The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-07-08 00:00:00

DEAN STANLEY TO 'THE TELEGRAPH

MESSENGERS.

In London, last Sunday morning, at eight o'clock, •
V ig interesting spectacle was wariessed, when mom
NO of the Metropolitan Pewter Telegraph nueeeengere
eseembled in uniform at St. Martin'. churchyard,
Charing-tiro,. The, above nember ,ncludeil a con-
tingent of 150 boy. from the bead CAM. The whole
Were under the control of Mr. Stow, the metropolitau
surveyor of the General Putt Office, and of his
arristant. At 8.15 the boy., basing broken into
column, marched, beaded by their band. to Westminster
Abbey, to attend Divine service, and where it was
understood the Very ltev. Dean would preach a
sermon specially suited to the occasion. On taking
their places in the Abbey the youthful coneregation
stood at "Attention "till a signal was given by one tap
on the drum, when they knelt ; upon another elmilor
eignal ben g given they eeated themselves and awaited
the commencement of the service. In the general cone
gregation— drawn hither at that early hour by the
announcement of the first church parwie of telegraph
boys, which is henceforth to be h.dd annually—were
many persons of eminence, amongst whom were Mr,
Scudamore, 0.11., chief of the Telegraph Department.
end who has just been g netted to the honour to which
his services so fully entitle him ; and Mr. Cyrus W.
Field, projector of the Atlantic cables, and Mr. Milton,
chief metropolitan postmaster, were also present.
At the conclusion of Divine service Dean Stanley :
preached, taking for the text of his discourse the
second chapter let Samuel, 18th, 19th, and 26th verse.,
in•il the third chapter Ist Samuel, let, 4th, Bth, 91:1,
19th, and 20th verses. The versea the very rev.
preacher said, represented the story of the little :
Jewish boy ministering in the service of the Taber.
ads, and doing there thine, which enabled him in
after life to become a useful, good, and greet man.
He should briefly touch upon three point. which that
story suggested, First, there was the interest which
the ',smite of the older generation took in this little
boy. Eli, the high priest, welcomed him to the ,
Temple, and treated him like hi, own child. Eikanah
and Hannah, hts father and mother, came every year
to see him, and were rejoiced to ind him in the bright
little coat which year to year they brought him. The
Church at present in like manner welcomed and '
watched the young souls of those who were gathered
that day in that venerable building, and c
tras•ed with pleasure those oil grey walla with
their rosy faces and active limbo. It was a
pleasant picture to see them collected there in
sacred worship on that IniniMer morning. Let these
parents and friends of the boys who had come to
the Abbey that day remember that they had a pre-
ciente charge in those children which no reparation could
extinguish, no matter how distant that reparation might
be, nor however rarely they might see them. They
would follow them with their prayers end their loving
wishes, and their good advice. Although they had
come to be the servant, of the public they had not
wised to be children of their parents, the brothers of
their brothers and sister., finding the beet happinesa in
their homes, and giving to their home. the beet hag.pi-
EMS in return. The second point for reference wan the
religious and good thoughis of the little Samuel him-
self. The boys had done well to come there that day
to consecrate their work in that holy place ; but it
ought to be borne in mind that not only then, but
every morning and evening, they should kneel down
and ray a prayer—however short—to God to guide
them through the day and keep them through the
night. And if sometimes they were so hard pressed
with work that they had not time to say all they wished
to say, tlen let them repeat to themselves the hymn
they had just sung, written by one of the beet English
bishops that ever lived—

" Lord, I my vows to Thee renew;
DZsperse u.s sins Mm)rulog dew
"1 ry to Thee, sly) sale has kept
And host refreshed me whale l slept
"Direct, control, suggest, this day
All I design, or to, or say ;

" Guard my first springs of thought and will.
And with thyself my spirit till
If they had not already seen he hoped they would one
day see a copy or engraving of Sir Joshua Reynolds's
painting of the infant Samuel in the Temple, with his
height eyes looking up to heaven full of eager hope.
The third point to which he desired to direct their
attention was the message to Samuel, arid Samuel,
answer—" Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." He
would urge wrote those present that they also hail a call
from God. They, tor, must have their tars open and
their minds ready to say, "Sposk, Lord, for thy wervant
heareth " They had especial calling—acalling which one
inightsay was new in the world—smelling which was very
important—A calling which deposited upon their
fidelity, diligence, activity, and intelligence for its
proper fulfilment. They were called upon, as servants
of their country, to carry to the doors of houses those
quick meeriages which were often matters of life and
death, of joy and rorro.v, to thousands of households.
Whenever such mensage wan placed in their hands it
WWI God who ep ;kit to them to carry it straight to the
place for which it was intended; to turn adde neither
to the right or to the left ; to allow no pleasure or
pain, no smosoioent or weariness, to prrveut the m
taking it honestly or speedily to those whom it con-
cerned. Let them also remember that this earthy
calling of theirs was a likeness, a parable, of what they
would have to do throughout all the duties of their after
life. John Bunyan had deecrlhed life as the heavenly
footman whose way was long, who had many an unchlan
path to cross and many a devil to overcome. Those who
would do their duty properly must run on in the right
way, nor listen to any one who called after them on the
road—they must be intent on getting to the end of their
journey. Not only in the carrying of messages and
telegrams but in the whole busineee or life, it should be
their effort and happiness to carry God's messages care-
fully; to go straight to the point; to lose no time, and
to lose no jot of heart or hope. 'there was a word in
the Bible which meant messengers- the holiest and
loveli rot types of created beings—the word "angels."
They were messern.ers who flew like glances of light
from earth to heaven, and from heatren to earth, who
miuistered with unceasing energy to thoU id of heaven
and earth, who did all things with the special ohject of
carrying out the will of God. That was what the boys
in th- Abbey were intended to be—angels, messengers
in the literal sense of the word. Perhaps the service
in which they had just joined—perhaps some word; be
had spoken might put mon', serious thoughts Into their
minis. Some of them perhaps in after Isle, when placed
; in some responsible position, where they had been able to
Idu some good to their fellow men, might remember that
d y, might remember that they had marched through
the tombs of famous Englishmen, that they had offered
up their prayers in the most beautiful of lnglieh
churches. They might remember that from that day,
like Samuel, they had grown in favour with God and
also with man. Tney might remember, let him hope
they would, that henceforward they had become
diligent, more truthful, more conscientious, more re-
ligious, that that day was the giving to them of a new
usefulness, of a fresh contentment, of anew happiness;
alni let them never cease, like tho angels, until they
beheld the face of their Father which is in heaven.
. . .

Upon the conclucon of the sermon the boys left the
Abbey quietly, and at once assembled in companies
on the right ot their left markers, and after marching
to Charing-cross, were dispersed.