The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-13 00:00:00

question was—what are we to do with our out-
casts ? To that question, no legislature or sags had
yet made reply. He would not attempt to offer
an answer to that important question. He mould
not say if it would be right to pull down prtons
and build larger ones. He would not say whether felons
should work in gangs, to make public works which should
be a glory to the country; nor would he say that it wend
bo right to colonise some distant settlement, or send tiem
to some Siberian country as exiles, but would leave it to
others to decide that question. They were aware tiat
those outcast classes, the depraved and the drunka-d,
required their sympathy, but of the past he would ay
nothing ; but one word as to the future. He did thick
that God had been teaching them, but that they had ben
slow to learnt They had, in fact, becun at the wroig
end of the thing. They had been taught to believe thtt
moral training was better than punishment, and that pre-
vention was better than cure; and they had also learned, ly
what had occurred, that the mere speech of secular info'.
mation would not meet the case—they had seen its effecs
but too plainly and too powerfully, ana that still the serpert
was lurking beneath the tree of knowledge. Ile thought tle
time was come when the merchants, the manufacturer!,
the shipowners and others should consider whether t
would not be for their advantage to raise up a sober,
industrious, and honest population around them. It was
also a question for financial reformers to consider f
schools would not be cheaper than prisons, and whethe-
a complete agency of Gospel readers would not be more
efficacious than an ever multiplying police. The re!.
gentleman concluded an eloquent and impressive address
by strongly urging the claims of the Scripture Readers'
Society, amid loud applause,
The Rev. Mr. Bardslev rose, amid applause, to propel()
the next resolution, to the effect that the society wanted
the support of the Christian public, In doing so, he said
that God had been pleased to bleSt the society, aid,
although there were many good bodies in Liverpool, there
were none that had done more through lay agency tian
that of the Scripture Readers' Association. (Hear, hear.)
They had gone on increasing foi- the last five years. In
1852, they received £1,311 ; in '53, £1,367; in '54, .£1,:;92
in '55, £1,487, and the past year they had received £1042,
from subscriptions alone--(hear, hear)—also, the church
collections, which showed an increase in the last four
years of £B3O. The progress was rapid, and it was an
evidence of how high the society was beld in the estimation
of the Christian public, and the great benefit that had
been conferred on society by its operations. Their agents
(the scripture readers) had also Increased, and done
good in proportion—they had first 14, then 27, next 31,
and now they had no less than 34 scripture readers
throughout the various districts of the town. (Hear, hear.)
The great blessings these had conferred on the poor, were
evident from his own observations, from the reports of
the readers' themselves, and from the clergymen of the
town who bore testimony to the exertions and zeal of the
readers. (Hear, hear.) The rev. speaker then read
extracts from the reports made by taro clergymen--one at
the north, the other at the south end sf the town, both of
whom stated the vast benefits that had been done by the
exertions of the readers who had rendered great assist.
ance to the clergy. The rev. gentlernat then went on to
show that lay agency, in support of the clergy, had
done much to improve the moral, social, and
'religious condition of the working classess of the
town. He quoted the opinion of Dr. Blsonsleld, the late
Bishop of London, on the valuable assistance given by
scripture readers, who stated that the readers had done
past good in London. The Bishop of Melbourne also bore
ample testimony to the value of scripture readers. He
(the rev. speaker) also passed a compliment ot the zeal
and ability of the readers belonging to the Liverpool
Church of England Scripture Readers' Society, and said
they had to contend with men of all shades of opinion, and
their work was one of great difficulty, yet they aced with
caution, care, perseverance, and prudence. Le next
alluded to the class called Mormons, or " Later day
Saints." A few years since that class had a hone in
Bold street, and they had an attendance of abort 300
persons, but, by the exertions of the scripture readers,
they had not more than 140 at present. The scripture
readers had rescued many that would have betome
Mormonites—(hear, hear)—and in some other cases they
had rescued some who had been lost to Christianity.
(Cheers.) One of the readers at the North End focal a
mother who had been seduced by a woman, who told her
that the Mormon was the only true religion of God. ?he
woman alluded to, who was supposed to be a paid agent
of the Mormons, went from house to house under the gdse
of selling collars and caps, and thus introduced her peril-
cious doctrines, but the scripture readers succeeded in
defeating the schemes of the party. (Hear, hear.) Tvo
years ago the Mormons had three houses in the town—
one in Fitzwilliam street, one in Rose place, and tie
other in Clare street, but now they had only ons,
and only 129 attendants, and this was mainly owing
to the great exertions of the scripture readers. 11)
then alluded to some blasphemies of one of the elders
the tribe, about Joe Smith and Young, and the titter
ignorance this elder exhibited:about the scriptures, who,
when asked a question, gave it up to despair, saying, he
was not learned in the scriptures. (Hear, hear.) Another
horrible blasphemy, which he related of the elder was,
that he said the evidence of 40,000 living people, was,
better than the evidence of six dead people about our
blessed Saviour. Another pretended to be gifted with
tongues, but when asked to speak Irish. he declined,
saying he had not got so far as that. (Laughter, and
cheers). Several of them pretended to be able to perform
miracles. And then the rev. gentleman told a most
amusing fact of a fellow in Leicestershire, who was a
cripple, and pretended to cure himself, but was described
by the Rev. Mr. Gray, who saw him, as one of the most
wretched creatures he ever saw on crutches. This man
was offered an opportunity of performing a miracle on his
sick wife, but he declined, saying she was fit to die, an-t
he did not want her to get better. (Loud laughter, and
cheers). The rev. gentleman went on to show that the
sect of Mormons had been nearly banished from the town
by the exertions of the readers, who counteracted their
influence. He showed the cordial reception given to the
readers by Roman Catholics, and said, but for the priests
who worked on the superstitions of the people, the suc-
cess would be greater. He spoke strongly and feelingly
on the horrid crime of drunkenness, and depicted some
scenes that made the hearers shudder. He showed that
even many drunkards had been reclaimed by the readers ;
and after going through the statistics of the report, sat
down amid loud cheers, by proposing the resolution.
The Rev. Dr. M'Neile then in very brief4erms seconded
the resolution, which was unanimously adopted.
A vote of thanks having been passed to the Bishop, the
Doxology was sung, and the meeting separated.