The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-27 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL TOTT7N MISSIOY SOCIETY.

The atmual meeting of the Liverpool Town Mission
Society was held in the Hope Hall,' Hope Street, at a quarter
before seven o'clock last night. The chair was taken by John
Farnworth, Esq. Among those on the platform were the
following—Rev. Messrs Hunt, Cromar, Lorran, H. S. Brown,
Wright, Harcus, V. White, Burrell, and Sleigh. •Messrs.
Clopper, Crossfleld, Pennell, J. J. Stitt, Matheson, R.
Radcliffe, Dr.'Gee, Dr. Taylor, Bcc. After a blessing had been
pronounced,

The Chairman said—My friends, I feel that your com-
mittee-have honoured me much by calling on me to presidoon
such an important.and interesting occasion as the present, and
over such a numerous assembly. It would have been more in
accordance with my own feelings if some gentleman be'ter
known to most of you had presided upon this occasion. But
being desirous to contribute in any way which I can to such a
noble cause as this is which has called us together this even-
ing, I found I could not shrink from the call of your committee.
(Hear, hear,) I have looked over the last year's report of
the Liverpool Town Mission, and several items there have
struck mo as being of very great importance. When I see the
objects set forth in your rules, and the instruc-
tions given to your tgen's. 'When I see that
they are to go into the lanes and the streets, into the alleys
and the courts, into the cellars and garrets of the poor and
destitute—and many of us know the degradation, the m'sery,
and the sin surrounding us almost on every hand—l think no
one can question that it is the duty of every Christian community,
and of every Christian r•.man, to come forward on this and
similar ecras;ons and do all he can for such degraded indivi-
dua's. (Applause ) lour agents go forth, I understand, with
the Gospel in their bands—they read the Gospel to the poor
—they endeavour to expound it and to make their hearers
understand it—they endeavour to rescue them from the sate
of degradation in which they are found, and to show them by
what means they may be brought to a saving knowledge of the
truth as it is in Jesus Christ. (Applause.) They endeavour
to go to those who do not attend the public ordinances of
Divine whorship. They endeavour, by expounding the
Scriptures to them, by prayer, and other means, to
lead these people to attend places of worship, and
their children to. go to school. These being some of
the obj,ccta which they contemplate and endeavour to carry out,
and as the agents are selected for their piety, and zeal, and
perseverance, to do all the good they can, I am quite satisfied
that we shall hear in the report of the evening something
which will cheer and warm our hearts. But I know I must
not touch on anrhing contained in the report. We shall have
ample details laid before us of the operations of the past year,
and I trust we shall all feel impelled by every inducement
which should move a Christian people to do all we can to
encourage so great and good a work as that which has brought
us together this evening. I do feel, however, considerable
regret when I consider that the society has been established
about twenty eight years ; when 1 look at the great increase of
population of this large town ; when I look at the statistics of
of crime, as brought out so prominently every year by the
watch committee, I do feel considerable regret that the society
is only found at this day with something like four
or five and twenty agents. (Hear, hear.) I do feel
that if every 4Christian community, and every Christian
church attempted to do their duty, the number ought at least
to be doubled. I trust that this hint will• not be lost upon the
speakers whom I shall have the honour of calling upon, but
that we shall retire from this meeting, bearing in mind that in
this respect there is a great Jack, and that we shall all feel it a
duty to endeavour in some way to increase the number of
those valuable men. (Hear, hear.) After a few concluding
observations, the Chairman then called upon the :Rev. Mr.
Harcus to read the report.
_ _

The Rev. Mr. Ilarcus then read the report, which was an
exceedingly important as well as interesting document, but of
a length altogether beyond the limits of our space, it opened
with a general survey of the work which had to be undertaken
by the operations of the society, and the abject and degraded
conditions of those quarters of the town, for which they were
specially designed. It then gave several detailed in-
stances, suppressing of course the names of perscns deeply
sunk in ignorance or vice, whom the persevering labours of the
agents succeeded in recalling or arousing, for the first time, to
the sense of a batter condition, and to the prospect of re-
pentance. In conclusion, several statistical details were given,
among which were the following :-24 agents are engaged by
the society; 61,441 visits were paid during the past year; of
these 2,673 were sick persons, to whom 10 909 visits were
made; 306 persons died, of 140 of whom the agents spoke
hopefully ; there wete 113,717 tracts and 2,653 books die.
tributed ; 856 children who had been neglected were induced
to attend schools; the whole number of children now in the
mission schools was 1,165 ; there were held 3,540 indoor
meetings, with an average attendance of 31 at each ; 238 out-
door meetings were held, with an average attendance of 165.
Notwithstanding. the length of the report, it was listened 'to
throughout by the assembly with the most evident and profound
interest.

Mr. Matheson, in the absence of Mr. Stitt, se❑ , read the
statement of accounts, from which it appeared that the balance
in hand was £517 3s 7d. He observed that were it not for a
legacy which had opportunely come at the beginning of 1856,
the society would now be in debt, its net ordinary income for
the past year being only £1,668, while its ordinary expenses
amounted to £1,774. They began this year, it was true, with
a large balance in their favour, but as they paid their agents
monthly it would soon be exhausted. It therefore became
necessary that their friends should use every exertion to
provide for the society the largest measure of public support.
The Rev. Mr. Cromar moved that the report be adopted,
printed and circulated. la doing so lie drew a vivid
picture of the misery and heathen darkness which prevailed
among the poor in all peat towns at the present day, and the
duty which every Christian community, in consequence of the
existence of that misery, were called on to perform.
AIL J. J. Stitt seconded the motion. Ho observed that
when he heard of this prevalence of misery and heathen
darkness amongst them, he was tempted to ask himself, could
these reports be really true Alas, they were too
true ! Turn which way they would they witnessed that
misery and that darkness, and men's minds were agitated
in seeking a remedy for such a state of things disgraceful,
to their boasted civilisation, and still more digraceful
to the Christianity which they professed. Philosophers were
prolific in devising schemes to meet the evil, but in his judg-
ment the only cure for so general a disease—the only thing
that could probe so wide spread a leprosy—was the Gospel.
(Applause.) In that alone lay the remedy for the evil, and
they could only hope to see a different state of things from a
greater diffusion of its light among the people. Their society
employed twenty four agents in the accomplishment of that
end ; but what were twenty four agents in such a town as this ?
(Hear, hear.) It behoved them! to wipe away that reproach,
and to tespand to the appeal contained in the report with the
generous measure of support which its usefulness merited,
(Cheers.)
The report was unanimously adopted.
The Rev, Mr. Hunt then addressed the meeting, and dwelt
on the great necessity for prayer in the present day, when
Mortnooism and other superstitions of a like debasing
character were growing up amongst them even in a Christian
land of gospel truth. He quoted from the work of Horace
Mann to show the number who attended no place of divine
worship on Sundays, and argued that it proved that their
Christian efforts did not keep pace with the increase of the
population.

The meeting was also addressed by the Rev. V. M. White
and othersprakels, and a collection was made in aid of the
society.

The Ueity (Fire and Life) difficulties, which have been
so often before the public, Teem to have increased rather
than diminished, with the absence of Mr. T. H. Bayliss.
The directors, after three months delay, have been called
upon by " a shareholder" to. appoint a manager "within a
week," under pain of a meeting being summoned to receive
their report. The difficulty in filling up so profitable "an
office is said to be the demand pf a guarantee, for the per-
manence of the engagement.
STEERING} BY SmiimpuT.—A story is t old of a " gre'en
hand " on board of a coasting vessel, who could not learn
to steer by the mariner's compass. It was a clear star-
light night, and the captain told him to head the vessel
towards a bright particular star, which he pointed outl
This was done, and for a short time all was right ; but
before lone she was veering widely from her true course,
and rushinr, rapidly before the wind. " Ahoy I there,
greenhorn at the wheel," roared the excited commander.
" Port the helm I What do you mean ? Where's the star? "
"Dear Captain," timidly replied the devious helmsman,
"keep cool, don't get excited—never mind—l lost that
star, but found another, brighter and better than the one
you showed me !

- THE HOME OFFICE AT WORK.—We feel ourselves called
on to notice the rumour, although we do not vouch for its
correctness, that the interest excited by the case of the
malefactor Holmes, who was released from gaol by Sir
George Grey, because the poor fellow's health was seri-
ously injured by confinement, is likely to lead to consi-
derable improvement in the regulations of the Home
office with respect to imprisoned criminals. As we have
freely censured this branch of the Government, we are
happy to be among the first to announce that the Home
Department has at IPngth•opened its eyes to the imper-
fection of its present s3stem, and is engaged in organising
the yneasures necessary to make it as uniform and com-
plete as possible. In fact, we are informed that Sir G.
Grey (taking a hint probably from one of our weekly
cotemporaries, whose pen is not his only instrument
for communicating instruction), has been for some days
past in constant communication with the Board of Health
and the most eminent medical men in London, particu-
larly the great authorities upon climate, sea bathing, and
mineral lwaters. with a view to remedy the glaring sanatory
.--rctra.trier.
defects of prison discipline in England r