The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-11 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES.

The " Honiton Church Association" held its
annual meeting on the bid inst., under ;le/rrs presidency of
Viscount Sidmouth when the principal e were the
Right Hon. Sir John Coleridge, Sir Prideaux, the
Master of Bethel, and Mr. Coleridge, M.P. Sir JOHN
COLIELDGE spoke at some length upon church extension,
and warned his hearers that in all probability they should,
ere long. have to make up their minds to lose church rates.
In saying so he did not mean to argue the rights or wrongs
of the question. They knew what had taken place in the
House of Commons, and how one proposition was cut
short by the sudden termination of parliament. They
could not doubt that when parliament reassembled, that
question would be again taken up and brought to • termi-
nation. In whatever shape the question might be settled,
one thing was pretty clear, that the Nonconformist por-
tion of the population would be (free fromlchurch rates.
Another thing would also follow—that others disinclined to
pay rates would be excused. If anything remained it would
be a miserable pittance, quite inadequate to the purposes
for which the rate was originally intended. He looked to
the time when the church would have to rely upon the teal
and liberality of its own members for keeping up and ex-
tending church room for the inhabitants of this country.
That being so, was this a time when such a society as the
Church Building Society ought to be neglected? Church-
men ought gradually to accustom themselves to take this
burden on themselves. He should not regret if it should
by law become cast upon the religions feeling of this
country to provide for the maintenance and edification of
our parish churches. (Applause.)
Mr. J. COLERIDGE said that he agreed entirely with
what Sir John Coleridge had said—that a time was pro-
bably fast approaching when the church would have to
stand upon her own merits—would have to look to herself,
to look to the practical results she could point to, and her
power to persuade the nation, if she could, that it would
be an advantage to the nation that she should bold her
present position, in order to maintain that position.
Rights, influences, and customs would count, and
justly count, for much ; but national
ti memories,
great associations, long-established usages, they would
not, and, in his opinion, they ought not to, count for all.
They would not do alone. They would not, nor perhaps
ought they to, do the work and supply the place of more
practical considerations to which he had just alluded.
Like Sir John Coleridge he was not about to argue the
question whether this was right or wrong. Perhaps it
would be more manly sot to withhold his own individual
opinion that he thought it right. But right or wrong, no
man who sensibly watched the signs of the times could
doubt that so it was. He believed it was Lord Eldon who,
many years ago, with a good deal of point and truth, said
the object of the establishment of a national church was
not to make the church political, but to make the state
religious. And, depend upon it, the question whether
that object had been attained was the question which,
hereafter, would have to be answered, and to the
successful answering of which it behoved the church
of England, through her members, to devote her utmost
energies. He believed that the question might be suc-
cessfully answered, but it was to the answering of that
question she must devote herself. (Applause.) Further,
it was worth consideration whether meetings of this kind
were useful or not. In order to do that, they must, in no
exaggerated temper, but quietly, carefully, and judiciously
consider the state of things before them—in order that
they might meet the difficulties of the time in no craven,
no coward spirit, still less in the spirit of vain-glorious
self-confidence. (Applause.) He bad said a word about
the position of the church. He feared that for the last
few centuries Christianity itself had been at a standstill
in the world. It was now nearly 1,900 years since those
blessed feet were, for our advantage, nailed to the bitter
cross ; and for the last two centuries it had been as
much as Christianity could do to maintain the conquests
of the earlier years of its existence. At the present
time the religion of Brahma certainly and he believed
also the religion of Mehemet, counted more adherents than
the religion of the Son of God. This was a state of things
which to every Christian must be a matter of shame and
abasement. In saying this he put out of sight the distinc-
tions between one set of Christians and another. Any set
of Christians honestly and sincerely eng in preaching
the Gospel, any religions communityvagilh was preach-
ing any form of Christianity as against heathendom. any
persons who preached to those who did not know of it the
truth of the two great commandments upon which hung
all the law and the Prophet', were doing, in his opinion,
God's service. But making every allowance for this, think
how little of the earth had been converted ; nay more,
think how much, even in this Christian England, yet
_ I remained to be conquered by the pave].
!arge

THE PURIFICATION OF THE THAMES.—Yesterday
was issued a local act, passed in the last session, for the
purification of the River Thames, by the diversion there-
from of the sewage of Oxford, Abingdon, Reading. Kings-
ston, Richmond, Twickenham Isleworth and Brentford,
and for the collection and utilization of the sewage. The
preamble recites that under existing arrangements the
sewage of towns situate on the river Thames above the
metropolis is carried into the river, and thereby its water
is polluted, and the health and comfort of the inhabitants
of the valley of the river below those towns and the metro-
polis are affected, and that it would be of great local and
public advantage if the sewage was diverted from the
river. Renee the present act of 6R sections, pointing out
the mode and manner of its operation. There are provi-
sions as to the disturbance of the river the depth of the
main pipe ; also protection to the railways and water-
works that may be interfered with in carrying out the act.

An incident which has just occurred at St.
Panora@ workhouse shows the need of some further reform
there. A man who gave his name as Hymus lately applied
at the workhouse to see his wife, who. he stated, was con-
fined in the insane ward. He was told there was no such
woman there, and was shown the book containing the
names of the inmates to convince him of the fact. He
was, however, still unconvinced, and was so very importu-
nate that an officer took him into the insane ward to show
him there was no such woman there. The scene that took
place, however, on his entering the ward convinced the
officer that the man's story was true. It appeared that
the woman was admitted in February last, on an order of
Dr. Saul, but there was no record on the books of her
admission or name, although a few months ago the
guardians made a call of the house.
LONDON OzNca►z. OMNIDDB COMPANY (Lra(nsD).
—Traffic receipts for the week ending Oct. 7, 12,2081.
19s. 7d.