Obituaries Australia

It is no exaggeration to state that the death of the Rev. Hugh Gilmore, which occurred at the parsonage adjoining the Primitive Methodist Church, Wellington-square, North Adelaide, at half-past 12 o'clock this morning, will be received with the deepest feelings of regret by all who knew him and by all who had heard of his life and work, for he was one of those men whom to know was to admire and the unostentatious usefulness of his life was such as to commend him to the members of all sections of the community. His untimely decease—for he was but in the prime of manhood—has created a void in the church, social and political life of the colony, which it will not be easy to fill. He was an earnest preacher, a clever writer, a brilliant lecturer, an advanced liberal politician, and a true minister of the Gospel. In the old land he had been in the habit of taking part in the activities of thought and movement of the cities in which he had been placed, and as opportunities offered he did the same on coming to this colony. He sprang from the ranks, and all the best years of his life have been devoted to the uplifting of the masses, and since he came to South Australia he has devoted himself heart and soul to promoting their best interests.

The Rev. Hugh Gilmore was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1842, and consequently at the time of his death he was in his 49th year . . . His parents were of the working class, and consequently the subject of this notice had to make his own way in the world unaided by any special educational or monetary advantages. He set out in life to make his livelihood by hard toil. When between 18 and 20 years of age he left Scotland and found his way to the North of England, and finally settled down at Newcastle-on-Tyne. Here he was taken in hand by a class leader of the Primitive Methodist body, who doubtless had heard, and been impressed by some of the speeches young Gilmore had made, for even at that early age he had taken, like a true Scotchman, to discussions. As he himself has stated in his writings, "it is generally allowed that even the workpeople in Scotland are literary and metaphysical, and they are certainly always ready for an argument." The mutual improvement association which he joined in the "north country" was not the first debating society with which he had been connected. His first experience of debating, as he himself was fond of relating, was acquired on Glasgow Green—a large piece of common land lying on the north bank of the River Clyde, where the working men of the great city met to discuss all kinds of questions. At that period Mr. Gilmore was a lad, and there would be 40 or 50 groups every Sunday afternoon and evening discussing ecclesiastical, theological, religious, social, political, literary, and philosophical questions. In these discussions young Gilmore joined with all a Scotchman's keenness for debate. The class leader who took the future preacher in hand evinced great interest in his welfare and put him in the way to use his faculties and to acquire self-education. He became a regular attendant at a Primitive Methodist chapel. There was a mutual improvement society in connection with this chapel, and Mr. Gilmore joined it and eagerly took part in the debates. From this point it is difficult to follow the events of his life in chronological order, as the rev. gentleman had not been long in the colony at the time of his death, and there are few who are fully conversant with the details of his career—a career, it may be added, that may well serve as a beacon to the rising generation. Of his "intellectual quickening" he gave graphic sketches in recent numbers of the local Primitive Methodist, a monthly journal published by that body. Upon his conversion he became a local preacher, and 27 years ago was ordained as a minister of the Primitive Methodist Church. After his ordination he preached at various stations in England, and among his stations may be mentioned Hartlepool, Darlington, and Westgate. At all his stations in Lancashire he was a popular preacher, and by his sympathy and colloquial style of expression obtained a firm hold of the toiling masses. He was a writer of more than ordinary ability, and his serial stories are character sketches of the people whom he knew best were widely read. In politics he was a Liberal, and it was when at Preston that he devoted his energies to the Liberal movement. When the new English Education Act came into operation he was an active agent in securing the appointment of school boards. In politics we have said he was a Liberal. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Home Rule movement, and when at home was a prominent member of the United Liberal Club, members of which, including all the leading liberals of Preston, assembled on the eve of his departure for Australia to do him honor and presented him with a purse of sovereigns. As a lecturer, especially, on political subjects, his name is familiar throughout England, and his earnest working in the cause of progress is well known. From all sorts and conditions of men the rev. gentleman received tokens of esteem before leaving England.

The Rev. Mr. Gilmore came to the colony partly for the benefit of his family, which numbers eight boys and girls, one of the former joining the Primitive Methodist Church as a probationer shortly after coming to Adelaide and taking charge of the Morgan church. The deceased gentleman arrived in the colony on Wednesday, June 6, 1889, by the steamship, Liguria, and at once commenced his work as pastor of the Wellington-square Church. He was accorded a welcome meeting by the Primitive Methodist Church, the gathering being largely attended, and he was given a most cordial and hearty welcome, a welcome he said which "made him feel at home." At that gathering he said—and this may be taken as characteristic of his liberality and broadness of views—"Although I am a Primitive Methodist first and last, I will be ready to join as far as I can in the general church work of the district. There are differences between me and my friends of other churches, but there is one essential basis of unity—we all love the same Christ Jesus, and are all striving for the spread of His Gospel. I will join in working for the good of others. A minister is not simply the minister over one congregation, but he is the minister of the town in which he is placed. It is his duty to contribute towards the formation of a Christian temper in the public life of the city.'' The principles Mr. Gilmore then laid down he followed. He called himself a Christian socialist, and one of his first steps was to form the Christian sociological class which meets regularly in the lecture-hall attached to the Wellington-square Church. He was also instrumental in inaugurating the Commonwealth, a society which was only initiated when his present illness overtook him. In all movements which had for their object the advancement and spread of religion and education and the amelioration of the condition of the working classes Mr. Gilmore manifested a keen interest, and his many eloquent addresses will not soon be forgotten by those who had the privilege of listening to them. Shortly after taking possession of their pulpit at the North Adelaide church it was found necessary to provide additional accommodation to seat the large congregations which flocked to listen to his discourses. All grades of society and members of all denominations attended his Sunday evening sermons, the congregations embracing Ministers of the Crown, politicians, writers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, and members of the working classes. Some short time back the rev. gentleman became ill and he went to the sister colony in the hope that the change of air would improve his failing health, but he returned some six or eight weeks ago without any improvement and since that time he has been confined to his room. He was attended by the Hon. Dr. Campbell and Dr. Verco, but as he was suffering from cancer in the stomach but little hope of his recovery was held out by his medical advisers, and latterly the rev. gentleman has resorted to Count Mattei's remedies, which, although distinctly beneficial in their effects, proved unavailing, From the inception of his illness the hope was generally expressed that his ailment would not prove of a serious character, and that his life, which gave promise of so much usefulness, would be prolonged for many years. But this was not to be, and the name of the Rev. Hugh Gilmore must be added to the list of noble characters which society could ill spare.

During Friday afternoon Mr. Gilmore was attacked with violent pain. Dr. Campbell on his arrival relieved him of this pain, and he went to sleep, sleeping for about two hours. He passed a quiet evening, free from pain. He had interviews with a number of young men, speaking to them words of counsel and farewell. About 11 o'clock he had a slight return of pain, but this soon subsided, and he died quite peaceably at half-past 12 o'clock. Dr. Campbell was with him at the last.

During the past few days and up to the time of death there were very numerous enquiries as to Mr. Gilmore's condition. In fact at one time on Friday evening there was quite a large crowd gathered about the house.

We cannot do better than close this notice with the following lines taken from the New York Catholic World for August:—

I watched a sail until it dropt from sight
Over the rounding sea. A gleam of white,
A last far-flashed faeewell, and, like a thought,
Slipt out of mind, it vanished and was not.

Yet, to the helmsman standing at the wheel
Broad seas still stretched before the gliding keel.
Disaster? Change?— he felt no slightest sign;
Nor dreamed he of that dim horizon line.

So may it be, perchance, when down the tide
Our dear ones vanish. Peacefully they glide
On level seas, nor mark the unknown bound.
We call it death—to them 'tis life beyond!