The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-03-25 00:00:00

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE TOWN MISSION.

The annual meeting of Bail deserving mission era held
St the Town Hail on Tuesday gnome, when Mr J. T.
Stephens presided. Tear.. was • very large aullonov,
whisk inoluded alloy selliknown trienle and stop irt -re
of the cause, for .o many years under the hands of Mr. T.
Clerk. The public te took pl.. th, Templar Hail et
690, when about 9114/ sat down. lhe tea woksu formerly,
provided by numeroua ladies in the town. Toe following
aupported the Cbstrulan at I. manual maw./ ;•—lle. C.
Esmond,. Mr. Thous. Clarke (ususions )), Rey. W.
Beano, Rev. W. J. Boon, it,.. W. 111 o Cap..
Martin, Mr. A. J. Stria Ming. 13, C. It. Parson. a Sam).
To. toe.t.ng baying opeued with staging and prsysr,
Tba egotistical( notified tbe deep kismet b.,.! always
taken in their hard-working missionary on bis
and teetilled to She as unbl, uebt ince Mr. Clark had
recently rendered 1, the It IBM Com tutu's. lle was so. ry
to num Mr. and Mrs. W. 18011; their removal was quite •
calamity to the town.
Trio report, as follows, woe then read by the secretary,
Kr. 'promo :—" Tao 22 od annual report of the Bridport
Loan Miemoo.-14 lamenting Its report for the year en!.
ing December, 1833, your c outwit's desire to recogniae
the good band 0, Got in prewerving the valuable life of
your esteemed fuleeionary, ia giving him such an open
door to the home. and hearts of the peopm, mid in Crown-
ing his labour with no great a Ina ...Are of enoo4ol. Hul
rsoord of work done during the year is truly sorprising ;
he Las, fm instance, made the astonishing number of
1,100 Hatt", In which, in the proportion of three to four,
be has been fib. to is. i • portion ir the sacred acripturee.
Hs has reimlarly con tooted three meetings every week,
except when away for his holiday, or confined to hie hem*
by sick....; alongside of this and other work, he has
sold • large number of interesting and healthy p riodiosia,
Weide. distributing gratm a large number of useful books
and religions trnsta. It rejoices in the Lemuel hop. that,
through hie humble effort', not • few have sought and
found the Way of Life, while °Vlore have been reclaimed
from open immorality. In common with many other
Christian workers, his greatly bemoans that foal love of
strong drink, which is still ss sadly common la our town ;
at the semis time, he I, riijoiced to be able to report that
this hateful and hurtful now Ls not quite as prevalest as
formerly. Your committee are emeible of the many
worthy and pressing clai ice which are being conetsotly and
inereasinaly urged upon your benevolent attention; but
hope that, however OUrnerOue and urgent other dab.. may
be, you will continue, and, if poe•iblip, increase your
liberality loin!. moat useful agewy. You must be swam
that many st sottish friends of this curial have gone
hence—so ne to their root and reward, others to new
ipneree of ulefoloew—evid that their places have not yet
been filled op. Your committee, therefore, invite your
; active co-operatirn In seeking to edit now auppoitere for
an institution which ha. been, and Is still, of snob real
; benefit to this two. Your committee have to deo' we
soother serious lom to the ntiyelun in the rettioval Iron.
Brid port of their friend and fellow-writer. Me. C. Wilson,
who haa for so long Bone soda swot thily filled the °Moe a
hon. sic. and Jur feel that they cannot allow this con.
need= to c,ale without expree.ing for theinselvm, for
you, and for all who have been losinelltted by the soloist r.e.
of this missiontheir warns and gratlfu appiomisii n of
hie services. Hearty thanks era sin, due to Mn. Wile in,
who loas, for many years, so anobtrueively, assiduously,
and successfully laboured to augment the minion funds.
Your committee pray that the tilessins of Gut, without
whom nothing Ls etrong and nothing is holy, msy abide
upon them both, upon this work and upon it. ovary helper,
and entreat your prayer, for the same.
Summary of labour for the year ending December 31st,

- "Number of hours employed. 1 760; m•ietiose held
148 ; persona a idressed at the said ra,,et.lus.. I IZ ;
exclusive of those t, the sick and inflect, 3 389 ; visits to
the sick sad infirm. 911 : perilous widre.erid ehile maitins
1,y28 .on. &MG (total, 6,470) ; cams the
Bcripturee read, 3W; tpeful coaver•ioes, 9 ; p.rmus
Induced to attend potilic we:Pablo, 12; drunkard. re-
claimed. 4 ; Bibles and Testauseats distributed. 14; Bibles
sold, 8 ; bloke and t-eete distributed, 2.5 ; religious
serials, Cottager, Friendly Vieilor, L. iro.d, 1,260;
perilous to whom relief hns been given, 36."
Finanos shoat showed a balance o 1 La 15i. 4.1. dna to
the treasurer.
. . .

Mr. Evues, In moving the adoption of the report,
referred to the devoted work in which their toisrloosre
wee engaged, sod hoped yeivis of streutth were in store
for him to cautious the same. He deplored the provolone
custom of drunkenness, to which he traced many national
nod soda evils. We should acknowledge our obligations
to Almighty God, who bed conferred prirelem privileges
on us. There were from 600,000 to 800,060 habitaal
drunkards In the lend, and 2 000 wers weekly consigned
to so unUmely grave in consequence. We bad • million
r:21tt.arer."1106.".".7:: ml.l"Sultdmay"rtiblWithis
every week. These things yet stood, in spite of all our
bossted philanthropy. H. trusted the whole country
would soon awoken to the extent of the sin and dissipa-
tion around it. A country's aeons., was not the strength
of its foit fications, but into chepels sod churches, where
prayer of God wa• odersd. Re trusted all would gie•
this movethent their hearty support, sod. perhaps, • day
would come when the liter of tee living God would be
erected in every home of the oston

tbooset it •
o,o•hozeitt to the people of BridpOn to h.,. iuch
misel and sur-h a missionary. They had met t, eMer
Yr Clarke In his M'ioure, but he thought they showed
their miaefonary to do too mach of the work himeelf—all
could help to extend the lad .1.1111011 of his work by yreatiml
rympathy and by prayer, that his labours might be
named.
_ .

TO* motion was carried.
Mr. C. R. Paxson, missionary of Bristol. held that
Christ himself was a home missionary is every mesas of
the word, and it woe • reward if ons soul only cool' be
won for Christ. He rsfsrred to the squalor cod
wretchedness of the rookeries and dens of Bruit 01, and of
the saving influence which bad bees extended to these
please Many in these gout in were without bibles,
aod without the wish to have them. There were little one.
there, too, who must hemmed from the abodes of crime
and wretchedness. He was glad to eas so many lisclies
tresent. for their sympathy mad help were needed, bat
the work would never be effectually ace omplishe I whilst
Mass we. against SIMS. SS in this country. All could
',An put is this glorious work, and 03d would 'noon:age
this great work in their midst.
On the motion of Kr. Pam eth ondsd by M•, cf_mgg.
the 0 ommittee were re-appointed, with the foldowing
officers :—Supeiintendenth &qr.. W. Even, awl E.
Fronde ; treasursr Ur W. N. Chick; secretthy. Kr. C.
Imundt—Mr. CLAIRE wminly thanks's' all for their
sympathy, and he felt whstever bat biro done by him as
en humble instrument In cre bane he ;are Him all
the glory. if, ceo thsnktul t' t Gil had hithiiro
sustained him, and he trusted be would still sustain him,
for • great deal yet w. to be done, and the battlefield
with not to ba left until toe victory was gained. There
was ground for enciourmem int, and be felt it •
blamed thing to go from house to both' with • bible In
band and the love of Carist in the heart.

The Camino,. In commending th. c..suee, said It waa
unamteriao, and all sect. in the to•n aseisted it.
The Rot. W. J. BAIN 1311VIINI s r. which
emb idled the grat tads ti God for former me dee ; show.
Inn the necegotY fir the o grolettlon and the need of
continued prayer, syrup silo and increased liberality.
Mr. Mein camel minify simnel %hot this mission was
undiopenrable aid to turret work, for in it ell could unite
it reach all claws They hod reed aulheieut rintlinunr
thatthe work was progroosior fat, town, and the peon',
could not he tired of Riving to .o-b a cause, shss
rernembeesi Gore boon it at munificent:* to us.
Mr. BRIDLING seconded, and., was cooled.
Captein MAJLTIII moved, and Mr MUTTON Sel3olldod. •
•at• of thruslin 1, tbis 1%.11041 for collection Om annuell sub-
scriptions, and providing a tos.
On the motion of M-. Emir:mos, a vote of thanks were
sec,rded to the Cheirman .1,1 Mr. Parsons (Bristol),