The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-03-21 00:00:00

POOLE.

COURCII PASTORAL AID SOCIETY. —The annual 501111065
in abi of this society were preached in the churches here
on Sunday. At St. James's the preacher in the morning
was the Rector, the Rev. .1. A. Lawson ; in the evening
the Rev. E. Markby, M. A, the deputation from the
parent society, and formerly curate at 'Els church,
delivered an excellent sermon. At. St Paul's the Rev.
K Markby preached in the morning and the Rev. F.
Pocock in the evening. The collecuons at the former
place of worship realised 1:8 155., and at the latter the
handsome stun of £lO The annual meeting of the
society was held on Monday evening in the Town Hall,
and was hit poorly attended. The Rev. J. A. Lawson,
rector of Poole, occupied the chair, and was accompanied
on the platform by the Rev. E. Markin-, the deputation,
the Rev. F. Pocock, rector of St- Paul's, and Mr. F. S.
Furnell, secretary of the local auxiliary. The meeting
having been opened with prayer, a hymn was sung, after
which the Chairman addressed the meeting urging the
usefulness of the society, expatiating upon its operations ,
during the past year, and calling for increased support.—
Mr. Furnell then read the annual report of the Poole
auxiliary, which showed the total amount collected during
the past year to have been La —The Rey. E. Markby
next ashinsssed the meeting, and gave several illustrations
of the usefulness and necessity of such a society as the
one whose cause he was advocating, eking cases in Bir-
mingham and elsewhere where the need for additional
ministrations was only too amply shown.—The Rev. F.
Pocock also delivered an interesting address, which was
listened to with marked attention. Ile mentioned many
instances in his own experience of the spiritual destitu-
tion existing in the large centres of our population, and
mentioned by way of illustration cases that had conic
under his own observation during his niismonary labours
in London. The rev. gentleman most ably advocated the
claims of the society.—At the close of the meeting a
collection was made, but, as the attendance was so
meagre, the amount realised was necessarily smelt —On
Tuesday evening the Rev. E. ltarkby az.d other friends of
the society delivered further addresses in St. Paul's
Schoolroom.
_ _ _ .

......
Tug Pganissivg Brix. —On Monday evening the
electors of this borough were invited by handbill to
attend • public meeting in the Temperance Hall "To
consider the course taken by the great Liberal Conference
of the National E.' ovia Union in the Free Trade-hall,
Blanchester." Nearly 100 working men responded to this
rather indefinite invitation, and found that it really was a
meeting in favour of the Permissive Bill. Leagthy ad-
dresses were delivered by Mr. .1. W. Owen, of Manchester,
a member of the Council of the United Kingdom
Alliance, and Mr. T. W. Glover, of Southampton, dele-
gate of the alliance for this district The speakers con-
gratulated the electors of Poole upon never having voted
against Sir Wilfrid Lawson's Bill in the House, as the
late member, Mr. Arthur Guest WM neutral, and the Hon.
Evelyn Ashley, the present member, had pledged him-
self not to vote against the measure, and called upon them
to exercise their power at the next election and vote for
no man who would not pledge himself to vote for the Bill.
In a town like Poole, where the parties were so evenly
balanced, it was urged that if the teetotal party stuck to-
gether and said they would vote only for the man who
would promise to support Sir Wilfrid Lawson they might
turn the election in their favour. If 50 or 100 votes were
at stake the speakers gave it IA their opinions that both
candidates would come with their hats in their hands and
promise to do anything to obtain them. If both can-
didates were in favour of the Permissive Bill then they
might vote with their party: but if the contrary was the
case then they should sink party feeling and go in for the
man who would give them vote for vote.—At the close of
the addresses the chairman, Mr. H. Penny, secretary of
the Temperance Society, invited discussion and questions.
A Mr. New asked how much the revenue benelitted by
the liquor traffic, and, on being told 40 millions a year,
wished to know how the national expenditure was to be
met if this large sum were done away with, a question
which was not satisfactorily answered. The majority of
those present seemed to be in favour of the Permissive
Bill.