The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-08-08 00:00:00

IRISH SOCIETY.

Under the auspices of this old-established organisa-
tion, which hoe for Re aim the promotion of Scriptural
loserusaion and religious education amongst the Irish
population, and in many cases through the medium of
Unit own Owitanfer milling was held at the Aling-
ton Hall on Monday evening. There was • good
attendance. The chair was °porn:6l4*d by the Rey. T.
W. Knipe, who was ea by the de
from the parent society, e Rev. T. Keene, Cla".tit
F. Powys, curate of St. Peter's, and the Rev. C. P.
Sherman, Hebrew Christian and Missionary Designate
at Obestantbsople.
• hymn was sung, and the Rev. C. F. Powys having
Wired Flyer,
The OlialanaX made a few opening remarks la
refersooe to the good and holy work which this
society, under God's guidance, has taken in hand.
He hed looked forward to this meeting for some time,
and it afforded him not a little pleasure to be on the
platform that seeping ; he was cure they were all
to listen to what Kr. Keane had got s. oat
Merered .u..... We were asked every day—and eve.,
the terrible event. I. Kg, p% • .1•0 question
of its interest —" What's to be done for Ireland?"
The rev. gentleman *amused his opinion that the
sweesat Government had not altogether done their
ikelly Is Ireland; but he did not wish to imply that if
the Conservatives had been in power they would have
dome better. What ought to be done was what the
Irish society was doing. (Applause.)
The Rev. T. Kam observed that Ireland has
ensupied more public attention for some years past
Shea perhaps any other country in the world. In
a,llesaent, at public meetings, and in the pipes
Deland has been an inexhaustible and openhanded
topic. So much has been said that people are growing
weary of the subject. Unhappy Ireland has been
twice' sad overdoes, sad some may say done to rags,
mad now the pot is tootling over. The Dish question
to the English people was not of to-day, yesterday, or
of a eentney sgo, but of centuries, and now, through
mime, of one idnd and another, the condition of
Ireland we. without parallel in the history of the
world. The speaker said both political parties In the
notweption of the Irish dieing) were erroneously alike,
and they were there to-night to act the
W history
yl Use good Samaritan. Going back into the
of the unfortunate island, he remarked that
Ireland TOO years ago was independent politically of
England and religiously of Rime. She
the power of the Primitive Church, whiclxmc.o7driels-
ponded in every repot to the Protestant faith. She
was then distinguished for peacefulness, piety, and
learaing—et that period Ireland was the seat of
learning forth, whole of Europe. England was under
Roman Catholicism. Henry 11. went over to Ireland,
subjugated sod made it subject to England politically,
and to Rome religiously and spiritually. From that
day to this—ever since England did that—lre-
land has been distinguished for disloyalty,
discontent, and disorder. Men hare been
brutally murdered, women and children have been
cruelly ill-treated, and • briiiit future ruthlessly
Idestroyed.a Many remedies have been tried, but they
lfailed. The sword has been tried, and, when
wielded with • firm hand, it has protected the lives
and property of the people; but it is not right that
the sword of power of the Government elanild be
uplifted with an unsteady hand; when held by • firm
hand the Irish would know how to take it. The only
regenerating power for the heart of • nati in was the
knowledge of the Word of God. There was this to be
said of Ireland, that their teachers—the Roman
Catholic pelage—who should have led the people
aright, have not done so; and they were now found to
be preachers of sedition and disloyalty, and encouragers
of dishonesty. Discontent, disloyalty, an I all the
evils of Ireland could be traced to ice artile, common
source, namely to their religious system, mei as •
proof of this statement the rev. gentleman contrasted
the large extent of crime committed in some portions
of the country inhabited mostly by adherents to the pre-
dominant religion, and the comparatively small amount
where Protestants were the stronger. The absence of
the true knowledge of God and of His Word was the
source of the evil, and it was to remedy this that the
Irish Society was established and had Laboured. This
was the only society that ha 1 for its object to teach
the people to read the Bible in their own language,
and they found if they wished to do much for the
spiritual welters of the people they mast approach
taa in their own language. Since the society had
been established 19 churches load been built, several
enlarged, and no fewer than 200,000 persons had
peeled the inspection as having learnt to read God's
Woed in their own tongue. While thanking the
people of Dorcheeter.lin oonclusion, for their support in
Has- put 30 years. he hoped for help in the future.
The Rev. C. P. Swzamar proposed a vote of thanks to
the chairman and the deputation, and the meeting closed
with the Benedictioa.