The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-09-25 00:00:00

An applicati oa Will made for a billiard licause for
the CA*. Torero, Highatreet.—Grauted.

MISSIONARY SOCIETIES.

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

The sermons in behalf of this moiety were preached
on Sunday last, at St. Mary's Church, St. John's
Church, and Christ Church, the preachers being
the Lord Bishop of Huron, Rev. Stephen Coles,
and Rev. F. S. Bellamy.
The annual meeting was held on Monday evening,
in St. Mary's National Schools, when there was an
extremely large attendance. The Rev. J. H. Scott
occupied the chair, and wee supported on the plat.
for., by the Rev. Canon Stephenson (Si. John's), Rev.
D. B. R. Bauham (Broedwey), Rev. Stephen Coles,
and Rev. F. S. Bellamy (deputation.), and G. Eliot,
Esq. The proceeding. c mamma by singing • hymn
from the missionary hymn book, lifter which the Bev.
Canon Stephenson offered prayer.
Mr. G. ELIOT, in response to a call frau the CHAIR•
max, read the report of the Weymouth Branch of the
society for the past year, which showel that the total
receipts amounted to i 1358 14s. 51. ; the expenditure
to £4 lls. 91., and the amount remdted to
the parent society was MS 12.. 8 L He
(Mr. Eliot) th night it would b interesting to
some of their friends if he gave a small comparative
statement of what had been collected In past
years. lo 1877 they collected much about the same
as they had collected this year, the collections gradually
increased until 1879, when they had increased about
£lOO, for in that year they collectel the largest amount,
£438. He must mention that year they had had two
barge donations amounting to £159, but exclusive of
this they collected a large amount Eversince that they
had been dwindling down almost at the name rate
as they went up, until the past year, when he was
pleased to see they had gone up again a little. It was
net only in Weymouth there had been this falling off,
bat he was tarry to say in the whole county of Dorset,
for he found that during the past four yeers the
collections in the whole county had diminished about
quarter of what they were is 1879. He hoped people
would give this matter their serious consideration, and
endeavour to remedy it in the coming year. He would
just mention with regard to the church collections,
that four years ago they were Just twice the amount
they were on the previous day.
The CHAIRMAN said he was glad to know, even if
the collections had fallen off, that the sermon in St.
Mary's Church on the previous morning pro laced •
collection of five or six pounds more than the previous
year. All round the world the society's work goes on
and prospers. Those were the words with which the
society's report for the year lad ended, draws to •
conclusion. Those few words were full of encourage-
ment to them; all this work would go on and prosper
because it was God's work. It was their duty to
hasten on the completion of the Lord's work, and by
helping on such • society as this they were doing it,
sal remember that they were fighting the Lord's
battle, and that some day they would win, and
that some day the Lord's work would cover
the earth as the waters the see. The
work prospered in spite of every difficulty and dis-
appointment. The society was able to report a larger
amount of income during the past year than in any
previous year since the society was started. He
hoped that would stimulate them in Dorsetaleire, not
to get behind in the matter of subscriptions, hut to
go forward. Besides this the society was I. •ppy to
be able to state that it has extended It. sphere of
labour during the past twelvemonths— ,no •,.‘ v misel'n
In China, one in Persia, and °win.; to the tte.:orre of
British arms in Egypt, a comparativ'dy new mission
hal been started there, and also a number of smaller
missions. 'the total receipts of this society 'luring the
past year amounted to £21.7 211 9.. 81., an I the total
expsnilture to £219483 lls. 61,. this .11.. wed an
in,ream in the peat patrol £lO,OOO. (Apple,...) ifs
wished to imprem upon those pmeent that by .upport-
ing thil society they were helping forwsrd the Lord's
work, and that when a man gore • guava to that
'toed ty that be Wan not giving it to the Church
Missionary Society, but to helping forward Ow work
of the Lord amommt four hundred millions of
heathen. They most remember this was the work
of Christ; they must look at it in that light, and
remember what Christ bed done for them in Christian
England. If they looked at it in that light he
thought many of them would be humbled to the 'inst. ,
In these times of Intl lelity there w ,s no thought so
comforting as that was being done by such societies
as this. He hoped those in Donsetshire wonld rise to
the work of this society, and do all they c raid to help
on this glorious work. Applause.)
The Rev. STITHU COLCB, • returned missionary
from Candy, MY next called upon to addrers the meet.
log. In the mune of a very powerful and Interetting
address, he said there was an election g• dog on, and
there m.re three candidates for votes, and there was •
great difference in the number of votes o'dainal by
each one of them three candidates. The three candi-
dates were—Bhudda, Mahomet, and Jams Christ. and
the voters were the inhabitants of the world. Who
had the most voters at present' The voters for
Bhudda were five hundred millions ; for Mahomet,
one hundred and seventy-three millions; and for Joints
Christ, one hundred and thirty-five millions of
Protestant Christians. Now, they were there that
night to consider what should be done. They wanted
to alter three numbers ; they wanted their 1...1 and
Saviour to have all the votes; and they wanted to do
all they could to bring that about. He had si oot •
!somber of years trying to effect this. He hal epent
many years In the midst of Bhuridism ; he bad laboured
In Candy, Ceylon, where the Bhuddists had a great
temple. cells I the Temple of the Holy Tooth lie
wanted them to know something about this
religion ; he knew a good deal about it, but it had
taken him • great raspy years to get to understand—
they would understand what • laur it was when he
told them that their scriptures were forty tint's the
size of the Holy Bible, and written in &dead language.
At the time when Bhudda lived the people all believed
that when they died their spirits passed into the bodies
of animals. Bhudda, who was • king's son, knew that
this was false, but could not find out what became of
their spirits after death. So one night he left his wife
and and and went wane distance 10 • tree
under which be est for eix years, wing to soles the