The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-03-05 00:00:00

THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.

The friends of the Religious Tract Society of all denom-
inations had • meeting on Monday night. Originally,
this was to have been held at the National Schoolroom
but some arrangement miskakenly promised that room to
the Irish fidipture Reader's Mission, and thus the Guild.
hall was chosen for the general society's meeting, over
which the Mayor naturally presided, and was supported
by the Rev. IL Bolton, Rev. W. Lewis, Rev, J. Fox, Rev.
Iladdeld, Mr. G. Andrews, sea, Mr. G. Andrews, jun.,
and others. The holding of two nieetings at the satne
time only seemed to have excited • little rivalry to good
works, for the Guildhall was crowded, many being obliged
to stand. . _

'the iisrost was exceedingly pleased to find that whet,
it had been foretold, mire; prove • somewhat indifferent
gathering had,onthe wh both surpassed our expectations
and gladdened our hearts. wo or three features in the char.
actor of the Religious Tract Society claire our regard, First,
that it has stood before us for nearly 80 years,contempthary
with the Bible Society. Just as so many new societies aie
springing up to !tett and left, not • whit less important
perhaps, be did not like to throw away an old love to take
on the new, because the old Ism, been for so many years
recognised as the means of doing great good in this
country and foreign lands, where its publications has
become somewhat fabulous in number and extent and
usefulness. His Worship spoke of the influence of the
society on our literature; It stand. side by side with the
Bible Society itself, for without such mean, as the
Religious Tract Society places at the disposal of our
missionaries, how very little could they reach or overtake
the great spiritual darkness in those lands where they go.
Becomes of the variety of the literary wealth the Religious
Tract Society has produced, it bee very high claims en the
support of the religious public at home. Further, from
its Catholicity, the absence of sectarianism at claims
support of Nonconformist. and Episcopalians, for it is
equally the child of all, and has the strongest of all claims
on our prayers, gympathy. and pecuniary support. With
vweirjustrrts? trite, theLeivt ore, he
ocated by
atshlaresmient to preside
the
Established ChnZelivere
ea well as our noncoeformist friends,
(Applause.)
1t.,. J. Fox, curate in charge of Christ church, through
the courtesy of the Mayor, rose at that stage to show that
the clergy of St. Mary's heartily sympethise with the
Tract Society. He explained the reasons his having to
leave early to go to another meeting. The Tract Si acieW
meeting had been advertised to be held at St. Marfa
schoolroom, but a mistake Lad arisen between some
parties on the committee and some members of Mr.
()reeves's family. The meet; isit now about to be held at
St. Harps National schoolroom woo Promised in
November last; the deputation came to the church on
Sunday and was promised he should have the room for
the meeting to-night, this was why • little bitch between
the two meetings occurred, simply from the want of
knowledge, for Mr. Graves a family are los deeply
interested in the Tract Society as the other: the mistake
had not arisen from any want of love or warmth. All
who love the Lord Jesus Christ, who make it their first
point to set forth the glory of God will support the society,
for it has one of thew batiful spheres of work where all
who love the Master agree and rejoice together in the one
object of sending forth the knowledge of His truth.
These meetings are some of the most valuable of Christian
gatherings : for on matters of discipline we are not agreed:
but all who have the spirit of the Master agree in the one
object of glorifying Him, and making His name known to
our fellow creatures. We therefore rejoice over the Tract
Society and Bible Society, because we are here as one
blamed femily. The ',rutty aims to extend the know-
ledge of the Word of God; in an easy way Bible truth
is scattered in such multitudes of forme that scarcely any
strata of people does it not reach. When be saw the
name of the Tract Society at the bottom of the page he
very seldom had read the tract in any way to criticise,
being sure it had beep written with prayer and earnest
study of God's Holy Word. It is not so with all tracts,
and before giving them away, we must read them
through. }Tepee the tOotlety*S tracts are Portions of God's
truth, and when we send them forth we are sending
forth portions of the Word of God, and doing what Our
Ithd directed us, to—" Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature,
Mr. G. Aniagers, Jun., then read the statement of
local account, 427 Is, 6d. had been contributed during
the year, and printing and expenses had been £1 ls. tki.,
new tracts is. 11d., Child*, Companion £1 fle., Tract
Magaaines, £1 Is,, great to Hope Chapel, LI. leaving •
balance of £lO 17a Id. Last year only £lO 1.54. lid. had
been remitted to the Parent Society. This year they had
66 subscribers, last year only 21 The meeting applauded
the increase.
Rev. W. Semi said the great age attained by the
society is not a feeble old Aire, but a strong and vigorous
one; it has not its character and position to make for
those it has attained, but now it comes and commends
itself to our consideration and support. Be had known it
for about half • century, and felt more attached than
ever; for it fills • blank, and supplies the needs and re-
quirements of the times as no other does. Through the
wisdom sod prudence of the directors it adapts itself to
the times,
will
we are thankful for its SW:MK and
hope it will be continued as years roll on. (Applause.)
Mr. R. if. Roar bore testimony to the importance of
this truly valuable work, A society whl, h had been at
work for nearly 86 years needs no apology or vindication,
still It is well to look back to the time when the society
had its origin. People may say "80 Teen ago, when
education was so scanty and literature so scathe • society
like this was very much needed, but now, when things
are so altered, the same need does not exist as when the
society had ite origin ; things are altogether different: the
state of literature and education is entirely different"
But for all that he believed there is last as much work
and Just ea important in the present day as there was 80
yems ago, We have now woks up all of • sudden to the
importance of education, and there is • widespread
hunter for reading. People wi3 read, and the question is
" What shall they read r Here comes In the society to
provide that wholesome spiritual literature which shall
Interest and do good, carrying the everlasting puriilfiriz
stream of knowledge wherever it goes. This he
upon as • very valuable feature of the work The society
in its ptindphe is unchanged, they have nos changed one
iota. A short time ago he was reading one of good Dr.
&ague's, for the society, setting forth the drat principles
of gospel truth, which would enable men "while they
live to live unto the Lord, and if they die to di, unto the
Lord;" and that is what it has done up to the present
day, and why it should have our eupport. It tries es
meet the wants of all sections of society ,• its
.publicatiene
are found not only In thisland, but Sir Leopold Ma
Clintock said they were favourites of the sailors in the
North Polar Ria pedalo's. It carries the literature and the
religion of England to all Darts of the earth, cream a
wholesome and heavenly influence wherever it goes. Its
Catholicity is one of Its main principles and features; and
it is refreshing to turn aside from controversy to • society
which carries en its work outside the heated region of
debate. (Hear, hear) In conclusion, Mr. Eliot again
said there Is lust as much need for the society now as at
any time in our lives. (Applause.)
The Rev. Buie' declared the Religious Tract
Society to be the greatest missionary society on the face
of ths globe, iqui greater in its operations than the Bible
Society. During the j ear it has sent out 62.000,000 (PI
two million.) of Bible*, Testaments, hooks, Goths
and Periodicele In lentamges, and not • horar-or
tefelrcitical but presents Christ as a personal Saviour. Not
a Protestant mission in the world but the society mappens
WEYMOUTH CORPORATION IMPROVE- and furnishes with materials for its labourers
in -
an tb.ll
organisations in different lands and languages mime
d abroad. It goes to the sons of Burm com atoe
self-sealed Ups of the devotee in India, leads h to know
re the lififor. Christ and speak for Ham into the hospitals wha, the
sick wounded and suffering lie, carry comfort to to.
Elm— Having read the discussions on the above sufferer and lialretiOn to the ignorant, into our barracks
subjects which are carried on in the Council Chamber, dto our ships,to our soldiers and sailoraand gettingtmeb
I naturally look round the Town to see what they are, %nod to them whereby the.._„__gosnalia,_blong...ht into our
and where they are carried out, but at present cannot Unioa*lMllei• On"' and °""'".• tr"."`e other agent, be"
find any. There is the fine row of houses known as Ise 110:011mand mit7whsoll held forth • Personal Christ. The
ViMork Terrace, the,, are Villas In the Bernick. name Ores no idea of the work, the tracts are the Imet
on the Darcheeter Road, on the Wyk Road law" in It is I rust Min &win". trualit Bibb
t with annotations, fur which the burgh and Rodwell Road all these are improvements and society, the London Missionary Society, the =ls proofs that Weymouth Is growing. Bar Men these breeeneein Scotland have asked the Bible Society in
are Improvements carried out by private enterprise, vela, forth. latter have • law that they can only spread
What have the Cur ration done towards promoting the Bible without note or consistent. Besides those named,
the growth of the Town in any way in any of the the Baptist and Wesleyan societies have asked for the
above named direction'? Have they made footpath.Ansotaated Bible, and • result is this year the Annotated
with enzb end gutter. 0, nip earthen drives to Paragraph Bible with references has been pot into seven
of India out of twelve, and they are going on
muotirwe build., to ff°, on.? and Mallon to come hem tirlilrirn all the twelve. Mexico and Italy have plied
and reside I I think It has Dem juin the reverse. But for the Annotated Bible and 106 libraries have loran put
there is
,ieet ow beim tam aroulteleit Mr. in lee Protestant churches of hely, and now while there
Alderman Howard via. an "Improved and is suth a talk of people going over to Rome, It is trite that
why there should be any time wasted in diacundon on for arorT on. who leave. England and goes to Rom* thou.
this muter,/ am at a loss to see. Ti,, beide, is bad mods sad thousands are coming from Rome to embrace every way
end I hope the worthy Alderman will press the Protestantism of England. In Italy, 24.000 Italians
reeling the Bible, and mere or seven or eight
on the matter and get it dons belore the season Protestant churches in the city of Roma frim which &fee
commences, and at the same time alter his plan so years ago, the Free Church of Scotland WU Chinn t
that the t bridge °tey be used for foM-Posunniger end threetened with imprisonment, But now • %mann
ne Only, a w han me (bridge carried across from and a Behan brought to the Lord by the gospel tract, bed
Lower Bond Street, to the bottom of Boot Lane, for /oat in and clamed Italy for JOWL (APPlame.) Italy has
w and Carrlige traffic, as It is really dangerous begs open ever since and the Italians ere leaving the
to= wheel Creek and foot-passengers to be emu. &wee Catholic church, in one parish ea many left that
palled to_ gO over the present narrow rilizri.elied the pariM church to the Protestant
That could be inglitented by law, and the
suppose this would be met with the old
was withdrawn- but they have since built •
explinintoll OE to, Council Chamber " Coet.'ll =ininassabookoom where they are Mathias to the gospet,
then, been is a capital chanoe for those who on the Ti,. war ham been even • means of swung the way for
Stet ci November and other times tell you they hays the Bible, for never did they get leave to go Into Russia
really the welfare of the Town at Heart at aowlog with the Bible till now, but the Emperor of Russia had
eley...Larses some nhilenthrooe and are willing to give actually told Um thartlitaly of the society— Vol!
imty4
of it-ti-uth orwhst they have Mated, in with your 64°"&"4
MU°
to
8L
Pe
will and Bulimia are now open—fot lisstanotliadthr trine
r i';;;—=° r e there bean uuw* dimuldm ia me hospital got a tract celled the "Bequest of Isios7 arid on the improved (Pamlico so th —.My mem neave witis you, he read it, and it was
opposition
the world loti !to th" th° Vir Cucadou Wooed hie soul, so that when his officer came he tom
are awake at last, and COB mks m.emeaft in the him "I shall never MA bat deep in hew. lamtobe up
I puller with Jesus for ever," and be left his testament
Borough,
BEMs, with his olkoo boiling to moot In bosom. The Wag

Our riflemen are not to have the piece of land at the
bottom of Bond-street but the Corporation mart not
delay in finding a substitute. The necessity cannot be
put oft in favour of that eloquence which charms our
Parliament, local as well as the national one. Can any-
thing be done in the )iarket.bouoet I hope to
find the ranks of the rifle corps immensely enlarged
eve, to ton or twelve time* what they Sr. now. Artillery
and engineer corps also should be formed, and men used
to the sea utiliasd, so that, in the Great Defence Force,
each man may know hie own place, and also that every
man may qualify at times which he can more con-
veniently spare, and bring to the defence the qualities
for any particular service which he may best suit.

Let ink at all mute. remember that mere war-talk
neither increases the likelihood of peace nor the country's
defame. That tual talkee-talkee Is the danger of
Brits* first i tat ng and next enraging other peoples
by its continual scolding, and further weakening us by
blowing off in wad* steam the enemy that ought to be
applied- to strength-giving and strength-making work. Let
Britain at ell events take warnings against talk; let ancient
history tall of the end fate of that great talker, Cicero, of
the great disasters that fell on the country In sequence to
the orations of that greatest of talkers, Demosthenes ; let
the noise and fuse of the Polish monarch's elections and
the fate of Poland, let the eloquence of the Hungarians
and the failure of Kossuth continue the lesson ; let the
all too loud-talkers of the Second Empire of France be
listened to with the teachings of the German invasion
close behind ; let the furious rant of the Communists, the
slaughter of Fort lasy, the entry of the Versailles French
army, and its disastrous progress from west to seat
through battered and burning Paris, tell of the folly of
violent talk, leading to fury without strength If there
be more need, let the sudden violence of the Turkish
Parliament, as suddenly quenched by the silent force,
teach us the madness of sound and fury, signifying
nothing. In the name of, if it be possible, continued
c imn.but if not, then in the name of the safety of
and of the liberties of half a world, let us set our
lips firmly, work end think of the awful teak.

-DLsoura.

SCRIPTURE READERS FOR IRELAND.
About half-an-hour alter the commencement of the
Tract Society meeting, the National Schoolroom was well
ailed, with friends from St. Maria principally, who went
to hear about Ihe provision of Scripture made?' for the
slater country. Major Pepper presided' the deputation
was the RAY. & A. Walker, rector of St. Mary4ePort,
Bristol, the Rev. J. Fox came up from the Treat Society
meeting. and Rev. T. A. Fallow was aho on the platform.
—Major Pepper told of the deplorable state of Ireland as
to religion at the present time, needing the Bible to bring
It to be enlightened and contented. ne society, by the
aid of its reader,, sought to bring the maple to the
knowledge of the troth as it is in Jems.=—Rev. & A.
Welker remarked that Ireland bed been for mers
difficulty to England, obstructing Mu g
ish legislation, alt:
he believed millions of the people Jo full anticipated
England being entangled in • war with Russia, when they
would be able to show their dislike to ma. England was
the author of Ireland's popery, which always is hostile to
England's present ProteMantisco, and Ireland must be
converted before there can be relief. We cane t allow
Ireland to belong to some other power, for that would
be fatal to our interest; and he hoped ahe would be
subdued by the Sword of the Spirit. the Word of God.
Ms Scripture Readers' Society, established by Chief
Josties Defray, has done • noble work, ismeaelng till the
dimetalthaboseat and dierodosrment of the Irish Church,
when it had 80 reader,; but, the clergy being unable to
support them, they were reduced to about 40. The
people of Intend are in Front danger; but there is •
better opening for the Word of God now than ever before.
and the Scripture Readers are eble to get about among
the people,
_and exorcise more influence upon them than
curates. We are obliged to keep 24,1100 soldiers and Igooo
constables in Ireland to preserve order; but if the Ward
of God wore propagated, these measures would not be
required. He said that if Protestant principle' were
taught, danger would vanish, and Ireland become
. .

•-•Gye;t., glorious, and-iree.
First gem of the ocean, fleet isle of the ma."
Towards this Weymouth should take • practical part by
'imparting one Seri. reader .—Res. read.—Res. .f. Fox bad no
doubt Weymouth would be able to do Ws if the ladies
would take up the cause, and be would be plowed to
subscribe.—The collection produced Cl 3 15a. a very
respectable nocleas for the support of the Scripture
reader.

had 1'4444 the Bible IdeeietT to ere Ogg worth of Bibles
to be competed for by the I,ndon Board Shook and
an they £.500 worth for other Board echaols, and 70.000
children had volunteered to be examined in the wont,
God is surely raising up men of liberal heart. when VAOI
worth of Bibles are competed for by the rising generation.
Instancee of the good of trade were tad—UMW them OW
erliiie • man went down to the bottom of the sea in a
dicing bell, and saw through the goggles of his diving
dr • 41, something while in an oyster's mouth. He
to k aad found it was a tract watch had coat.
Ir.siil ship, read it. and yielded his soul to Jesus, and
6.1 came op from the bottom of the sea • converted
"con. A whole fartiV had been brought to God by react-
vi tracts, • boy r. 04 one, gave his hart to Jesus, the
Lstner and mother alsoc and the rest, and when asked for
a reason why he knew he had peace, the boE answered—
" Jessu says it, sir. and I believe Jeans. The work
or.'ial. llat
Aidacerisehothte, the bre' Maud Daniedlepuwastantieott eta
ad the use dtr .
tinted—" If you went to win a .roptic's heart for J•wil,
take the Leisure Hour first to him, and next the ganday
at Howe. II you Want to bring a little child to Jesus,
give it or read it "Little Dot," the mesas of bringing
ninny inch; if you wish to help a soul In difficulty and
doubt give the book "Salvation. In India a tract had
found its way miles oft Into a place where the missionary
had never set foot, a little church was (reused, and they
s..ut • deputation, who went 100 miles to search for a
miesionery. In conclusion be asked for help for the work
at the seat of war, where they had begun without any
special heip but trurtatd in the Lord. Bo far in this
district they had much help, at Bournemouth instead of
Ll £25. at Dorchester nk at Poole £l2 15s, instead of
Al 10s. The present was the best meeting he had had in
his tour, Bournemouth the next, and Dorchester next to
that. and be wee thankful the Lord had called them for
Ili welt _ _

—The Rev. E. BOLTON propneing • vote of thanks to Mr.
Burns, touched on the objection—that the society is •
trading one. That is true; but it is also a large and
benevolent society. Its being a trading ..6e to One of
it.. most hopeful feature; and he maid the time
when commerce shall be Bauctified for t, not may
in the sale of books but wheu grocers and drapers shall go
Iwo business for Christ's sake, and for mans of giving to
Christ, for the promotion of His glory throughout the
world. Why should not all trade for Christ? God
shadows forth that in His word. and the Tract Society is
only somewhat taking the lead.
The Rae. Ilennzto told of the comfort to old and
afil.cted people from getting tracts.
Mr. Buena said not only were all the travelling
expenses paid from the trading fund, so that people's
c ,ntrihations went untwiched into the benevolent fund,
but • large sum beside and all the machinery was Imia foe
thereby. He moved • vote ot thanks to the Mayor. (Ap-
plause).
The MAYOR hoped the Town Hall will always he open
for such meetings, for it is commou ground. Here we
can meet and rub cor corners, and he believed if meetings
similar to the present are held in this hall, we shall not
have to complain of paucity of attendance.
A basket of violets kindly given by Miss Orman*, of
Portmare was handed round, the bunc.Miis being sold at 24
each, and they were soon exchanged for cash, fetching fis.
After the meeting was collecte4—x.s 12s. 3d., and with
the balance of a 'count, SW 9a. 4d. was given foe the
society to Mr. Burns.