_PALESTINE._
In the spring of 1882 Mr. Balfour, in company with Mr. Bushell, Dr.
Howson, the late Dean of Chester, Archdeacon Gore, the Rev. J. W.
Diggle, and others, paid a visit to the Holy Land. His brief notes
testify to his great enjoyment of the scenes in the midst of which our
Lord and the apostles walked and worked, but they afford no continuous
narrative. Yet, a few memoranda from his journal, and reminiscences from
the pens of fellow-travellers, will not be without interest.
“_Beyrout, May 8._ To Mrs. Mott’s, to gathering of the children
attending the Syrian schools, at nine in the morning. About nine hundred
and twenty children present, seated on benches along the walks.... I
gave Mrs. Mott £100 for the schools, for which she was most grateful.
Then, with the Bishop (of Gibraltar) and Mr. Bushell, went to German
Hospital, which is under charge of the Kaiserswerth sisters. It is a
fine building, a model of comfort and order. The Doctor accompanied us
to the American College, where Dr. Bliss was ready to receive us. He
took us over the three buildings, in the fine grounds possessed by the
College: all are simple in their character, but sufficient and
effective. The lads are almost all from the humbler classes. The cost of
maintaining a student is fifteen or sixteen pounds a year. I asked Dr.
Bliss the capital sum required to endow a scholarship, and finding that
£250 would suffice, I decided to found one as a thank-offering for
recent great mercies; and I decided to give £100 to Dr. Jessup, toward
the work of the American Mission to the Syrians. At the hotel found Dr.
Bliss waiting for me, to whom I gave cheques. Felt thankful for the
opportunity of thus helping Christian workers.”
The following brief memorandum of the journey is from the pen of the
Venerable Archdeacon Gore:--
“Mr. Balfour was one, and in some ways the chief one, in a party of
eight, who journeyed _viâ_ Cairo to and through Palestine. What is
desired here, is not to record anything like an account of the tour, but
to mention some incidents characteristic of the man.
“Generally speaking, his companions all noticed two attributes
conspicuously--his absolutely unwavering faith and his perfect
unselfishness. Both qualities were on one occasion illustrated in a
remarkable way. At Bethlehem, on the last night in March, a very violent
storm occurred. The tents gave way under the severity of the wind--the
rain fell in torrents; but Mr. Balfour was, though not the youngest,
certainly the foremost, to encounter the elements in their fury.
Regardless of his own comfort, he was everywhere to be found labouring
to strengthen the tent-pegs himself, and by his presence of mind he
steadied and guided the exertions of others. The Syrian servants
especially were recovered from panic, by his perfect coolness. But all
the while, his confidence was not in man’s strength or labour. At the
first moment possible, he summoned all to prayer, and when the storm
abated he failed not to add the word of thanksgiving. There was no doubt
on his mind, that the winds and the waves were obedient to the God who
heareth and answereth prayer.
“He did not seem to have the eager desire for seeing the usual objects
and places of interest, which possesses ordinary travellers. His first
inquiry was invariably for schools or other institutions, where anything
was being done or attempted for the welfare, particularly the spiritual
welfare, of the people. More interesting than mosques or dervishes,
than the Church of the Nativity, or of the Holy Sepulchre, or of the
Annunciation, were, in his view, Miss Whately’s school at Cairo, and
Bishop Gobat’s at Jerusalem, and Miss Dickson’s Orphanage for Syrian
girls at Nazareth. And there can be no doubt, that the whole party owed
much to him, for persistently bringing into notice this element of real
and abiding interest, wherever it was to be found. He was not
indiscriminate in his approval of all that he saw. He had a clear head
and sound judgment, as well as a warm heart. He could see defects as
well as merits; but when he did approve, he gave practical effect to his
approval by rendering most substantial help. Thus at Nazareth, he
provided permanently for the education of one orphan, and he connected
his gift with the name of his own daughter, that she might hear of, and
be interested always, in her far-away sister. At Beyrout, he founded a
scholarship in the American College or University, after he had
accurately investigated the character of the education given. And, in
like manner, wherever a Bible Depôt or mission work of any kind was
found, he had a ready ear to listen and an anxious desire to understand,
and a bountiful hand to promote the good work. Indeed he was abroad just
the same man as at home. He seemed rather the steward and dispenser,
than the personal possessor of his wealth.
“Two of the party were young men, one recently ordained, the other
preparing for the ministry of the Church of England. Though not himself
a member of their Church, Mr. Balfour became their warmest friend, and
won their respect and admiration in a remarkable way. He spoke to them
with the utmost freedom and with the deepest earnestness. His anxiety
was manifest, to promote the value and success of their ministry. The
writer has often heard them both express deep thankfulness, that they
had been brought to familiar acquaintance with such a single-minded
servant of God.
“The attribute of unselfishness, of which mention has been made, was
plainly the result of Christian grace. It was self-sacrifice. Self was
nowhere in his esteem. His only thought was how, by word and deed, he
might serve others.”
The young clergyman above referred to writes:--“His whole life was bound
up with his religion, and yet no life could have been brighter or more
cheerful. His religion was his life; his life was his religion. Almost
his last words to me, as he shook me by the hand, were ‘Preach Christ.’”
A pencil jotting in Mr. Balfour’s journal is as follows:--“_Athens, May
18, 1882._ I entreated young ---- and ---- to preach Christ; they were
very kind and nice indeed.”
The following brief but graphic sketches are from the pen of the Rev. J.
W. Diggle of Liverpool:--
“There were not many remarkable incidents during the tour; it was a
season of sacred refreshment, rather than of remarkable events. Two
incidents, however, remain clear in my memory.
“The first is connected with our visit to the Jordan. I can never forget
how he stood in the rushing stream, and with intense solemnity dipped
himself seven times, saying, ‘I have a leprosy worse than the leprosy of
Naaman: Lord, wash me and make me clean.’
“The second incident is connected with our visit to the Garden of
Gethsemane, upon the Thursday night in Passion Week. It was about ten
o’clock at night, and the Paschal moon was shining in silver glory, from
out a cloudless sky, while we held a memorial service beneath one of the
olive-trees, upon the slope sacred to the redeeming agony. The scripture
was read: ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I
drink it, Thy will be done.’ It is impossible to describe the look which
shone through his face as these words were read: it seemed like the
splendour of self-submission.”
Mr. Diggle thus writes to Mr. Bushell of their
fellow-traveller:--“Sympathy was amazingly developed in him. He was also
intense. To me it often seemed remarkable that, with all his intensity
and concentration of energy, he was yet so broad and manifold in his
interests. To most men, manifoldness of interest brings with it
superficiality of interest. It was not so with our friend. His
tremendous intensity enabled him to have many irons in the fire, and yet
to keep them every one from burning.
“And his sympathy was not emotion; it was action. What he felt he did.
It was this habit of converting emotion into action which made him the
practical man he was. He was not a mere visionary. He was an instance of
character very rarely found: he was an enthusiast, yet a practical man.
“Above all things, ‘his life was hid in God.’ ‘He set the Lord always
before him.’ This was the secret of his fearlessness. He did not fear
man at all, because he altogether feared God. This was the secret of his
devotion to temperance, to education, to missions among seamen, &c., &c.
‘He did all to the glory of God.’ This, too, was the secret spring of
his munificence. He felt his money was not his but God’s.... He was
overpowered with the hallowed associations of Bethlehem, of Nazareth, of
the Sea of Galilee. His whole nature seemed to be penetrated with God.
‘He walked with God.’ ‘God was in all his thoughts.’
“It was this devotion to the Divine, which made him so strong and sweet
an influence, to those who were privileged to come into contact with
him. Sometimes his very face seemed to me to shine with a supernal
light.”