The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1872-06-25 00:00:00

Local anb District ActoS.

LONDON CITY MISSION.

The stead meeting In st. Peter's schoolroom, on be-
half of the London Cm Musion, took plain loot Tuesday
evil:Ong. It nag fully attended, and the speech of the
deputation, a " live ninalunary." wad one earne•t,
stauple.iniudeat, "she coo aerpt nt," and o,nresteou.,
lead it. naely Interesting. TOO, }tooter (Ike. IL W.
Pears) presided, and there were presoak, the Ike,
Moak, the Ike. E. Ludlow, the It v. 11. F. Evens, 0.
Feq ' So. The fe • olts We append 101 give
sone lalut itles of the. work he desetibed. _

The Climaxes( said If there was one coveting of this
kind more than another to which be took special Interest
It was in tie operations of the Loudon City thasion.
For some years the people of Dortheeter had main. ,
Mined one of these Ileiell4oolltell is the metropolis, aad
every year they had the plenure of hearing from the
mouth of one of these the' nature of the work carried
on. Be briefly introdueed the depotatioo.
Mr. CLARK; • London City missionary for more
than 20 yrs., then spoke, and selthled to Munster
the society • °within'', the work he has been earning
on in factories since last November he the wish of St.
Panama. He gained admissim to more than 200
factories, comprising upwards of 2,7i0 men and boys,
and including workers in brass, Iron, and wood, organ
builders, harmonium makers, pianoforte makers,
oaxpenters, cabinet makers, engineers, sculptors, stone
moans, down to the humble wood-chopper. He found
some men reserved, others bad-tempered, and some very
talkative and fond of argument. As he promised the
mestere riot to Mader the men in their work he had to
be easeful how headed; when men were working by the
day often he scald oely leave • trait on their beaches
and say • few weeds in passing; bat the men on piece
would often spare a few minutes to hear him, ethereally
those fond of arguing. On the 21st of Hardt there
wee a thunderstorm, and he was in a larim shop whore
they had to stop work because of the darkness. "Alt,"
said one of them "you have bronaht darkness with
you, Mr. Clarke ; " Yee, said be, but let me give you
some light, and he spoke to them about Christ.
" l'eu a socialist," one at another pima would
may "110 am 1," he replied, "and want to be
sociable with you all," and sob. began conversation.
Beaty incident of the day, the work,the spernal
eireunatancee of the moment were seised upon to start
eonvenation and soy • few words about the &repel.
One mare would say " I'm • memoirs or eireeontaem,”
and dont aro about tracts. Indeed, be would retort,
suppose • LUAU knocked you down when you were
going hone, and then pleaded he *outdo.' help it for
he was • "creature of orresmatenoe," would you not
popish ? Of source I wadi. Than year theory
won't hold; and ache wee able to say • word in season.
An infidel objected that by the Chinese chronology the
world was older than the Seripturee recorded, but he
showed them how even the entities bed superstitions
of the Chinese support the Bible resold. Another
would say how ton you prove the neurreetion of
Christ? By two menuments—the Institution of Sun-
day, and the historical rimed of Pectins Piliete. Then
one said "how shoat the borrowing off the Baptism"
—there's • spectroth °tient. Christianity, for they
never meant to repay. He explained the text meant
ask or demand, and that the Egyptians gave them
gladly whither to get rid of the... Other pommies of
riptiire seemingly imetradlotory were often brought
before him, and he illuteated the manner in which he
answered the objestione eo made. They were ney
fond of referring to bell and the nature and attest of
the punishment of the wicked. Amino the literalness
of the Are he did not pretend to ray, hut referred to
the awfulness of the punishment of • bus goal for
Christ to use snob an emblem as "fire" respecting it.
Hard things were said about Manta's, and in reference
to such complaints he referred them to the reports of
the different religions andedunational eociethe, Point4t
out that ministers were generally at the bottom of
A very intelligent man complained of hiehops, ministers,
and everybody else, and said "I wish 1 ware dead,
and then 1 steull be • vegetable!" He told him if he
went into eternity in sash a I+l'4 be would wish he
had be- .1 a vegetable, and by and bye he got the man
to attend regularly public worship. One man mid
"Mr. Clarke, yoa pray for the conversion of
men like ma, why don't you pray for the
00heerekh Of the devil, and cut it short?" He
pointed out that nowhere in the bible was there any
such mainland or hint that Satan wee ever to be con-
verted. One said I believe in a God, but not in •
devil; so he reed to him about the templet/on of Christ.
Then he said "Can yes prove the devil has a mil ?"
and he answered the moo the devil led aspen. at his
will might be his tail. Another offered to bet him •
shilling to prove there was a devil. He reminded him
that there were gthd and bad amongst mm, and there.
fore reason would lead to the easelusion that there
were good and bed mama thee* who partook of the
higher nature of men; the latter the Scripture milled
evil spirits, and the Devil was the chief of them.
Darwinism often was brought forward 'mains' Scripture.
But he said why is not the development theory Was
trated now? Instead of taking • boy &pervades, you
go to the Z sologied Gardens and get • monkey, and
tomb him to make • pianoforte, and then your terrine I
will he made: His ahopiaatat laughed, end be
spoke of that again. Then he told of his doings in
workshops where the um were all Jews. He was
sedated that by setting the truth before them some
good must result. Be came In contact with a large
number of foreigners—Poise, Italian?, Swim, Germans,
French, and Austrian.. One said 'Christ I should
Eke to see Him. rd give Him some beer! Another
said "We no ioul." A third asked "If there be •
God. why does he allow war r The French missionary
said theme foreigners were generally Communion and
Atheists. A German Medal someted him with the
remark, "You lazy devil, why do you go about dine"-
busing those rabbishlng Ornate Why don't you do
something to bested' mankind ? Try to snake a machirm
that will destroy %homemade at once, and so do away
withbattles! lie answered him by quoting Mackay—
Cannon balls may aid the day
gut truth's • weapon stronger;
We'll win our battles by Its aid,
gut, wait • little longer.
War in all man'. eya shell be
A Itlollehle of iniquity.
Netiena shall not quarrel tbs.
To prore which Is the *troop?,
Nkr oaughter men for glory's make,
gut, wait • little longer.
He described a visit to • macaroni factory; and then
went on to my the Irish Romanian were the wont and
most difficult peat!! had to deal with-one was
worse than 20 They said they belonged to
the true church, and look high growth. yet they woal
um the meet vile length's. A tall Llamas In one of
the workshops said to him "1 am • Papist, end so
waa my Father, and his father before him, and • Papist
I shall remain." Indeed, he answered, and Lf you'd
then born a Mahournedan on that principle you would
remain so too. He then referred to Motheth's history and
told him that the thumb of Home in the first century
was like what wee described be the New Testament,bet it
waa altogether different now. He got in a rage said
"he insulted him", endued all sorts of violent %bream
and gesticulation., followed into the lower shop and
continued his abuse till he left Finally the deputation
mentioned instances of oonverdon—one a navvy, who
had been • cock-fighter, a drunkard, and • violent man
in every respect—who en one occeadon, when he went
to • hospital to have his thumb whim he had got
Injured dressed, thought the surgeon too rough, and
without any ado knocked bint down and mat heltet-
shelter the studente who came to his aid; and he eon-
@laded with • few general remarks on the tuesfulnees of
the work, and the bother he felt in being one of the
missionaries.
_ . .

The CH—AIIY. AN 110261141 d the thanks 01 the meefing
to Mr. Clarke, and attributed to the work el tins City
Mission much of the pease which prevails in the
metropolis notwithstanding themes. al wicked's.= that
obtains, foci! it did not sonnet very many, IS. Mammals.
lug efforts were most salutary.
Singing the doxology ceselodad the meting. The
collection amounted to 14e. 6€l.