and among the poor, and doing his utmost to reach that difficult class, the young men and lads.

For their sakes he set on foot a Mutual Improvement Society on certain evenings in the week, with readings, lectures, games at chess or draughts, and innocent recreations. I remember his satisfaction at finding that he could learn short-hand from one of the young men, not from any special value for the accomplishment, but that they might not feel that the improvement was all on one side.

The Society had a good many fluctuations. The younger members had a tendency to be unruly, and to interfere with such of their elders as had improvement and not amusement in view, and there was so much that was experimental about it that it was always undergoing reformations and restorations; but a good many interesting lectures were given there, when able visitors were pressed into the service, and it had the highly important effect of bringing about intercourse between the clergy and a most difficult class.

The great influence lay, however, in George Harris's own character and temperament. He seems to me to have had the nature that is always said to produce eloquence; namely, intense sensitiveness even to the pitch of nervous excitement, so that everything, whether of pleasure or pain went twice as far with him and into him as with any one else. A grand view, a beautiful picture, a fine piece of music, nay, any

innocent game afforded him energetic enjoyment such as colder dispositions can hardly understand.

I have seen him come in tired from a long day's parish work and hang over a vase of fresh roses as if every breath brought exquisite life and refreshment; and though I have lionized the fine ecclesiastical architecture of my own neighbourhood with numerous friends, his intensity of appreciation and determination to see and know the very utmost about them, as well as his genial manner with their custodians, are always my prominent associations.

All this threw him into sympathy with large varieties of people. Everybody's heart was drawn to him by finding how much pleasure he received, and withal there was an unusual frankness and unreserve, which never shrank from addressing any one, or entering into conversation with those whom his bright face and smile had attracted.

With all this capacity for enjoyment there was quite as strong a power of indignation and suffering. He felt all trials with proportionate keenness, was outspoken whenever there was occasion, was fretted and irritated at all slackness, and in fact the simile of the sharp sword wearing away the scabbard was never more appropriate than in his case.

But in the fresh spring of early youth, ere the physical frame had begun to suffer from the demands made on it, the effect was great attractiveness and

popularity. Though his compositions at school and college had never attained the first rank, his gifts as a preacher stood very high; countenance and manner making quite as much impression as the free flow of words.

Tor church was filled to overflowing, and it became doubly needful to raise funds for a daughter, which was not to be separated from the parent, but to be under the charge of Dr. Harris and his curates, so that the alms of the wealthy might not be cut off from the poor, but that they might continue to form one parish.

For several years this object was steadfastly worked at. Contributions were solicited from friends, and the offertory on Sunday afternoons was always given to the fund for the intended church. It was curious to observe that whereas the winter and especially the Lent collections often comprised notes and coins of value from rich visitors, the summer and autumn ones were of much smaller sums, but far more in number, showing that the poor thronged in when the space was left for them, and were anxious for a church of their

own.

S. Luke's Church was at length begun on the least expensive of the plans offered, an original and peculiar one, adapted to the site, which was a ridge on the side of a steep hill, then fast being quarried away behind it. Looking down upon Tor road and on the

beautiful bay, it was charmingly placed, and the sweeping blasts from the sea were guarded against by the arrangements of the porches at the two angles of the west front.

In the meantime, Mr. Harris was gathering a congregation for it for a whole year, in a poor quarter of the town, near the rising edifice, so that there were many ready and happy to take possession when S. Luke's was consecrated as a chapel of ease on the 4th of November 1862, by Bishop Aubrey Spenser, the retired Bishop of Jamaica. The aged Bishop Phillpotts was unable to leave the house so late in the year, although when summer came round again, he made a great effort, and on one memorable Sunday morning his frail bending figure, with the black velvet skull cap over his scanty white hair, came through the vestry into the chancel. He was a little overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the very numerous voluntary choir, for the boys, most of them tradesmen's sons, sang at the utmost power of their lungs in his honour, but he was highly satisfied with all he saw.

Necessity had caused the expenses of the clergy of S. Luke's to be chiefly dependent on pew rents. The plan was adopted with regret, and rendered as little objectionable as possible by making the free seats occupy the whole length of the nave, and be in every respect as comfortable and well situated as the rented

ones.

Moreover it was thought that with a stranger

congregation, of whom many were sure to be in such health that without security of a place church-going would be impossible, it was doing no wrong to let such security be paid for, provided the poor residents did not suffer.

Of course the heartiness and beauty of the services and the popularity of the sermons caused many of the free seats to be occupied by visitors, but on the whole the plan has worked well.

Old Tor church had for a long time past offered weekly Celebrations and daily services, and S. Luke's, varying the hours, increased the facilities for attendance. The early and late Celebrations were alternate at the two churches, this being especially needful in a congregation where so many were invalids or re quired extra care. S. Luke's also, besides the afternoon service, had a 7 p.m. Sunday evensong, specially brilliant and joyous, and always a great resort.

Few who heard the preachings there could remain ignorant of the calls on either purse, time, or both, on behalf of their neighbours, and those who undertook to act as Sunday-school teachers were, according to the already established custom at the mother parish, collected once a week and personally instructed by Mr. Harris, a habit which is happily more and more adopted as people are becoming more sensible of the utter ignorance of many kind volunteers, and their need of being shown both what and how to teach.