The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-03-04 00:00:00

STOURBRIDGE LIBERAL ASSOCIATION.

- The annual meeting of the above association
was held on Tuesday evening. The President for
the past year, Mr. J. B. Shepherd, in the course of
a review of public events, claimed that a good ac-
count could be rendered of the line of conduct
pursued by the Liberal leaders, and that th,ey de-
served the support of Liberal politicians tliia'ugh-
out the country. In a celebrated after-dinner
speech made by a clergyman in this district the
speaker had said, "I care not for creeds or for
catechisms in schools; I believe they produce more
Dissenters and deserters than disciples." That
was said by a Conservative clergyman, or a clergy-
man calling himself a Conservative. The opinion
was one formed in a Libeial atmosphere, and it
was an indication of the indirect mode in which
Liberal principles became the dominant principles
even of those who repudiated Liberalism. They
found other instances in which strong Conserva-
tives came out with very vigorous Liberal prin-
ciples, and did not know it. Having quoted from
a speech of the Chance Nor of the Exchequ !r in
proof of this, Mr Shepherd said they might hope
Liberal principles were an active propaganclising
force in the country at the present moment, and a
dominant force in the House; and it was only
under strong party pressure that anything op-
posed to Liberal principals had any expectation of
success in the House or the country. • _ -

Mr. Shepherd was re-elected -president and
thanked for his past services. Messrs. C. Coch-
rane, G. Green, 11. Billingharn, H. Hughes, awl
dm Revs. J. Richards and D. Maginuis, were ap-
pointed vice-prev.idents; Mr. G. Perry trearurer;
air. H. Mills, hon. s' c.; and the connaittea were
reappointed with ons alteration in the Hot of
names.

'I ho discnssion on Disestablishmont, which was
opened at' tits last meeting, was resumed. Mr. C.
Cochrane, referring to the president's suggestion
as to the admi,si‘m to the endowments of the
country of as many forms of religious life and
thought as the N.uv Testament presented, said
:hat from the New Testameat almost, if not ev,ry
Christian sect took its particular form ; and they
had Baptists, Congregationalists, Quakers, Metho-
dists, Ituman Catholics, 'Plymouth Brethren, and
so on--not forgetting the Peculiar T 1
coul 1 such a variety he eonsistenly endowed? How
could Trinitarians and Unitarians alike be endowed
except on the principle that it ma'Acred nothing to
the State what was truth and a hat was not ? Dis
establishment would put an end to such ioconsii;-
encies, which, he feared, wonld make the last
state of Establish:lt nt vi rat than the first. Mr.
Cu:hrane speoiatly mr.. d as a reaon for di4estab-
-1 shment the Ity of securing p ontpt e-
forMS Whi•D• 50 many wee neted.A. Couiprchen-
son wits out of the (pit•tion now ; and he saw no
dtternative, iii jastiee to It nation, but that of
dis:.stablishment ni with di,estalUishment must
be a sociated a vast 3 mite ,if disendow went. Let
there be no Vioieaf. eta lg.'. Let the s,al;e only
take that which it could fairly claim as its own,
and let the cungre 4ation of the churches have that
which they coul I fairly ciaint as having been spe-
cially bequeathed for church purposes for a certain
' period back. The Church had not been a bulwark
aga'List Rom:it:ism, nor even a citadel worthy of
the name to aphl I Prot—staui-en.. If any proof
was net•dod, they hail only to refer to Mr. Cilatl-
stont,',.; obs ,evatton on the value of the English
Churith as a r cut hue ground for Roman Catholic
priests, and he boast of Roman Catholics them-
vs in the Weekly Register, that they received
converts not by tens or hundreds but by thousands
per annual.

- The Ikv. J. Riehaxds, Mr. G. Green, the Rev. D.
Maginnis, and the president continued the iliicw-
sion, mid it was understood that the subject be fur-
ther ceniidered on a future oecaxion.

FUNER.U. OF THE REV. C. H. CRIUFURD.

Oa Thursday last, the remains of the late Rev.
C. H. Cratifurd, rector of Oldminford, were interred
in a new vault in Oldswinford churchyard. The
decaa4ed gentleman was highly respected through-
out the neighbourhood, as was eviucod by the
large number of p:lrsous who aseenzoled to witne.is.
the interment. It was rumoured that the funeral
would take place at eleven o'clock, but long before
that time crowds of people were wending their
way towards the church. Twelve o'clook wa3 the
hour appointed and at that time upwards of 3,000
persons were present. The following was the order
of the funeral procession :—The Rev G. Adley,
the Rev. T. Williams, beadles, clerk, bearers with
coffin, the Rev. A. Craufurd, Robert Craufurd,
Esq., Robert Cranfard, Esq., sen., William Craufurd
Esq., Atkinson, Esq., Archer, Esq., the Rev,
H. Sherrard, the Hon. and Rev. W. H. Lyttelton
the Rev. A. Wright, the Rev. W. J. Welch, E. W•
Bernard, Esq., the Rev. M. hfaughn, Alfred Freer,
Esq., R. L. Freer, Esq., H. Hickman, Esq., Michael
Grazebroolc, Esq., and Charles King, Esq. A nun.
ber of tradesmen and parishioners followed. The
funer d service was read by the Rev. T. Williams,
the church being nearly filled. At the conclusion
of th service in the church, Mr. H. Simins, the
organist, played the "Dead march In Saul," and
the bells rung out a muffled peal. The corpse hav-
ing been placed in the vault, Mr. Williams read
the service and the vault was closed. The coffin
was dr tpcd with black, with two wreaths of flowers
and a cross composed of snowdrops and crocuses.
The bliadsat riot of the houses were drawn down
out of respect to deceased. Messrs, J. and W.
Coopir, of this town, were the undertakers,