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of the Chester Society of Natural Science, Literature and Art. With its 
Museum, its long list of distinguished presidents, its genuine devotion 
to science, this Society must be recognised as a very visible and enduring 
monument to Charles Kingley’s genius. 
And this Society celebrates the Centenary to-day. But we celebrate 
it with maimed rites. When it was announced that Bishop Mercer would 
give an address on Kingsley as Pioneer and Optimist, all felt this to be a 
perfect arrangement. Bishop Mercer, himself a man of science, an 
optimist, a friend of youth, winning, witty, honest—who could praise 
Kingsley so fairly, profoundly, amusingly as he? We looked forward to a 
glorious evening, and when we heard that his arduous devotion to the 
diocese had cost him his voice we felt sympathy for him and were sadly 
disappointed for ourselves. I readily assented to Mr. Miln’s request that 
I should speak in Bishop Mercer’s place. For Mr. Miln is so good a 
Secretary to the Society and so kind a friend to myself, that hesitation 
would have been in the worst possible taste. Yet I had already given a 
lecture on Kingsley. To hear me repeat myself would have been poor 
entertainment for you, and a sorry way of doing honour to Kingsley. 
Then an idea came to me. I would get Dr. Bridge to help. Dr. Bridge, 
that friend of Chester, of the Society, and I hope I may say of myself; a 
musician who stands at the very top of his profession; who has made 
Chester and Durham famous by his genius; who had delighted us by his 
lecture on Sailors’? Chanties—a lecture in which Dr. Bridge’s own learning 
and bonhommie were set off by the excellence of his singers, and he and 
they and we all enjoyed ourselves to the top of our bent—Dr. Bridge was 
the magician who could if he would (and I was sure he would if he could) 
transform our maimed rite into a firstrate affair. And Dr. Bridge could 
and would. He brings Miss Anderton and Mr. James; very grateful we 
are to them, very highly honoured by their coming; he has picked his 
songs; and he and they are to illustrate this address with musical 
renderings of seven of Kingsley’s poems. 
As for the address itself, I have adopted Bishop Mercer’s title in 
part, Kingsley as Pioneer instead of Kingsley as Pioneer and Optimist, so 
that it may be a kind of far away echo of what Bishop Mercer promised; 
while I leave the full subject still open to him in order that he may tell 
you what he was going to tell you, as soon as he recovers his voice. 
Kingsley was a pioneer in reforming the relationship of rich and 
poor, of employers and workers: in foreseeing and furthering the march 
of science: in raising the condition of women. We may think of him as 
Chartist, as naturalist, as knight-errant. 
1.—KinesLey THE CHartist.—Eversiey was a beautiful piece of country, 
but in 1842 the country labourer’s lot was not a fair one. I have just 
read Yeast again, the novel Kingsley wrote during his first four years in 
the parish. I see now that it is crude work, too diffuse, too didactic. 
But it did not strike me so when I read it as a young man. Then the 
thought that runs through Yeast was running in my own head, my own 
conscience. Things were even then far better than Yeast pictured. The 
pioneer had already done much. But he has done more now. His first 
novel has proved so efiectual that it has killed itself; the common fate 
of books and men who carry great ideas. Here is a grim song from 
Yeast— 
Sone ... ‘* Tae Bap Squire or THE PoscHer’s Wipow ” ... Miss ANDERTON. 
But Kingsley, himself a sportsman, sprung from a line of squires, 
saw both sides of the problem. He saw the fine qualities, overlaid with 
selfishness, of the born leaders; and he saw the fine aualities and the 
righteous discontent, and the narrow violent temper of the labourers. 
And he pitied both and would uplift both. He would have the equality of 
freedom, but of freedom for each man to do, not what he likes, but what 
he may nobly do. 
