The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

CHURCH PASTORAL AID SOCIETY,

ANNUAL A

'METING LAST NIGHT.

The annual meeting of the Church Pastoral Aid Society
held in the Collegiate Institution, at half-past six
The chair was taken by the Lord
The Rev. Edward Auriol, M.A.,
G. S. Bull, M.A., Birmingham; and Rev.

A Chester

nb, Camb;

e, attended as a deputa-
clergymen ant gentlemen upon
)wing :—Rev. Archdeacon Jones,

Among the oth

lessrs. W. Polio(

ek, T. C. Cowan,

J. Tierbort,

Is, T. L. Paine, J. Pownall, 1).

Leveso

I. Conor,

J. Bardsh-y, W. Maynftrd,

on, C. Gent. D. Wilinek E. Titterton, J. Bout-
G. Ref-0, R. H. Brown, R.
srs. Edward Cropper, Adam Hodg-

fl.)wer, Haines, T. Smitt

;ley, Scott"; M
Dixon, J. K.

W. Jones,

W. Gregson,

J. H. Webster, W. R. Jeirr

A• Steain3, R. V. Sheldon,

G. Beley,

Sillitoe, raffia, &c., &c

The proceedings were or

ned by the Rev. T. C. Cowan

with a pray(

called'on the Secretary to
rt, he wished mprety to
pleasure it was to him to
the Church Pastoral-Aid

rsary, as on the many occasions when he
of he had the p'easure of seeing that
'ley were favoured that night with the
3utation from the parent society. The
of St. Drmstans, in London, one of the
friends of the society, and whose name
every place as Well as in Liverpool,

I in t.

tnev were ais,, let v ol,eu wil n me presence of
the Rev. Mr. Bull, of Birmingham, a most, exemplary,
zealou4, an,i efficient elertyrnan in that. large town, and
also one of the long-tried friends of that society; and
with the presence of Mr. Titcornbe. of Cambridge, whom
he recollected when he was a resident there labouring
zealously in a populous suburb of that .place, as he had
no doubt, with God's blessing-, he was labouring still, and
with the same success which attended his labours then.
He was sure he might, both f,,r the meeting and himself,
bid those gentlemen welcome to Liverpool, and express
his than' • - ,00dne.,:s in coming there
'; and he thought he

to them for their
st the people of Liverpool
might say to them, without fear of the m -wing not going
along with.hiro, that Liverpool was a place which both
greatly needed, and greatly d-s rved, snchlassistanee as
the Pastoral Aid Society could give. He thought when
he said it deserved that aid, that the friends whom he
saw before him would join with him in what he was going
to say next. When he said it deserved that aid, it was
because he was glad to say io the hearing of the deputa-
tion, what his (r-ends around him had often heard him say
before, but to which he felt convinced there was not a
person present, who would not bear witness, that they
were happy in having here in Liverpool, a body of cler.g.Y•
men, who were labouring most zealously, most faithfully,
and through God's blessing, most efficiently, in the work
of their ministry. (Cries of hear, hear.) They were
faithful to the Seriptural principles of the church, and
they were indefatigable in their labours for the good of
the people. among whom it was their duty and their
delight to minister. (Hear, hear.) He was sure there
was not a person present there, who did not feel in his
heart, that he was only saying what was true of the
clergy of Liverpool, speaking generally of them as a body.
(Hear, hear.) But if they looked at the number of
incumbents in Liverpool, in all the different districts,
and how few were they in numbers, compared to the
work they had to do, and the people among whom they
had to minister. If these incumbents were left to work
single-handed, it' would be quite impossihle that they
could grapple with the work. Happily they were not
left to work single handed, they had curates, and they
had Scripture readers. How were they prci-
videci to them? Their Scripture readers, he was
happy to say, were altogether, or if not altogether, in
the main, provided through a local society of their own.
A. meeting in support of that society was held there but a
very few weeks ago, when he had the pleasure of seeing
the room filled with fritnds of the Scripture Readers'
Society, and of hearing his kind friend Mr. Gregsnn state
their claims in so clear and forcible a way. that he hoped
it had left an impression upon all who were present then,
and strengthen the cause, and draw forth additional snp-

port for the society. From that society the incumbents
of Liv,nool had derived great help. They had a large
staff of Scripture readers provided, lie was happy to say,
by the people of Liverpool for themselves. Ire also
acknowledged the great help which they derived from the
Additional Curates Society, and from the Church Pasto-
ral Aid Society. Considering the immense population of
the:town and the small number of incumbents compared
with the population, as well as the scanty endowments
which most of the ministry had from their churches, and
which quite put it nut of their power to 'provide from
their professional income a staff of additional curates
to assist theta in their work, he thought he would be
justified in saving to the members of the deputation, that
Liverpool hal a claim noon the assistance of the Pastoral
Aid Society. He thought it was one of the cases which
the launders of the Pasoral Aid Society contemplated.
It was not intended that that society should gather from
every place in England so much money, and return
exactly the same a.mount back to each. There were many
places in England (G,d he thanked), well provided with
the ministrations of the church, places which had a
minister well endowed, and with such a small population,
that the one minister was able to attend to all, or if he

n ful,l

curafc

charity. to reeelve
uch places whose
r, or perbaps, not
In th,t point
Liverplol mieit

)wn C

than it con-

tributel. At the same time, his- lordship exhorted his
hearers, to exert their influence among their relatives
and friends not present. so that they might contribute
hack as much as they received. He declared that the
_ sound in every object of patriot-
_..gion, and general philanthrophy, and charity,
and he expressed a strong hone that th.y would owe the
Pastoral :Aid Society nothing, except that gratitude, good-
will, and love, and a wish' that that soniety might prosper
in other places, as it had through G- is blessing, pros-
pered there. His lordship then concluded, amid loud
applause, by calling upon the secretary to read the

heart of I,iverpnol wa

report.
The Secretary, Rev. J. C. Cowan, read the report,
from which it appeared, that local grants had been made
and ten Scripture readers, at a
, while the returns, including.
,time accounts not yet received, had been 1,6521., the
largest sum ever raised by the Liverpool association. The
report urged that much service could be done, as
had been already done. in some instances here, by the
formation and active working of branch associations. The
funds of the present society were 1,2001. below the usual
amount at the end of January : 346 curates, and 146 lav
assistants were maintained by their grants for the aid
and pastoral care of 2,900,000 souls; 52 applications for
aid could not be granted for want of funds.
Mr. William Gregson proposed the first resolution,
which was the adoption of the report, and the appoint-
ment of a Liverpool committee. Mr. Gregson advocated
the claims of the society in an eloquent address, in which
he pointed out the peculiar simplicity of its organization
which adapted it so wonderfully for the work it took in
hand. He reminded the meeting of what they owed fo
the society, and called on the people of Liverpool while
they agitated for the great town dues which they claimed-
to themselves, not to forget the small town does which
they were bound to contribute to the Church Pastoral
Aid Society. (Hear, hear.)
The Rev. Edward Auriol, M.A., Rector of St. Dunstan's
in the West, London, seconded the resolution. He said
that the society never grudged the rrants given to Liver-
pool, because from the character of the men to whom the
aid was given here. the society were sure that the true
objects for which they were associated were carried out.
It the same time, the discrepancy between the sums
”anted to, and that received from, Liverpool had often
en matter of remark, and as it was clear that there
re certain small and four districts which could not con-
Atte in the same proportion in which they were aided,
as t communities like Liverpool would
contribute in proportion, not only to the erants which
-"•eil from the s-ciety, but also their wealth and.
. gentleman then proceeded to con-
-oat wants of the country, and illustrated
ttution by stating that notwithstanding the extent
the society had increased since its establishment
ve.os ago, there were still applications for and
'shes in their books for more than two years,
uo to the present there was no possibility of enter-
.iring in• on them day
gratifying testimony to
~.ey also showed the neces-
_ .ions on the part of its friends in en-
espond to the growing claims on it. 'ln illus-
_ of the good tesul's which had followed from its
labours in London, he took the parish of Whitechapel. In
that. narish not many years since, there was but one church
4; there were 10 ministers instead of
4-e 11 Scripture readers and city
269 voluntary teachers, and 52 Scripture
ere were 23 schools, instead of as formerly 2,
,holars had increased from 466 to 3,65.
I Referring to the argument'vvhich Dr. Cullen,
`.minted to base on the statements of
spiritual 'destitution of the
'entry, anti to prove from those state-
' nrotestantism and the inefficiency of

1 cure

yearly charge of

were certa
tribute
it w.

o he hoped that

they r

populatio
sider the,

('he rev

to which

from par'

after day

while they bore

of the

abling

now there w

readers.
and the
(Applause
of Ireland

y. in describing the

mPnts t

the Established Church in England,- hesaTil;emfghi
appeal to Dr. Cullen, and ask him whit had Popery done
for those countries where it so long had full sway ?
(Hear, hear.). Some years ago Cardinal Wiseman came
to this Country, and set forth that his object was to do
good to the people in the " slums "of Westminster. Now
they had had several years' experience of what had been
done by Cardinal Wiseman, and others of his class, and
yet he did not think they had ever heard of any great
moral improvement among the people since they had
Cullen 's
they had
their operations. (Hear, hear.) In fact,
a°OlY to ao to Rome to find a refutation of Dr.
- at Rome, that it
depraved
ecclesiastics
rgoments ; for surely it was not from want of
them go into the Auswtraiasn
and d,
hear.) Let moralised cities 1
'n Europe. (Hear,
`into Portugal, where Po . '
one of i
ntthoe s
pmnoi most
popery alone prevailed, and he felt