THE PRESIDENT OF TRINITY.
LTO Tag EDITOR 07 THE SPECTATOR-1
S111,—The death on February 12th of Professor Henry Pelham, the President of Trinity College, Oxford, removes, at an age when much might still have been expected from his varied gifts and energies, a commanding figure from the field of English scholarship. Of the all but irreparable loss to Oxford it is for others to speak ; but, as one who has been closely associated with him for upwards of a quarter of a century in movements for the promotion of research in the fields of Greek and Roman archaeology, I should like to be allowed to pay tribute to his memory and services.
When the Hellenic Society was founded in 1879 Mr. Pelham, who was then Fellow and Tutor of Exeter College, was a member of the first Council, and took an active part in its management. After serving continuously on the Council, he became in 1895 a vice-president, and held that office until his death. Although his increasing duties in Oxford prevented his constant attendance, his interest in the Society's work never grew cold, and his counsel was always of the utmost value. Among the earlier enterprises in which the Society was concerned was the Asia Minor Exploration Fund, which was started in 1882 in order to enable Mr. (now Sir) W. M. Ramsay, of Exeter College, to pursue archaeological researches in Asia Minor. Into this scheme Pelham threw himself with enthusiasm, and he served throughout on the small Committee which administered the Fund. It was no doubt largely due to his influence that Mr. Ramsay was appointed to a research Fellowship at Exeter; and in after years, when further journeys were undertaken by Ramsay or his followers, the appeals for funds were drafted by Pelham, and he successfully exerted himself in obtaining grants from the University or from individual Colleges.
When the British School at Athena was founded in 1886, Pelham gave the scheme his active support, and his influence was used to secure the annual grant of £100 which the 'University of Oxford has made to the school from the outset. He was a member of the Committee from 1886 to 1905, and by encouraging Oxford men to go out as students, he did everything in his power to promote the closest relations between the University and the school. When special funds had to be raised for excavation or exploration, or to assist an individual student, it was to Pelham we always turned for help in Oxford, and we never turned to him in vain.
But his special achievement in this field was the establish- ment of the British School in Rome, which could hardly have been carried through but for his earnest and persistent advocacy. He was here on his own ground, and the weight of Lie name and influence was as great as it was indispensable. He acted from the first as chairman of the Committee, and no step was taken without his counsel and guidance. And it was not only at home that he worked in its interests. He made constant visits to Rome itself, and secured the adhesion of successive British Ambassadors and of the English com- munity, as well as the sympathy of the leading foreign scholars there, who were all his personal friends. Funds at first came in very slowly, and it was difficult to keep the school going at all; but Pelham never lost hope, and, happily, he lived to see the grant of E500 a year, which had already been made by Government to the school at Athens, given also to the school at Rome, which is now, we may trust, established on a permanent footing. But even so, it will sorely miss the driving-power supplied by the cheery energy and unfailing enthusiasm of its founder. It was these qualities of energy and enthusiasm, added to the manly simplicity and straightforwardness of his character, and his practical grasp of affairs, which made him such a tower of strength, while his great kindliness and sympathy with young and old alike won him a host of friends. No one, indeed, could be long in his company, or be associated with him in any undertaking, without acquiring a regard and esteem which soon ripened into affection. With all his learning, he was so human, so absolutely free from any touch of pedantry, so fresh and breezy in his outlook on the world, that he at once stimulated all who came under his influence, and inspired their confidence. And although he held strong convictions and was a born leader of men, his tact and consideration, and his transparent honesty of purpose, rarely failed to conciliate his opponents. In the love of knowledge for its own sake he was an idealist, ever ready to encourage others, whether pupils or colleagues, to pursue the same lofty aim; but he was no fanatic, and by a kind of instinct seemed always to know how far and by what arguments to push a particular cause at the moment, or when it was wiser to forbear. It was this "opportunism," in the best sense of the word, which made him such a splendid man of business, and led others to trust so implicitly to his judgment.
In social intercourse he took, as he imparted, the keenest pleasure. His modesty and simplicity gave a groat charm to his talk, and the wealth of his knowledge, both of books and men, was so naturally displayed as to put the least learned listener at his ease. And no subject came amiss to him. He was as ready to talk of cricket or golf on occasion as of Mommsen or the Roman Emphe. It was this width of interest which gave him such a hold over the generations of young men who passed through his hands, and who found in him not only a teacher, but a friend. To these, as to so many relatives, colleagues, and intimates, the death of Henry Pelham leaves a blank which can hardly be filled, and the memory of a true-hearted English scholar and gentleman which they will ever cherish with affectionate regret.—I am,
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