Susanna Wesley

238 SUSANNA WESLEY.
one he was chosen organist of Hereford Cathedral,
where, a year or two afterwards, he married the sister
of the Dean, Dr. Merewether. In 1835 he became
organist at Exeter Cathedral ; but, after remaining
there for seven years, he went to Leeds, and held the
post of organist of the parish church during part of
the late Dean Hook's long and vigorous incumbency.
In 1849 the position of organist at Winchester Cathedral
was offered to and accepted by him. This was a
position very much to his taste, especially as it enabled
his five sons to be educated at Winchester School.
In 1865 he became organist at Gloucester Cathedral,
and from that time took a prominent part in the
musical festivals of the West of England. Two of
his sons are clergymen in the Church of England, two
are Doctors of Medicine, and one is
pushing his way
in Australia. He died on the 19th of April 1876, at
the comparatively early age of sixty-six, which, to
quote his Aunt Sally, when speaking of another relative,
was far from being the term of " life attained by
our respectable ancestors."
It is remarkable that Wesleyanism has found so
little favour in its founder's own family. With the
exception of some of their sisters, who became connected
with the Society, John and Charles stood
alone during their lifetime, so far as their relatives
were concerned, and the majority of those who have
since borne their name have adhered staunchly to the
Church of England. This is as John himself would
have had it, for he was no Separatist, though he
could not stop the movement of which he was the
mainspring ;
nor did he wish to do so, but he did
not see that it would necessarily lead to secession.
Blood, however, will tell, and a vast amount of talent