The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-07-10 00:00:00

SOCIETIES,

AN influence, which no one can doubt is adverse to
the Church of England, has been at work, as our

readers are probably aware, to cause three of our

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Church Societies to be deprived of that portion of their
incomes. which was collected under the authority of
what are known as Queen's Letters. The societies in
whose favour these documents were alternately issued
are, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in
Foreign Parts, the National School Society, and the
Church Building Society ; and, as we have already
Maintained with regard to the second of these, so now
we fearlessly assert of the other two, that they know
no party but the Church, and are, therefore, worthy of
the warmest support of all the Church's children.
The first of these, we believe, affected by the refusal
to issue the usual Queen's Letter, is that for Church
Building. But how is it to be affected ? Once in
three years the SOVEREIGN, through the Archbishops
and Bishops, has required a collection to be made in
its behalf ; and the amount received has varied from
about twenty-four to thirty thousand pounds, which,
divided into three, has afforded an addition to its funds
of from eight to ten thousand a year, the other two
societies realising about an equal sum. We recollect,
some years ago, that the Times, in consequence of a
dispute between its then-proprietor and the Incumbent
of the parish in which he resided, endeavoured to prove
the illegality of Church collections, unless made under
the Queen's authority ; and, possibly, those who have
brought about the refusal of this authority may en-
deavour to revive this point, and hinder the Church to
do for herself what others refuse to do for her. How-
ever, many and bitter as are the Church's foes, the
temper of the times would hardly, we think, support
any attempt of this kind, and, therefore, we will not
anticipate it. The problem is, how to raise an annual
sum of some twenty-eight thousand pounds, in order
that these three societies may not suffer, nor their work
be impeded. And, surely, there ought to be no diffi-
culty in this. It would only amount to an average of
two pounds for each of our congregations ; and what
we fear is, not want of ability upon the Church's part
to raise this sum, a mere drop in the bucket compared
with the wealth of Christian England, but, that some
of the clergy through forgetfulness, some through
procrastination, and others through lukewarmness,
will allow the year to slip away without making the
necessary effort. We would fain hope that the bishops
will do something in the matter. A united pastoral
from them would, we believe, be even more efficacious
than a Queen's letter, and certainly far more satisfac-
tory in principle. And, if this be found to be imprac-
ticable, there is no reason why each bishop should not
address the clergy of his own diocese : and, even if some
of them should decline to take this course, we see not
what is to hinder each clergyman addressing his own
flock. We are satisfied that, if the right steps are
taken, tLe societies will not only not be injuriously
affected by the hostility of the men at present in power,
but their incomes will he increased, and their means
of usefulness extended.
Of the hostility of certain persons to the National
Society we have,- on two previous occasions, Written