The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-09-11 00:00:00

LABOURERS' FRIEND SOCIETY.

The 20th annual meetiny of Dorchester, Weymouth,
and Cerne district association for the Improvement of
the condition of the labouring classes, took place at the
Townhall, Dorchester, last Tuesday afternoon. The
show of vegetables, which was held in the Corn En.
change, was the smallest on record. ffeveral causes
operated to effect so untoward • result. First, a nil.
that persona having won a prise for • certain vegetable,
or honey, or bread ono year, cannot compete for the
same premium the following year, which the committee
justify on the ground that they found those living in
favoured localities as to soil and position annually
carried off the prises without giving • chance to others
equally industrious and skilful, but living in • neighbour-
hood where the soil was more unkindly. fiecondly,that the
season has been somewhat unpropitious, and the show
day was miserably wet. Thirdly, that there is some-
thing like lack of interest in the moiety, which J. F.
Hodges, Req., attributed to the want of • more
extended diffnaion of knowledge as to the character
and objetts of the society. Doubtless Mr. Hodges
hit the blot. The society is not sufficiently brought
Into public notice, and, without that, interest in it
must lansaish. For ourselves we absolutely knew
nothing of the fixture of the annual meeting till the
day before it occurred, when handbills were distributed
in the town, and there memo to be • 'mint of exeluaive-
nese about the Association of which partial interest in
Its operation,' lathe inevitable result.
The weather on Tuesday mainly occasioned doubtless
the dull spiritless aspect which distinguished the anal-
versu7 show and meeting, but it was really pitiable to
notice the comfortless bedraggled appearanc, of the
women and children exhibitors, who had trudged
through the rain and mire to the show, as they arowded
together around the doorway, and talked over in hushed
earnest tones their diaappointmenta that so many of
emir productions were labelled "disqualified, " and it
would almost seem that many of them were not
thoroughly acquainted with the terms of the competi-
tion.

Of the character of the prude shown ass whole, it
must be mid that it exemplified in • very gratifying
wanner the good result, of spade husbandry skilfully
and carefully employed, and we cordially congratulate
every exhibitor, for if the bulk of the produce of each
one who showed bears any comparison with hie sample
, he has moth muse to be gratified even though be failed
to gale a prise. Potatoes, of *ours., made • grand
I diaplay. In both Wiled and late vareties W. Palmer of
Lithebredy, gained the kW prizes. His dish of
tho
the early wort were thoroughly excellent, but in
late ones—. Crammer,," the eye, "N,
te ear thinking aadly too deep, and such ',haloes
would be wasteful la using. Toe Inks kidney.
though good, were mareely up to the 'tends:el of pre-
vious yews, but there was splendid digit of woes kidney
though unfortunately they mon in the disqualified
category. The onions were all good, and Little /I interne
took the principal hottours. Tw tliehes of the Tri-
poli sort, ne-trir as lerin Is gpabiail onions. wet shown
Irlinot for competition, by the Hew. T. P. BrOwn, of
ng. Beane and peas were of bet ordinary quality.
Piwlley, of Little klinterne„ took fleet prime for t
nips with •spleedid bunch of the " par* toeveriety, and he carried off • considerable number of prises f other produce. There was • good show of
cabbag:,
and the beads from Littlebredy and fitinsford were moth
meritorious. &instant was also most ruceemful In
poring parazips. The "sta of IA" was ropmented

lET COUNTY EXPRESS A

by nearly a dome immense loaves, which the judges
pronounced of excellent quality, and Stinsford has the
honour of producing the beet bread-maker.
At two o'clook, the annual meeting took plass in the
TownhaU, under the presidency of Lieut.-Col. Steward.
supported by Major Kiedereley (hon. me.), Colonel
Bingham' the Rev. C. W. Bingham, and the Na'. T. W.
Knipe. There were a few friends of the society present
in addition to the exhibitors.
The Paestum( T. after • few words Of 14010Iff tonalling
uolitnea for that position, which, ho had
been premed upon him, mid This II a very important
meeting in the history of the Asimeistion on behalf of
which w• are assembled ; it is the twentieth annieesary
from the foundation of the society, and I think we have
not far to look to discover what has been effected by it
since its formation under that excellent man—our late
President, the lamented Mr. Percher. No little good
has been done. It is true the society has worked with
very small merit; the subscriptions have. I am sorry
to say, rather fallen off during the past year or two,
end they &WOOn'. to a lem sum than 11 per parish
throughout this district. [Tito Association embraces 75
parishes.] This is truly a very small soul to average in
each ',Wieland parish, rich as many of the districts are,
and particularly one including the ineremingly wealthy
and populous places of Weymouth and Melconthe Regis.
The society is not one of those which distributes alma
to the poor man or to others without requiring an
equivalent in return; its tendency is to raise the work-
ing man in his own estimation, and in that of his family
and neighbonre ; and for every shilling, half-crown, or
pound given in premiums something is required. It is
• bargain between the public, repreeented by the com-
mittee of this society, and the competing labourers,
and the benefits are not confined to the recipients
of the premiums given, for it cannot be denied
that the man, woman, or child, who is a priae-
taker here, is • better member of society than such
as neglect to obtain anything of the sore Surely to
farmers alone this association must be • very great
advantages We may be confident that the man who re-
ceives a prize (for instance) for long service, cannot be
otherwise than a good workman, or his master would
not have kept him the length of time requisite to
entitle him to the prise. On the other hand, we may
be pretty sure, when we see • tidy clean cottage, in-
habited by tidy people. and with a tidy pie°e
of garden surrounding it, that the tenant is not
a man to be found in the publie-house on •
Saturday evening—his time is better employed
after working hours in his gerden and looking
after the welfare ,if his family. I, for my part,
should like to see the society able to extend its operations
to • very considerable extent. I think there are many
things for which prism might be offored that would
further tend to benefit working men and their families.
That however is beyond our object to-day. I must be
pardoned for saying that I should very much like to are
the subscriptions increased—which have fallen off, in
some cases through the death of many old friends,
whose subscriptions have not been replaced by new ones'.
I am not speaking of these present, for I believe nearly
all, if not quite all, are either subscribers or recipients
of prises; but I wish to speak through you to 3 our
neighbours and acquaintances, and I beg you not to
forget this society when you go home. It is one which
has not the advantages many others have in the way of
obtaining contributions. Missionary and other religious
societies have the advantage of appeals from the pulpit
to increase their means, but this is too secular an asso-
ciation for the pulpit to be made use of. I read in a
newapsper last week that there were no less than 30,000
tramps always on the move in England and Wales, and
that the sums they levy on the public are reckoned at
no less than a quarter of a million sterling per annum.
Let us supposes that those mistaken but kind•bouted
people who give 2.1., 3d., W., or is, to trainee when
they come to their doors, kept • little box labelled "Por
the Dorchester, Weymouth. and Cerne district usocia-
tion for the treproirenient of the oondition of the labour-
ing classes," and when such persons appealed to them
gave them • crust—l do not object to that—end put
the sum they would otherwise have given them into that
box. Such • system carried out to only • small extent,
would I believe raise the funds of the society consider.
ably, and I am quite sure the committee would very
soon find means of spending that additional money, and
even • much larger sum —(hear, hoar).

The Rey. C. W. BINGHAM said the preeent did not
look like one of thh labourers' isoprovement meetings,
and he believed the society would greatly suffer if they
had snob had weather at their anniversary meetings.
Ii had been quite remarkable how God had blessed the
society formerly by giving them fine days when the
shows were held, still he was quite sure that the present
exception wao not • thing about which they ought to
murmur; there were so many troubles in the world,
caused by moil's own sin and wickedness, which they
could help, that they ought not to repine when some-
thing oetrured, they had no control over, and "all the
Queen's horses and all the Queen's men" oould ,not
hove prevented the weather that day being bad. Ile
thought they should rather rejoioe that they had the
opportunity of meeting again, and that there was after
all so good • show, though he bad never seen so poor •
one for 20 years. Ile believed this had been caused in
some measure not only by the badness of the weather
but by the rule the committee had thought it wise to
adopt—and which Mr. Kindereeley said they must
adhere to—that renown who had recieved prises for
vegetables the previous year were not eligible to COM•
oleos with vegetables of the same description on that
occasion. He believed that some of their constant
exhibitors and prizernen had thus bees excluded, and
that would account for the smallness of the present
show. Notwithstanding the deficiency in quantity,
there certainly seemed to him in costing a cursory glance
around the tables to be no deficiency in quality, and he
wa, thankful for that. Under the circumstances he
would not make a very long speech, being unwilling to
stand in the way of the prise-takers reoeiving them and
getting as rapidly as possible to their home.. There waa
generally a grand thanking all round on those °cessions.
He was sure they ought to thank their President, for
he seemed to have shown hearty sympathy with the
society, though he was pressed into his office, and they
were not quite sure they should not try to get him in
the chair again. They must thank the ladies and gen-
tlemen present, who had come at some incionveuience to
themselves; and, he supposed, there was no harm in
thanking those who had stayed away foe their room—
(a laugh). Then their thanks were due to those who had
shown vegetable., and also to those who had not, because
they gave • better amain to the exhibitors. Then their
thanks wore duo to the ladies' committee, who had de-
cided on the merits of the interceding pieces of work in
the adjoining room, and likewise to the judges, who
underwent no inconsiderable labour going about visiting
the gardens and cottages of the competitors, very much,
he often used to think when he went himself, like
donkeys between two bundles of hay, feeling at a loss to
detetmine to which of two parties they would give a
prize. And there was one person more they mast thank
—their esteemed secretary, who was "the right man in
the right plate," "the round man in the round bole,"
and not in the square hole—one who bad worked very
hard, and who had proved himself in this reepeet, es in
many others, to be a worthy representative of that ex-
cellent man who founded the society, and watched over
it with such Interest and faithfulness many year.; he
was sure they all felt their special thanks were due to
Major Kindenley—(sear, hear).

Biger ICISIDMUILnT said: I feel deeply gratified by
the kind words of Yr. Bingham, and not leis by the
cordial reception you have given them, but, I ean
honestly saY, I do not deserve them ,• for in the first
place, the work is not so terrific as Yr. Bingham ham
indicated, but is coomparatively light, especially when,
after 300311 year' of handling it, one knows wherein the
difficulties consist, and how to shorten it; yet, were the
were the work ten-fold what it is, I can only say that
the kind ap; moieties' of this meeting, and the pleasure
I receive from it, would far more then repay roe for
that labour. But, in addition, I have pleasure at
finding that on the whole the society is progressing satin
factorily, and I have the further satisfaction of witness-
ing with those mho attend our yearly meeting the annual
concourse of prigernen. lam sure that no one can wh-
ores the exhibition we yearly present of the sun-buret
labourer coming forward here side by side with his
smiling child, to receive the expression of our apprecia-
tion of the merit which each of them in their own aphere
exhibit, but he must feel with me tbst such work as
this society entails is pleasant, and crave to share in its
labour. lam satisfied that the question of pleasure or
the reverse to be derived from work depends very much
on the result, to be obtained. I have known the
society for the last 14 years, and lam expressing
the opinion of others as well as my own in saying
that Its working In those perishes which have
connected themselves with it, has been unquestionably
advantageous to each one. I think it impossible but
that by the very feet of the Isbouret becoming connected
with and mixed up asnoopt his superiors in the admin-
istration of the Society he must derive some good; at
any rate he derives pleasing from the knowledge that
there are numbers deeply interested in his welfare and
glad to extend their hands in order to promote it,
and I think it adds • 'stimulus to the cultivation of
the sllotmeigt ground and all the other points in which
we endeavour to improve and entourage the labourer.
It surely brings • fresh meet and pleasure to him in the
cult' whim of his vegetables—his turnip*, his parsnips,
and his carrots, when they cease to be dimply • matter
of providing food and support for his family, but their
Is added to it the 'hoisting sense of sucessoful oompeti-
ition. It takes from the work • lugs portion of its
burden when you can add to it somethisig of pleasure
and Interest ; and in that dew I hold the labourer is •
benefited man, and when be gees into his cottage and
sees it looking so tidy, and clean, and orderly, he feels
proud to think that the merits of his "guile Ifs"w will
find appresiation and recogniden from *then than him-
self, and he glances with pride and sails/action to the
wall whereon hangs • cord which tells of that
merit. I might proceed to tall of the little oneosho
has brought home for the first time the prise
received here—of her joyousness and delight, but
I will say this at lead, that on such • young beast
swelling with exultation there is often left • mark for
good which is exhibited through life. Sorely this 61 a
meet to
pleasant Inducework,
r k atnod requiarry irtal litileßer 16° ire:J.-have 4a.
parted from the proper and eves routine of • seereterp;
let me turn to am or two points that reviles medilms•
tion and notice. In the first place, Mr. Binghain
referred to the result of the competition In clam B. lin
is possible that the season not being very Itret-rale lea
the growth of vegetable' has had something to do with'
lehnatre adopted,.The Pance
and cause
though a Pmbabi
the yis the rub
the smallness of ths show ; but it la not In quality self
,
we
understand it, but in quantity that the show is thi-
ficiprompt it may
in respect aaptpel4f7oloerflithq"nalm:beiytPari46Milli.ciwoahnliTellibe:ceLl''mlkdwmthinasitatlietuihtnliedwaalingilyeithuill befi
ways set themselves strongly on the side of free toads
have endeavoured ao: far as possible to avoid proteetione
because, se • rule, they have felt that where the sphere
Is sufficiently large protection is injurious and has
detrimental effect—(hear, hear). 'yh. committee took
that view, and they were very liniehz puor.thily
restriction on the competition, but, two
parishes were almost certain to get the me_. table
prises, we felt oompelled to tlip their a
little in order that the other perishes which .147g0t
into the habit of 'aping, " Its no use trying, such and
easels pefishes always Wl* the phase mighlbe induced
to say, 'Now ere will try to do our best." The effect
this year is that the old prise-taken have been ineligible,
and it seems that the others have not yet recegoleed the
virtues of the new arrangement, and have net owns to
take the prime open to them. But, even now, the dis-
tribution of prises has been far more uniform, and
extended over more parishes than heretofore, which, I
think, hitsas Arise, Ii clue C there he been yenr