Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-03-16 00:00:00

liaere an
ere are ten times, two hundred and -fift]

not a
four
perso

like Liverpool

s in this great commercial town as well able to

the full

st conti,

pond to this appeal.
comes from God's hand, and is all His

fence of 1

many of them will yet r

we posses

own. Let some part of it at least be expressly, avowedly,
devoted to His service. We hold all only in trust. When the
time shall arrive that we must resign that trust and render
n account of our stewardship, we may all of us have :reason,
'^Qq- to reproach-Ourselves with having misapplied
Whatever else may then

more or ie.„
the gifts of God's gracious hand.
cost us blush or tear, it will cost us none to romememot
that we dedicated some portion of our substance to providk
a home for the poor, parentless, helpless, infant child.
After the religious services had been concluded, the
patrons and members of committee, together with a largr
number of the friends ,and supporters of the Asylum
assembled in the

hool-room of the girls' Asylum
large and commodious apartment was completely
Consequent on the inclemency of the weather,
arranged that as much of the ceremony as could 1
through should take place in the school-room
after prayer had been said by the Lord' Bishop, Mr
George Arkle said he had been deputed by thc
members of the committee to present Mr. Banner with a
trowel for the purpose of being used by him in laying the
foundation stone of the building now about to be erected.
In doing this, he said he only expressed his own feelings
and those of the other members of the committee in saying
that all of them felt it was an honour to be associated
with Mr. Banner in this good work—a work which Mr.
Banner had made so peculiarly his own. This feeling, he
felt assured, must be shared in by all the inhabitants of
Liverpool, and fora each and all of them he felt assured
he might safely say, if asked, they would say of that and
the adjoining institutions, "If you want to see his monu-
ment, look around!" (cheers). Admirable as those in-
stitutions already in existence undoubtedly were, they
were about -to add another, and one scarcely, if at all,
inferior in value, to the number. It had been the intention
of the committee to have laid the foundation stone of the
infant Orphan Asylum on the birth-day of Mr. Banner.;
but that had turned out to beimpossible—his birth-day was
on Sunday— and he was now able to congratulate that
gentleman on his having seen another birth-day, and of
congratulating him on having so cheeringly passed the
period of threescore years and tea. (Cheers.) In the
name of the committee, and in that of all the good and
worthy inhabitants of Liverpo?l, he felt much pleasure
in presenting that gentleman with the trowel, which bore
the following inscription :—" Presented to Harmood
Banner, Esq., by the committee of the Infant Orphan
Asylum, on the occasion of his laying the foundation
atone of the' institution, 14th March, 1859." Mr.
Banner said the kindness of Mr. Arkle, and the
other members of the committee had quite unmanned him,
and he felt altogether at a loss to find words to express his
own feelings, far less the feelings of those who had joined
him in this good work. The arrangement by which the
laying of the foundation stone had been put into his hands,
was not one which he had sought ; on the contrary, it was
concurred in by him in consequence of the very gratifying
request which had been made to him in the kindest manner.
He had obeyed that call, and, in doing so, did it in humility
and with goodwill. The edifice now about to be begun was
intended as an asylum for the reception of children of
very tender years, who have lost their father and mother.
Already an asylum had been provided for the boys, and
another for the girls so situated; but in those institu-
tions no provision, had been made for the reception and
care of those who were in the condition of infants. He
might be perMitted to say an effort had been made
to feed the sheep of this destitute flock, and now it was
sought to provide for the lambs of the same flock. It
must not be said of us that we have originated this
benevolent scheme. We have not the merit of origina-
ting it. As had been truly, and as eloquently as truly,
said by our benevolent diocesan, if we wish truly to
understand the origin of this movement, we must refer
to the annals of the Blue-coat School. That institution
had done much and done well to alleviate the sufferings
of orphanage, but its efforts had necessarily been
directed to the requirements of what might be called
Liverpool proper ; but since its institution, Liverpool
had extended to the north and to the south, to the east
and to the west, for we must consider that it includes
Birkenhead, and a mere mention of this was sufficient to
show that it could not grapple with the requirements of
so extended a population. The Blue-coat School could
not undertake all the. demands which
would be made
upon it under such circumstances. It still succours its 3,50
children, and long may it be able to do so, and to even
augment its own usefulness. Althmigh the kindness of
those friends who have contributed so nobly to the support
of the two asylums we have been able to constitute, yet we
could not feel assured that we had not as yet been able to

it wa

e gone

provide for the requirements of those who by their tender
hears are only the more helpless. This good work had now,
owever, been begun. A temporary asylum had already
been opened, an& in it were placed 17 or 18 orphan infants.
The intention of the founders of this new asylum is that no
children of industrious and respectable parents who
have been snatched from them by death, shall be necessi-
tated to seek shelter in the parish workhouse. The
children orsuch parents, he thought, should not be afflicted
by the badge of pauperisin. (Cheers.) This feeling was
what had prompted the foundation of these asylums, and,
thank God, to the liberality with which that feeling had
been responded to, such' children as those he had referred
to will never again be exposed to seek shelter in the parish
workhouse. Besides the committee, however, there were
other parties likewise deserving of all honour, for the assist-
ance they had afforded iu carrying out this laudable design.
It was an honour to have our respected diocesan at our head,
as he is always at the head of every good work. All must
feel that his countenance will establish for the cause a high
and holy influence. In the movement we must also remem-
ber that we have with us the Mayor of Liverpool, a gentle-
man of no ordinary character, who not only sustains the
dignity of his office, but who also adds lustre to it by the
exercise of .Chrf4ian philanthropy. " In conclusion,. he
begged most sincerely to thank the committee, and all
present, for the kindness expressed towards him. A slight
cessation in the rainfall having occurred at this period,
the party, a very large one, adjourned to the building-
ground, to lay the stone. The rain, however, soon began
to fall in torrents, notwithstanding which the ceremony pro-
ceeded. Mr. Banner Newton, the secretary, read the subjoined
• ----raved by Messrs. Leattierbarrow and Son
The Liverpool Infant Orphan Asylum,
'me.' —.TY- Public subscription._ The foundation stone was
e ted
laid on the 14th of March, 1809, by Harmood Banner, Esq.
Patrons : The Lord Bishop of Chester, the Earl and
Countess of Derby, the Earl of Sefton, the Honourable
Mrs. Bootle Wilbraham, the Mayor of Liverpool (William
Preston, Esq.), the Rev. Augustus Campbell (Rector of
Liverpool). Ilarmood Banner, Esq., president. The Rev.
T. B. Banner, chaplain. R. N. Dale, Esq., treasurer.
Thomas 'Banner Newton, Esq., secretary. David Paterson,
Esq., honorary surgeon. Committee : JohliAikin, Esq.,
George Arkle, Esq., D. 0. Bateson, Esq.,. William Bennett,
Esq., John Brancker, Esq., George W. Ewing, Esq., James
Gordon, Esq., H. Grazebrook, Jun., Esq., Thomas _Kendall,
Esq., Edward Lawrence, Esq., William T. Mann, Esq.,
T. R. Shallcross, Esq., Joseph Sted, Esq., John Tog, Esq.,
William R. Winch, sq. John Cunningham, Esq., F.G.S,,

inscription