The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-08-08 00:00:00

ARMY SORIPTURE RE WERT AND SOLDIERS'
FRIEND SOCIETY.

A public meeting in aid of the above society was held
in the Town Hall, on Friday afternoon, at throo o'clock,
when Colonel Pitcairn, secretary of tho society attended.
The chair wee taken by the Rev. It.ginald Smith, who
was supported by the following ministers and gentle-
men :—Rev. F. W. Pears, Rev. IL Motile, Rev, H.
Everett, lisle C. W. Binghara, Colonel Bingham, R.
Eliot, Esq., ko., &a There was a good attendance.
Prayer having been offered by the Rev. E. W. Pears,
The CHRIRIIAN said he had received • letter from the
Rev. O. J. Bird, who, in consequense of absence from
home, was unable to be present. A short time Sine.) a
friend bad asked him (the Chairman) what sooieties
_are eapporled i. DoL,Asoosno, and lie hut replied, oil
but, in making that assertion, he felt that ho hid erred,
as there had never been a public' meeting held in Dor-
chester till that day in aid of the Army SciLituro
Beaters' and Soldier.' Fi het I S ociety. But why, lie
would ask.had that Society been,oluittell 11.1 not our
soldiers and sailor, a strong claim on our sympathy, and
was there any class that had • stronger claim He felt
they were greatly indebted to Mrs. Bingham, through
whose exertions that meeting had been called, mil who
had ever evinced the strongest ioterest in the soldier'.
welfare. The soldier had • peculiar claim —he was cut
off from many advantages, and at the same time exposed
to temptations ; he was deprived of home influence—
than which none was stronger; many • young man had
been deterred from evil actions by the thought
of what loving parents would think of him ; arid
many • soldier on the battle field had been stirred
to deeds of daring by the &sire that his name might
be seen by loved ones at home. Our soldiers were
not as some would have us believe, mere fighting
machines; and it should be our en loavour to
keep them pure in mind and body. An Indian chief,
once speaking of British soldiers, said, if they were
his men he ,would have them carried on elephants—
theylshould not fight at all—so strong was his admira-
tion of them as regarded their physical deportin int.
But we must remember that they had immortal souls,
that they were capable of being easel to hi true
Christian men, on an equality with angele—sed it was
our duty to send among them good men that
they may tell them of the love of Christ, and
of His mercy towards them. This was the work
this society had set Beef to aocomplish —it was not a
sectarian society—it desired only to draw the fall .n
soldier from the devil's ranks and from those debasing
vices which ruin him body and s.ul, and to set him in
the path which loads to pea.o and happiness—
(applause).
The Rev. C: W. BINGHAM said he felt he was stand-
ing before them that day to obey the commands of One
who hada right to command. From Vie reports of
this socilety, he felt satisfied that a good work was
being carried on among our soldiere and sailors; that
that work was in amenelenee with Vie tree spirit of the
Gospel; and he felt somewhat ashamed that they lead
not assisted the society before. When he was a young
US= people looked upon soldiers as hopeless; that they
were beyond the reach of the Gospel, but lie was
thankful that such was not now the case, and that it
was admitted that the knowledge of Christ should be
sent to them. If we looked at our Bibles we
should find that religion wes for soldier/I, amongst
whom wore some of the most illustii ,u. characters.
Look at Joshua, that honoured man of Gol ; then
there were the oentarioes, spoken of in the New Tes-
tament. Brit, coming to our own times, let them
remember Hadley Vicars, Ilivelock, Lawrence, and
others., who had so nobly seaward our country in the
hour of need, end to whom tie suppression of the
Indian mutiny was in no small degree attributable.
Ile was struck the other night by a remark he heard
that Ragland owed her success mainly to the fact that
she was the grand upholder of the cross of Christ
among the nations of the world; no society bad done
more to spread the knowledge of God amongst our
soldiers and sailors than the one they were now con-
'Adoring, and they should therefore support it. Before
he Sat down he would remind them of the tees ron
isa WWI armies Christian MO were
found, but more particularly so in the German —an
incident he had heard would serve as an illustration :
As Prince Frederick William of Prussia, WAS one day
passing an hospital, whilst bombs were flying in all
directions, he hoard some one engaged in preyer,and on
quietly entering he saw • wounded German with a
copy of the Psalms in his hold, and heard him say to
his medics) attendant " 1 sir, those beautiful
words ' In the day of trouble I will call upon thee.' "
The speaker cionelmied by urging upon thoso present
to do all they could to help the society, and re.uinded
them that it was not alone •in time of war,
but in time of paa:o that the soldier needed the help
of his Christian brethren. He hoped they would all
become reeruits in the society that very afternoon—
(applause).
Colonel PITCAIRN said this was the first time he had
addressed a Dorchester audience, and he would be as
brief as he could. This society Woe origin at.!a in 1818,
and held on till the Crimean war in 1851, when two
missionaries were sent to the Crimea; at use end of
that war in 1857, reorganisation and improvemement
was contemplated; a meeting was held in June, 1855,
for that purpose, and in 1859 the two societies now
represented were amalgamated, arid had so continued
till this time. There were now 57 Scripture readers
on the list of the Society, of whom 21 were abroad
and the remainder at home. In the year 1470.71,
58,611 visits had been mule to the soldiers, of
which 15,882 had been to the sick and dying.
Th 3 Scriptures had been road 41,918 times,
Bible class meetings held 6,885, traets and hooks
distributed 1e9,808, exclusive of 30,030 Soldiers'
Almanacks, Before Scripture teeters were appointed
by the Society, they underwent • most searching exam-
inetion, and had to answer strict questions as to their
anteeedonts, Ate. The sosiety's publication, The British
Flag and Christiaa &Wind, was particularly adapted
to the soldier, and had ever been welcome in the barrack.
room, the oamp, and the hospital. This publication was
never issued till it had received the approval of the
OhsplabaGeneral. What this Society wants to do, he
should tell them by the following extract, "It wants to
do a muoh greater work for Christ. It wants to leave
no gm:risen. no camp. without • Scripture reader, no
library without the Bible, and an ample supply of
religious publisations. It wants to increase the preterit
number of Scripture Readers from 61, till the above
necessities are fully provided for, and towards that end
It wants to rouse the dormant enarelee of every lever of
his country, to help by his prayers, his influence, and
his contributions this great and blessed work. It wants
to kindle in every County and Shire in the United
Kingdom that spirit of Christian sympathy which wIU
endue large additions to the funds of the Society; in
establishing an Auxiliary In all the pH/wiped tortes. and
In enabling the ownsaiteee to send to every Station an
earnest and approved Satpura Reader, It appeals to
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