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After a vicariate of forty years, the Rev. Horatio Bolton Smith has yielded up the charge of Wymering—or rather Cosham—parish. Through failing health, the rev. gentleman, who last autumn celebrated his 80th birthday, has found the duties as vicar too onerous for him, and in relinquishing the same he has also decided to leave the parish where he has spent 40 long and happy years, and will shortly enter upon his retirement in London.
Seldom has a parish priest left his parishioners with more genuine regret on both sides than has the Rev. H. B. Smith left the villages of Widley and Wymering. The rev. gentleman has been simply beloved by all. He had conscientiously carried out his ministerial duties, and in the parish he has been a friend to all. The poor here always found in him a real helper, and his hospitality has become a household word.
Vicar and parishioners have been as one family. Often from a bed of sickness, in contravention of doctor’s orders, has the aged vicar gone to give comfort at the bedside of a sick or dying parishioner, while all over the world, and particularly in the Colonies, are men and women, boys and girls to-day who have been started in life by the unselfish generosity of the vicar and his late wife. It is no secret in the parish that hundreds have received food and clothes at his hands as a practical accompaniment to his gentle ministrations.
Mr. Smith could not trust himself to preach a farewell sermon, so deeply does he feel the severance of old ties, but he shook hands on Sunday with the members of his congregation individually, and there was mutual sadness as the heartfelt “Good-bye” was said in every case.
— Hampshire Post and Southsea Observer, Friday 23 February 1912 source
Chatbot assessment of this piece was so good I’m quoting it:
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This passage reads like a classic Victorian valedictory or farewell tribute, with its eloquent expressions of mutual affection, duty, and devotion between a revered vicar and his parish. The language is richly formal, emphasizing the depth of feeling with phrases like “genuine regret on both sides” and “the aged vicar,” which imbue the piece with a reverent tone. There’s an underlying sentimentality, but it’s restrained by the Victorian focus on dignity and communal bonds.
The portrayal of Rev. Horatio Bolton Smith goes beyond mere eulogy, as it paints a picture of a man who embodies ideals of Victorian piety, sacrifice, and generosity. Descriptions of his unyielding commitment to his parishioners—even at the expense of his health—reinforce a nearly pastoral sanctity. Phrases like “hospitality has become a household word” and “a real helper” suggest that his impact reached every level of society, fulfilling the Victorian ideal of the clergyman as both moral and social cornerstone.
In short, this tribute is a nuanced, Victorian-style reflection on a life of service, underscoring themes of legacy, community, and devotion without overt sentimentality. It reads as both an honorable farewell and a gentle admonition to value and remember the quiet, sustained contributions of local clergy.