The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-12-22 00:00:00

THE HOPE CHAPEL XMAS TREE AND

SALE OF WORK.

A Xmas tree and sale of work was opened in the
Working i en's Chill, Mitelieldetrm.t, on Weilneeslay
afternoon, in aid of the new S lay Sehied• at the
Hope Congregational Chattel. The mem, presented a
very pleasing appearaiimi. In the centre wee a large
fir tree leeleeked with &IN great and email, lanterne,
girlie and boys' wieillen scarves, attire pin
cushions, woollen mocks tc. The Mi...... Dean and
Russell conilected the sales. Mist Freeman and Miss
Jaren, had charge id a stall in which were cabinet
Photo., of the Rev. W. Lewis, the pastor of the
chapel, and Mr... Lewis. fire were also anti•
macassara woollen mats, done, stationery. scripture
texts, socks. glove's, and ~,any ether things. At
another stall Mar. MAC.. and Mi. Payne disposed of
dolla, fancy boxiis, mats, children's toys, lobY
article*, li,•e canaries, kr. Mrs, Lock and Nliss
Lewis had on sale • quantity of work done by the
Sunday 5ch....! children. Their stock included anti-
macseears, wool work, tea pot Cosies, cushions, photo.
graphs, itc.
At the refreshment-stall Miss Hodder and Miss
Lewis presided, whilst Miss Ida Macv had charge of
a wedding "dip" cake.
Th.. lira-feelings were opened with prayer by the
Rev. W. H. Waugh, of Portland, and the singing of
a hymn.
The Rev. W. Lem, in the course of his oheerva.
tions, said he Was very I,lessml they had for the open.
int; ceremony .tlilerman Eliot, .T. P., and also that
there were in attendance Christian fri,•nds from
I Aber Congregations, a., well a. those connected with
the Hope Chapel, lie usik this as an indication
that the object they had in view WM a peel one,
and one of which all approved, and also as a proof of
their willing sympathy and help. The object was
rearing of suitable buildinge to carry on Sunday
&himl work in connection with Hope Chapel. That
work had Inem carried on during the emirs, of the
loet century, and, 60 far as the eon . °dation was
ConCerliedi it u,iight he a surpriee to *Mlle as to how
it conld have nourished to the extent that it had
until the present period. Them nevertheless had
been great hindrances to the work for want of props.r
accommodation in the way of room,. They had
felt the nev.l if the Kamp very much of late, and the
present %den was the outcome of the
'eremite of nee...ill. It, leiwever, liad been
allied with confidence, and although the work Was a
great one they would be alle to Carry it through.
They had • timidity "ch.,' coneieting of 300 *choler*.
In the siliniller tune they had rather more, and in the
Winter rather les., hut they had had a sChool c.mtain-
ing about t hit MIMI MT for some years. When he first
Ileceme coml.-cosi with the eelimil they hail 400 ,ir
scholars, hut other sclimils hail sin*, grown up" in
the neighbourhood. Although they hail not now such
a lrer of scholars they felt it incumbent to ler-
take the work, which, it was thought won't' cot about
1:1,000. The contract itself was under 0100, but there
w..re incidental eXpenses connects,' with the re •al
id the organ and the alteration ief the chapel, the
securing of the ground, which wood(' lead than annual
rental of £lO, whilst they ale, n-ntsel a echmilneen at
Li IN. a year, a, that theme various items would bring
the work tip to about £l,OOO. They had in pri
etc., Met lull( that amount, comiting the promise of
time« in the Sunday School to raise on, including
their efforts is, connection with the Chrietinas Tree.
Ti..' scholars adopted the plan which wait carried out
miliset to I••reigt, Iniaslons, viz., having a box for
every elaeii, in which these PO dispiacil put lance,
and they hail managed to raise shout L'3o in connec.
tion with theme classes. During the !suit Sunday in
November, 1.1 Us. Id. wail gamed by mean. of the
house, and it was liy such rib., ts that they were en.
tleavouring to raise CA by the end of the year. He
felt the ladies and gentlemen preeent that slay would
encourage their coefidence - that they would te4 be
behind. The building bail just lawn covi•red in, and
they hail to pay the builder the full amount in the
moiree of a couple id 'mettle,. and they would therefore
have to draw a little on the bank, and get those con
cernml t.. trurt to their good intention of paying it
, back again. It, however. was to he hoped they would
not remain in debt at the lank very lone, but that
they would soon he alde to raise the full amount. He
particularly wished to than k the tradeapeople and orthen,
who. although they rete.atml their application*, still
mintintesl to hell. them. The refreehment stall at
tie-bazaar wae entirely supplied through thegenernaity
j (Mende, awl slick was the MAP again on the present
oceaeion. Gwing to similar kindness, they Alm, hail
scarcely any expenses to meet, le, that what they
realised would be almost all profit.
Alderman Fuser alluded to the work which
ha,' been Undertaken &PI a very enter-
prieing .ine. He was astainithed to hear
that, although the If Iye Chapel Sunday
School had ben in esieteneelialf.a•century it had had
during a long period inadequate mem. It had just
been maid by the trartor that nobody could object to
the object of the bazaar, and to this he replied—
" Certainly not " He hinmelf ram a great enthusiast
in reelect to Sunda, schools, having during 30 of the
beet years of his life been a Sunday school teacher,
a,,'! he did not regret the time er labour. He looked
upon the Siinday school as the noblest inetitution
the land. Ifeeides the direct effect of religiou• teach-
ing in the Sunday •chreils, he thought that even
indirectly S lay schmils bail done an immense deal
fur this country. In • speech &thermd some years
ago liy the late lamented Lord Shaftesbury, his lord
ship attributed—with perfect justice and (aim...—
much of the well•l•eing and loyalty I.f the lower
cleaves of the country to the instrumentality of Sun
day •chools. Nobody who eomparcd the state of our
lower dames with ch.* of ,'thee countries would he
disposed to diapute a.. tO the inachinery to which elle
late Lord Shaftesbury attributed this Moat blessed
,wi wk. A bleseing also &minims flowed from
Sunday schools owing to the intercourse which
there took place between the nipper and the
lower classes, or those whim Goal had placed
in better ismitione than their poorer neighbonre.
Such intercourse had a happy effect upon this
country. He thought its bad thing when the only
intercourse the upper or more coinfortable classes had
with their poorer brethren Was ill times of sickness Or
distress. however, one of the bleseed results
of Sunday schools came in. They also caused children
,t.. understand in a happy and pleasant way the
blessedness and sacredness ,d the Sabbath Day. His
experience if Sunday liclio.l4, and he also hoped it
was that of many I•thera, was that children really
enjoyed them. He thought it a mistaken notion—
excepting the mann a few bad boys—that children
must be driven to the Sunday isehiml. The children
attending the sehoole were the parent. of future
generations. If they ex perieeeed tile beeping,' and the
pleasure of the Sunday school, they Timid not
Is' slow as fathom or guardians to help others to sffi'l
the seine blessings. He subompiently read note from
a chureh clergyman ia a village near Weymniith,
containing awards (or be brat boy and girl in the
It was a sign of the happy state of affairs in
the present day for such • letter as tint to Lie received.
: It WA. not long since he met Mr. Lewis ate luncheon
along with the new Nebo', of the diocese, and he
thought that everything which was being done to
bring the different 111%11.10111 of Christie Church
together wail a Ideas.' thing. They might help each
other foments' in their different w, rk. without there
being any tees, for compromising their principlem, In
conidueimi lie &dam' tb. wsl., open, and asked the
, company tacit to work ti eh-3r the stalls as quickly
ae,
The side will be continued thin (Thunalay) lifter
mn and evening.