The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-10-29 00:00:00

Alorset Count (Express.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 29.12.

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

At the Exeter DioollllAl Conference, weepers,
"animated and interesting" discussions hags taken
place on the subject of preaching. On Wednesday
Lb. members debated the topic of extempore PuiPii
harangues, and • proposal to constitute so order of
voluntary lay helpers who should preach in churches
and perform all clerical duties except the administra-
tion of the secramente. The point was referred to the
committee, but written sermons were tremerslly con-
demned. and extempore preaching recommends& On
this subject much may be said, for in truth every
hearer has his own notion of what constitutes a god
sermon. Hence it is absurd to pass a weeping censure
on & particular mode of preaching, and to declare
ex cathedra that another mode is everywhere right.
There are men who CAD talk by the hour on religion
in • gentle stream of common-place which lolls the
hearer to soporific contentment, but does little elm
Others may produce no better result although they
tear • passion to tatters, for, unluckily, the volume of
sound convey' no spe4al Dense, and the rant haa not
even the merit of being original, since it is only a re-
petition of long-familiar appeals which affect nothing
but the ear Specimens of these mar be found in any
street preacher, and it is difficult for an intelligent
man to believe that they do good. But the pulpit la
not a stranger to this for then are Ritualist aa well as
Methodist preachers to whom vain repetitions appear
to have all the necessary efficiency, if only they are
bellowed from the lunge of • Stentor. As • rule, then,
it will be found that the carefully composed and artis-
tically uttered sermon is the one which tells, exalt
in some instances, so rare that they need hardly
considered. Spur:eons are as scarce as Widt•fields,
and ordinary men should not strut in • vain imitation
of these powerful original,. We 'suspect the Devon-
shire folks would won tire of constant extempore
sermons, and it is certain that no clergy would submit
to be fettered by the hard-sad-fast line in this matter.
Whether lay helpers could be got in sufficient faro, to
preach. as well as to read the lesions le not =tiro
say. There are many laymen both gifted and
and their sermons would occasionally have a freshman
which the jaded intellect of the parson could not dl.-
play. The clergy would, however, as • rule, object;
It is rare to see laymen allowed to officiate even at the
reading-desk; and there would always be • risk of
scocentric representations of doctrine and morality.
at the hands of men who had no special training'
Otherwise, and in exceptional came, sermons by lay
men would be • beneficial innovation.

A few nights since some DI the artieten performing
an opera at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, sang in
English and others in Italian. This was owing, it is
intimated, to the chief of Om company not having
provided • sufficient number of singers in accordance
with his engagement The audience must have been
highly amused with the entertainment. At any rata,
the canny Scots did not appreciate a Ilieril opera,
and the UAW* had afterwards to be cte

Share Ali has a favourite captain who is a native of
Ireland. O'Donnel J. his name, but by some Eastern
It has been changed to Hussein. He wail
rids'erly • sergeant in the 87th Fusiliers, but he
misbehaved himself and was reduced to the ranks.
He is a man of greet strength, and was the only
European in India able to throw every notice wrestler
opposed to him. He is reckless and daring, end now
commands the Afghan cavalry in the Candahar
district.

Much of the wood used for making the ea-celled
Briar-pipes is derived, it appears, from Cornaies.
The White Heath, or Brayer., of which Brier le •
corruption, grows in great luzurianos and vary
abundantly among the trees and shrubs which form
what is called the " hfarrittis " covering the mountain
sides In the course of the last few years, since Briar-
root pipes have become such • large article of trade,
the Heath trees have become • source of • lucrative
Industry. The roots are dug up and cut into rough
forme of t dlacco-pipes by circular saws worked by the
water•power of the mountain streams. The pieces
when cut up are sent in sacks to France, and then,* to
America to he eventually manufactured into "Briar.
root "pipes.

Sir Stafford Northoote haring finished his "stump"
in this Midlands, the Home Secretary is to be des-
patched on • similar errand into Scotland The ama-
sses understands that Mr. Cross is to be " invited " to
attend • demonstration by the Conservative Working
Men's Association in Edinburgh on the occasion of his
promised visit to look into ths altars of the Register
BOUM.

The English presidenta of juries at the Paris
Exhibition are not to be allowed to accept the
decorations offered them for their services. It seems
monstrous Lord Lyons should have it In his power to
perpetrate au h • bit of red-tape surliness.

The Deity New on Wednesday, isi an account of
a fire M which • fi.eman was injured, gravely tells its
readers "several of the small bones of the thigh are
said to be broken."

A sensational story comes from Canada. The
Toronto Globe reports a rumoured Fenian plot to
kidnap the Marquis of Lorne and the Prinoees Louise.
It Ls stated that two cruisers are being fitted out at •
loot between New York and Martha's Vineyard to
capture the Marquis and his wife from the steamer in
which they wail for Canada. Presuming they capture
the illustrious travellers, it would be interesting to
know what the Fenian* would do with them.
There has just been completed at Widnes, in
Lancashire, what is believed to be the largest covered
reservoir in the kingdom. It has occupied two years
and • half in construction, having been begun on the
16th of April, 1876. The ttal mat. Including the
nude. attached to it, amounts to over £lO.OOO. Widnes
Ls a manufacturing town of about 22.000 inhabitanis
and the water. •upply is under the control of the Local
Board of Health. A very large quantity of water is
required for manufacturing purposes. The length of
the reservoir is 330 ft ; the width, 240 ft. ; the depth
at time .4 over6ow, 22 ft 3 in.
Half the worries of life c me from our servitude to
other people's opinions. If we could be contented
with our own content we should get on well enough,
but we cannot satisfy ouroslves with anything in
which we think that other peple may find for
criticism, and so we fret ourselves with striving
, towards • common standard. and are mortified and
, initiated at deficiencies wh4h, in our true selves, we
might rate no loss if not • gain. Our mode of life,
our clothing, our dwelling-place., our households, our
furniture, our meals, even what we especially call our
luxuries and our comforts, are little measured to our
I own need, and liking. and scarcely much better
meee,j,s4 to our means. They represent what we
think other people think proper for us. We cannot
help it, for, if we resolved to prefer convenience to
custom and ease for ourselves to a creditable appear-
ance in our acqusintancee eyes, we should find such
;Tactical difficulties in the way of our carrying out
our originality as would make the attempt at it •
worse endurance than any b mdage to conventionality.

The New York Herald of the 12th of October says:
—" The alarm among the English gas communion and
the panic in their it cks on account of Edison's last
invention In electric lights ere not without good moss.
America's great inventor has in short solved the
problem which for years ha I puzzled the ablest elec-
tricians of the age. He has enomentully divided the
electric light, and has made it for illuminating per.
poem as far superi to gas as is to the tallow candle
of the past His marvellous invention given a mild,
en., yet brilliant light, pleasing to the eye, amt,
nteady, and without blemish, and at • cost less than
one-thard of that required for gee Those Who have
seen the invention pronounce it wonderful. Already
a company has been formed, composed of a number of
wealthy capitalists. and Mr. Edison's lawyers are
engaged in completing the trial arrangements for the
legal transfer. Before long, therefore, the work of
Introduction will begin.