Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-02-14 00:00:00

CHURCH PASTORAL AID SOCIETY.

Last evening, the annual meeting of the friends and
supporters of this society was held in the hall of the
Collegiate Institution. The Right Rev. the Lord Bi-
shop of Chester presided; and • there was a large
attendance of the' clergy and laity. Amongst those
present were—the Rev. Dr..Mgelle; the Revs. J. H.
Titcomb, C. Lawrence, W. Falloon, 11. Jones, F. N.
Harke, W. H. Wright, T. Robinson, =- Powell, Dr.
Taylor, T. Cowan, T. Moore, F. Power, H.
Baugh, H. Postanee, R. Dandy, J. Bannerman' E.
Greer,, Rycroft, R. Moore, J. Hartley,
R. King, S. Leslie, W. H. Vernon, J. E. Cotter, and
E. Owen ; also, Messrs. W. Grogan, A. Hodgson, H.
Clarke, 11. Webster, R. Payne, W. Moore, &c., &c.
The Rev. F. M. HARKE having offered up prayer,
• The Right Rev. CHAIRMAN said—My friends, I have
lad very great pleasure in coming. here this evening to
meet you, and I am very grateful that so many of you
have come together this evening notwithstanding the
inclement weather, which I fear will hinder our meeting
being so fully attended as I have seen it in many former
years. But I hope, my friends, you will not regret having
come here; I trust you will have the gratification of hear-
ing addresses from some of my friends around me that will
amply repay. you for having come here. I hope you
will never give up the 'habit of coming to these meetings
of curs, and for this reason—l think they tend so very
greatly to promote confidecee and co-operation between
the clergy and the lay members of our church. (Ap-
dlause.) Now, there is at this very time a great deal
said about this co operation between the clergy and lay
members ; and some of my friends near, me are very
well aware, I believe, that at this time there is a project
circulating throughout England far bringing out that

co-operation under a new fo-rm. . But whatever may be
thought of any new fcrrn—l am not going,
to broach that question to you—l wish ,to,
say. far myself that I think it is a happy thing that we
can ourselveS point to Liverpool now for an example of
the manner in which this co-operation between the
clergy and the lacy members of our own Church may be
carried on, and is actually carried on, so as at once to
preserve harmony amongst ourselves aid to avoid all
unfriendly 'collision with any other parties. Perhaps
you will. bear with me while I say a word or two on
this subject. Let me ask you for a moment to consider
. how our Church system is working at this present
moment actually in Liverpool. In the first place, we
have the incumbents of our parishes ; and I am sure
you Will echo back my words when I say, as I have often
said of them,That Liverpool is happy in having such a
body of ministers—so active, so zealous, so faithful to
the principles of our Reformed Church. (Applause.)
However active—however zealous—however faithful—
they are too few to minister to the proper labour of this
great town. Well, then, to aid them and back them in that
work, they happily have now a very large staff of active
assistant curates following in their steps, who are
maintained, to a .v..lry great extent, either by this
society, or by the society for the employment of addi-
tional curates; and I wish to say that Liverpool owes
a great debt of gratitude on this account to both
societies, and to the kind friends of our Church, by whom
they are so liberally supported. Now, what I have
said at present points out the part which the clergy take
in the work of the Church. Let rue now just call your
attention just as briefly to the part which the lay mem-
bers of our Church are actually at this time taking' in
nib Work. And in speaking of this lay agency, the .
first thing that I would mention,to you is that we have
now a very large staff of scripture-readers in Liverpool,
who are working under the superintendence and direc-
tion of the clergy, and arc going about from house to
house,_ carrying the word of God's truth home to those
who have never been in. the habit of going from
home to hear the word. of
.God's truth in a Church,
or in any other place.. of public worship at all.
Now let me say that this is a most important
lay element introduced . into the system of the
working of our Church, and that the co-opera-
tion of these lay scripture-readers with tho clergy
'bungs men to the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ; and I am glad to hear from all
quarters that that staff of scripture-readers are working
in . harmony with. each other—in harmony with the
clergy—acceptable to the people among whom they go,
and that, under God's blessing, they are doing their
share of work well, and efficiently, and successfully.
Now let me mention to you that we have another lay
element in our Church—another material one in the mas-
ters of our schools, who are training the rising genera-
tion in the knowledge of the truth of God's Holy Word;
for in all our schools the Bible is taught, and I, hope
ever will be taught—(hear, hear, and applause)—to lit-
tle children—to those little children for whom our Lord
expressed always so tender a care-.--they.are taught to
know his Gospel as soon as ever the opening faculties fo
their minds enable them to understand that gracious mes-
sage of God's love. Now let me say this is another very im-
portant value of the tabour which laymen are employed
in our Church to 'do. Let me go on to mention another
thing. The clergy receive very valuable, most valuable,
assistance from another kind class of our friends, some
f of whom may be -preent here—l mean the district
visitors in the different parts of Liverpool ; those kind
friends who go about from house to house in their own
neighbourhoods, messengers of charity and peace, partly
that they may give charitable relief to cases of real

distress and to deserving objects of charity, and partly
also that they may say from time to time a kind word
in the way of religious comfort and religious advice.
Now I am sure I may say for the clergy of Liverpool
that they are most grateful for that help, and that when
they go the rounds of their parishes, they can trace the
blessed influence that the presence of many pf yin may
have had in softening, comforting, and opening
the hearts of the poor whom they visited,
and 'disposed them to receive the word with
faith and gratitude. (Bear, hear.) And then we
have after al another great help and co-opeAtion from
the lay members of our Church, inasmuch as we have
co-operation from all our friends, who, like yourselves,
contributed to the support of this society. end of our
other Church societies—who contribute to the support of
our schools, and who contribute to every good work- of
Christian charity and love amongst us. Now, this is all
going on at this time, and it is a great source of united
co-operation between the clerzy and the lay members of
oar Church, and I hope it will ,go on. (Applause.) I
say this, I think there is only one thing wanted to make
this co-operation as it is now going on, fully effectual
and adequate for this purpose and for the great exigencies
of Liverpool; and that one thing wanting is just this,
filet the public of Liverpool, at least that all the friends
and members of the Church in Liverpool, should
follow your example and should aid us by con-
tributing the means for us to extend this co-operation
till the number of the clergy and of the lay agents
whom I have spoken of is suffic;ent to reach and teach,
and to make an impression upon the whole of the popu-
lation of this great and prosperous town. (Applause.)
Now that is what I want to end my little summary, by
saying to you that you, the people of Liverpool, have
the matter in Tour hands. I say that this mode which
we have at work only wants to be extended to do all the
work that the Church has on earth marked out for her
to do. I therefore entreat you, whether the weather be
warm or cold, or whether our programme be attractive
or not, that you will not give up the very good practice of
coming here to co-operate, with other Christian friends,
and with the clergy in our Church, in the work that
they have on band in Liverpool. I do, from my heart,
pray that God will put it into the minds of many men
in Liverpool who can, but who have not yet helped us.
to follow your good example, in coming together to
cheer us as you have done to-night. (Applause.) His
lordship went on to regret the unavoidable absence of
the Rev. E. Warre, who was unable to attend in conse-
quence of an alarming illness in his family, and con-
cluded by calling on the Rev Mr. Cowan to read the
report of the operations of the society during the past
year.

•
The Rev. Mr. COWAN then rend the report, which
stated that the Church Pastoral Aid Society had been
steadily carried on' during the year. One grant, had
been withdrawn from St. Barnabas's, on account of the
great decrease in the population of the district; and
another grant from St. Saviour's, where it was thought
the society's aid was not so much needed as formerly.
The society supplied twenty grants for clergy, and ten
for scripture-readers. The •clear returns made to the
parent society' in 1858 was £1,416, and is 1859 it
amounted to £1,402 ; being in both instances a sum
below even the usual average, and many hundreds of
pounds below the annual expenditure laid out on Liver-
pool by the parent society.
Mr. CI:ARKE, the treasurer, read the statement of
accounts, from which •it appeared that the amount
received during' the year was £1,452 I Is. id.; and, after
the payment of the necessary expenses, £1,402 had been
transmitted to the parent society.
Mr. W. GREOSON, in a brief address, moved the
adoption of the report. As a member of the executive
in London, for about twelve years, he bore his testimony
to the excellence, and the usefulness of the society,
which now employed in different parts of the country
391 curates and 154 laymen, ministering directly and
indirectly to a population of three millions and a quar-
ter. Ile regretted that the rich of Liverpool did not
render a huartier support to the society, and concluded
by an urgent appeal on behalf of its funds.
_

The Rev. Dr. M'NEILE, who was received w:.th
loud applause, seconded the resolution. After a few
prefatory observations, he said it was in evidence,
on the authority . f statistical returns of un-
doubted accuracy, and of facts of most painful interest,
that our existing staff of pastors, even as now aided,
with all their churches, and schools, and licensed rooms,
and other appliances, were wholly inadequate to the
spiritual instruction of. our increased and increasing
population. The population increased in a most
wonderful manner. The Registrar-General showed that •
in every day during 1859 there were 680 persons born
more than the number of persons that died. Now,
whatever difficulty they might feel about the instruction
'of the people, he could not but think that this was a
most gratifying fact. That our population should be on
the increase so rapidly was, he thought, a proof after
all of the comparative morality of our nation at least.
The population of great kingdoms op the COntinent was
stagnant. France, with her 36,009,00 e, made no rapid"
proness in her population. He thought, then,
whatever difficulty they might meet with in the
instruction of the people, we were all bound
to 'be thankful for the evidence that this fact 'con-
tained of the prosperity, the comfort, the ease,
and,- he must again say, the comparative morality, of
the masses of Englishmen. (Applause.) But the diffi-
culty to be met by this society still existed. He ima-
gined that no Christian man could consent to ignore the
evils, and to shut himself up in a narrow-minded and
most short-sighted selfishness—content that, as far as he
was concerned at least, the increasing millions of oar
people should grow up in ignorance of the sanctifying
and elevating and, civilising influence of genuine Chris,

tianity. The universal cry was that something should
be done ; and again the question was to be repeated—
What was to be done ? There were two words
which covered the whole field of experiment—pub-.
lic and private effort. Was it to be a public
effort? He thought they must say that any hope of a
movement in the direction here indicated by Parliament
could not be reasonably entertained. For good or for
evil—and lie would not attempt to say which--the
time was past when a grant of public money could be
expected for Church extension. There was a time when
that might have been ; but then, in those days, the
want was not adequately felt. The country was com-
paratively cold and unconcerned on the subject. If at
that time, the Church of England had judiciously and
vigorously extended her operations, keeping them in
some adequate stretch after the increase of the popula-
tion, it was possible—nay, he ventured to say it was
probable—that the vast majority of the nation. would
have been still kept as members of the Church, and the
consequent vast .majority of the representatives of the
nation. That did not take place. In those
days—we must be frank and candid—the interests
of the people were neglected by men of rank, and con-
sequence, and property in the Church. The Church was
careless about her own interests. The consequence was,
that hundreds and thousands of people ceased to be
members of the Established Church. Dissenters of
various names multiplied in the country, and Dissenters
multiplied in the Legislature also. He was not advancing
opinions—he was stating facts, and facts which had led,
by a necessary consequence, to the present condition of
things : that the religious and ecclesiastical divisions
which reigned in the country, and were reflected in
the Legislature, bad rendered church extension by
public effort utterly hopeless. Private effort, however,
remained; and the society must .be supported by
voluntary contributions. He held that the society
had a political aspect. It had a bearing upon the
only question of home politics at all likely to agitate
the waters during the present session of Parliament—he
meant the que,ztion of Parliamentary Reform. • No laws,
however wise, however admirably conceived in them-
selves, could secure to a people the blessings of a good
Government, under well-balanced and therefore per-
manent instructions, unless those people themselves were
by their character qualified to appreciate the blessings of
a restricted liberty. (Applause.) This was the problem
that had been going on, lo be solved in Central Italy,
fur the last half year. Now, the operations of the society,
the work of the agents, was to bring along with the•
message of peace the civilising and refining resources of
educated minds and cultivated manners into daily contact
with this busy nation. Let them bring the enlighten-
ing, regulating, calming, tranquilising, sanctifying
influence of real Christianity, frequently and personally
into contact with all the people of this great country,
and then, through the blessing of God, we would have
society placed upon a population to whom we might
extend political privileges, with the very minimum of
restriction, and that without any danger to—nay, rather
with an increased security to—the aristocratic columns,
and the royal headstone of our national edifice. (Ap-
plause.)
_The resolution was agreed to unanimously. A hymn
was then sung, during which the usual collection was
made.

The Rev. Mr. TIDCOICIR, in an interesting address,
moved the Billowing resolution :--A"rhat without de-
preciating the Special efforts made from time to time for

promoting the best interests of the people, this meeting
is fully gonvinced that the religious wants of the people
must chiefly be supported by the more permanent, and
systematic institutions like the Church Pastoral Aid
Society, to which Liverpool in particular is deeply in-
debted for twenty years of large and liberal aid."
The resolution 'having been seconded, was carried.
unanimously, qnd after a vote of thanks to the deputation
and the bishop, the proceedings terminated.

The Hudson's Bay Seal Skin Cloaks ,and Jackets,
One Guinea each, at the New Shawl and Mantle Ware-
house, 40, Bold-street —Shellard and Hodgson, Pro-
prietors.

SECOND EDITION.

(BY BRITISH AND IRISH MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)

Mr. W. Cowper was re elected for Hertford yesterday,
without opposition.
Arrangements are being made by the Committee of
the National Rifle Association and the Provisional
Committee of the Volunteer Service Club for a sub-
scription dinner of volunteer officers to take place in
London on the 7th of March.

The presence of the police at St. George's-in-the-
East, on Sundayjprevented any violent outbreak. When
the evening sermon commenced there was much stamp—
ing and coughing, but as the clergyman proceeded it
subsided. As soon as the service was concluded the
police cleared the church.

FRANCE.
[REUTER'S TELEGRAM.]
PARIS, Feb. 14.
The Constitutionnel says the opening of the session of
the Senate and Legislative body has been adjourned to
the Ist of March.
The Afoniteur contains the nomination of General
Delorm as a member of the Senate.

MEETING OF THE CONSERVATfVE
l'A RTY.

The Herald makes the following announcement :
The meeting of Lord Derby's supporters will take place
this day, at Lord Salisbury's house. It will be strictly
private.

DEATH OF SILL WM. NAPIER.
The death of General Sir William Napier, the his-
torian of the Peninsular War, is announced. The
Times pays a tribute to his memory,--a noble soldier,
who did his duty in one of England's greatest wars,
and who afterwards redoubled this service by raising for
his country an imperishable monument of the glory
she had acquired. Sir William was colonel of the
22nd Regiment.

THE FREIGHT MARKET.
A shipping circular, issued yesterday, says, that £4
per ton was the freight now paying in Calcutta for
England. Outward freights from London to India are
also firm. The Australian trade dull. The Govern-
ment contract for 8,000 tons Welsh coal for Singapore
was taken under 60s. per ton delivered.