The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-05-05 00:00:00

TER DORSET MILITIA.

„ The tminint km been diligently oarried on dozing
sae Pat_t work, ani, fortunately, the regiment
hu had fine weather for Use work. The Aeld
state, as made up on Tuesday, gives the following
results :-3 Ankl ollsere—Golonel R. H. Bingliani.
Lieut..oolonal Lord Ashley, end Major J. Davis;
oaptains—Captains J. Gollop, J. Want, W. H. Bower,
A. Wil?tat, and B. Burnett; Limits. R. Aldridge, R.
W. Biunktwo H. Brouneker, E. O. Gundry, and J.
T. Bourn; 4 et4—Adjutant Major Clapeott, Sargeon
G. Carose, Assistant-like:gem D.Cuime, and Quarter.
Master J. Anderson ; 31 sergeants, 8 drummed, 621
rank and file. _

The refreshment and reading room at the Corn
Exchange received a lugs 11001•6011 of visitors on
Tuesday, and the demands OM the sammisariat depart.
meet kept Mr. C. Greening and his staff busily engaged.
In the evening • large number assembled around
Yrs. Bnighani at the harmonium, at six o'clock, and
sang hymns with • wart and heartiness quite exhilarat-
mit to observe. The pliant oolonel =ibis wife mani-
fested the liveliest interest in the men. salting them all,
as it seemed to us, by their names. am they first pre-
minted 'bonnet res, and kindly inquiring after their
welfare during the part year. Mrs. Bingham's penny
bank has been• great institution amongst the recruits, no
less than 65 of them being depositors, and already a la rge
number of " old hands" Mire opened 'neonate with that
lady, prompted thereto, doubt/am, by former exrerienoe
of the Musing melte of so doing at the end of the
inhales'. The newspapers and periodieels appear to be
extensively read, and the library is • storehouse of
Information whioh is taken advantage of by many.
Letter writing is mostanily going on, the men being
generously provided, not only with pens, ink, and paper,
but postage stamps—a liberality for si hich assuredly
the father*, mothers, and other relatives of the
men, ought to feel thankful, as it is the means of thi is
receiving frequent eommmunieations from their lads,
which might otherwise be very few and far between.
The various games provided for recreation in the room
scircct owidorable Numbers, and they than pass the

halm pieuutly. and innocently. The whole arrangertien is.
which Mrs. Bingham's kind forethought and I: ber•li ty has
made, are calculated to form good hsbits in the mon,
and to promote their welfare in every ',spec& Mr.
Smith, of the London City Mission, is again amongst
the men, and Ins now become quite an old friend to
very many of them. From him they receive " a word in
souon," and • nice which it not likely to be witliout
influenrie for good.
On Tuesday evening the Rae. E. W. Pear., M.A.,
addressed the turn at the Corn Exchange, in a
Pe's% earnest, and interesting manner, rivas.
ing the attention of the audience. lie said :
I have been asked by Colonel Bingham and Mrs.
Bingham to say a few words to you on your first coming
to this room. Perhaps you may want to know why I
am asked to address you. I will tell you, and I may
also say why lam very pleased to do it. lam asked to
speak to you lacono, it so happens thee white hen' you
are in my parish, and are, therefore, my parishioners for
the time heing ; and I am very pleased to do it, for
this reason—l always like to spook to young men,
because they understand what I thy, and I remember
the time when I was • young man myself, and what
are the temptations of young men, what are the's weak.
Dem, and their difficoltie• I remember how fall of
spirits, an I activity, and fun young men are, and we
know that they sometimes lead to mischief; and as
I look back on the years that are past, I feel very
anxious to do what I can, so that every young man
I can get hold of may be able to look back in the future
on the enjoyments of his youth without any regret.
There is only one way to .to this, and that
to enjoy health and strength, always remember'
ins you are not going to live bore for ever.
Eighteen hundred years ago there was a young man, •
servant, or rather slave, in the house of a Christian
muter. Like many more in every age be despised the
privileges he enjoyed, and only wanted more liberty to
sic; so having robbed his master be ran away to Rome,
the largest, in.t populous, and roost wicked city in the
world at that time. An evil capacious likes to hide
itself in • crowd, and men will commit sins, and be
guilty of vicious practices, in a crowded town, which
they would be ashamed to be suspected of in their own
home.; we are all tempted to 'follow a multitude to
do evil," forgetting that "though hand join in hand,
the wicked shall not go unpunished." So the young
man thought he was safe, and amid live as he pleased,
without his master's eye to watch him, or his voice to
reprove him. But he forgot that there In One eye that
none of us can escape. David says, Psalm cxxxix.,
"If I ascend up into heaven Thou art there : if I make
my bed in bell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the
winin of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts
of the sea; even there shall Thy hood lead me; and
Thy right hand shall hold me." And so eves in tricked
Rome God's eye was upon that young man; and in that
city, to which he fled, as • harbour for men as wicked
as himself, he beard an aged minister of the gospel, •
prisoner for Christ, preach that truth, which in days
gone by he had heard in his master's house. God's
spirit brought it home to his heart. and he returned to
his master's booms • humble penitent, but a happy
believer in Christ. You may read the history in St.
Paul's Epistle to Philemon. And why do I tell you
this story? is it Weans, you see here in Dorchester for
• bad or dishooourable cause? surely not. You ere
here to do your duty; and all right thinking men ere
ready to welcome you, and anxious to make your stay
among us as happy and profitable as possible. We
recognise in you specimens of that army of which the
Duke of Wellington said, "It can go anywhere, and do
anything;" sod though I trust your work will be con-
fined to mere training, I feel sure, that if necessary,
you are ready and willing to "go anywhere and do any-
thing" in the path of duty. A portion of our army
has lately been into the middle of Africa—neither •
a petiole's wilderness nor mountains without roads
could stop • British army when they were
going to avenge the honour of this poultry, and,
perhaps England never won a greater triumph than
In that short and suoceadul campaign in Abyssinia. I
tell you this story to remind you that though you have
left your home, your father and mother, your minister,
who perhaps has known you from the time you were
born; though you sre here out of sight of those whom you
respect ; though you are surrounded by others like
yourmlf full of health and strength and spirits, bent on
enjoyment, yet you are not out of God's sight; and
even here you will find His servants ready to meet you
, with the same message of mercy that you have heard at
home; Christian friends ready to watch over you, end
irrovide fot your comfort, and anxious only to surd you
home again when your traitAng is over, not only boner
' soldiers of the Queen of England Pot enlisted in the
service of the King of !Depend Lord of Lotda. "Suffer
then the word of exhortation:" remember that if you
have friends, tree friends in this town, you have also
enemies lying in wait to deceive you, ready to encourage
' you in sin, professing to be your friends, their only
I object being to cheat yen of your hard-earned wages, and
' if they succeed in that they will only laugh at you as they
see you go back to your homes with empty pockets and
' bouts saddened by an evil conasieoce. A few years ago
you would not have been able to escape from these
temptations ; but now' thanks to the kindness of those
' who care for you, you have this room prepared for you,
and *ell furnished with every comfort, where, after
the work of the day is over, you can enjoy your evenings
in harmless recreation, or ptolliable reading ; and if
you feel, as you must feel, that you ows great gratitude
' to those who have provided these comforts for you, I
will tell you the but way to thew that gratitude—by
making use of the room, and the library, and listening to
' the good advice of your good missionary. Nor think
that, because you have neglected your Bibles at home,
therefore you most continue to do cohere. Let me tell
you another story. Some years ago a young soldier,
lite yourselves, orronnitted a crime, for which he was
transported, and, havirig got • ticket of leave, he was
' set to keep sheep in Adntralia. Dory after Amy he
' in solitude, without companion or friend. A ortril
there came back to his mind the lemons be had learrit
in the Sunday school at home. Have not you been
to Sunday Khoo'? You may think that you have
forgotten what you learnt there; but it will come tack to
you again, penned only to fill you with despair. Well, I
' this poor young fellow hat no one to speak to, he felt he
was • sinner, that God was angry with him ; and In that
' fearful solitude he felt that God was always with him,
he could not escape, and then how he wished for •
Bible, the book be had so long neglected; how he wished
for those kind friends, who used to try and teach him
the way of peace, and he neglected their words; and
now they were thousands of miles away, and be a
convict in the wilds of Australia. But God win watoh•
ing oter him for good. In the wretched hut in which
be lived, pushed in under the thatch, he one day saw a
pleas of • book; and dtawing it out he found it was
part of a Bible, only part of the Gospel of St. John,
but the Spirit that taught him without any book that
he was a sinner, soon taught him in those few pages
that Jesse was his Saviour; and now in happiness and
Peace he wrote home to the lady that need to teach him
in the Sunday school, to tell her what God had dons
for his soul. And don't you think that the tidy was
' glad when she got that letter; could he have thanked
her better for all her care? And be sore of this,
that nothing would give that kind lady, who is so
careful for your comfort and protection hero, greater
setisfaction than to bear that her pains bad not been
bestowed in vein, but had been blessed of God to
you real and eternal good. But all the kind care
' bf friends will be in vain, unless you carry with
you • feeling of your own responsibility, that God
Is here as well as at your homes: that be sees what care
' is bestowed upon you. Remember what kept Joseph
' from doing wrong—when he was far from his father's
house; living among sinful heathens, he did not forget
that he was under God's eye; and when tempted to sin
he replied, "How can I do this great wickedness and
sin against God," A knowledge that God is your
' Father and Friend • real love for Hint in your heart,
will not rob this life of any real happiness, nor make
you enjoy your health and strength the leas, while it
will to • storehouse of comfort and Peace against the
hour of sickness and death. We welcome you then once
more to Dorchester. May you, as in put years. be • coedit
to your commanding allow, by your soldierly bearing,
and attention to your duties; and when the time outgo
for you to leave u ono* more, may you leave with the
r of all the inhabitants, and carry hack with you
such eatcharacter that fathers and mothers may esteem it
an honour and privilege to have a son in the Dorset
Militia.
The men expressed their gratification by vigorous
applause. Another hymn was then sang, and the
ordinary process ings were resumed.
Is the early part of the evening, the braes band of the
regiment, under Bandmaster Carroll, played a selection
of music in the Corn Exchange, and we are pleased to
notice a marked improvement in their performances
since last year.