The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-03-05 00:00:00

BLANDFORD.

TEMP MUM, PINNY RI•DINGS. —The encomia
which has generally sttended am penny readings in
conneetion with the Working Men's Club, has iedneed
the friend' of the tempeesnos mune in this town to make
sise 4 the same kind of agency in spreading the
principles which they profess, and this plan has been
&Handed with considerable sows& on Monday last
the third of the niries was given in the Towohall, aid
attracted • full house. The chair was taken by Mr.
Lorena. The pieties selected were temPerance
aneedotes, written with a view of 'hewing the daueers
which beset the moderate indulger in intoxicating
drinks, the sad wreaks in families maned by drink, and
the benefits eccruing to thne who entirely abstain from
their use. The traders were Mr. H. Hodges, Mr. J.
H. Bartlett, Me. Cooper, end Mr. J. Brown. The braes
band of the society played a selection of music in •
very creditable manner.

lleuatotra Team' &clam —The annual meetings
on whoa of th• London Religion. Tract Society were
held le the Town Hall, B andford on Tuesday lut.
Tim art meeting took place at stn... .Anon and wee
vary thinly atramdsrd. The Bev. J. It gook cobbled,
non than ware also present oa tb• platform, the Rev.
B. Gray (lodeperdent). Mr. A. & Hodges. Mr. H. F.
Fisher, and the deputation. the Rev. p. j.
Prayer having been offered by the chairman, he onnind
int upon Mr. A. S. Hoe's to address the meeting, who
said cbri•tioi friends —We ars met together once more
In hear from Mr. Balm the work which the Religious
Tract Society has aecouiplished during another year.
The deputations which nave visited us from year to
year have bean amorally so full of interesting informa-
tion, that it hardly bemuses nearmary for soy mot Si-
lo address the meeting. He was rare they would all
join with hint in welcoming Mr. &airy again among
them- (livers). The chairman then Wirer 'Boded to
the great value of nob a society as the Religious Tract
Society the present d•y, obeli Id or!' s,rnr we.
mind both onong the church end other relive.' bodies,
It seemed as though Satan knew that his reign on earth
could not last long, for he appeared to he
striving bard to maintain his power over the souls ol
men, either by the revival of thane errors which Fr•-
veiled In years gone by, or on the other hand by those
rationalistic doctrines which would undermine the
truth of God'. word. It was the duty of every man, no
matter In what position of life be wee placed to stand
forth and uphold the simple truth. as they were
aware a meeting had lately been held in Dorchester to
protest against the errors which had been introduced
into the amok, sod he could not do better than quote
the words of the noble lord who lived in their immediate
neighoourbool—" Rvery man must put his shoulder to
the work and stand by the kteformaUou and Bible
principles.* The religions tract society wm founded on
tnoee onetples, and was entitled to their warms.%
succort. He than called upon the Rev. P. J.
&dory to address th• mooing.— Mr. &am
expressed his intention of confining his remarks
to two special objects which the society had in
view at the preseat time. The Brat was, that to which
he alluded last year, namely the pahliciatioo I a oom
mentary of the Holy Berlpthres for India He then
stated that the oressat time we. one peculiarly favour
able for the work, and Indeed for the dieeenlinatiort of
scriptural truth throughout India. The terrible famine
whirl had visited • podia° of that ocientry bad been
tha means of awakening in the minds of the people •
desire to know the truth. They followed the mission.
arks, saying, toash as about goer God, for we
lad that our gods axe of no ems. And spin

very many of the natives were beginning to glee op
Geste, that great laiodranos to the progress of truth in
that counts,. In the city of Delhi alone 5.000 young
men had lately renounced ; they were not
Chriatians, kelt expressed their wish to reed Hoses works
which the society issued. This was the result of
education, cod how could they meet this demand bat
threnah the pre.. Doting the pest year the greet
made by the society to India had been larger then in
any previous year, but all this was pr liminary to the
great work which the society contemplated. Tb.s wee
the publication i 1 an Annotated Commentary of the
Bible in the verb'''s dialects of India. For stony years
Peat this subject bad been forced upon the committee's
attention by missionaries and learned men. and was
first brolight under their notice by Sir Henry Lswreoo..
The meeker thee pea the reasor-s which ind. ced the
committee to undertake the work, lat, it was needad ;
End, the BAle Society could not undertake it, as
according to their rules the Bible without comment
could only be published by those; 3rd, the Religious
Tract Satiety was ssiestarisa ; 4th, the present English
Annotated Bible was used end approved of by all
sections of the Christian Church. Tie committee
intended to take their present annotated edition a. the
basis for the wink, and it would be prepared in England
and sent out to the missionaries in India for trenslatioo
into tonna of the dialects ant. lhe cost was
estimated at Dom £15.000 to I:20,001, and this
moat be raised without intruding on the
ordinary revenue of the. aociety. The neeeseity for
immediate acacia wan then ^Averted to by the spealreir
on account of th•spread of infidelity among thaw who
bad given up caste. The interest o those resident in
India that this work should be aceompliebed was
shown from the feet that • resident gentlemen there
had given £5OO, and promised to eontinue the same
yearly till the work was aocoaaplish.A. In addition to
this great work the society had another epecial claim on
their Christicn siympathy end aid. As they were awete
S great International Exhibition was to be held in Paris
ibis year. In that specioue building tlai Society had
secured • place next to that of the British and Foreign
Bible Society, to •thibit all the different works pub-
Ratted by it from its emoutencement, and not only ao,
but to every one leaving the exhibition • religious tract
would be given by men eniplosed for that porpoise. In
a building directly opposite the Emperor's reception
room it hat been arrauged that sermons should be
rreasshed every day the one half by olergymen of the
Church of England, •nd the other by Noooonformist
ministers, reheated for the purpose, and at the conclusion
of the service it had been arranged to dish ibute to those
attending snob services &recta. To meet the extra outlay
• awn of not less than £lOOO would be required. The
rev. eentleman after some (other masks on the in,
portance of these two schemes, referred to the wonder.
fol increase of newspapers and aerials, stating that he
earl from • gentleman in sothority that in 1831, the
number of newspapers sold was 38,648000, last year it
was 208,482,400. This showed to what an extent the
reading powers of the country bad risen. Again tie
number of weekly end monthly serials ems in 1831
400,000; last year they amounted to 46,0(4, 850., The rev.
gentle so •n concluded by sheering hew neeeneary it was that
the general operations of tie society ehould be main.
tsined se efficiently se they had ever been. The Rev.
B. Gray, in no earnest end finent speech, pointed out
the imperative neeessity of providing not only pleasin.t
hot pure litersture for the people, end stroogly pressed
upon all the date of maintaining in all their simplicity
the awed trui he of G. d'e word. After • few conclud-
ing remaiks from the Cbsirman the Desoto', emitting.
The evening ',net*" commenced at seven o'clock, sod
wee attended by a larger mid" no. then et the afternoon
meeting. Tie chair wits taken by A. 8. Hodge.,
Esq. Mr. Seffery gave • very interesting account
of the good ecoonanlished in the cholera districts
by the diffusion of religious treat., and of the
total absence of fear by the Christian blends who
vieited them. Alluding to the argument that the
distiibution if tritests tutus away the mind from the
word of God. Mr. Raffia, raid his own experience was
coulter, to HIS, and compared the distribution of tree.is
to the honey:bied which by its instinct attracted
t llers to the hooey in the rooks. The most simple
truth wan able to save • soul by the power of the Holy
Writ. Mr. Eaffery ironclad, dby atoll's, that the
society would grant El worth of tracts for 7s. fid. for
free distribution, and if 'sorties were too poor they gave
a free grant. They were printing • large number of new
tracts, about 70 per year. Libraries for schools were
&leo /ranted et • small cost. After •few suitable remarks
by the Clt•irman. the meeting closed. The oullectioes
amounted to £5 13e. Yd.