The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-05-29 00:00:00

DoucnasTEß.

Tits COUNTY 11ORTI0NLTURAL SOLTEIT.—We are
glad to be able to announce that the forthcoming ex.
hibition of this society promises to be a great success. ;
The exhibition of bees, fcc.. will be a new and in. i
teresting feature, and the presidency of Lord Alington
cannot fail to lend an erkit to the meeting. Mr. Alfred ,
Pope, who has no cordially promoted the interest of
the society in his position of secretary, will furnish all
particulars.
THI ANNUAL meeting of the Royal Masonic Benevo-
lent Institution for Aged Yreemasons and Widows of
Freemasons washeld on Friday last at the Freemasons' ,
Hall. After the preliminary business was transacted
the brethren proceeded to the election of candidates,
each male annuitant receiving 4.:40 for life, and each
widow £32 during widowhood. Out of a list of 33
male candidates 29 were elected, and we are pleased to
hear our townsman, John Lovelace, was one of the
successful candidates, being ninth on the list. We
understand Bro. John Loveliwn is the oldest member
of the Lodge of "Faith and Unanimity," No. 417,
having been initiated in 1835.
We Reran our readers to Messrs. Poole and Young's
advertioment in another column of their proposed
visit to Dorchester, with their Panoramic entertainment.
Speaking of their exhibition, the Tima says
" Nothing so perfecto( its kind has ever been produced.
The effects of light and shade and perspective are
literally. magical: they are more like transcripts of
nature in the sterescope. enormously magnified, and
coloured with a skill beyond the reach of art than
actual works of the pencil ; the surface of the water
and the shadows in its depths are both exquisitely
given, and how so much delicacy has been preserved on
such a scale of magnitude is difficult to conceive—
certainly, the effect is impossible to describe."

- --
FORDINGTON BENEFIT CLUB ANNI-
V ERS A RY
Started Nome fifteen years ago, this excellent parochial
society has continued on its steady course, slowly but
surely adding to its members and funds and now has
to its credit in the Dorchester Savings' Bank, the sub-
stantial sum of over £4OO. This is small compared
with some of the other societies, hut it must he borne
in mind that this is purely a local society, and as such,
its members are comparatively few. It has been
otwtomary to celebrate its anniversary on Whit Tues-
day and this event came off on Tuesday as usual,
the whole proceeding., testifying that the interest in
Use society is unabating. The hells of the parish
church
.rang merrily during the day, and the flag

flo:ted from the tower.
Aseembling at the school room at 4.30, the members
walked in procession to the parish church, being headed
by a couple of wand bearers, and accompanied by the
Rev. M. F. 'Evans, Rev. W. C. Osborn..Mr.R. Hunt,
. Mr. A. Peace (hon. secretary), &c., and each
member wearing a rosette. In the unavoidable absence
of the president of the eociety, and the vicar of the
parish (the Rev. If. Moule) who has been nuffering
from illness for ftome time, the Rev. W. C. Osborn
preached the anniveretry sermon, taking as his text
Luke x, 2T," Who is my neighbour."
After the service a public tea was held in the Par.'.
room,which had been very tastefully decorated for the
occasion. The tables had been supplied and fixed by
Mr. G. J. G. Gregory, and Mr. Harris, of The
Nurseries, had sent a number of choice plants, which
adorned the tables. The capacious room wag taxed to
its utmost resources, every available space being filled
by between 300 and 400 persons who had assembled to
"drink tea." There were 30 trays and the ladies who
presided had a very busy time of it. There names
were Motile. Miss B. Lock, Mrs. A. Groves,
Mrs. A. Lock, Mrs. Northover, Mrs. Case, Mrs. .1.
Harris, Miss Allardyce,iMiss J. Miller. Mims Orchard,
Mrs. Tilley, Mrs. W. Galpin, Mrs. Coffin, Mies Lock.
Mime Lancaster, Miss B. Pearce, Mr..J. Galpin, Mre.
R. Hunt, ?dies Harvey, Mric Ling, Miss Beardmore,
Mies Damon, Mrs. Orchard, Mr& Thomas, Mr.. J.
Mitchell, Mrs. C. Frampton, Mrs. C. Phila.], Mrs.
Hunt, Mr.. Wills, and Mrs Mallandaine. Unnng
the tea the choir under Mr. H. Norman, who accom-
panied on the harmonium, sang several pieces in a very
creditable manner.
The public meeting wax held in the same room, and
was presided over by the Rev. M. F. Evans, curate of
the parish, this being the first time the president of
the society had been prevented attending since the
formation of the society. Mr. Evans, in commencing
the proceedings, said it would be scarcely necessary
for him to gay how much their president wasvi
them in heart that evening- it was tie first time be
had been absent. Ile was, however, with them both
in sympathy, in heart, and in mind. They were all
very
thankful that he had been somewhat restored
an d had again been permitted to take part in the
service of the church. He (Mr. Evans) felt it very
hard work to supply his place, but he wars very thank-
ful that although the president was not able to attend
SO many had met together to chow their sympathy
with the Fonlington Benefit Society. (Applause.)
This was a society which has grown from small
numbers to its present state. Time WY when they
thought it a great thing to have that room only partly
filled—now, though much enlarged, it had been taxed
to its utmost. The benefit members had also grown by
degree*, and he thought it only required a few points
to be known to make it grow still more and more.
The first was as to the sick pay—this had now been
increased from On. per week for nix weeks to Se. per
week for 12 week., after that period half-pay WAS
allowed for as long am the member remained ill. In
case of a member dying the cunt formerly paid
amounted to about Ed—this ham now been raised to
£5, and as the members increase this will also in-
crease, a. all the members contribute towards this
fund an equal win. It might be argued that this wan
a small MUILI compared with the payments by larger
societies, but it was, practically speaking, enough. Mr.
Evans then dilated upon the advantages of belonging
to such • club, and urged all to a united effort to
seek each others temporal and spiritual welfare.
Mr. T. A. Pearce then read the annual report from
which we make the following extracts :
" So bitle have I to report of a new or striking nature in
the condition of the Fordington ' United Benefit' Society
that I might tontine myself to the short statement that,
SA regards niemhers, funds, and the like, we are in nearly
the same position as when last I had the pleasure of
addressing you. Last Whitsuntide we numbered 44
benefit members ; this year we have grown to It. Two
have left our society, and four have joined it. Happily no
removal by death has occurred thia year; that into say, no 1
benefit member of the society has been cslled to die. Two
of our members, however, who, entering under a certain
rule of our society, were entitled to receive some benefit
on the death of their wives, have been left widowera
Strangely enough the number of members who have been
ill during the past twelvemonths, and therefore in receipt
of sick pay, is the same as last year —via, seven—and,
although the sum paid on that account is somewhat in
excess of our u,ual paynient, in consequence of the pro-
longed illness of some of our members, yet I am pleased to
say that the funds of the society were in a position to bear
the extra demand. This I shall be able to prove directly.
In the honorary subscriptions I have a slight decrease to
announce. This year they stand at .Cl 4 16s. 6.1., while the
year before they brought us £144.. The deposit in the
Saving Bank has now swollen to the solid sum of
£4106.. 7d.—• figure large enough to make us realise that
the money position of the society is thoroughly good and
sound. Notwithstanding the unusually heavy demand
upon us for sick pay, which I mentioned just now, we
have added to our deposit during the past year a much
larger sum than unial—.CM 15 Sd., against £lB of the year
rao.aling. The report then referred to the loss the society
had sustained in the death of Dr. Robinson, and cordially
welcomed Dr. Norton as his successor. The illness of the
esteemed president of the society was also feelingly
alluded to, and the report was concluded by the Secretary
expressing the hope that next year a even more satisfactory
statement would lie laid before them."
The Rev. W. Riarres was then asked to read some
of his favourite "Dorset Poems." Before doing so he
made afew excellent remarks an to the advantages to
be derived from joining is friendly society, and gave
some good advice. He then read several pieces, and
was loudly applauded. We have seldom heard our
old Bard to greater advantage, or in better voice, and
the Chairman, in answer to a remark of the rev, poet,
said it would be a long time before Mr. Barnes would
grow stale among them.
The Rev. W. C. Chums then addressed the meet-
ing, wishing the society every prosperity, and express-
ing the pleasure he felt in meeting them.
Mr. R. HUNT said he had very reluctantly yielded
to the request of Mr. Evans to say a few words. He
wail glad to see such • highly respectable company,
and hoped the tea had afforded inward and entire
satisfaction, unlike the tea which had displeased an
elderly lady of his acquaintance, who complained of its
being boiled to death. (Laughter.) Mr. Hunt ex-
pressed a hope the club, which was purely local,
would receive continued support and encouragement.
It was, he said, a most excellent and prosperous
society. As one of the auditors he knew it had £4OO
invested in the Dorchester Bacs' Bank. It was, he
believed, 15 yews old, and a good reserve fund in the
bank was eseentiaL
The Rev. Climaxes( then reed what he termed "A
Message from Cambridge." It was a speech by the
Rev. H. C. G. Motile, who was unable to he present,
and who wrote as he said from his College Home. The
address was in Mr. Moule's, now no well-known,
lanice and was listened to very attentively.
ppy meeting was brought to a close by a few
remarks from the Rev. G. E. Mottle, who thanked one
and all for the assistance given at the tea and in other
ways, and concluded by pronouncing the benediction.
those who attended the tea or meeting, we
olUerZthe Rev. G. K Moule and family, Rev. W.
Barnes and party, Rev. J. G. FAwards, Colonel
Oldfield, Dr. Norton, Rev. W. C. Osborn, Rev.
Horatio Moule, Miss Campbell, Mrs. Hayne, Mr. W.
Galpin, Mr. W. Dixon, Mr. R. Hunt, Mrs, and the
Mine* Evans, Mr B. A. Hogg, Mr. H. Ling, Mr.
C. G. Ramsey, and many others.

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