The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-07 00:00:00

appoint them, and the Bishop does not dismiss
them. Therefore it really is quite idle, and
vain, and t seless for Mr. Roberts to be pestering
we and pestering this committee with his objections which he
knows have no validity in them. 1 cannot remedy them.
I have stated this over and over again, and every ;Tian of
common sense knows that what I say is trtiei. I cannot remedy
the evils which exist in St. Paul's, however much I may and
do derlcre them. What is the use of bothering me and
bothering the gentlemen here present, and wasting their time
with such futile remarks ? I have done all I can in the
district by placing a clergyman there. I believo the rest cf
the district is exceedingly well looked after. I believe Mr.
Reed looks after the district btecedingly well, and does his
duty very faithfully and conscientiously, but unfortunately he
has no great physical_ power, and he is not capable of filling
the church. The church is miserably empty, and I deplore it
quite as ',Loch as you can. I assure you, gentlenten, it is no
use assuring Mr. Roberts, for he will hot believe or listen to
me—that I have taken very great pains to remedy the evil
wi.hin the church, and have offered to make a pecuniary
sacrifice, but I have not been able to remedy it. The
state of the law wilt not permit me to do ,(3,
I think the best plan for Mr. Roberts wilt be to send a
petition to Lord Palmerston, who berms to be capable of
doing anythiag at the pre:.reni; day. lam afraid he does
not quite agree with 'Ali% Roberts in politics, for I believe
Mr. Roberts and i are of the same politics ; but as he is
a squeezable man, perhaps if Mr. Roberts v ere to pester
him a?, much as he has pestered me, he might possibly get
siniethrrig out of him. (Laughter.)
Mr. Byford : It appears to me, sir, that Mr. f?,oberts
only got up:co make a speech in order to get one from you
in reply.
Mr. Roberts 7 I nfir incapable of falsehood.
The Chairman: I have a school at Moorfields, which
has for some months been used by Mr. Reed for the pur-
poses of St. Paul's church. In addition to that, Mr.
Roberts talks about my duty to build schools. How can
I perform such a duty ? It would cost me £7,00&.
Mr. Roberts: Not at all, sir ; not all.,
The Chairman : My dear friend,. 66 la'te Archdeacon,
sap flied a want there, becauio, with others assisting him.
he.got a schOol built in connection with the Vauxhall
church.
Itterts: It is a long way off.
The Chairman ; Ido not think it a long way off. With
the help of the corporation he got the land, and a church
built there, and very considerable schools attached, which
are most :valuable for the district on that side: There
are also schools on the other side. But the great di a eulty
is, that there is no school in connection with the parish
church.

Mr. Roberts: A great shame it is too.
The 'Chairman: Yes, it is a shame, but to whom
T.ir. Roberts : To the clergy,
The Chairman: It is net niy fault.
Mr. Roberts ; Oh, hilt I think it is.

The Chairan: Then must I spend £6,000 or £7,000
upon it. I am doing everything I possibly can to get
tohools.

Mr. Roberts : If you would go about it as dot: ought to
do, you could have schools at st. Peter's Church, and at
St. Paul's church.

The Chairman: Well, new really and truly, I do not
know what you gentlemen may think about this ; I shall
not use any authority, but I do think Mr. Roberts is
getting downright;impertinent. (I-lear, hoar.) I think
his remarks are highly offensive. (Hear, hear.) With a
cure of souls of over 270,000 persons, have been spending
my own money and my time to building churches where-
ever I could put thorn. I have given £2OO to St. Aidan's
church. I ay! ti ow doing everything I possibly can to get a
parsonage house there. I am doing everything I can to promote
the spiritual interests of the people of Liverpool.
Mr. Roberts : Except St. Paul's.
The Chairman : I have done every single thing I possibly
can to promote the spiritual interests of the people of Liverpool
in connection with St. Paul's church: I solemnly assert that
I have done so to the very utmost of my ability.
Mr. Roberts: Then it has failed.

The Chairman : I think this very ill conducted and very
unbecoming indeed on your part. (Hear, hear) I think it
very unbecoming, highly indecorous, and very uncburchmanlike
to use the language Mr. Roberts has employed in the presence
of the public. (Hear, hear.) I say he has acted most
unworthily and dishonourably. (Hear, hear.) He has brought
a charge against me which is perfectly unnecessary and highly
improper—and he knows that a reporter is present. He has
accused me of gross neglect of duty, and I defy him to prove
it. I have done every single thing I possibly could to promote
the spiritual interests of this very district which he most
ungenerously accuses mo of neglecting. I am sorry to be
obliged to speak in such language of reproach ; but I say, in
the presence of you all, that he has behaved in a manner highly
indecorous and highly improper, and that he has made a most
gross, unjust, and unfounded accusation. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Roberta :The church speaks for itself.

Mr. Woodruff : I must say, sir, that 1 have been
present at many meetings where you have been chair-
man, and many meetings where you have not been chair.
man, where persons both belonging to the church and
opposed to the church have felt it their dory to speak of
matters connected with the church. There can be no
objection to Mr. Roberts expressing his sentiments with
reference to any abuse he believed existing ; there can
be no objection to his attending this meeting for the
purpose of investigating the accounts and explaininc, to
some reasonable extent his views upon them. But there
ought to be some limit to the language used by a gentle_
man, and I must say that in any of the meetings I have
referred to I never in my life heard such disrespectful
language u;ed towards you, sir ; and I hope never to
hear it again. (Rear, hear.)
Mr. Roberts : All I can say is, that I solemnly protest
against our paying for an empty church.
No one seconded Mr. Roberts amendment, which, accord-
ingly, fell to the ground.
The accounts were then passed. The remainder of the
routine business having bee❑ gone through, the business
closed with a vote of thanks, moved by Mr. Woodruff, to
the rev. chairman.