The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-05-27 00:00:00

WORDS AND FACTS.

"Presbyter" has sent the following letter to The Times :
Sir,—Can nothing be doce to put an end to Con-
vocation and its opportunfty for much mischievous
talk?

I can suggest nothing but your giving those who ex-
press the opinions of 19 20ths of the clergy an oppor-
tunity of being heard. Bishops have got to think that
it is their peculiar function to be mouthpieces on all
subjects stirred up by Liberationist agitators. An
indiscreet, awkward-tempered parson of some obscure
parish gets into a quarrel with chapel people about
a burial ; on the strength of this the whole
Dissenting Press, or Press favouring Dissent, makes
a loud and violent protest. Whereupon, as the I
upshot of it all, the Bishops, robed in their
scarlet Convocation robes, treat the somalled agita-
tion with great solemnity, and conferences between
Upper and Lower Houses are held; and it seems as
if the matter was so grave that something must be done if
the Church of England is to remain established. This I
fuss and lack of power to distinguish between trifles
and things of real moment does incalculable mischief
in 999 parishes out of the thousand where the people,
generally, are quite contented with things as they are,
and in the majority of them would be very sorry indeed
if any alteration whatever was made. This talk of
Bishops and Convocation feeds agitation, gives it im-
portance, puts people upon thinking that there must
be some grievance, or such holy and wise men would
not take so much pains to remove it.
What a talk Convocation has had about allowing or
forbidding hymns. Hymns have always been sung
by some people when conveymg the dead to the
churchyard; and very frequently they are sung when
the Church Buri3l Service is over—occasionally also
when a member of a club is buried one of the society
reads a printed form of address, with which no fault
can be found. In the burial of soldiers there is firing
over the grave, and the playing the "Dead March
to the grave, and a very lively air from the grave;
1)14 I see nothing authorising all this in the Service
for the Burial of the Dead, and never heard of a clergy-
man haviugbeing suspended, or even remonstratedwith,
by a Bishop for allowing such departure front pre-
scribed ritual. On the contrary, all kinds of
departures are permitted. Who hears the short
peal after the funeral? The exceptional carrying the
dead into church has become the rule. It was never
intended they were to be borne there, unless the inter-
ment also was to be in the church. But, worst of arl,
is the strange irregularity of leaving the dead to be
buried by the gravediggers instead of doing this while
the mourners are standing by, the Rubric directing that
then it should be done. Instead of which somebody
sprinkles a little earth on the coffin, a most unautho-
rszed, absurd symbolizing of burial. Yet not a word,
In V sitation addresses or at other times, is said to us
for permitting these really unseemly and wide de-
partures from our service. How are we to reconcile
this abstention from rebuke with all this grave talk
about the time-out.of- mind permitted hymn Singing?
A word on the sentimental grievance from the Dis-
senters' point of view, of our using the same s rrvice for
sinners nod saints. So far do they distinguish between
sinners and eaints in funerals they attend, that they
are sure to be present in great crowds if the mawdied
almost in the act of sin, and never is the singing so
loud and hearty as when there is the funeral of such
an unhappy man. Every clergyman must have ob-
served this, which, being so, we may judge how the
refusal of a clergyman to bury in any conceivable case
where the law dots not forbid him would be rtented,

LADIES' CONFERENCE ON TEM-
PERANCE.

In London, on Monday afternoon, a conference of ladies,
In connexion with the National Temperance League, was
held at the Memorial-hall, Farrirglon-street ; Lady Jane
Ellice in the chtir.

In opening the proceedings, Lady Jane Mice ex-
pressed the great interest which she had tak-n for 21
years in the temperance movement, the necessity for
which she regretted to say she had observed as each
year had gone by. They had still very powerful
enemies to contend with, but she believed no one
could oppose them with any chance of ultimate success.
She strongly protested against the exAraordinary belief
in doctors' alcoholic prescriptions which at present pre-
vailed in this country.
The following letter was read from Sir Henry
Thompson, F.R.C.S.

35, Wimpole•street, W., May 7, 1576.

Dear Lady Jane,—ln reply to your letter I am quite Batts-
fled that fermented liquor of any kind is unnecessary as an
article of diet. For the few who may require au habitual
alcoholic stimulent it can only be considered as a medicine,
and should therefore for them be so regarded. As with
many other medicines, however, its employment is apt to be
greatly abused, and thus wine or spirit is taken when not In
the least degree necessary, often when it is absolutely in-
jurious. For people who enjoy tolerable health, bat never-
theless nod 'digestion slow" or "Imperfect," or "the
circulation languid "—popular forms of excuse for taking wine
—it seems to me more frequently a dangerous snare than a
tolerable remedy. Let us put alcoholic liquor in its proper
place—namely, among the scncalled " luxuries " of life,
not among its 'necessaries." I am quite alive to the
exquisite perfume of a specimen of some rare old vintage; to
the agreeable exhilaration which follows a moderate dose of
champagne. lhe fragrance of a fine cigar has charms for many
persons; its soothing effect is often still more enjoyable. It
Is useless—it is not wine to ignore the existence of these
thines ; the best natures have felt their influence, and may
perhaps have paid some price for its enjoyment. lint that is
exactly the point I want to insist on—Don't take your daily
wine under any pretext of its doing you good. Take it
frankly as a luxury, one which must be paid for; by some
persons very lightly, by some at a high price, but always to
be paid for—and mostly some loss of health, or of mental
power,or of calmness of temper, or of judgment, is the price.
Now with great deference to your opinion, I think that at the
present moment such a view of the subject is one which
needs to be considered, and if my manner of expressing it
can be of any use, this letter is heartily at your service.—T
have the honour to be, dear Lady Jane, very faithfully
yours, lIENRY THOMPSON.

• Mrs. Clayton also read a long letter from Dr. B. W.
Richardson. He asserted that it was one of the effects
of alcohol to check the natural process of oxidation in
'the body, and for this reason as he had experimentally
proved, it reduced the animal warmth. The view that
!alcohol was demanded in order to keep up feeble cir-
culation was opposed to reason and to practical know-
ledge. He had found by direct experiment that the
'effect of alcohol was to reduce the muscular fibre,
Miss Maria Firth, M.D., and Mrs. Docwra, subse-
quently read pavers on the subject of alcoholic Liquors
in Relation to Health." In the evening a public meet-
ing was held in the large hall.
On Tuesday, at the morning meeting, which was
presided over by Mrs. John Whiting, of Leeds, the
subject discussed was "The Drinking Customs;
Domestic and Social," and papers were read by
Miss Ellen Webb and Mrs. C. L Balf,ur. In open-
ing the proceedings the President said the subject
which had brought them together was one of the
very greatest importance. It was a very solemn sub.
ject, and a subject which it seemed could only be
approached through the medium of earnest prayer.
Sae then read a few passages Irom Scripture, which
she thought, seemed to be very appropriate to the sub-
ject, and then asked whether it was not in the sprit of
the Master that Christian women had taken up this
work. They desired to be used as instruments in
God's hands, to be filled with His strength, and then
to be sent forth to fight aga;nst the terrible evil of
intemperance. She concluded by reading two letters
from Philadelphia to the "Temperance Women of
England."

At the afternoon conference Mrs. Fielden Thorp, of
York, presided. The subject diecuEsed was—" Spheres
of effort for Individual Workers," and papers were read
by Mies C. M. Ricketts, of Brighton, and Mhs Cathe-
rine Ellfff.,