Rev. W. Benton 213 



and everybody. They used to say, " What have I done to be so 

 punished ? " and what was there to say in reply ? 



The Faculty, I am now told, state the disease is not 

 hereditary and the children are never born with it. 



Every community weaves around itself certain conventions, 

 has its little dignities of which it is a jealous guardian, resenting 

 any infringement of its social status. Even these poor 

 maimed, suffering, and disfigured mortals on Robben Island have 

 a grievance outside their piteous malady, for they resent 

 passionately that their island should be a dumping-ground for 

 convicts ; they feel it is a slur on themselves. 



While working as priest in Cape Town it was part of Mr. 

 Benton's duties to act as chaplain to all the members of the 

 theatrical companies visiting the country. This interested 

 him, and he had many souvenirs that he treasured from those 

 he had helped in more ways than one. 



He now married, and having the curacy-in-charge of 

 Bearsted, in Kent, offered to him, he returned to England with 

 his restored health. 



The sleepy little country village of Bearsted was suddenly 

 called upon to wake up, for Mr. Benton's methods were rousing 

 and unconventional ; perhaps considered by some unorthodox. 

 He rather horrified some of the saintly parishioners by suggest- 

 ing the Church, Christianity, and God's mercy were all for 

 sinners as well as saints ; in fact, the sinners were his special 

 charges, on them he devoted his greatest efforts. He would go 

 into the public-houses to talk and smoke with the habitues, 

 to try and win them ; this, of course, laid him open to con- 

 siderable criticism. There were those who said it was easy to 

 get people to church and sing in the choir if bribed to do so by 

 " beer and baccy " ! Before long Mr. Benton had a string of 

 followers, some becoming choirmen, some communicants, and 

 I do not think either beer or baccy had anything more to do 

 v;ith it than having been the means of bringing curate and 

 parishioners into closer touch than would otherwise have been 

 possible ; and long after Mr. Benton had left the parish those 

 v/hom he had won over to the faith of our fathers were still 

 regular churchgoers. 



One old peasa.nt whose attendance at church had been very 

 limited was evidently touched by Mr. Benton's administrations, 



