mr. Gardiner’s work in Chile, it may be mentioned
incidentally, that after the death of Mrs. Gardiner, Mr. Balfour
expressed his sympathy for the bereaved husband and children, who were
at that time in Australia, after his own manner. He said it was often
the plan in Divine Providence to bring good out of such afflictive
dispensations, and that in that respect we ought to be workers with God,
for which reason he wished to aid in the education of such of the
children as might be sent to England for the purpose. And aid he did, in
his own princely way. He made no promise for the future, yet continued
his beneficent help for a period of ten years. Mr. Gardiner, by-and-by,
was also cut off, which event was a great sorrow to his friend, and
called forth still stronger tokens of sympathy with the orphaned
children from Mr. and Mrs. Balfour.
While occupying himself with the welfare of those around him in Chile,
his interest in the progress of good work at home knew no abatement. In
a letter to an aunt in Fifeshire, bearing date, Valparaiso, 12th October
1860, he says:--“I am particularly happy to hear the good news you send,
and am most thankful to learn that there is so much more earnestness
regarding religious things in Leven, than heretofore. It is most
excellent tidings, that a lay meeting for prayer has been begun on
Saturdays, and I do trust this will be warmly supported, and yet call
down a blessing on the whole community.” And then he turns to matters in
Chile, describing the various agencies at work, and adds:--“The heart of
our worthy minister, Dr. Trumbull, is cheered from time to time by
hearing that this one and that one has closed in faith, with the
gracious offer of reconciliation through the death of the Saviour. What
a blessing to enjoy the assistance of a godly minister like Dr.
Trumbull!”
Mr. Balfour’s letters from Valparaiso to his friend Mr. Robert Gibson
have been preserved, and breathe the same spirit. A few brief extracts
are subjoined. In a letter dated 31st December 1860 he lets us into the
true and deep secret of his course of self-abnegation:--“_You_ know the
state of utter moral ruin and distress to which I was brought at one
period, and the thought that such a creature should have had the comfort
and solace which have been afforded to me, during recent months, leads
to the conclusion that none need despair. I have been made to feel how
utterly insignificant a life of sacrifice would be on my part, seeing
mine is a life saved through mercy, from destruction. A few minutes more
and the sands in the glass of the year 1860 will all have run out....
May we be prepared through grace, when our course is finished, to enter
into the joy of our Lord.”
Again he writes:--“Oh for more grace! I hardly know what is meant by a
life hid with Christ in God. I suppose if God enables me, and I get the
will to trample down sin and self, I shall have more conception of it.”
He refers with thankfulness to the good work carried on by Mr. W. P.
Lockhart and others, especially among the young men of Liverpool and
Birkenhead:--“The awaking in men’s hearts of love to Christ we must
regard as tidings of the last importance, and as destined to be
ultimately the great regenerating influence even in earthly
governments.”
On the 27th October 1861 he writes:--“I am glad of your tidings
respecting the school at the Dock Cottages.... I had a very agreeable
trip to the south of Chile last month, in company with the Rev. Dr.
Trumbull. We went by steamer to Talcahuano, and thence to Lota, to pay
Mr. Gardiner a visit for a few days. We found his wife and him very
well, and both active. He hopes by-and-by to begin itinerating amongst
the Indians in Araucania. We came home by land, and our way led us
within about ninety miles of a volcano which has recently burst forth in
the Andes. At night, when perhaps a hundred and fifty miles from it, it
looked like a watch-fire on a neighbouring hill.”
During his residence at Valparaiso, Mr. Balfour continued, as we have
already seen, to take a deep interest in sailors. He formed lasting
friendships with many officers of Her Majesty’s ships on the Pacific
station. Among these may be mentioned the name of Commodore, now
Admiral, Powell, who went to Valparaiso in 1867 as commander of the
station, and was very often a welcome guest in the hospitable house of
Mr. and Mrs. Balfour. He had excellent opportunities of knowing Mr.
Balfour at sea and among seamen. Admiral Powell writes:--“Mr. Balfour
was often on board the _Topaz_, the ship I commanded, and occasionally
took short trips up the coast with us. I don’t think we could possibly
have had a more welcome guest. His genial manner and readiness to oblige
us all made him universally liked, not only on board, but wherever we
went. He was known at every port, either personally or by name, and his
energy and good nature in getting horses for the young officers, and
conducting any expedition, were delightful to see.
“He used, when he had time, to accompany me in my visits to the
different ships in the harbour of Valparaiso, and his easy way of making
friends with the sailors was quite wonderful. They appeared to know
instinctively how true and sincere he was; they found, to use their own
language, that ‘there was no humbug about him.’ On board his own ships
it was most pleasing to witness the respectful greetings with which the
men met him, and the satisfaction they all had at seeing him. His firm
were distinguished for the care they took, in many ways, of their people
afloat; and the captains, to my knowledge, cordially followed the
directions of their owners in keeping Sunday, to the best of their
ability, as it should be kept, &c.
“Often in the harbour we had a good deal of wind and sea to pull
against, quite enough to discourage most people not accustomed to a sea
life; but the more the sea washed over us, the more was Mr. Balfour, in
his cheery way, bent upon going on. The sailors, of course, admired this
kind of spirit in a landsman. As he was a strict disciplinarian, the men
were generally in good order, without any undue pressure; and the few
words of advice, which he always tendered to the men, were received with
attention and respect.
“Mr. Balfour’s active benevolence afloat naturally came under my notice,
more than what he did on shore. But in the foreign hospitals, I found
that his name was a ready passport to any favour, which I might want for
our men. In our own hospitals, his kindness in visiting the sick and
reading to them was often spoken of by the men themselves, in a very
touching manner.
“My intimacy with Mr. Balfour and his family did not cease when they
left Valparaiso; and each year increased my estimation of his marvellous
energy, charity, and self-denial. I remember well a man saying to me,
‘Well, really I don’t think there is another man like Mr. Balfour.’ I
can only say that I never met one.”
Another Valparaiso friend of Mr. Balfour, a merchant, writes regarding
him:--“He was in Valparaiso just the same as in Liverpool, a universal,
single-hearted, large-hearted philanthropist; a splendid fellow, that
set us all a great example.”
Mr. Balfour was in Valparaiso on the occurrence of his thirty-eighth
birthday. On that day he penned a paper of much interest as revealing
the condition of his inner man. It records the heart-searching, the
confession, the thanksgiving, the fresh consecration of that day. The
greater portion of it is subjoined.
“_2nd September 1862_, my Birthday: am thirty-eight years of age.
CONFESSION OF MY SINS--
Of youth.
Of early manhood.
Since I have known something of God’s truth.
Selfishness.
Pride.
Worship of the creature.
Want of love.
THANKSGIVING--that
God has manifested _such_ patience,
He touched my heart.
He bore with me when steeped in worldliness, after naming the name
of Christ.
He had compassion upon me when in the land of darkness, and in the
valley and shadow of death, and has gradually brought me out into
light.
He has not only taught me His secret, but has solaced me with such
love to my soul as I never dreamt to have experienced.
He has put me in the position I hold, surrounded with such elements
of happiness.
SUPPLICATION--
That He would not lead me into temptation, but deliver me from
evil, graciously subduing the pride, covetousness, high-mindedness,
and evil tempers which dwell in my soul.
That He will grant me such grace that I shall be led to hate what
He hates and to love what He loves.
That He will help me to deny myself as I am required to do.
That He will bless all my relations and friends everywhere.
That He will pour out His Spirit on my own land, and on my
fellow-countrymen, and on natives of this land.
That He will give wisdom to all in connection with the Church, the
Bible Society, and the enterprise at Lota, causing them to pursue
the very conduct agreeable to His will, and that He can bless.
That He will lead me through life, so that I may live agreeably to
His will, in the calling, and obeying the directions, He appoints.
That He will prepare me for death, so that I may be ready and
willing to go when He shall summon me.--A. BALFOUR.”
The seriousness of deep spiritual exercise, like that of which we have
just given the birthday record, did not interfere with the bright and
elastic joyousness that was natural to him; nay, rather it lent
intensity to that joyousness. “God has brought me out into light. He has
solaced me with love to my soul.” Why should he not be glad? Who has
such cause to rejoice as those who, like him, are living in hallowed
friendship with God, and who, as they look on the beauty of His
wonderful works, can say--
“My Father made them all”?
It would be well for the spread of heart-religion if we oftener saw,
combined in the same man, the evidences of deep devotion and of
overflowing gladness of heart.
It was but a week or two after this memorable birthday that, in company
with his friends, Mr. and Mrs. Williamson, he set off on a visit to
Santiago, the beautiful capital of Chile. This visit occurred a few
months before his return to England. The party extended their journey
southward through the fertile valley of Santiago, as far as San
Fernando, spending a day with a Chilian gentleman and his wife, near the
lovely lake of Aculeo. Mr. Balfour was in the highest spirits; he
revelled in the magnificent scenery through which their journey lay,
both in going and returning, and the sunshine that gleamed along the
heights and hollows of the broad mountain, or played on the surface of
the dimpled lake, seemed to mingle with the sunshine of his own
rejoicing heart.
The party had to pass over the “Cuesta” of the coast-range of the
Cordilleras. There, on the return journey to Valparaiso, occurred an
incident which brought into marked relief some features of his
character. Observing some beautiful wild-flowers on a bank by the
roadside, and desiring to pluck them for Mrs. Williamson, he sprang
hastily from the carriage when it was in motion. Unfortunately his leg
became entangled in the wheel, and received so severe a wrench, as to
cause him great agony. He became faint and pallid, but as the carriage
approached Casa Blanca, where Mrs. Beatty, an English lady whom they
purposed to visit, was then residing, he somewhat recovered, and the
pain was considerably relieved. He thereupon insisted that his
fellow-travellers should not so much as mention the accident to their
friend, and gave them clearly to understand, that if this were not
agreed to, he would not go to Mrs. Beatty’s house. His condition being,
per force, accepted, the intended visit was paid, and during the hour or
two of its continuance, Mr. Balfour patiently endured the lessened,
though still severe, pain resulting from the wrench. He would not suffer
any reference to his physical distress to mar the pleasure of his
friends. If there was self-will in his persistence, there was also that
self-abnegation which, deeply seated in his nature, characterised him
through all the course of his life.
When in the capital, Mr. Balfour, as was his habit everywhere,
manifested a warm interest in the evangelical work that was carried on
there. The visit occurred during the season of the national festival,
the “_diez y ocho_” (18th September). On Sunday, which was the great day
for military reviews and promenades, the party went to the humble little
Protestant chapel in the Alameda, where they joined a very small company
of worshippers. As they returned to their hotel, they met a native lady
with whom they were well acquainted, setting out in her carriage to the
review ground, the _Campo de Marte_. She courteously invited them to
accompany her. Mr. Balfour explained that they were unable to accept her
most kind invitation, it being Sunday. The lady drove off with a smile,
saying in good-natured banter, as she waved her adieus, that they were
“_Puritanos, frescos de Escocia_.” In his conscientious practice of
devoting the Lord’s Day to its highest and most sacred purposes, Mr.
Balfour wavered not, in any country or under any clime. Chile would not
be the worse, nor would the world, of more _Puritanos_ after the manner
of Mr. Balfour.
At the proper time and place, he could throw himself with all his heart
into the enjoyment of exercise, amidst blithe company, under the
beautiful skies of Chile. The tastes he had acquired, in the days when
he wandered about the bracing shores of Fifeshire on his shaggy pony,
had not forsaken him. A correspondent speaks of the hearty enjoyment,
with which he entered into what appears to be a common holiday
amusement, among the English community in Valparaiso. Fifty or sixty
ladies and gentlemen will start for a day’s gallop with the hounds over
the breezy hills, in the exhilarating air and under the brilliant
climate of a Southern winter. In such expeditions Mr. Balfour used to
take part, and as the cavalcade dashed forward he would say, “Ah, this
is the thing to blow away the cobwebs! The horses enjoy it, and the dogs
enjoy it, and even the little fox--well, he is, perhaps, not much the
worse for the fright we are giving him!” It must be confessed that the
nature of the country about Valparaiso, and the dry air and herbage,
which cannot long retain the scent, were favourable to the fox, who
seldom had much more than a fright to complain of.
Mr. Balfour’s attitude towards sport may be inferred from an incident
which occurred when he was, at one time, looking out for a summer
residence for his family in the Highlands of Scotland with a shooting
attached to it. He had nearly decided on one place that was offered him,
when a friend who knew it, called to warn him that he feared the moor
was not over well stocked, and that he and his guests might find their
exertions in pursuit of game, more notable than the size of their bag.
“So much the better,” he said, laughing, “so much the better,” and
decided to take the place.
It may be mentioned that on his return from Valparaiso in 1868, Mr.
Balfour, “on hospitable thoughts intent,” took for the season, Islay
House and its extensive shootings in the island of Islay, with the
object of entertaining his numerous friends, and giving them a taste of
Highland sport. Here, as elsewhere, his poorer neighbours had reason to
rejoice at his advent, and many were the bales of blankets distributed
amongst the crofters and cottagers on the Islay estate. Strong as was
his relish for the moor and the stream, he had a still deeper delight in
the company of his friends, and in gladdening lives less favoured than
his own.