The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-07-25 00:00:00

SHOOTING FOR THE SILVER SHIELD AT
WIMBLEDON.

In the great contest of Thursday fortune seemed so to
smile on Scotland that up to the finish of the sheeting at
IVO yards it looked hke a dead certainty that the silver
shield would be borne once more across the border.
When they came back from the first range the Scotehmen
had a clear lead of lb points, the English team being
second. and 10 points before the Irishmen. At 000 yards
Scotland had widened the gap, and stood L.,' points ahead
of England, while Ireland had fallen still farther in the
rear, having to pull up 51 points before she could tie with
England, and SO to beat the leading team. At the long
range of a thousand yards it appeared utterly impuesible
that she could regain the lost ground, but every man shot
his beet and struggled on gallantly to the end with a
perseverance worthy of a better fate. Between the other
two teams, however, it soon became evident that the
contest would be close, and as round after round was
fired the groups around the enclosure became denser
every minute. Every minute the excitement grew more
intense. At first Scotland bald her own obstinately, and
then England began to creep up shot by shut, until at
the fifth round she had reduced the balance agsinst her
by eleven points. In the next round Scotland had two
misses, while England averaged more than centres, and
at the eighth round, amid a murmur of apphsuse from
partisans of the South, England passed Scotland by one
point Theo each man seemed to Know that the event
samted on his own effort.. Again and again the rifles
would be brought down alter vain attempts to get steadily
on the bull's-eye, and each aim was taken with as much
patience as if the fate of a nation rested on its accuracy.
The Englishmen were tiring mole slowly than any, and
Scotland hail run up its total of 451 lung before they had
begun their last round. SlTittie was the last of the
Scots to fire, and his tine) shot was watched with so much
interest that no one weld venture to get his head in front
of the register board without bringing down an indignant
"Gang use the richt, won" on his unfortunate cranium.
While Englaud had yet two more Mote to (teethe Scotch
were four palate ahead. Then Mr. Martha Smith made a
centre, which brought the scores level, and everything
then depended on the steadiness and coolness of Major
Sigriven, who if he missed would leave it a tie to be shot
oil afterwards. The crowd behind him gathered thicker
asthepsrtisanu of the rival teams joined the crowd of
Englishmen already eight or nine deep outside the ropes,
and the murmur of excitement must have been painfuly
distinct to the marksman a.s he drew a long breath, aad
gripped the rifle home to his shoulder. At length dm
long pause of suspense was over, and through the thin
wreath of smoke the white disk was seen coverieg the
bull's-eye. Then a roar went up from English throats,
the like of which has seldom been heard at Wtsableduu.
and nothing could keep the excited onlookers from
crowding round him who had thus pulled the victory
out of the fire," and cheering him until they could
cheer no longer,

LAYMEN IN THE METHODIST CONFERENCE.
The Methodist Conference ill an the eve of one of the
most important and, we trust, one of the most healthy
decisions in its history—a decision that may affect the
interests of all sorts and conditions of men, of all Christian
churches, within these islands, and indeed in all landa
where the 'English language is spoken. Some time aims
as most of our readers probably are aware, • I 'onimittnsi
was appointed to consider an old and mmewhat vex-
atious questioa as to the admission of laymen to Beata in
Conference ; and the Committee, very recently, reported
in favotir of the innovation which now awaits the decision
of the Wesleyan Parliament We say "the innovation,"
but we only use the term in a strictly technical maw.
That lay members, equally with ministers, shall have
seats in Conference is a startling novelty; but the lay
clement in the organisation of John \Easley has been one
great feature in a marvellous mews.
It would be foolish to deny that the &object must in
mine respects be painful to the men upon whom the
decision will rest. Among those who oppoee the change
are certain aged ministers respected for probity, for de-
votion to the work to which they were ordained a genera-
tion ago, and esteemed by their friends both for
knowledge of the Bible and for tact in the management
of "circuits"--the latter a great point in Methodism.
To some of these aren it seems a. if their oaths, reli-
giously pnwerved through all the changes and chances of
a long if s, are about to be set aside. How they can
think :so we are unable to discover; that they do think so
is undoubted ; and if the younger man of the Wesleyan
Conference are wise they will not in any case disregard
the scruples of sensative and honourable old men whose
habits of life have led them, and, if we may so speak,
moulded them, to distinguish the finer lines of duty
which men of another kind rarely perceive. Let it not be
forgotten, however, that there is a duty to the present
time, to the yawn:: impulses of the men who will be
" father," in their churches, to this., who may shape and
mould the policy of generations yet unborn.
To persons looking on from the outside of Wesleyanistua
the lay element has perhaps seemed the one chief source
at once of the strength of the body, and of a danger
which, from the first, Las beset its °inanition.. en
tin-educated young moan, suffered and even eucouraged to
Coach, runt • gemt interest of becoming inflated with
his own self importance, of neglecting to improve his
mind, anat of fancying himself ,vim when he is, in facts
appallingly ignorant, Ile learns to deal with the pro-
found mysteries of life and death as he deals with the
commonest affairs of business, and to account as the
chief of all human gifts and qualities that of a glib,
ready tongue. On the other hand„ the Weslethne have
found, as no other moral organisation in modern times
at all events ever found, the secret of utilising every atom
of their strength. No man among them who wishes
to work need remain idle. If he cannot be a "class-
leader," he can be a member of a "class," and may gus
out from that class, week by week, strengthened ar.d
prepared, in his way, to tell in all places whither his
business leads ban of those things which belong to
Methodism. As a district visitor, • tract distrbutor,
a Sundayolchool teacher, a member of a choir, in a
hasty in which singing is so importmit, he may at
least be • worker, and possess influunce, useful or other-
wise, azu the case 'nay be : accordingly as the man is quali-
fied for what he uedertakas. in any case, one of the chief
elements in the strength of Wesleyan Methodism has
bee its lay agency. Without any help Crum ascot-
learn the Wesleyans have produced men as devoted
to their particular church US any lay brother of the
Church of Rome ever was to his order or his monastery ;
and what Methodism has done more or less fur £3O year* I
the Established Church is beginning now to adopt as •
minuw„ some might say. of self-lin:moldiest but those
who ought to know best affirm, of inercaused usefulness.
In any case, the Church of England, feeling the need of '
fresh power, is falling Lack on lay help, and is calling fur
lay organisation.
In a very critical time ts. litethodiuti, and to very much
besides Methodism, the instinct of the body has hit upon '
the central fact that one great need of the time is the
further use and application of the power of laymen. We
cannot help thinking that if John Wesley lived now he
would share the instinct, and Affirm the principle upon
which Conference will very soon be called to decide.
Compelled to take his decision early in the last century,
confronted by ignorance, and sin, and sorrow nu all hands,
Mr. Wesley looked to the clergy as to • divinely instituted
order, anal to ordination as the davinely appointed means
of receiving the Spirit of ital. Ile lived to reconsider his
views and re-adjust his teachings in much, but he did not
live to thiuk that he or hie teaching was antagonistic to the
Established Church. He was its ally for all earnest
work ; only, like Garibaldi iu the war that was.' to free
Italy from the A 11,4 to the Adriatic, he teipareil freedom
of action. Gave him room to breathe and act with free-
dom. and he never would leave the Church, Init, instead
of that, would bring thousands into her fold. The
Church of England was stupid --buy indeed-41 she
always was when called upon for exertion, and her great
chance passed away, never to return. The clergy de-
clined to be troubled with " mobs" ; mull not brook
illiterate, talkative men ; adhered strongly to Oxford and
Cambridge, and left certain other Universities of human
experience uncared for and ensued'
John Wesley, living an these times, would have seen,
in connexion with his organisation, laymen quite as well
educated as their preachers, and in mine case, tery match
better than their preacher,; and he would have seen a
new and insidious power of sacerdotalistai in the
Established Church---a power which it will devolve
on laymen to sweep away if they can, and in any
case to defy. In the face of the Ititualiani of Oxford the
westerans propose to take a step farther away from the
sacerdotal principle White the priests are becoming
more priestly. the female converts more !meanies, and
the seduction of silly young men of Earl Nelson's
"order" on earth and in heaven more cagily led away to
Rome by the help of the ritualistic clergy, the Weeleyans
propose to carry their preachers a long step farther from
priestont We heartily wish there a good deliverance of
the idea, which, we do not doubt, will, if carried, be a
great gain to themselves and to the hest principles of
every church, and every person opposed to eccleamatieal
assumption. We do not wish even to hint that the
preachers of the Wesleyana have become priestly: still,
they have occasionally been a little despotic, and they
will add greatly to the real power of Conference when
they have associated with themselves, even though not on
all questions, a body of laymen who, it may be presumed,
will represent phases of thought hitherto unrepresented
in the Methodist Conference. An obnoxious layman naay occasionally find his way among the prupbeni, and it
must be granted that he will be beyond the power of
punishment in • sense which • preacher is not so. A
layman cannot be sent to an out-oftle-way station for
an offensive speech. We question very much, however,
whether even an this respect all the advantage will not
recur to the Wesleyan body. If the lay members coruati-
tuents have • reasonable grievance it is the better for
being openly stated ; if they have an unreasonable one it
can nowhere be better than in Conference. If a grievance
complained of is that of the one member only hi,
latents will find means of dismissing biL. ,and that in all
probability would he the sevsrest punishment that could
be inflicted oas him by the local bodies he represented.
These, however, are points which concern only the
Wesleyans themsel, es. Our object relates to wider
interests. We are much mistaken if the vote of Confer-
ence, if given as we trust it will be given, is not generally
accepted as a vote not against preachers or their just
influence but certainly against the priestly caste.
We do not mean that the vote will simply be one against
she manmillinery that is now so great in the Church of
England, though it will be that incidentally. There are
In all churches men of the priestly order, and of priestly
instincts: men who claim to be the interpreters of the
Divine Law, and often the infallible interpreters, though
they may not say so in as mealy words, Wherever lay-
men have • fair representation this instinct is checked,
while at the same time, we think, looking to dissenting
congreg-*ions, we may solely say the true and legitimate
s.
influence of the an,',;',:t!' is even raised. The AVesleyans
Ire falling back on their old lines, adapted to new times
sod new exigencies. They have an opportunity of putting
a strong a:4r buttress of the best modern masonry to their.
old building. A new business faculty will be introduced
into an organisation whLh. all its occasional favour,
gh
all its revivals, has generally beau nct
"iri,,, low
to
adjust means to ends, which never his pet the
faculty of its founders for knowing the value of p.eioe as
f higher duties
authority for saying, might not to leave la s .
ere
...re
well as of pounds. A preacher, we have the °ire
to "serve tattles, and the Methodists. to !!onth..
_.!
Lustier, have, as a whole, kept the infnett. te. !iser,vc.
will, if successf el, give
there cannot he a doubt that they
new life and stiroza4 to the Wesleyan Pil
Thj.y ars, now endeavonring to extend it legitoort f), a