The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-02-21 00:00:00

THE LONEION MISSION OF 1874.

On Tuesday the Dmim Se,eg published the following
letter, by " A Broad Charolumm," deicriptlve of the " Ser-
vices for Women " in connection with the above Mission :
It is, I suppose, only another instance of men being
better than their creeds when I am able to state that,
though the Ritualistic preachers hive over and over
again stated that it was a blessed thing to be perse-
cuted by the press, still, directly I stated my wish to be
present and report the services 'for women only,"
and from which men are, as I stated, rigidly excluded,
each of the priests to whom I applied, courteously—
nay, even anxiously—requested me to come, and af-
forded every facility for seeing without being seen.
Ihe West-end women, even mere than their Rest-end
sisters, are naturally sensitive am to being " reported ;"
and on all bands this feature of the Mission requires
m at delieste treatment.
I paid, then, first of all, a morning visit to each of
the two churches which have combined for this raid on
Regentatreet, namely, St. Peter's, Wiodmillatreet,
next door to the Argyll Rooms, and St. Thomas's, late
Archbishop Tenison's ChspeL In each I found the
Missioners hard at work. At St. Peter's, the Rev.
Stephen Gladstone, son of the Premier, was in earnest
converse with a man who bore the at p-arance of an
artisan. In St. Thomas's a beanie I prima was in
the same position with a middle-aged female;
while several younger women were waiting for
an interview. The Rev. Edward Steele was
sitting in the vestry for the same purpose ; and, In
each case, I must in justice ray that the mere mention
of the avowedly obnoxious press was sufficient at
once to gain me the entrie I solicited. I was
anxious, however, first of all to see the Mission doing
out-of-door work; and for that purpose repa'red
to St. Thomas's Church at half.past seven fer a
preliminary excursus through the streets prior to
the last Mission service, the object of such sortie
being principally to collect a coogregatien ; though,
DO doubt, in a secondary degree, to get at those
who will not come to church at all. A somewhat
angry mob surrounded the door of the church, and
were making remains, more pointed than polite, on
the Ritualists in general, and the confessional in par-
ticular. The idea ot a procession was wisely abandoned,
for one plainspoken gentleman gave notice that if they
brought any of them " rage" out, he would pitch into
em', if he got locked up for it." So we went out two
and two to a spot agreed upon down a back street.
"I'm afraid there will be a row," said the vicar. "Then
let's have a row," answered the plucky curate. We met
at the appointed rendezvous where a Windsor chair
was forthcoming; and, before people knew what be
wt. about Mr. Steele had popped en • pocket
surplice and mounted his rostrum, A hymn was sung,
and he preached a sermonette appropriate to the ones-
*ion. The people were quiet; some impressed, others
inclined to suggest that the gentleman was in his shirt
sleeves; but the assembly was quite divided; and
when he made a touching reference to a mother's
prayers havieg gone up to Heaven for many of those
present, I saw rough women moved to tsars, and even
men were disposed to concede that "the feller warn't
a-doing any harm." Perhaps his greatest coup of
all was wham he pude "I dam soy many of you

ain't Church of England people; but I don't cars
for that. Perhaps some of you are Wesleyan& I hope
you are." He scored a point there; but lost it
again when he kissed the crccifix at the end of his
short discourse. As we pawed from post to post,
marching to the tune of "Doily, daily," along the ma-
fragrant streets and alleys, the noise increased; but it
wee made entirely by small boys, and, of course, the
smaller the lad the more noise be made. One hiding
place was near the scene of the recent fatal fire ; and
Mr. Steele pressed the fact cleverly into his eervion.
He was amen not to be howled down on any &cerium',
or by any number of infirdieeimal boys. There was ax
immense congregation c.illected for the eight o'clock
eervi,e, and the gentleman who had elected to be
locked-up contents i himself wlih howling " con-
tensional," as Mr. Steele poised him on re entering
the church. Diecretion is Bo often the better part of
valour. lint it is eleven o'clock, and the bell Is ringing
for the late serene "for women only; men rigidly ex-
cluded ;" yet are there not, as Sydney Smith said,
, three sexes, " men, women, and ciergymen"t feria
clergyman, and enter unchallenged. There were very
few women uresent at eleven o'clock; but a good
many caesecked priests and " sisters " in their
habit& When • girl did enter she was pounced down
upon, perhaps • little too suddenly, by several
sisters at once; but they entered quiet readily
into conversation; and, in fact, did not seem
so much alarmed as I think I should have
been myself, under the circumstances. the "Mi-
serere" wan first sung—painfully out of tune (perhaps
to express penitence) ; then the Collect for the First
Sunday in Advent was read, and the ever-recurrent
"Daily, daily," sung; and afterwards Mr. Steele
gave some exceedingly good advice to those pre-
sent. I wish I could think his words went home. I
passed out—shall I own it ?—disappointed. I could
scarcely deem the service at St. Thomas's a success;
and I fancy I can, without lack of charity,
explain the cause. There were too many Sisters,
and they were too forward in their attentions.
I think we men could have managed matters
better—much as I believe in "woman's mission to
woman. I was not surprised to hear the Vicar
say that the " girls " had begun to tire of the ser-
vice. Ma4dalene is • very difficult subject to deal
with; and I doubt whether they have the beat
method at St. Thomas's, So I passed along that
Pandemonium, the lower part of Regent-street,
formerly called the Quadrant, and could not help
wondering how many years of Missioes, or
Stardom of Parliamentary legislation it would
take to cleanse that plague- spot. St Peter's has
Indeed bearded the lion in his den ; Lir it is next
door to the chief casino of London, the batd of
which seemed to play me into church as I passed
the sacred portal. " Father " Prescott, of the
Society of St. Jr MI at Cowley, was reciting the
ordinary Mission Service, and there was a fair con.
gregation, numbering many of the obnoxione sex, while
cassocked priests dotted the whole church over. The
service was succeeded by a long interval of silent
prayer, during which I could distinctly hear the thud•
of the contra-basei in the next building, the tune of
the dances, and eventually the noise of the royeterore
as they passed from their revelry, most of them to
supper, but some to church. It was • strange con-
trast, worth sitting up once in a way into the small
hours to witness. . .

At undinght we sang on our knees, and too &irefully
withel, the hymn:
Lard, le this Thy mercy's day,
Ere IS pus for aye we y,
On our knees we tall and wry.

Soon ~f ter twelve they came in, a motley gathering
girls and yourg men with them; for the reAriction,
"For women only," wan waived laat n'ght, nodatill
the sane mist, ke. Wherever a giggling girl aettl.d,
an estimable lady in a pike bonnet came and settled
to and the poke bonnet made the girls giggle more.
Father Preecutt commenced his address by giving the
girls addreseee of the ladies who would attend them
in any Bicknell" or difficulty, and then gave out a
hymn, wh.ch wan snug t 3 an incongruous accom-
paniment of loud laughter as fret') bevies of girls
came pouring in. There was, at all events, no lack of
congregation here. Then followed the addreas by an
exceedingly uninterestil g, but I have no doubt eati•
geotlemar. He took as his subject, " Chriet,
the Good Shepherd," and talked to his congregation al
though they bad been children—which they were not.
Deci tedly the best portion of his brief sermon was
where he claimed that the name ban that rested on
them, his "dear children," should rest on those who
had led them to it. I had hoped much from this aspect
of the Mission, and am sorry to feel it poisaible it may
have failed.