The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-06-10 00:00:00

FORDING TON BENERT 80CIETY,

The anniversary of this a 'ramble local benefit
society was held on Whit Tue. ley, the celebration
following on the old line.. At foor o'clock the
members sossinbiel, &al w .Iked to the pariah cherish,
on the tower of which the Union Jack gaily 11 'staid
Here Dials ! ...rd., wee held, c.nducited by the Its.,
A. A. Leonard (vicsr). S lash's hymns were sung.
The Rev. 8. (3. Drury (eLap).ain of the Dorset
Dainty Hospital)preaoheil an appropriate sermon from
Job in., v. 4, " 'Me night oometh when no man can
work." In the a mese of the sermon the preacher
said I—Sooner or later the human machine would weer
out, miaow and muscle would lose their strength,
feebleness end infirmity would creep on, and then the
man a 'old toll ii i leegsir. It we. sad to think when
that time c "Ise, niukee provide!, hail already been
made for 00ck,,e114 ant 011 ewe, the worn an I weary
suff .rer wo il I b svo ne comfort.. There was join,.
thing In the premint .• ,te of s iciety in this country
which eeem • I to ea p . - t , • Ishouriog man to • greater
amount of privatioa in his declining years than any
other eh. a persons. Small wages and the olden
of an increa.ing f smily were too west to allow ratio
of our labourers en in doring the beet years of their
111, to do more that live, es the witylog was, from band
to mouth. An 1 when, in • few years in ire, the
man's strength we iecliniog, down dropped his wages,
and they wet., lowered and lowered until the man wag
'bought to be past work, and then they stopped
altogether: and fibs hail not been able t , lay by any
portion of hi. her bear ied saving. there was nothing
l.lt for Wm hot f., en I 'Ms •lay• in the not m won.,
hones. 111-,w it 1444 to ,olartl agaio•t that co-oing night
of age and inti wily when no men c mil work that
provident eicietie• 11.-1 I,ifool,y °lobe w•r . tostituted•
A club Ilse thoir,, loon le 1 tunes tho principles of pr. -
trident I Toth n ;iit awl mutual support, regulated by
such rut.. 44 flosy hal *towel. end c trriel nut in the
epirit id temperanc 1 awl charity. was one th .v ml !Is'
hope Got'. ble•eing woold re.• -pint. AO I he thought
they noted wisely in poblicly sans ...led :in: their
dependence on Him for all by thus c .nornting their
society with CI al's ...race. an I •ao tifyln4 it, if
he mkbt so speak, by tn.. ling together on their
tout 4.. I. ci "l's tiinmg• of Preset. Everything ought
tubs begun, a intione.l. aml endel in lb. fenr of the
Lord. In all united acts they 'holed idm in i ii i ie-
membered they wet. members one of soothe., limbs
of a body of which enrmt woe the Heed. How sal
we. it that any eaeal I he ... carsleee . , I i ..liff.rent
about their smile—that white they had forethought
enough to provide against toe Infirmities' of •icknees
and ad age by beceming members of a provident au'',
Owl seemed t. I •rget that Is this world they w re
erin • late of trial wh c. et ic'i . CM C , . an end,
ill certain time woe allotted them in which to
work out their own &sleet' It, t:i at it Will only during
that time thelr repeutao,.., wintidl bs accepted, mei
that time • nee gone there would hs no to re trial, no
more opp attn.& i •s of repent ilea. 'The night cm sh
when no me- C to W rk." They shdatt. then, c noidor
the conditions ~-,t '.l their present hut '-fth ir future,
sod thue woad their meeting that day be not unpro-
fitable but blessed.
At the conclusion of the service the View pre-
nettnced the B ins licti .n.
The memb os then stalk 11 itt procession to the
school, the church loslh ringing merrily the while. At
the school a bouut.ful tot was provi led, an I the room
WY crowded to exam*. Fl were aO.l other dm:tarsi).*
adorned the table, and the w Ilt, Mr. A. R. Harris
Senditsjg some ap!m HI pl oft... The 1 di 'win, ladles
ch.= " tr go ' :—Nltea Campbell, Nlre. Dixon. Mrs.
Mr., tiitchtli, Mr.. Allardyce, Mrs Wood-
land, here. C. Miller, Mr. Fisher, Mrs. A. Grov ii,
Mrs Honk Mrs. W. Bishop, 11114 0 sod, Mrs. R.
Bayne. Mr.. Orchard, Mrs. R. M 1,4 Mrs. A. 1,0,A,
Hrs. H. Lim. Mu. Lane...ter, M•l4 Pearce. Nfro. .1.
04Pin (!', MI., actPle). Mrs. 11. Leer on'se (by Mies
Jonas), Mr• L Tali. alio. fie lye% 3ltes Itrdoke,
lice, RAM., and Miss Mill.r.
During the tea some excellent selections im the
erwere well played by the bill -wing young lediee
MI•• Brooke'. eat . A : -Mime Violet II 'well,
Who 11.1,1ffe, and Mies Helon IVoods. At the we-
asels* of tea gra e w is song, and the VlCst 1,113 and
gowersial the pl astir. be fait ti weinome each a lar.:e
eneverly there that night. The Fordiagtee Benefit

Biefety had been in long established in the parish, aid
wima so highly regarded by all It. friends, that he knew
It did not need any words from him to commend it to
than ; but be wished t . say • few words about it. for
the sample reeeon that witoie a short time he had
heart two or three diaparailing 'remarks made respect-
ing it. A.. days ago he met • man vein. said in hie
heariag Veit Fordington society wee all very well, but
I it was dying • natural de.th, add • good job too,
benium they ought Ii amalgamate with non. larger
society. He (the vicar) did not non with Gila: and
told him so; and he wool I tell them wny. If these
larger sucietiee cover, I exactly tb sa no grouod an I
Misled exartly the seine privileges 64 their a .cirty, it
would be woetb woile c whe.ucr it w mod be
advisable or not to neater :Anne ; lit is ruaintained
these larger :societies did at c over the same ground
or offer the nine edvantnes al their cid,. 1 hese
large eocietiee were very good dohs, and he v deed
them very highly; but, at the same time, he cud.* lered
they were not so well ante I ti that perieb as
thia club. Tun wae an ngricultursi perish, and a
great many of the working men in th: parish di.l
not earn large en ough Waged to j Pio WA f the
large clubh If a wan earned large wage, it him
join one of the large club.; if he could afford to do
so he could not do batter, but there were many people
In that perish who could not •.0 • o They were out
of work • great part of the year, but they c ould j du
• club like tide bec•use it was a cheap club—• regul or
poor man'. c uh, end in this couelat oi ita value. H.
would not stick u, for it if it warn not • g club, or if
it was not samworiug, both. believed it was answeiiug,
and he only endued all the pope in the pari•li would
Jon it, or Jio some Club or other. Ttoy bad to:fly
ab out 10 o. GO member., and theta were at dont MI
men in the lonian wane did not belong to any club, and
who might di so perfectly well, lie looped th we WOO
mere members would tr) and Induce these people to
j oin. Tiler* waa one tidos he liked about thee cub
of their., lie hel been to e • good many club .lion re
and suppers, out be had been to • gatneriog like
theirs in hie life, and he would 111 them what be liked
,abut it—the wirea and Children coming and sitting
down with their huebands and fathers—(applauee)—
and in this tee,oect he c mel hired It was out and out
the beet club in the place, though of counie there was
room for them all, and it was a good thing to hens
then Isrger • ocieties. Taen, a short time ago, a
gelatinised of some influence in DorchaeWr said he
did not bold with clubs at all; be thought working
men ought too put their money Into the savings beak
nil not into clubs. Well, saving. banks wens very
gm I things, and be was glad ti see the Poetmairter.
General the other day, speaking of the Poat-offiere
rlaviug.l3 auk, snot the number of psople who depo.oted
1,, it waa looreselng very rapidly. Tan wee • thing to
thank Odd for. But he did not think savings beaks
:voted do fastest of theme sick aloha. If • man
could aff ,rd to pay Into • eavin‘s beak as well sa into
• sick cdab, by all menus let him do so. If be could
only pay into woe, then the sick club warn better. If
amen pmilmoosy into • savings bank be only benefitted
Monet( and his family, but If he paid into • sick club
he benefl nod his neighbour, es well. lie *opposed
meat people who joined a sick cluh did so more or less
from *elfish motives—for the ease of themselves and
their wives and ouildren —lot they were c
or unconsciously doing • litede toward. carrying out
eked fulfiliing the law of Christ their fileater—" Ben
ye one emotber's burdens." He theme ore hoped If
people were only able to pay either into • easing,
bank or j *in • nok club, they wool! do the latter.
Whit-Toe:Way very end de CAMS round without their
having to think of some of tne fries Is wh m were gone,
and this year was no excepti in to the rule. They had
loot—ln God's good pr ovidenca Le bad been taken
away from them—he believed the oldest member of
the club; his name died firms on the bet of member.,
ad ho wee • very good specimen of what • member
of • 'Grandly eociety ought to be—he meant poor Job
I'aoe. It wars their be., not his, that he waa gone.
He wee gone to than ha lived better In another
world, but be (the view) Gould untidy:id up there that
night without alluding to him death, became he knew
Mr. Case was mon highly respected In Fordington,
where he lived • great part of his life. (Appian.-.)
, Me. I'. A. PUNA, the hoe. secretary, than read
the mutat report as follows :

"Once more It Is my agreeable duty, as secretary of
the F..nlingt In Usited B ogunit Solely, to lay before you
• Ariel summary of the doings of society, both
financially and otherwise, nate last WhleTu• aday. I
.ay agreeable because it is pleasant to be abie to state is
pr •ftce that the Agure I shell presently give will con-
elusively •how that we we in. flourishing erudition. Of
course, as wo are at aware, the mainstay of our Web tails
temelit en-rnhers, and of these "renew number 57, VI op.
p d to 52 at this time last ye sr. S Men now toenail,e
have joined, while woe ha. died and on. has loft. Our
• cis pi), duriog thu pad roar .boas a marked
slaves.. Wher-as lust y• sr I het ou report the, the
Ana of /LI 5, 11. hal bees pai I to 17 ureoub-r., thus
year only nine noemlers bar. appeared on our sick li•t,
and to them • suits of 4293 £7.. 11. has been distributed.
rllll payment has beton MOIR gnats in .ny contreinti me
from ',spoilt specular., our roe-hots losing A3tl Bs. 311.,
thug leaving • balance for Intristuunt. Our best thinks
aro again duet. these kint friends who au warmly and
eubsten•ially support us by their liberal oleaginous. This
yew no lees • •urn them .CL 14,.U1. has hem contributed
to the If Inds by honorary arnahorp, a plan proof that •
warm and continued interest 1. still CA n in our small
but flo.oiehlng and useful rocioty. By mems of these
c ontyitri,olons and the halve. balm, retool. •4 to, our
rea•rve loot on dep .it In inn D irchsetsr Savings Bonk
hat inc euhl to the god onset •isn of Lifli its 51.
Thin, I non sure you will AY, Os. subottntlal D. at egg, and
one of a oieh we may well to. pr ut. In concluding this
@bort st.ternont I would, how•-yey, impost's on benefit
carob-ra tine necewity of not bong too satisfied with
%cost has already born sioc onpliahe I, rernemb •r.ng that,
although &aims the past year Cue drain on our tents has
leen small, we cAnot gap oct such cool fortune to be
ulosys 4.11 r dot. As has ben often saga-eta' helot., let
siultl toi-mh-r stilt emotions to use hio own individual in-
thanes for th• welfare o the club, and to induce others to
jOll7l it. rank., and then your a Cralnfr'• r•oport. In the
iu•mewin only to, a repstition or the cent woad pros
pertly .oth, Fordinglon Bolt .4 11 neSt livetety."
Mr. Petro, otatel ho bed received a message from
Mr. Handley Monde, through Mr. Henry 51 utile. The
latter wrote as fo:lows:—" I am to say that with the
utmost unwillingness and regret he fiode himself
unable too be with you on Whit-Tueslay. 11, is very
0.4611 ne..ralded nod thereby bin lore 1 from leaviug
mobri Ige at present. But be beg. you and all his
Fordincton friends to believe that his deep heartfelt
regard fr you remsins unaltered. and so do his g ooil
wiehes for the prosperity of the club."
Tao Vico' ...id he thought they wool I agree with
him the report wae very satief act ory. The society
was increasing in numbers, and its fonds wore al.° in
an iouptoving o ondition. Ths prosperous atlas of the
club was ‘llln in great measure to the labour. of their
very energetic se rotary, Mr. Pearc-. (Applause )
lie liked to give credit when credit was due, and
Mr. Pearce deserved • great deal of credit for the way
he mauve' the Fordingtoo Club. (Applause.)
A very plea-ant part of the °retsina then com-
menced. S nog* were well Any toy Blanche
Smith, Miss Pearce, and Mir Plu-ntner, Mtge Bosons
Camobell proving an etll :Lout sec impassion. Mr.
Chapman gave • rem:liar, and Sire. hi. Et
reoited in • eplandi.l manner '• The Little Drummer
oy" and " Nellie'd Prayer."
At the omncl,osion the VICAR thanked all who had
assisted in such • pleasant evening—the people who
had kindly subscribed to the tat, the ladies who bad
been good enough to preelda over the tablise their
friend Mr. }lurk for making the room look so beauti-
full with bis fine plants, the ladies mad (Heade who
had come there to sing and rest and mite to them,
and Mr. Pearce for the trouble be had taken in con-
nectioo with the festival. (Applause.)
Tlie VICAR read the following toslagram he bad
received from the Rev. Matthew Erwin Fr-on
Rey. hi. F. F.yaus, Clacteu-onoiea, To Rey. A. A.
Leonard, Fordington Vicarage. Dorchester, Dorset.
Please give our beet whits's and reasembrano-s to the
members of the club and all friend. assembled. 9 wry
not Li be present this time, but hope to another year."
Tte evening hymn end the lien 'diction brought a
vary happy evening to • close.