The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-17 00:00:00

CHURCH PAstagAL Arli SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Church Pastoral Aid Society
was held at half-past six o'clock last night, in the
Collegiate Institution, The Lord Bishop of Chester, in
the chair. The Rev. !Mr. Garvack, of St. Bartholomew's
(Pancras parish), London, and the Rev. James Bardsley,
of Manchester, attended a§ a deputation from the Parent
Society ; and among the ()thee gentlemen on the platform
were—Revs. E Garbett, James Bardslgs Dr. Taylor, W.
Rawson, C. Lawrence, G. W. Warr, D. Anderson, W. H.
Wright; 11. Marten, J. B. Lowe, R. Dandy, .1. 11. Jones,
Dr. Hume, T. Moore, W. Leveson, F. Soiller, T. 0. Powell,
T. Moeran. W. Hunt, T. L. Pain, S. Fenton, F. M. ]lark,
T. Cowan, J. Collor, J. Leslie, W. Bowlan, R. C. King,
C. Page, T. Lingley, R. It Moore, and H. J Garrod ;
Messrs. C Steains, J. K. Hounthwaite, R.
William=, H. Haihead, R. A. Payne, S. Grainger, &e., &c.
The proceedings were opened by prayer, which was
offered up by the Rev. Mr. Cowan.
The right revs Chairman said—My friends, before 1 call
upon the secretary to read the report to you and open the
formal proceedings, I wish to express for myself the
pleasure I have in meeting you again on this occasion,
and I wish also to express in your name and in my own;
our thanks and kind welcome to the gentlemen who have
kindly come here to advocate the cause of this society ;
and I hope I may venture, while we tender our thanks to
them, to say also that Liverpool is a place not unworthy
of their visit; for I do not know of anY place that aff writ+
a stronger example of the great usefulness cif this society,
in behalf of which they are come. Ido not kneve of any
place that either more recoilres, or more deserves, the
assistance of the Pastoral Aid Society, than Liverperdl
see- (Hear, haa".l Aq4 lam sure that my friends, who
now see b •fciee me, win titter . Wis"!ess when I say in
thus speaking of Liverpool deserviol :lie aid of the
Pastoral Aid Society; that the incumbents of the hunches
in Liverpool are a body of adtive, zealous, and fag; hint
clergymen—(hear, hear,)—devteed td their duty,
unwearied in their lahour ; but we all know this, that
with all their activity, with all their zeal, they would
be far too few a number to grapple with the dill
cultles of their position, if they had not additional
assistance to strengthen• their hands and to share
their work. (Hear, hear.) A new question arises—how
is that assistance to be provided? all know very
well—we all know too well that the incumbents of churches
in Liverpool cannot be expected to provide the assistance
for themselves; their professional incenses are so small, so
very small for the most part, that nothing can be spared
out of them for the purpose. (Hear, hear.) They must
look for help to others, and God be thanked ! they do not,
look in vain. -seThey meet with lielp!from all quarters, but
from no quarter more than from the liestotal Aid Society.
That society offers there the means of whk‘ls they are in
want. It furnishes them with additional curVeS, and
with Scripture readers—with both clerical and lay age:As
—both agencies most useful in their respective lines. Now,
will not say that the effect of this is to lighten the work
of the incum ents in their churches in Liverpool, for they
continue to work just as hard as they ever did before—
(hear, bear)-=but the effect of it is, if not to lighten their
work, yet to lighten their hearts, and to cheer their spirits,
and to animate their exertions, and the effect of it is,
best les under God's blessing, that more being employed,
there is also more work done. (Hear, hear.) God be
thanked 'Bitch work is done, but let me say
to you, my friends, much still' remains undone,
and may I ask you what the cause of that
is ? Why, the answer is very short and very plain,
so far as human means ate concerned ; it is simply neither
more nor less than a want or money, a want of funds. If
the Pastoral Aid Society received a larger share of public
support than it does now, it would be enabled thereby to
furnish a proportionably I irger staff of curates and of
Scripture readers for Many other towns, but especially
for this town; and thus many, eery many, of the lower
classes of this populous town might he brought within the
reach of religious instruction and religious Impressions,
who at present cannot be said to have any real religion at
all-sswho never go within any place of public worship. and
into whose house no minister of religtoa ever goes. Now,
my friends, this it *het the Pastoral Aici professes to
remedy, and it depends entirely, under God's bleseDlO, on
the liberality of the Christian people of this counti7
whether the society shall have means sulfide& to Meet
the exigencies of the case. We hear, from time to tirtieg
in our newspapers and in our reports, a great deal about
the• immorality that exists in Liverpool, particularly
about drunkenness, which is the root of all immorality.
It is a sad history enough to grieve any Christian man's
heart, and it has been thought that remedies may be
found for this lamentable evil by fresh legislative
enactments, imposing grea'er restrictions on the sale
of intoxicating liquors. Now, my friends, I wish from my
heart success to every remedy that can be brought into
action to check no great an evil. I wish success to every
remedy that can be thought obtainable and practicable;
but if I may venture to express my own opinion, I think
that, after all, we shall have to look for the real remedy
in moral and religions influences, even more than in any
legislative enactments. (Hear, hear.) If the great mass
of the people in this town, and in all other great towns,
and all over England—if they can be but brought under
the influence of religious instruction and religious impres-
sions, and, in particular, if the rising generation can be
trained up in religious principles, I think that under
God's blessing these will go much further to check immo-
rality of every kind than we can ever hope to accomplish
by:any legislative enactments that will ly? found in prac•
tice attainable and capable of being carried out. (Hear,
hear.) Now, under God's blessing, the Pastoral Aid
Society may be the instrument of this great social and
moral regeneration. It has the machinery for the purpose.
It must look to the public of England—the Christian
public—for the necessary funds to keep this machinery in
action, and we must all humbly look to Almighty God for
His blessing on our work. Now, my friends, this is a
' point of view in which I hope you will all be dispos:A to
join with me in recognising the great importance of the
Pastoral Aid Society. It is by these means that, under
God's blessing, the moral regeneration of the world is to be
accomplished; and I beg to thank you, my friends, for
setting the example that you do to the other inhabitants
of Liverpool by contributing to this society; and still
more, if I may say so, by coming together here this even-
ing to cheer and encourage us in our work. I hope that,
your example may lead many other people in Liverpool to
do the same, and year by year to join our ranks, and that
their contributions will be forthcoming to give strength
and power to this society to carry out its most benevolent
work. (Hear, hear.) .I am sure we all wish to thank the
gentlemen who have come here expressly to advocate its
claims. (Hear, hear.) In conclusion his Lordship an-
nounced that the Rev. Dr. Burnett, who it was expected
would be present to address the meeting, was prevented
by indisposition from attending.

The Rev. &r. Hart then read the report, which was as
follows :

REPORT.

The. committee, in presenting their 17th report, are
thankful to be able to announce that the association has
gone forward, and surpassed the efforts of previous years.
The progress, however, is not of such a character as to
afford occasion for much sslf-gratulation. With the
wants and the resources of such a town as Liverpool, the
committee deem it ought to have been much greater.
Twenty seven branch associations are at present in
operation. These constituted by far the most effi:ient
source of income, inasmuch as, by means of an organized
band of collectors, contributions may be readily obtained
which would otherwise never find their way into the
society. The committee :gain respectfully urge this
subject upon the attention of any clergyman who, while
desiring to give assistance to the society, has not yet made
use of this peculiar method--a method which they believe
to be adapted as well for a poor as for a wealthier district.
In consequence of the delay in some of the returns,
the treasurer is unable to state accurately the sums
contributed by the various branches. It is expected,
however, that Liverpool will supply this year £1,750,
while it receives from the society £2,465 to secure the
service of 20 curates and 11 scripture readers. Is it right
that the balance should be thus against our association
in a town the increase of whose customs has amounted
in the last year to no less than £247,843, the total receipts
reaching the enormous sum of .£3,824 177 ? Is it right
that in this great commercial centre, through which such
nnto!d wealth is yearly circulating, the citizens of
Liverpool should rest content to be dependent upon the
contributions of external bounty ? lls it not rather
more suitable, alike to their dignity and their privileges,
that they should supply the pressing requirements
at home, and offer, in addition, from their abun-
dant wealth, for the support of pastors in many an
outlying hamlet, tho poor to prt,vcle an income from
their own narrow resources,. and therefore dependent on
the Christian liberality of more highly favoured districts ?
Let the return of next year's collections give the an3wer.
The committee of the parent society entreat attention
to the fact that they cannot respond to any of the
very urgent applications for aid now on their list.
The operations of the society have been greatly in-
creased during the past year; unless, therefore, the
funds shall be adequately augmented, the greatest solici
tude will be occasioned for the maintenance even of the
existing grants. 373 curates, and 131 lay agents
constitute its present staff of labourers. The number is.
small, compared with the requirements of our rapidly
increasing population ; and believing that it is through
the immediate influence of a living agency, rather than
the multiplication of free sittings for the poor, that we
must tell, in the first instance on these busy masses who
throng our street, but en'er not our churches, the com-
mittee would urge the claims of this scriptural society
upon all wellwtshers of their country, as well as on all
lovers of God."

Mr. C. Bushell, in moving the adoption of the report, ob-
servefl, that it could not be said of the Church Pastoral Aid
Society that anything it did was useless, because it never
obtruded its aid, but waited until the necessity called
upon it for assistance, and then having made enquiries into
the grounds of the necessity, it with cheerfuiness rendered
the required aid. The object of the society was the propa •
gation of the Gospel in their own land, than which a more
glorious object it was impossible for any
society to seek to
accomplish. Its principle was, that it was the duty of the
State to provide means for the Church to accomplish that
object; but it went further, and said that if the legislature

failed to do that, then it was the duty of a Christian
country, by erery means in its power, and especially by
voluntaty efforts, to fill up that want which the Govern-
ment failed to fulfil. Is plan, too, seemed to him to be
open to no objection. it did not interfere with the disci-
pline or order of the Church—(Hear, hear)—it obtruded
its aid upon. It did not infringe on the district of any
clergman, bat it waited to be asked for assistance, and then
it gave its aid. Its machinery, too, was perfect, so far as
anything human could be perfect It divided England
into six great districts, including Wales and Monmouth-
shire, and these districts were subdivided, all of them
having their own machinery, and all of them being
responsible to the central committee in London. It was
insitl::ti the good Samaritan; but it did not, he was sorry
to sayr
,receive the support which it merited. In
proof of th;s lack of interest in the Christian
work requiring to be done in this country, Mr. Bushell
mentioned that a sham` since a circular on behalf of
the Liverpool Scripture Ilt.ziers' Society was sent to the
Exchange Newsroom, and out oi the 3000 subscribers to the
room, only 400 responded to the appeal. A further appeal
to them was made, but only £55 in Addition to what was
befote subscribed could be procured. I! was the duty, he
said, of those who were blessed with wealth to contribute
towards such Christian work, and failing to do so, he had
no doubt they would be called to account for their ne.
glect on a future day. (Applause).
The Bev-. Mr. Garveck seconded the motion, which was
unanimously Adopted.

The Rev. James Bardsley then addressed the assembly,
and in the course of his observations argued that the nututet
of pUblic hou:es and beer houses in the large towns, anti
throughout the country, neutraised, to an incalculable
extent, the work of the minister, the scripture reader, and
the sch)olmaster,

The Rev, Dr. Taylor followed ; after which the proceed.
ingb were brolght to a close, by his Lordship giving the
blessing.
In the cour.;,'
of the evening a collection was made in be-
half of the society.