The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-07-06 00:00:00

Valet Cott* Exprtss.l

DOSCHZEITEIt. JULY 6, 1690.

OON'TINITANCE OF LIBERAL SUCCESS.
The In•elactions ate showing that there is no chew
let the Liberal tendency of the constituencies which
WM so strikingly meatiest at the General Election.
Mr. RaW, at Wallingford, has beaten the Conservative
by only • few votes lees than the f miner Liberal
member won with, although we admit that selfishly
we have cause for regret, since Mr. Ralli's success
seems to deprive the borough of Briciport of •
candidate who certainly was an ornament to the place,
and who contrasts favourably, with the Bridport Bore. ,
Sir Robert Peel succeeded in dragging a great name in
the dirt at Gravesend, having to lower hi. flag ~,,
defiantly flaunted, to Sir Sydney Waterlew, who won
by the proud majority of Mt, an increase of fles in the
Liberal votes. The little Irish constituency of Bandon '
has ejected the temporary Conservative incubus by, a
majority very good for that small place. At Plymouth
In spite of the touching attempts of the Election
Judge to break his fall, Sir Edward Bates has had to
retire in consequence of the corruption of an agent, •
remit on which we congratulate all good Libes, and
in particular Mr. Plimsoll. That estimable man stands
higher than he ever did, by reason of his magnificent
self-devotion, and we hope a seat may yet be found for
the "sailor's friend."

THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS CENTENARY.
The promoters of Sunday Schools have every reason
to be gratified with the success which attended their
festival laid week. The enthusiastic meeting at
aTdihall ,roved how much the principle is engrained
in our natures and how much good has been
effected 111171 Ce Robert Raikes first hit upon the happy
idea. To appreciate fully the results gained one must
consider whet the state of things in England was
before the philanthropist commenced his great work.
What a soulless day for the young Sunday must have
been The time had long gone by when "ye Books
of Sports- WWI by Royal mandate, onlered to be read
in churches ; but ths effect of James's Declaration,
•mnfirtned as it afterwards WWI by Charles, lingered in
the habits 1,1 the people. Bowls and quoits formed
the chief features of Sunday observance. Even to
this day are to be seen marks on the outside of some
village churches, indicating where the game of fives
was played on Sundays, and there are persons living
who can recollect when in certain obscure places the
cl,yman saw no imprudence in joining in a game of
et on Sunday,' with his parishioners. Nothing
tended to change this habit so much as the introduc-
tion of Sunday Schools. As schools increased
muscular Sunday amusements were gradually neu-
tralised. The two principles could not on-exist. It is
Impossible to say how mach in the way of modern
refinement is owing to the gentler style in which
Sunday has been spent. or has the advantage been
confined to social improvement. The Sunday School
was the pioneer of modern education. It was the
readiness with which boys and girls submitted to
Sunday instruction which showed how vast a field
there was waiting for development. A sneer is
sometimes cast at Sunday Schools, it being asserted
that their day is past, and that the moral and
religion good li more than balanced by the physical
disadvantages to which the young cooped up in a
narrow space, and subject to all sorts of unnatural
restraints, are called upon to endure. There has not
been wonting oppoaition even on the part of high
dignitaries of the church. But when one remembers
the greet good which has been done, and the bond of
Christian unity which Sunday schools down to this
very hour have succeeded in maintaining, it is
difficult to avoid the conclusion that there is, even yet,
a necessity for their assistance. It would seem,
indeed, that the want will increase rather than
diminish. In proportion as religious instruction is
banished from the day schoolovill the need for Sunday
teaching be aumented. The system is merely
undergoing modition. The secular part of Sunday
is to give way to a more exclusively
Zrtis°ltraining. Banished in one place, it 141
pervade more completely the other. Sunda y teaching
is the last refuge of denominationalism, and for this,
if for no other reason, a countenance of the work may
be expected. It has, however, a still higher mission.
The tendency of modern day-school teaching is to
exclude the inculcation of morality. With no inten-
tion of omitting this most important of all instruction,
It is impossible not to perceive that the authorities are
confining the curriculum more and more to a purely
scholastic process. As this is so, it is assuredly
desirable for the young to have express opportunities
for the study of those higher principles which used to
be inculcated in all schools alike. There is no reason,
then, for believing that Sunday schools have not a
useful future before them. In whatever light they are
regarded, whether as means for implanting religious
truths, as opportunities for the increase 4 Christian
unity, or as helps to various kinds of social improve-
ment, they seem likely, not only to hold their own,
but to increase in public usefulness.

DOZOESSTBS.

Datrrurray.—lt will be seen by an announcement of
our sive, acing columns that Mr. Deane-Webb, of 48,
Queen Anne-street, Cavendish-ruuare, London, W.,
visits Dorchester every alternate Saturday, his con-
sulting rooms being at Mr. Lockett'a, 1, Cornhill,
Dorchester.
Winn tw GARDEN,: —A corr spondent of the fhtaldre
writes :—" I see window.gardening is a subject with
you. I have hal some iron window-gariens—all In
one piece with the sill—holding two barrowfuls of
earth each, perfectly drained and safe for years. They
are fully successful, and their contents are in luxuri-
ance now.
WISILIYAN 8,11001. TREAT. On Monday (this)
morning the teachers and children of the Wesleyan
schools went off in high spirits for a day's outing at
Ledmoor. The weather was fine, the pleasuredakers
were conveyed in a I cog row of waggons lent by the
principal tradesmen, and the procession was very gay
with banners and flap, making a very lively show in
South.street.
MOSTALITT STATIsTIC3 FOR THR BOIOUGH, JUNI,
1880.—Births, 23 (Fordington 16) ;deaths, 12 (Fording-
lon 4). Two death% were due each to bronchitis,
consumption and dropsy; one each to heart-disease,
meadee, debility, convulsions, old age, and ap
Two of these occurred in the County Hospital (con-
sumption and dropsy), and one in the Infantry
BarraJles (consumption). Upon these data the annual
birth-rate is 391, and the death-rate 20.5 per 1,000.
E. J. DAT, medical officer of health.
TAR STRAYING Hone NUitiANCL—R hen Peach,
Joan Jose,. and Wiffinri Rood, the latter of Kingsbury
Episcopi, were summoned for allowing their horses to
stray on Sunday evening on the highway, at Swyre.—
P.C. Long saw the defendants feeding their horses ;
they trotted them on a bit when they saw him, and
then stopped and fed them again, he double I up to
them and they trotte I off, but when he went rmnd
another way they were feeding them again—Fined 5..
and costs each; this amounted to 12s. in the caso of
Peach and 17e. in the other oases, those two defen-
dente having to be served at Kingsbury Episcopi.
One of them complained bitterly of this, but was told
If he did not pay the fine might have to be levied at
Kingsbury, and going down there would much in.
crease the costs.
BURIAL Bossy. —At the meeting on Thursday, at i
Bt. Peter's, for the purpose of electing representa-
tives for the parish, Mr. George Pouncy was in
the chair, Mr. Bascombe was elected on the Burial
Board, and Mr. T. C. Pouncy and Mr. B. Hogg,
auditors.—At Holy Trinity vestry Mr. Jameson was
chairman, and the Rev. H. Everett and Mr. George
Hawkins were re-elected on the Burial Board ; Messrs.
J. Mlles and J. Hazel auditors.—At All Saints' the
Rev. F. H. Jones and Mr. Georg•Froat were re-elected
on the Burial Board, and Mr. Edward Steele in the
clam of Mr. Junes Drake, deceased; and Messrs. G.
P. Greening and C. Parsons, grocer, were chosen
auditors.
Cannot or STILLING Swim. —On Friday morn-
ing, before the borough magistrates, Thomas Johnson
was charged with stealing slippers.—Benjamin Moores,
of Alington-terrace, yesterday purchased a pair of
slippers for lc lii., and afterwards went up to the Oak,
where be keeps his tools, sat down in the kitchen, and
rave prisoner something to eat, as he was hard up.
Went out for a short time, and when he came back
the man and the slippers were gone. In the evening
P.C. Carter came to him with a pair of slippers, to
which he could swear, and one of which he had marked
in ascertaining whether they were made of leather or
brown paper. —Prisor er denied that prosecutor had
given him any food; it was the man who drove the
water-curt whom he gave it W.—Prosecutor could not
be certain whether priconer had the pigs' feet and
breed; he was sitting next the other man—P.C.
Carter, about six last night, heard that prisoner was
about the town with a pair of slippers which he was
to sell. Went to look for laina, and about ten
tee pan six met him on Cornhill. Could see he
had something tucked tap under hie coat, and asked
him what be had there. Prisoner replied—" What
the -- odds is it to you what I've got there!" put
his hand ander his cost and said—" There! 'tis a
pair of slippers." On being irked where he got them
be said—at the Oak. and that he gave le. for them.
Took hiss into the police station, detained the slippers
and let prisoner go. Afterwards found Benjamin
Moores claimed the slippers, and then arrested
prisoner,
ui who soid--" I know I took the slippers."—
(led till Monday morning, when he was brought
up again for stealing is pair of carpet clippers from
Benjamin Moore., at the Royal Oak.—He penieted in
edeerting Me innocence, and was eommitted to the
Assizes -for trial.
" Sinct-ansce Da. "—This term is susceptible of
various readings, but words of that sound seem to
have been very generally used in the same rinse
formerly. As to the origin of the term, I read. in
Roberta's Biatory end Antiquities of the Borough of
Lres Regis (London, 1884, p. 257), that the practice of
decorating the doors of houses with oak boughs on May
10 had somewhat grown into disuse, but that "the boys
coatis:or to gild their oek-applee and apply an oppro-
brious name to those who -have not an oak-leaf dis-
played, or wear it after twelve o'clock. For the origin
of this appellation, by which Nonconformists were
commonly distinguished, Granger accounts, vol. iii.,
p. 315, in a truly ludicrous manner. The fastidious
reader will approve of my only alluding to the
=cicada." I have not eotoyed the opportunity of
reitrrW to what Granger says, but I remember
that when I was a small boy, more than half a
century ago, the custom prevailed in the north-
ern cart of Dorset, precisely as Roberts relates of
the sostb-wen. I have, however, lived long enough to
whams the a:Unction of this as well as of other local
sod ancient outeess. The boys here retain no observ-
ance of the filth of May. The oak-apple and oak-leaf
me quite forgotten, and their fats is the same as that
of the owe time-honoured customs of the mammon at
Obrinanna of choral singing. and the eight o'clock cur-
fry bell, whirls were iimStalUons here fifty
years ago, but ere nowregrig, or have died, out of
ciarervanoe—too perwile, no doubt, to be remembered
is this supsrfar totelligenoe In respect to ths
origin of the WM In qaestion, I have often wandered
what it could possibly mean, and invented a little
door y at my own, vii. that the words may be
at the name Skirort. which may have been
,Tec=e gins to the Puritane, who, in thee;, of
gegioorcreee deep:Men after the fashion of the king
4i (I Mike 'iv., 11). I should like to know
ff wja " hog trater."—T.W.W.B., in Notes
And Qwria.