The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

CHURCH PASTORAL-AID SOCIETY.

ME sixteenth annual meeting of the Church Pastoral-Ai
Society was held last night in the Lecture-hall of the Coll
eff iato
"'"
Institution. The meeting was well attended ; and the chair
was occupied by the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Cheiter ;
and on the platform were the following gentlemen :—Ven.
Archdeacon Jones ; Rev. Dr. Taylor ; Revs. E. Auriol, G•
Bull, J. H. Titcomb, W. Pollock, T. C. Cowan, C. W. Lel"
rence, W. H. Wright, J. Herbert, H. Marlen, J. Macnangllt
F. Roberts, T. L. Paine, J. Pownall, D. Leveson, J. R. Corr.,'
J. Twist, J. Bardsley, W. Maynard, C. Britton, C. Gent, P.
Willinck, Denny, E. Titterton, S. P. Boutflower,
T. Smith, G. Reed, R. H. Brown, R. Wolseley, Scott, It•
V. Sheldon ; Messrs. Edward Cropper, Adam Hodgson, 11-
Dixon, J. K. Rounthwaite, W. Jones, J. H. Webster, W. S'
Jeffry, A. Stearns, G. Beley, Sillito, W. Gregson, &c.
After prayer by the Rev. Cowan,
The CHA.IiMAX, on opening the meeting, said he had once
again the pleasure of expressing the satisfaction he felt, as be
always did, in attending any meeting in Liverpool, in order
to forward the objects of this or any similar society en-
gaged in the pursuit of religious knowledge, and impeztin_g
that knowledge to others who stood in need of it. Tuw
meeting was honoured with the presence of a deputation
from the parent society, consitting of the Rev. Mr.
Auriol, of St. Dunstan's, in London ' • of the Rev. Mr'
Bull, of St. Thomas's, Birmingham ; and also of the Rev. Mr.
Titcomb, of Cambridge. In presence of this deputation be
felt much happiness in saying, what he had often said before',
that in Liverpool the clergy are zealously disposed to the
work of their ministry ; and that the town is deserving of the'
countenance and aid of the society. With a comparatively
small number of the clergy, when looked at with relation to
the work they have to do ; this nist be obvious at °nee'
Not that they are altogether without help : we have, it is true'
our curates, our Scripture-readers, and our additional Curate
Society. Our assistance from the Pastoral-Aid is also great;
and although we may get more from it than we give, it ought '
to be borne in mind that the religious wants of this populous
and religiously poor, though commercially rich, community
are very great. He could not say whether it was £7OO or
£BOO which we get annually from the Pastoral-Aid Society
more than we give : but he hoped the people of Liverpool
were sound enough at heart to render this society a sasup-
porting institution here, and to wipe off the pecuniary obliga-
tion we are under to that society. He concluded by calling
on the Rev. J. C. Cowan to read the report, which was as fol-
lows :
The committee of the Liverpool Auxiliary to the Church Pas-
toral-Aid Society have the pleasure of announcing in their 16th
report, that some progress had been made since their last anni-
versary. The local grants, now in operation, are for 19 curates
and 10 Scripture readers, at a yearly charge of £2,315 ; while our
returns, including some accounts receiv, d too late for remittance,
have amounted to £1,532, the largest sum ever raised by the
Liverpool association. In addition to the 26 branches already in
existence, a new one has lately been formed at St. Matthew's,.
Toxteth ; and the great importance of these branches is web
shown by the fact,—that while the collections of our last anni-
versary fell short by.EBB of their former amount, the branch asso-
ciations not only made up the deficiency, but added .elOO besides
to the yearly income. The committee, therefore, would earn-
estly press on the attention of their friends in general, and the
clergy in particular, that there are few ways in which more real
lasting service can be done to the Pastoral-Aid cause than
by the formation and active working of a branch association. The
funds of the parent society are likely to show a considerable dint
nution. They were ..e1,2'0 below the usual amount at the end 0f
January, and it is altogether uncertain whether this decrease will
be made up before the 31st March, the close of the financial year.
The society's grants maintain 346 curates and 146 lay assistants,
to aid in the pastoral care of nearly 2,900,000 souls; and there are
besides en their books 52 applications for aid,which the failing state
of their income will not allow them to meet. It is much to be de-
plored that the town of Liverpool should still receive more than
the returns by at least £5OO. That this deficiency does not arise
from any want of interest among the clergy the 34 churches on
our anniversary list sufficiently prove ; and that the middle classeS
and the poor contribute their part is shown by our large church
collections, by the number of small subscriptions and by the still
smaller sums gathered in collecting boxes. Of these last it ma!
be observed in passing that St. Simon's church alone issued 193-
But when we find that out of the 854 subscriptions or donations
in the last report only 13 were of £5 and upwards, it is plain that
the Pastoral-Aid cause has hitherto received comparatively little
assistance from the rich. The committee, therefore, the more
gratefully acknowledge two donations from old friends of the
society—one of 4'50 from Mr. I. Irven, and one of .4'20 from Mr-
S. Martin ; and in the belief that many more would send in
similar contributions if the subject were properly brought before
them, they are endeavouring to secure the services of an expe-
rienced collector, and to try the effect of direct personal applica-
tions. It has been found desirable also to make a change as to
the time when our association accounts should close. For man!
reasons it will be far more convenient that they should be made
up to the 31st of December instead of to the 31st of March.

Mr. W. GREGSON, in moving the first resolution, said, from
extensive personal knowledge of the society and its working,
he had much pleasure in appearing in the double capacity of
au advocate and witness. This he did from having acted as S
member of the London committee for twelve years, and frons
having been also a member of the Liverpool committee. The.
working of this society did not interfere in any way with the.
arrangements of what may be termed the disputed points, but
takes our church polity as it stands, contributing only in
carrying out that. In the working of this society, the poor
are visited, the sick are cared for, and the dying comforted.:
The agency of this society is extended to the great number of
426 curates, who are daily engaged in the great work of
Christian teaching. Now for Liverpool, let us see what it has:
done. We have 19 curates and 10 Scripture-readers supported
by the society. To maintain this number, we have to receive
£5OO more than we pay. This, as his lordship properly re•
marked, was a state of things which should be wiped off, and
he sincerely trusted that the true spirit of Liverpool would be:
stirred up to such an extent as to enable her to become, in all
practical respects, a self-supporting institution. (Cheers.) 10
conclusion, he moved that the report be adopted and printed
and circulated, and that a committee be appointed with power
to add to their numbers.

vv
The Rev. EDWARD Aunio seconded the resolution, and
in doing so complimented Mr. Gregson on the benefit he bad,
conferred on the society, in his capacity of member of the
general committee. It had been said by the right reverend
chairman that Liverpool received more than it contributed;
but the society never felt that more had been done for it than
the case required. True, the members of the committee, an•
individuals, did occasionally remark that Liverpool being the
second city of the empire, as regards wealth, commerce, and.
population, it was not more than might have been expected
to find she should contribute more liberally towards the
operation of this society. Still there never was a murmur ae,
to the impropriety of complying with the urgent wants of
Liverpool. The last speaker had reminded the meeting of
the extent of the difference betwen what Liverpool contributes
and what she receives ; and by a note he had from the sec-
retary, he was reminded that Liverpool receives yearly £2,327,
while she only contributes £1,656. Of this discrepancy the
society made 'no complaint, certain as the committee were,
that the large contributions expended here were much needed
and judiciously employed. Still he might be permitted to
remark, that where many of the applications for aid, which
could not be complied with from want of funds, were of the
most urgent nature, it could not be doubted that so rich f‘
community as Liverpool, if it could be made to contribute
more nearly in accordance with what she 'receives, the society
would be enabled to comply with the request of places in
which aid is earnestly solicited and greatly required. It had
been found that the extension of the operations of the
Pastoral Aid Society had been peculiarly useful in large
and populous towns, in evidence of which, he
might adduce many of the worst districts of London,
and, in illustration, he stated several cases in which parties
who had been professed atheists and habitual drunkards, bad
been reclaimed from their evil courses through the agency Of
the curates and Scripture readers of the society. 'Where that
had been effected in London, what reason could be shown for
believing that similar7good might not be done in Liverpool ?
(Hear, hear.) He trusted that every endeavour would be
made to raise the funds of the society, so as to enable it to
continue and extend its usefulness.
A hymn was here sung, and the collection made.
The Rev. J. H. TITCOMB moved the second resolution, td
the effect that pastoral, clerical, end lay agency is of the
utmost importance in uprooting the deepest of social evils, and
consequently that this society is deserving of extended pub'
lic countenance and support. In advocating the claims of the
society, he remarked that clerical pastoral work is very
unequally divided in a country so circumstanced as England-
To understand this, he said it was well to consider how the
clergy were divided among the different parishes in England
and Wales. By doing this, it would be seen that in some of
the rural districts the clergy was in an ample degree supplied
to the wants of the population. In some of the districts we
have one clergyman to every 371, and in others only one to
2,925. It may be said the clergy are annually on the in'
crease. This is in some degree true, and on last year's
return there is an increase of 200 in England and.
Wales ; but contrast that with the great increase of
the population, to meet which it would require a new church
to be built every three weeks. To overcome the difficultieS
created by this, the Pastoral-Aid Society is the most useful.
instrument, as its efforts are directed to the most populous
and worst supplied districts. The best of all these works,
however, are but those of the day of small works. Mani.
things occur to appal us as to the actual state of spiritual
ignorance and destitution, even among those who have all the
privileges of religious teaching. The operations of this society
are peculiarly suited to act upon the.working classes, by show-
ing them that while we address the cultivated members of
society, we are equally willing and equally desirous of bring'
ing the glad tidings of the Gospel to the doors of the humble,
and the ignorant. The Pastoral-Aid Society gives a grant 01
twenty curates to the town of Liverpool. If they could be
ranged in front of the platform they would in their silence
speak more eloquently than words could do on behalf of tbie
society. (Cheers.)
The Rev. G. S. BULL, in seconding the resolution, said
he hoped the clerical pastoral aid would be much and earnestly
assisted by the lay element of the Church ministry. Wherever
God put the light of the Christian Church, he meant it to
illumine the world. In the large parish over which he was
placed, containing a population of 30,000 souls, it would be
impossible to approximate to anything like a Christian minis-
tration without the aid of every Christian man and woman.
How well soever this society may assist in affording religious
instruction, still it cannot be otherwise than true, that
the government of a Christian copuneotp. ear,
ry should(H p,
hear
provide
for the Christian teaching of the people.
and cheers.) The Church also had much reason to be'
stir herself, and if she would do her duty fully, little doubt
can be entertained that lay assistance would be plentifully
afforded. (Cheers.) In reference to the benefits of lay assist"
ante, he was prepared to say it was not only useful, but in
such cases as the parish in which he had to labour it was ab-
solutely indispensable. In conclusion, he conjured the anal'
ence to value the Pastoral Aid -Society, and to lend their
assistance and their prayers for its advancement.
A vote of thanks to the Bishop for his kindness in coming
to preside on this occasion concluded the business, and the
meeting.

ACCIDENT IN WATER-STREET.—Thomas Ashcroft, rend"
iug in No. 9 Court, Gascoyne-street, who was injured %Irbil!
employed in taking down the old buildings in Water-street'
on the 9th instant, died on Sunday forenoon, from the injuri
he had sustained. An inquest will be held on his body to'
day (Tuesday.)

LIB Towx DUES.—A requisition to the Mayor, calling
him to convene a town meeting to protest against the govero;
ment measure for confiscating-the town-dues, and also ft
petitioning parliament against the passing of the measure, 10'
been numerously signed by the bankers, merchants, and otbq
traders of Liverpool. It is to be presented to his WorshiP
the Town-hall, this day, at half-past twelve o'clock.

SIMPSON'S CRIMEAN SRETCHES.—A series of drawings'
made by Mr. William Simpson, of the remarkable scent'
incidents, and localities which have recently become faro%
through the gallant exploits of 'our brave soldiers in t!!
Crimea, is now on private view at Mr. Grundy's gallery, j,
Church,street. They are remarkable for the fidelity of dray?:
ing and artidic skill which they exhibit, and are well wortbJ
of a careful inspection.

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