Initial Draft – WH Collison Biography
Chapter 1 – Hearing the Call
The young man put down the newspaper he had been reading. He stared thoughtfully from the classroom window at the carriages and drays going by on Sawmill Street, and made his decision. He had long been intrigued by the thought of leaving his life in Ireland and proceeding to some distant land to teach and to preach, and to otherwise serve the Lord in whatever way he could. He had often heard of the work in various missions described by members of the clergy and others from the local church pulpit, and had read in the newspapers about the activities of the church in the foreign mission fields. Men and women had gone out to places with exotic names such as “New Zealand”; “Japan", “Africa” or “America”. There were others who had gone abroad and were bringing the word of God to many groups who had never heard of Him. Now, in front of him was a notice in the newspaper describing an upcoming day of prayer to be held in hope of finding more men to volunteer for the many openings in the far-flung parts of the Empire.
“This looks to be very interesting. It sounds exactly like the kind of opportunity that I’ve been waiting for,” the young man mused. “Let me see who are doing this.” He scanned the advertisement, “Hmm, The Church Missionary Society. They’re in London. I’ll write today and find out some more about this.”
Only yesterday after the church service he had been talking to the minister. He had confessed that his chosen career as schoolmaster had proved to be not all that he had expected. “You see, sir”, he had explained, “I’m 25 now and am still not really doing the Lord’s work. I’ve been teaching for three years now, and don’t see that there is a future for me.”
At the age of twenty-two, after teaching for only one year, he had been made Superintendant of this small orphanage and industrial school, The Buckingham House Free School. He enjoyed working with the young people, and the job had definitely been a big improvement over the warehouse apprenticeship in which he had been involved prior to being accepted in the Church of Ireland Normal School. He continued, “ I know that these orphans need the influence of a strong personality, and the firm guidance that many were unable to find from other people in their lives. But not only are the routines of the classroom becoming oppressive in their tedious regularity, but educating is not the direction that I feel that I should be going. I want to do the work of the Lord, Where can I best direct my time and energies?”
The Master had said, “Go ye into all the world and teach the Word.” But the routine he now faced on a daily basis didn’t offer much opportunity to carry out His instruction. He would write and see what the Society had to say.
The young man, William Henry Collison, had grown up in Dublin. His family’s roots in the Dublin of the 1850s and 60s were not deep. When the family had had to leave their small Armagh village of Mullaghbrack due to the potato famine of the 1840s, they had moved to Dublin to live with the brother of his father John. This uncle who was also named William Henry Collison, was Harry’s namesake. As a young man he had been in the military and subsequently, had entered the civil service. Following a short career as a civil servant he had entered service with a military college as a teacher. This had been fortunate for young Harry and his brothers James, Tom, Henry and John, for they had all been able to attend this school. Being serious young men they had benefitted from what it had to offer. However, after leaving school, as sons of an unemployed farmer, opportunities had been scarce for the boys.
In those days of the later 19th century Ireland, opportunities for promising secondary school graduates were limited. Unless you had substantial financial backing to enable you to attend one of the universities, - in Dublin, Trinity College - continuing in a post-secondary institution was out of the question. Most careers for educated young men were in the church or the military. For such opportunities the candidate needed substantial backing, either to finance the years of ecclesiastical training at a university, or, in the army, to purchase a commission and bear all the attendant costs of uniforms and other living expenses. The next best opportunity was usually to enter the business world, usually in a very junior capacity. In such positions, the hours were long, the pay low, the work arduous, and the competition to reach the higher levels in business was usually quite fierce. To succeed in either, one had to be tough and be willing to sacrifice to gain an advantage over one’s competitors.
For a while his search for a job had been fruitless. Ireland and England were in an economic slump, as at that time there were no wars to supply. During the Napoleonic Wars the economy had surged ahead as the army and navy had needed to be supplied. Even the Crimean War of 1854 to 1856 had caused a brief surge in demand, but in recent years England had been at peace so her industries and farmers were suffering due to her production capacity exceeding the demands for her products.
In particular, Ireland was hurting more than most other European countries. Trying to compete against the highly organized industries of England was impossible. Because of the mechanization of production in many fields, the larger country could produce goods for lower prices than most others. Unemployment, surging to a very high level, had depressed wages and made it impossible for many Irish to earn a living. There had been a massive influx of migrants from the country into the cities increasing the density of the urban populations. In the poorer parts of the Irish cities, the people lived in the most appalling squalor.
Casting around for a job commensurate with his talents and education Harry had eventually taken a position apprenticing to a local import firm as a warehouseman. Although the volume of business had contracted, businesses such as shipbuilding, brewing, distilling, tanning and butter production hadn’t collapsed. There was still a market for these products.
At first learning the various transactions of warehousing had been interesting. He had learned quickly the different methods of handling goods, of storing them and recording their presence in the warehouse. The matter of transferring ownership from one firm to another, of ensuring that all the legal necessities had been completed, and that necessary letters in the formal language of the day had been written, had been interesting, and he had shown a flair for accuracy, for clarity and reliability. And so it had gone for the first year. However, it wasn’t very long before, for someone of his ability, he felt he had mastered all the nuances of the various functions.
He had soon learned that he could not live on the insufficient level of remuneration that an entry-level job such as this paid. By the time a year was up he had found his day-to-day routine was becoming ever more monotonous. Day after day, week after week, he was handling the same products. The paperwork became a drudge, and after he had learned to handle invoices and way-bills, there was nothing new to learn. That he had managed to stay at the apprenticeship for four years was quite amazing. He would eventually find that the main advantage of his experience in warehousing was the variety of training he received in business – the various procedures and legalities employed to handle the interactions. But while he was still on the job he could not know that the experiences he had gained from both of these pursuits, both warehouseman and teacher would serve him in good stead just a few years later.
Collison gave a small sigh and prepared to leave the classroom for the day. He could hear the shouts from the children out in the courtyard as they played together. Soon it would be tea time and then the teachers would muster them for the evening meal, followed by the assembly of all pupils back into the classrooms for an hour of studies before sending them off to bed.
Buckingham House, the building now occupied by the school, had been built in the mid-19th century on the grounds of St John’s, one of the many churches built by the Church of Ireland in Cork. Located on Sawmill Street not far from the centre of Cork, the original function of the building had been as a home for homeless women and girls and, when needed, a women’s penitentiary. The early trustees of the church had built the building “to provide a home for ‘destitute females and principally for the protection of liberated female prisoners who wished to return to the path of law and order’ ”.
In time the need as a refuge for women had declined so that after it had closed, someone had the idea that the building could be used as an orphanage and school for the many homeless and otherwise poverty-stricken children that seemed to fill the streets in the aftermath of the famines of the 40’s and 50’s. Thus the Buckingham House Free School, an orphanage that had operated in Morrison’s House on Buckingham Place since 1875, was moved to this building and charged with the task of supporting and educating destitute protestant children up to the age of sixteen years. The orphans who wore green uniforms, had become a familiar sight in the area. At its peak there were forty children resident in the orphanage.
Collison’s first year at the school had been spent as a classroom teacher and supervisor of the children’s movements throughout the day. In this he was assisted by one of the women assigned to supervise the girls. Between the two of them they had to see that the children arose on time, dressed appropriately, appeared at the meal table at the correct times, and attended classes throughout the day. By the day’s end they were responsible for everyone settling down following the evening meal, to an hour of completing work assigned throughout the day, and then a period of devotions in which songs and prayers were offered as thanks to God, followed by the preparation for the night and bedtime.
As supervisor he was expected to be on the premises for six days out of the seven, being relieved by the woman assistant on the seventh. On his days off he might spend the day out walking to some point of interest or visiting his brother Tom and his wife Carrie who lived in the Blackrock area to the west of the city. Tom, who was also a school master, taught in one of the other local church schools.
The committee under whose watchful eyes the school was being run, was determined that only deserving children were to receive the benefits being offered by the school. Large numbers of poor were now resident in the cities as a result of the failure of the potato crops, and, being unemployed, many parents tried to get their children educated and fed for nothing. To qualify and to avoid the abuse of the system, the committee tried to make sure that the children had been resident in Cork for 18 months, and were not entitled to union relief.
The children who had been selected to attend Buckingham House as day students were looked after from 7 am to 7 pm, given a bath one day of the week, and food and clean clothes to wear in class. However, they were not allowed to take these clothes home in case their parents turned around and tried to sell them. On the other hand, as this was primarily an orphanage, most of the children present were resident in the school
For the children of the school, whether orphan or the few day children, the curriculum consisted of some three hours per day of basic reading, spelling, and writing skills, with some exposure to basic arithmetic, termed “sums”. Also, certain elements of history, geography and vocal music were included. For the girls the “Industrial” training consisted of a variety of useful house work skills – laundry, sewing (dressmaking), cooking, even typewriting, and for the boys, carpentry, garden work and other practical activities.
Each day began and ended with simple family worship consisting of prayer and praise to God. Practices such as prayers, hymns and Bible readings, with some generic religious and moral explanations were included. One of the tenets of the school was that “No child shall be required to attend any Religious Instruction or Observance, or taught the Catechism or Tenets of any Religion to which his Parents or Guardians object….”
“On Sunday, all Inmates shall, if possible, attend Public Worship at some convenient Church or Chapel….” And as far as possible, the church chosen for attendance accord to the persuasion of his parents or of his heritage.
Rules concerning disciplinary practises were set down, light punishments defined and heavier punishments precluded.
A year earlier Harry had met a very interesting young lady. It had happened this way…..
Collison hurried as he put his coat on. Although the weather had been staying cool, there had been a few signs that spring was not far off. After placing his hat on his head he hurried out of the school and down the steps. He had to get to the market before it closed. The supply of food for the school’s kitchens was getting low and had to be replenished.
As he hurried along the street and turned the corner, he nearly collided with a small woman hurrying in the other direction. “Oh, excuse me,” he managed to get out, and then he recognized who it was.
“Miss Goodwin!” he managed to mumble as he desperately reached for his hat to lift it at the same time giving a small bow. “I’m so sorry! Please pardon my clumsiness!”
The small woman who was dressed in a full black skirt which brushed the ground, had recovered from her evasive manoeuvre and was now blushing prettily as she smiled and acknowledged his apology. Her London accent was quite evident as she replied, “That’s quite all right, Mr. Collison. You quite missed me, although it did give me a start.”
Then, as he settled down and began to remember what she had told him the last time they had chatted. he asked, “Well then now, are you settled into your new place? Do you need any help in getting moved?”
“No, I’m all settled in, thank you”, she replied, “It didn’t take long. I only had one trunk, and the movers had no problem moving it in.”
“And how are you finding things at the hospital? Do you have everything you need?”
“Oh, there are always things we could use but don’t have. For the time being things are going quite well. But I hope you’re not letting the children out to roam the streets. One of the ways we have of controlling the smallpox is by limiting the contacts that people have with each other.”
Marion Goodwin was a deaconess who a year earlier had come to Cork from London in the company of a small group of deaconesses. They had come in response to the need for medical personnel to care for patients suffering in the smallpox epidemic then raging through the city and its surroundings. Although she was not yet 22 years old, she already had a lifetime of crisis experience. When the French and the Prussians under Bismarck had gone to war in 1870 she had only been 20. However she had been part of a group of deaconesses who had responded to the appeal from the German army for nurses to care for the wounded. While in France she had worked alongside the Sisters of Charity and had made many friends. They had worked long hours nursing the sick and wounded. She had been present at Metz when the German army had defeated the French. When it was all over she and the other nurses had been presented with medals by the German Emperor himself for their invaluable services.
She had not been back for very long when she heard of the appeal for nurses to work in the smallpox epidemic in Cork. In responding she had discovered that many who also had responded were her friends from the War. In Cork she and her Sisters had helped to care for and quarantine the smallpox sufferers.
“Don’t worry,” responded Collison, the children in our care are not allowed to wander the streets. We keep them under supervision day and night”. If we didn’t there’s no telling what kind of mischief they would find to amuse themselves with.”
“Yes, I suppose so”, she replied, and then the nurse part of her spoke up, “How have the children been this past winter for illness?”
“Actually they have been quite healthy this year,” he replied, “The Committee keep us sufficiently funded to buy the food we need, and the cook does a good job too. Actually, I’m on the way to the market right now to get some supplies for the kitchen. Would you like to come?”
“Well, I am on my way home, and.. but, that’ll wait. Certainly, I’d like to come and see the Cork marketplace,” she answered.
The two of them continued in the direction that he had been going and in less than ten minutes had reached the marketplace where Collison led the way to one of the edges of the square where an outdoor butcher was set up.
“Hello, Mr. O’Neill!”, he called out, “Can you spare a few moments while I order our meat for the week.”
O’Neill looked up from where he had been carving some meat, and replied, “Oh, Mr. Collison, hello! Certainly! I’ll be right with you.”
In a couple of minutes he had finished his task and came over to them. “Now then what can I get you this week? Oh, hello, Miss, are you new here?”
Marion blushed and gave a little smile, “Not exactly. I’ve been in Cork for a year, but I don’t get to the market very often. My home is in London, but I have enjoyed Cork since coming here. I think it’s such a beautiful small city.”
The butcher thanked her and then went on filling the order: mutton for stewing, ground mutton , and various economical cuts of mutton and pork. While he was doing that Collison went over to the green grocer’s stands and ordered some quantities of root and green vegetables. Then to the nearby bakery where he ordered fifteen loaves of day old bread. After obtaining six sacks of oatmeal from the miller and a large can of milk from the dairy, he arranged with the nearby carter to bring the groceries with his cart before he went home that night.
Collison paid them all with the paper notes that he had obtained at the bank earlier in the day, being careful to get receipts and invoices that he could present to the auditors to justify his purchases. Then he returned to Miss Goodwin who had been looking at the bolts of fabric on the dry goods stands.
The two of them moved to the edge of the market square and as they began to walk along the street Marion said, “It’s not a big market but it does seem to have all the basics one needs.”
“Yes”, replied her companion, “But I sometimes get frustrated that it doesn’t have more so that we could offer the children better food.”
As they moved along the street, Harry began to speak about what was on his mind. “You mentioned to the butcher that this is a nice looking city, but, you know, there are many very sick people in many of these houses. Yesterday I saw the undertaker’s carriage visiting one of our neighbours, and it is often to be seen on the street as it fetches or delivers another body to the church. We have so few hospitals to treat the ill. Those we have are so full that there is no room for the hopeless cases. There are too many cases of very ill patients who don’t have a chance of recovering, and who must die at home with no treatment”.
“What Cork needs is a hospital for incurables,” Marion suggested, “Like some of the cities I’ve been in. Perhaps we need to find a sponsoring body….”
“Yes, perhaps the Buckingham House School committee will have some idea”, broke in Collison, “I’ll speak to them directly and see what they say”.
“Every town should have a hospital for incurables”, she went on, “for cases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, strokes, and even for the elderly who are incapacitated. At the British Home and Hospital for Incurables in London our aim was to assist each resident be as independent and happy as they could be.”
“I must appear before the committee next Tuesday,” said her companion. “I’ll present the idea to them then.” But tonight I am going to write a letter to the Church Missionary Society.”
The following Tuesday Collison attended the regular meeting of the sponsoring committee of the Buckingham House Free School. Upon arrival he sought out the chairman, Mr. Babcock, and requested a place on the agenda under New Business. After giving his reports on various topics such as expenditures, and disciplinary matters, as well as discussing new applicants and problems arising from attendance irregularities among the existing students he waited for New Business to be announced. Then he arose and as briefly as he could explained the problems concerning the incurably ill patients of Cork that he had discussed with Miss Goodwin, and their proposal.
“… I realize that this problem is not directly associated with our school, but I would like to suggest that we, the protestant citizens of Cork, have the opportunity to establish an institution in Cork the services of which are very badly needed, and which, if provided, will offer many of our sick and elderly citizens succour and assistance at their most vulnerable time of life.
The present offer, which I shall explain in a moment, gives us the opportunity to avail ourselves of the services of experts in this field. If we delay, this opportunity may quickly disappear.
I am taking the liberty of bringing the proposal before this body to see if in your accumulated wisdom you can suggest how we can make this idea happen.”
As you know St Patrick's Hospital for the Terminally Ill was founded three years ago by the Sisters of Charity for patients suffering from cancer, tuberculosis, and other incurable diseases. As well as hospital duties, the sisters visit and instruct the sick poor and give religious instruction in the national schools of St Patrick's parish.”
“Now, the opportunity that I refer to arises from the fact that there are presently in Cork a group of deaconesses from the Church of England in London. These deaconesses, who were involved in actually nursing wounded soldiers in the recent Franco-German War, have been in Cork for the past year nursing the afflicted in the recent smallpox epidemic. Now that the epidemic has been reduced to numbers that can be handled by our regular medical personnel these ladies are getting ready to return to their homes. However, as I understand it, many of them are willing to remain in Cork for a time if they can assist in establishing a hospital for incurable patients. All they need is the financial backing for such an endeavour, and that, gentlemen, is where you come in.”
“I am bringing this situation before you because some of you may know of a patron or a number of men willing to share in the underwriting of such an institution for our city. For that is what is required.”
“We have the need, we have the expertise and dedication of those willing to do the work. All we need are the location for the new hospital, and the financial backing to set it up.”
Collison paused and looked around the room. Looking at his audience he recognized that some of the wealthier gentlemen present were exchanging glances and nods. The chairman rapped for attention. With a little smile on his face he spoke, “Thank you, Mr. Collison. I think this Committee will continue to discuss this matter in a private session. We will be advising you of what we decide.”
Collison bowed slightly as he replied, “Thank you, gentlemen. I shall look forward to hearing from you.” Then he turned and departed from the meeting.
Outside the meeting room he found Miss Goodwin whom he had left waiting in the hallway. Quickly he described how the meeting had gone, and that the Committee of patrons had declared their intention to continue meeting to discuss the proposal.
“And they almost appeared to be favourable to the suggestion I made,” explained Collison.
“Oh, Harry, do you think so? That would be wonderful!” replied the earnest young woman
“Now we’ll just have to wait until they finish their meeting.”
They didn’t wait outside the meeting room for they knew how these meeting could drag on for an interminable length before anything was decided.
As it was then 9:30, and the schedule of both of them started early in the morning. Collison then walked with Miss Goodwin to the home where she and the other deaconesses were lodged.
The next day Collison received a note from the chairman of the board:
Dear Mr. Collison,
Please call on me this afternoon at my office after dismissing your pupils. If you would care to, you may bring one other of your friends who might be interested in your proposal.
I shall expect to see you at 4:30 pm
I remain, Mr. Collison,
Very respectfully yours
Sir Thomas Babcock
Chairman of the Board of Patrons
The Buckingham House Free School, Cork
Collison quickly wrote a note and called one of his most reliable pupils over. “Please take this over to Mrs. O’Neill’s house, The Oaks, on Tipperary Lane, and ask for Miss Goodwin. If you put it in her hand you shall have sixpence.
The boy looked at him, at the note and back at him. “Yes sir,” he gulped, and was off.
At The Oaks the boy knocked. When the door opened he said, “Miss Goodwin?
When she responded, “I am Miss Goodwin,” he quickly pushed the note towards her and mumbled, “From Mr. Collison, Miss.”
“Oh, thank you,” she responded as she opened the note. “Just wait a minute, please! She read the note,
Can you try to be at the Committee room before 4:30
this afternoon? Mr. Babcock has requested our attendance.
Warmly, Harry.
She spoke again, “There is no reply necessary. You may go.”
“Warmly!” she savoured the word on her tongue, and decided she liked it.
At 4:30 that afternoon the two approached the door to the Committee room which was standing open. “Oh, is that you, Collison?” said the elderly gentleman standing just inside the door. “please come in.”
When Harry and Miss Goodwin entered the room several seated gentlemen in formal clothing stood up to greet them. “Gentlemen, may I present Miss Marion Goodwin, the leader of those brave deaconesses who have been caring for the sick in the recent smallpox epidemic. Miss Goodwin, These gentlemen are members of the school’s Board of Directors. Mr. Babcock, Rev. Smirthwaite, Lord Uxbury, and Mr. Archdall-Smith.
As each gentleman took her hand he smiled and murmured, “Charmed!” or “How dyou do?” Then they all sat and left the two young people standing.
Mr. Babcock said, “We would just like to ask a few questions. I believe that Lord Uxbury wanted to start.”
Lord Uxbury put his fingertips together and said, “Now, Miss Goodwin, before we decide whether we can help you or not we must know something about you and your group. For example, how many of you are there?”
“There are five of us at present, sir,” Miss Goodwin replied, “but I’m sure we can find more when we need them.”
“Uh, yes,” he replied, “what size of a hospital are you proposing to open, because surely that will have some bearing on how many nurses and other personnel are needed.”
“Sir, using the size of the St Patrick’s Hospital as a basis for our estimation, and allowing that the population of Roman Catholics is probably ten times the size of the Protestants, our estimation is that we would start with eight beds in four rooms. For that we would need a staff of eight nurses, a head nurse, two cleaning and heating staff and one administrator. As far a doctors are concerned, we shall have to see who we can get on staff. Doctors in private practice would probably want to make use of our services for their terminally ill patients. Thus, a total of twelve on staff to start with. Of course, when we see what the load is we may need to make an adjustment – to a larger or to a smaller staff.”
And so the questioning went and finally ended with Mr. Babcock and his fellow board members saying that based on her replies to their questions that they would be approaching several wealthy gentlemen in the Cork vicinity, and would be attempting to find suitable premises for situating the hospital.
That had been a year ago, and not only had the patrons been found and a building which with a few minor modifications, was deemed to be satisfactory for the hospital, but the extra staff had been hired, some from the deaconess establishments in England, others from church organizations, supplies had been laid in and the first patients had long been accepted, some of which had seen their last days comfortably cared for in the hospital.
Now, on a Sunday in April of 1873 Collison was attending the morning service at the local Church of Ireland where after the service he had once again encountered Miss Goodwin, After the initial greeting he had started to tell her about the notice he had seen for the day of prayer for more workers for foreign fields.
“And do you think you’d like to go off to a distant land and leave us – your job, your family - and me?” she asked, looking up at him, her clear blue eyes looking concerned.
Collison gulped. He hadn’t realized that she might feel concerned, or that it might seem to matter to him. “Well, yes”, he said, “I do feel that I could be one of the workers bringing the Good News to the poor people of another country.”
“It would only be for a short time,” he added, “Two or three years.”
“Oh, Harry,” Marion sounded so concerned, “Two or three years is such a long time!”
Harry hadn’t thought so. But now what this clear-eyed young lady was suggesting almost seemed to be quite the case. He hadn’t thought that any young woman might seem to be concerned, especially this particular young woman.
That night Harry got busy. “Now the children are all in bed,” he thought to himself, “and everything is quiet. I’ll take this opportunity to write my letter to the Church Missionary Society.” He sat at his desk, and taking a fresh piece of writing paper, began. In his beautiful copper-plate cursive writing and by the light of two candles, he described himself and his strong feelings about extending the Lord’s work to other lands and peoples.
“To the Committee, April 1872
The Church Missionary Society
London, England
Dear Sirs,
I have seen your advertisement in the Times for persons interested in serving the Lord in one of your mission fields. I am 24 years of age, have finished the Sixth Form at William and Mary Academy in Dublin, and taken two years of training as a teacher at the Church of Ireland Normal School at Trinity College in Dublin.
I am at present the Superintendent of the Buckingham House Free School, a church industrial school in Cork, Ireland, and would be interested in learning further details about the work of your society. As well as my teacher training and three years experience in the position I presently hold, I have four years experience in apprenticing as a warehouseman in Dublin.
I remain your obedient servant
William, Henry Collison
Then he sealed the letter in an envelope, addressed it and set it aside to be put in the post the following day. That night as he lay waiting for sleep to come he tried to imagine working with foreign looking people in a distant country. But all he could visualize were poor Irish children, such as those he had worked with for four years.
Chapter 1 – Hearing the Call
The young man put down the newspaper he had been reading. He stared thoughtfully from the classroom window at the carriages and drays going by on Sawmill Street, and made his decision. He had long been intrigued by the thought of leaving his life in Ireland and proceeding to some distant land to teach and to preach, and to otherwise serve the Lord in whatever way he could. He had often heard of the work in various missions described by members of the clergy and others from the local church pulpit, and had read in the newspapers about the activities of the church in the foreign mission fields. Men and women had gone out to places with exotic names such as “New Zealand”; “Japan", “Africa” or “America”. There were others who had gone abroad and were bringing the word of God to many groups who had never heard of Him. Now, in front of him was a notice in the newspaper describing an upcoming day of prayer to be held in hope of finding more men to volunteer for the many openings in the far-flung parts of the Empire.
“This looks to be very interesting. It sounds exactly like the kind of opportunity that I’ve been waiting for,” the young man mused. “Let me see who are doing this.” He scanned the advertisement, “Hmm, The Church Missionary Society. They’re in London. I’ll write today and find out some more about this.”
Only yesterday after the church service he had been talking to the minister. He had confessed that his chosen career as schoolmaster had proved to be not all that he had expected. “You see, sir”, he had explained, “I’m 25 now and am still not really doing the Lord’s work. I’ve been teaching for three years now, and don’t see that there is a future for me.”
At the age of twenty-two, after teaching for only one year, he had been made Superintendant of this small orphanage and industrial school, The Buckingham House Free School. He enjoyed working with the young people, and the job had definitely been a big improvement over the warehouse apprenticeship in which he had been involved prior to being accepted in the Church of Ireland Normal School. He continued, “ I know that these orphans need the influence of a strong personality, and the firm guidance that many were unable to find from other people in their lives. But not only are the routines of the classroom becoming oppressive in their tedious regularity, but educating is not the direction that I feel that I should be going. I want to do the work of the Lord, Where can I best direct my time and energies?”
The Master had said, “Go ye into all the world and teach the Word.” But the routine he now faced on a daily basis didn’t offer much opportunity to carry out His instruction. He would write and see what the Society had to say.
The young man, William Henry Collison, had grown up in Dublin. His family’s roots in the Dublin of the 1850s and 60s were not deep. When the family had had to leave their small Armagh village of Mullaghbrack due to the potato famine of the 1840s, they had moved to Dublin to live with the brother of his father John. This uncle who was also named William Henry Collison, was Harry’s namesake. As a young man he had been in the military and subsequently, had entered the civil service. Following a short career as a civil servant he had entered service with a military college as a teacher. This had been fortunate for young Harry and his brothers James, Tom, Henry and John, for they had all been able to attend this school. Being serious young men they had benefitted from what it had to offer. However, after leaving school, as sons of an unemployed farmer, opportunities had been scarce for the boys.
In those days of the later 19th century Ireland, opportunities for promising secondary school graduates were limited. Unless you had substantial financial backing to enable you to attend one of the universities, - in Dublin, Trinity College - continuing in a post-secondary institution was out of the question. Most careers for educated young men were in the church or the military. For such opportunities the candidate needed substantial backing, either to finance the years of ecclesiastical training at a university, or, in the army, to purchase a commission and bear all the attendant costs of uniforms and other living expenses. The next best opportunity was usually to enter the business world, usually in a very junior capacity. In such positions, the hours were long, the pay low, the work arduous, and the competition to reach the higher levels in business was usually quite fierce. To succeed in either, one had to be tough and be willing to sacrifice to gain an advantage over one’s competitors.
For a while his search for a job had been fruitless. Ireland and England were in an economic slump, as at that time there were no wars to supply. During the Napoleonic Wars the economy had surged ahead as the army and navy had needed to be supplied. Even the Crimean War of 1854 to 1856 had caused a brief surge in demand, but in recent years England had been at peace so her industries and farmers were suffering due to her production capacity exceeding the demands for her products.
In particular, Ireland was hurting more than most other European countries. Trying to compete against the highly organized industries of England was impossible. Because of the mechanization of production in many fields, the larger country could produce goods for lower prices than most others. Unemployment, surging to a very high level, had depressed wages and made it impossible for many Irish to earn a living. There had been a massive influx of migrants from the country into the cities increasing the density of the urban populations. In the poorer parts of the Irish cities, the people lived in the most appalling squalor.
Casting around for a job commensurate with his talents and education Harry had eventually taken a position apprenticing to a local import firm as a warehouseman. Although the volume of business had contracted, businesses such as shipbuilding, brewing, distilling, tanning and butter production hadn’t collapsed. There was still a market for these products.
At first learning the various transactions of warehousing had been interesting. He had learned quickly the different methods of handling goods, of storing them and recording their presence in the warehouse. The matter of transferring ownership from one firm to another, of ensuring that all the legal necessities had been completed, and that necessary letters in the formal language of the day had been written, had been interesting, and he had shown a flair for accuracy, for clarity and reliability. And so it had gone for the first year. However, it wasn’t very long before, for someone of his ability, he felt he had mastered all the nuances of the various functions.
He had soon learned that he could not live on the insufficient level of remuneration that an entry-level job such as this paid. By the time a year was up he had found his day-to-day routine was becoming ever more monotonous. Day after day, week after week, he was handling the same products. The paperwork became a drudge, and after he had learned to handle invoices and way-bills, there was nothing new to learn. That he had managed to stay at the apprenticeship for four years was quite amazing. He would eventually find that the main advantage of his experience in warehousing was the variety of training he received in business – the various procedures and legalities employed to handle the interactions. But while he was still on the job he could not know that the experiences he had gained from both of these pursuits, both warehouseman and teacher would serve him in good stead just a few years later.
Collison gave a small sigh and prepared to leave the classroom for the day. He could hear the shouts from the children out in the courtyard as they played together. Soon it would be tea time and then the teachers would muster them for the evening meal, followed by the assembly of all pupils back into the classrooms for an hour of studies before sending them off to bed.
Buckingham House, the building now occupied by the school, had been built in the mid-19th century on the grounds of St John’s, one of the many churches built by the Church of Ireland in Cork. Located on Sawmill Street not far from the centre of Cork, the original function of the building had been as a home for homeless women and girls and, when needed, a women’s penitentiary. The early trustees of the church had built the building “to provide a home for ‘destitute females and principally for the protection of liberated female prisoners who wished to return to the path of law and order’ ”.
In time the need as a refuge for women had declined so that after it had closed, someone had the idea that the building could be used as an orphanage and school for the many homeless and otherwise poverty-stricken children that seemed to fill the streets in the aftermath of the famines of the 40’s and 50’s. Thus the Buckingham House Free School, an orphanage that had operated in Morrison’s House on Buckingham Place since 1875, was moved to this building and charged with the task of supporting and educating destitute protestant children up to the age of sixteen years. The orphans who wore green uniforms, had become a familiar sight in the area. At its peak there were forty children resident in the orphanage.
Collison’s first year at the school had been spent as a classroom teacher and supervisor of the children’s movements throughout the day. In this he was assisted by one of the women assigned to supervise the girls. Between the two of them they had to see that the children arose on time, dressed appropriately, appeared at the meal table at the correct times, and attended classes throughout the day. By the day’s end they were responsible for everyone settling down following the evening meal, to an hour of completing work assigned throughout the day, and then a period of devotions in which songs and prayers were offered as thanks to God, followed by the preparation for the night and bedtime.
As supervisor he was expected to be on the premises for six days out of the seven, being relieved by the woman assistant on the seventh. On his days off he might spend the day out walking to some point of interest or visiting his brother Tom and his wife Carrie who lived in the Blackrock area to the west of the city. Tom, who was also a school master, taught in one of the other local church schools.
The committee under whose watchful eyes the school was being run, was determined that only deserving children were to receive the benefits being offered by the school. Large numbers of poor were now resident in the cities as a result of the failure of the potato crops, and, being unemployed, many parents tried to get their children educated and fed for nothing. To qualify and to avoid the abuse of the system, the committee tried to make sure that the children had been resident in Cork for 18 months, and were not entitled to union relief.
The children who had been selected to attend Buckingham House as day students were looked after from 7 am to 7 pm, given a bath one day of the week, and food and clean clothes to wear in class. However, they were not allowed to take these clothes home in case their parents turned around and tried to sell them. On the other hand, as this was primarily an orphanage, most of the children present were resident in the school
For the children of the school, whether orphan or the few day children, the curriculum consisted of some three hours per day of basic reading, spelling, and writing skills, with some exposure to basic arithmetic, termed “sums”. Also, certain elements of history, geography and vocal music were included. For the girls the “Industrial” training consisted of a variety of useful house work skills – laundry, sewing (dressmaking), cooking, even typewriting, and for the boys, carpentry, garden work and other practical activities.
Each day began and ended with simple family worship consisting of prayer and praise to God. Practices such as prayers, hymns and Bible readings, with some generic religious and moral explanations were included. One of the tenets of the school was that “No child shall be required to attend any Religious Instruction or Observance, or taught the Catechism or Tenets of any Religion to which his Parents or Guardians object….”
“On Sunday, all Inmates shall, if possible, attend Public Worship at some convenient Church or Chapel….” And as far as possible, the church chosen for attendance accord to the persuasion of his parents or of his heritage.
Rules concerning disciplinary practises were set down, light punishments defined and heavier punishments precluded.
A year earlier Harry had met a very interesting young lady. It had happened this way…..
Collison hurried as he put his coat on. Although the weather had been staying cool, there had been a few signs that spring was not far off. After placing his hat on his head he hurried out of the school and down the steps. He had to get to the market before it closed. The supply of food for the school’s kitchens was getting low and had to be replenished.
As he hurried along the street and turned the corner, he nearly collided with a small woman hurrying in the other direction. “Oh, excuse me,” he managed to get out, and then he recognized who it was.
“Miss Goodwin!” he managed to mumble as he desperately reached for his hat to lift it at the same time giving a small bow. “I’m so sorry! Please pardon my clumsiness!”
The small woman who was dressed in a full black skirt which brushed the ground, had recovered from her evasive manoeuvre and was now blushing prettily as she smiled and acknowledged his apology. Her London accent was quite evident as she replied, “That’s quite all right, Mr. Collison. You quite missed me, although it did give me a start.”
Then, as he settled down and began to remember what she had told him the last time they had chatted. he asked, “Well then now, are you settled into your new place? Do you need any help in getting moved?”
“No, I’m all settled in, thank you”, she replied, “It didn’t take long. I only had one trunk, and the movers had no problem moving it in.”
“And how are you finding things at the hospital? Do you have everything you need?”
“Oh, there are always things we could use but don’t have. For the time being things are going quite well. But I hope you’re not letting the children out to roam the streets. One of the ways we have of controlling the smallpox is by limiting the contacts that people have with each other.”
Marion Goodwin was a deaconess who a year earlier had come to Cork from London in the company of a small group of deaconesses. They had come in response to the need for medical personnel to care for patients suffering in the smallpox epidemic then raging through the city and its surroundings. Although she was not yet 22 years old, she already had a lifetime of crisis experience. When the French and the Prussians under Bismarck had gone to war in 1870 she had only been 20. However she had been part of a group of deaconesses who had responded to the appeal from the German army for nurses to care for the wounded. While in France she had worked alongside the Sisters of Charity and had made many friends. They had worked long hours nursing the sick and wounded. She had been present at Metz when the German army had defeated the French. When it was all over she and the other nurses had been presented with medals by the German Emperor himself for their invaluable services.
She had not been back for very long when she heard of the appeal for nurses to work in the smallpox epidemic in Cork. In responding she had discovered that many who also had responded were her friends from the War. In Cork she and her Sisters had helped to care for and quarantine the smallpox sufferers.
“Don’t worry,” responded Collison, the children in our care are not allowed to wander the streets. We keep them under supervision day and night”. If we didn’t there’s no telling what kind of mischief they would find to amuse themselves with.”
“Yes, I suppose so”, she replied, and then the nurse part of her spoke up, “How have the children been this past winter for illness?”
“Actually they have been quite healthy this year,” he replied, “The Committee keep us sufficiently funded to buy the food we need, and the cook does a good job too. Actually, I’m on the way to the market right now to get some supplies for the kitchen. Would you like to come?”
“Well, I am on my way home, and.. but, that’ll wait. Certainly, I’d like to come and see the Cork marketplace,” she answered.
The two of them continued in the direction that he had been going and in less than ten minutes had reached the marketplace where Collison led the way to one of the edges of the square where an outdoor butcher was set up.
“Hello, Mr. O’Neill!”, he called out, “Can you spare a few moments while I order our meat for the week.”
O’Neill looked up from where he had been carving some meat, and replied, “Oh, Mr. Collison, hello! Certainly! I’ll be right with you.”
In a couple of minutes he had finished his task and came over to them. “Now then what can I get you this week? Oh, hello, Miss, are you new here?”
Marion blushed and gave a little smile, “Not exactly. I’ve been in Cork for a year, but I don’t get to the market very often. My home is in London, but I have enjoyed Cork since coming here. I think it’s such a beautiful small city.”
The butcher thanked her and then went on filling the order: mutton for stewing, ground mutton , and various economical cuts of mutton and pork. While he was doing that Collison went over to the green grocer’s stands and ordered some quantities of root and green vegetables. Then to the nearby bakery where he ordered fifteen loaves of day old bread. After obtaining six sacks of oatmeal from the miller and a large can of milk from the dairy, he arranged with the nearby carter to bring the groceries with his cart before he went home that night.
Collison paid them all with the paper notes that he had obtained at the bank earlier in the day, being careful to get receipts and invoices that he could present to the auditors to justify his purchases. Then he returned to Miss Goodwin who had been looking at the bolts of fabric on the dry goods stands.
The two of them moved to the edge of the market square and as they began to walk along the street Marion said, “It’s not a big market but it does seem to have all the basics one needs.”
“Yes”, replied her companion, “But I sometimes get frustrated that it doesn’t have more so that we could offer the children better food.”
As they moved along the street, Harry began to speak about what was on his mind. “You mentioned to the butcher that this is a nice looking city, but, you know, there are many very sick people in many of these houses. Yesterday I saw the undertaker’s carriage visiting one of our neighbours, and it is often to be seen on the street as it fetches or delivers another body to the church. We have so few hospitals to treat the ill. Those we have are so full that there is no room for the hopeless cases. There are too many cases of very ill patients who don’t have a chance of recovering, and who must die at home with no treatment”.
“What Cork needs is a hospital for incurables,” Marion suggested, “Like some of the cities I’ve been in. Perhaps we need to find a sponsoring body….”
“Yes, perhaps the Buckingham House School committee will have some idea”, broke in Collison, “I’ll speak to them directly and see what they say”.
“Every town should have a hospital for incurables”, she went on, “for cases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, strokes, and even for the elderly who are incapacitated. At the British Home and Hospital for Incurables in London our aim was to assist each resident be as independent and happy as they could be.”
“I must appear before the committee next Tuesday,” said her companion. “I’ll present the idea to them then.” But tonight I am going to write a letter to the Church Missionary Society.”
The following Tuesday Collison attended the regular meeting of the sponsoring committee of the Buckingham House Free School. Upon arrival he sought out the chairman, Mr. Babcock, and requested a place on the agenda under New Business. After giving his reports on various topics such as expenditures, and disciplinary matters, as well as discussing new applicants and problems arising from attendance irregularities among the existing students he waited for New Business to be announced. Then he arose and as briefly as he could explained the problems concerning the incurably ill patients of Cork that he had discussed with Miss Goodwin, and their proposal.
“… I realize that this problem is not directly associated with our school, but I would like to suggest that we, the protestant citizens of Cork, have the opportunity to establish an institution in Cork the services of which are very badly needed, and which, if provided, will offer many of our sick and elderly citizens succour and assistance at their most vulnerable time of life.
The present offer, which I shall explain in a moment, gives us the opportunity to avail ourselves of the services of experts in this field. If we delay, this opportunity may quickly disappear.
I am taking the liberty of bringing the proposal before this body to see if in your accumulated wisdom you can suggest how we can make this idea happen.”
As you know St Patrick's Hospital for the Terminally Ill was founded three years ago by the Sisters of Charity for patients suffering from cancer, tuberculosis, and other incurable diseases. As well as hospital duties, the sisters visit and instruct the sick poor and give religious instruction in the national schools of St Patrick's parish.”
“Now, the opportunity that I refer to arises from the fact that there are presently in Cork a group of deaconesses from the Church of England in London. These deaconesses, who were involved in actually nursing wounded soldiers in the recent Franco-German War, have been in Cork for the past year nursing the afflicted in the recent smallpox epidemic. Now that the epidemic has been reduced to numbers that can be handled by our regular medical personnel these ladies are getting ready to return to their homes. However, as I understand it, many of them are willing to remain in Cork for a time if they can assist in establishing a hospital for incurable patients. All they need is the financial backing for such an endeavour, and that, gentlemen, is where you come in.”
“I am bringing this situation before you because some of you may know of a patron or a number of men willing to share in the underwriting of such an institution for our city. For that is what is required.”
“We have the need, we have the expertise and dedication of those willing to do the work. All we need are the location for the new hospital, and the financial backing to set it up.”
Collison paused and looked around the room. Looking at his audience he recognized that some of the wealthier gentlemen present were exchanging glances and nods. The chairman rapped for attention. With a little smile on his face he spoke, “Thank you, Mr. Collison. I think this Committee will continue to discuss this matter in a private session. We will be advising you of what we decide.”
Collison bowed slightly as he replied, “Thank you, gentlemen. I shall look forward to hearing from you.” Then he turned and departed from the meeting.
Outside the meeting room he found Miss Goodwin whom he had left waiting in the hallway. Quickly he described how the meeting had gone, and that the Committee of patrons had declared their intention to continue meeting to discuss the proposal.
“And they almost appeared to be favourable to the suggestion I made,” explained Collison.
“Oh, Harry, do you think so? That would be wonderful!” replied the earnest young woman
“Now we’ll just have to wait until they finish their meeting.”
They didn’t wait outside the meeting room for they knew how these meeting could drag on for an interminable length before anything was decided.
As it was then 9:30, and the schedule of both of them started early in the morning. Collison then walked with Miss Goodwin to the home where she and the other deaconesses were lodged.
The next day Collison received a note from the chairman of the board:
Dear Mr. Collison,
Please call on me this afternoon at my office after dismissing your pupils. If you would care to, you may bring one other of your friends who might be interested in your proposal.
I shall expect to see you at 4:30 pm
I remain, Mr. Collison,
Very respectfully yours
Sir Thomas Babcock
Chairman of the Board of Patrons
The Buckingham House Free School, Cork
Collison quickly wrote a note and called one of his most reliable pupils over. “Please take this over to Mrs. O’Neill’s house, The Oaks, on Tipperary Lane, and ask for Miss Goodwin. If you put it in her hand you shall have sixpence.
The boy looked at him, at the note and back at him. “Yes sir,” he gulped, and was off.
At The Oaks the boy knocked. When the door opened he said, “Miss Goodwin?
When she responded, “I am Miss Goodwin,” he quickly pushed the note towards her and mumbled, “From Mr. Collison, Miss.”
“Oh, thank you,” she responded as she opened the note. “Just wait a minute, please! She read the note,
Can you try to be at the Committee room before 4:30
this afternoon? Mr. Babcock has requested our attendance.
Warmly, Harry.
She spoke again, “There is no reply necessary. You may go.”
“Warmly!” she savoured the word on her tongue, and decided she liked it.
At 4:30 that afternoon the two approached the door to the Committee room which was standing open. “Oh, is that you, Collison?” said the elderly gentleman standing just inside the door. “please come in.”
When Harry and Miss Goodwin entered the room several seated gentlemen in formal clothing stood up to greet them. “Gentlemen, may I present Miss Marion Goodwin, the leader of those brave deaconesses who have been caring for the sick in the recent smallpox epidemic. Miss Goodwin, These gentlemen are members of the school’s Board of Directors. Mr. Babcock, Rev. Smirthwaite, Lord Uxbury, and Mr. Archdall-Smith.
As each gentleman took her hand he smiled and murmured, “Charmed!” or “How dyou do?” Then they all sat and left the two young people standing.
Mr. Babcock said, “We would just like to ask a few questions. I believe that Lord Uxbury wanted to start.”
Lord Uxbury put his fingertips together and said, “Now, Miss Goodwin, before we decide whether we can help you or not we must know something about you and your group. For example, how many of you are there?”
“There are five of us at present, sir,” Miss Goodwin replied, “but I’m sure we can find more when we need them.”
“Uh, yes,” he replied, “what size of a hospital are you proposing to open, because surely that will have some bearing on how many nurses and other personnel are needed.”
“Sir, using the size of the St Patrick’s Hospital as a basis for our estimation, and allowing that the population of Roman Catholics is probably ten times the size of the Protestants, our estimation is that we would start with eight beds in four rooms. For that we would need a staff of eight nurses, a head nurse, two cleaning and heating staff and one administrator. As far a doctors are concerned, we shall have to see who we can get on staff. Doctors in private practice would probably want to make use of our services for their terminally ill patients. Thus, a total of twelve on staff to start with. Of course, when we see what the load is we may need to make an adjustment – to a larger or to a smaller staff.”
And so the questioning went and finally ended with Mr. Babcock and his fellow board members saying that based on her replies to their questions that they would be approaching several wealthy gentlemen in the Cork vicinity, and would be attempting to find suitable premises for situating the hospital.
That had been a year ago, and not only had the patrons been found and a building which with a few minor modifications, was deemed to be satisfactory for the hospital, but the extra staff had been hired, some from the deaconess establishments in England, others from church organizations, supplies had been laid in and the first patients had long been accepted, some of which had seen their last days comfortably cared for in the hospital.
Now, on a Sunday in April of 1873 Collison was attending the morning service at the local Church of Ireland where after the service he had once again encountered Miss Goodwin, After the initial greeting he had started to tell her about the notice he had seen for the day of prayer for more workers for foreign fields.
“And do you think you’d like to go off to a distant land and leave us – your job, your family - and me?” she asked, looking up at him, her clear blue eyes looking concerned.
Collison gulped. He hadn’t realized that she might feel concerned, or that it might seem to matter to him. “Well, yes”, he said, “I do feel that I could be one of the workers bringing the Good News to the poor people of another country.”
“It would only be for a short time,” he added, “Two or three years.”
“Oh, Harry,” Marion sounded so concerned, “Two or three years is such a long time!”
Harry hadn’t thought so. But now what this clear-eyed young lady was suggesting almost seemed to be quite the case. He hadn’t thought that any young woman might seem to be concerned, especially this particular young woman.
That night Harry got busy. “Now the children are all in bed,” he thought to himself, “and everything is quiet. I’ll take this opportunity to write my letter to the Church Missionary Society.” He sat at his desk, and taking a fresh piece of writing paper, began. In his beautiful copper-plate cursive writing and by the light of two candles, he described himself and his strong feelings about extending the Lord’s work to other lands and peoples.
“To the Committee, April 1872
The Church Missionary Society
London, England
Dear Sirs,
I have seen your advertisement in the Times for persons interested in serving the Lord in one of your mission fields. I am 24 years of age, have finished the Sixth Form at William and Mary Academy in Dublin, and taken two years of training as a teacher at the Church of Ireland Normal School at Trinity College in Dublin.
I am at present the Superintendent of the Buckingham House Free School, a church industrial school in Cork, Ireland, and would be interested in learning further details about the work of your society. As well as my teacher training and three years experience in the position I presently hold, I have four years experience in apprenticing as a warehouseman in Dublin.
I remain your obedient servant
William, Henry Collison
Then he sealed the letter in an envelope, addressed it and set it aside to be put in the post the following day. That night as he lay waiting for sleep to come he tried to imagine working with foreign looking people in a distant country. But all he could visualize were poor Irish children, such as those he had worked with for four years.
