The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-07 00:00:00

OPENING OF ST. PETER'S CHURCH SCHOOLS..

A. soiree was held in the Concert Hall, Lord Nelson
street, last night, to commemorate the opening of the new
schools in connection with St. Peter's Church, Everton.
Toe hall was completely thronged. Tea was served at
half-past six o'clock, after which, the chair was taken by
the Rev. S B. Sutton. Amonz those on the platform
were—the Rev. Hugh M'Neile, Rev. Dr. David James,
f rtnerly of Liverpool, Rev. Mr. Vernon, Rev. Dr. Hume,
Rev. Mr. Underwood, Rev. Thomas Robinson, Rev.
Thomas Moore.
After a verse had been sung and a prayer repented, 1111
The Chairman commenced the business of the evening
with an address. He said the circumstances under which
they had met
,deserved the expression of a pure and a
fervent Joy by all who had the moral and spiritual welfare
of their fellow being at heart. The difficulties and toils of
accomplishing an undertaking were soon forgotten in its
completion. The soldier, when he returued flushed with
victory, easily forgot the sufferings and dangers of the
battle held, and the acquisition of a fortune made the
merchant forget the difficult enterprises and heavy risks
by which he had attained to its poseeesion. "'he com-
pletion of a great undertaking they had met that night to
celebrate. It had not been a matter of easy
accomplishment to raise such extensive schools
to accommodate six hundred children at a cost
of £4,500, and now erected withent any debt hanging
over it. So far as human exertion was concerned, and,
secondarily to the assistance of Divine Providence, they
were mainly indebted to VI- energy, liberality and co-
operation of a benevolent it-'lli lerna.n whose services were
well known to the comninnity, Mr. Charles Turner.
(Applause.) To several other gentlemen they were also
indebted, but to that gentleman the chief credit ought to
given, because to him the chief credit was righteously 'due.
The schools had cost £4479 Is 31, of which £983 18s 4d
was for the site. Of that sum the Committee of Council
on Education had granted £1650. The remaining portion
of the amount had been collected in the town. Two
eentlemen had subscribed £2OO each; one gentleman £150;
four gentlemen £lOO each, and a lady, the widow of a
merchant, £lOO Five gentlemen had given 4:50 each.
Among the principal donors, the chairman mentioned Mr.
William Brown, M. P., Mr. Borgia!), M.p., Mr. Thomas
D. Anderson, Mr. Edward Moon, and Mr. J. Marko
Wood The chairman then dwelt at some length upon the
difficulties which obstruct the proeress of true education
in the present day, and concluded amid loud applause.
A letter was then read by the chairman from the Mayor,
Francis Shand. Esq., expressing his regret at being pre-
vented by previous engagements from attending the meet-
ing, as when he promised to attend he was under the im-
pression that the meeting would take place in the morning.
and made his arrangements accordingly.
The choir here sang " His name is great in Israel."
The Chairman then called upon the Rev. Dr. M'Neile
to address the meeting. (Enthusiastic cheers followed the
announcement.)

The Rev. Dr. M'Neile came forward, and was received
with renewed enthusiasm. After a few prefatory sen-
tences, in which he expressed his gratification at the
completion of the important undertaking, and his thank•
fulness personally for the reception he had met, he said
the Chairman had spoken of the nature of the education
given in the schools, and had told them that the
evils which they had to deplore, were not with respect to
the education given, but with respect to the manner in
which it was received. The education given, was gi""I
scripturally. They had been long strong advocates ee
very determined friends of the Scriptural education. They
entertained the very highest opinion of the Holy Scrip-
tures. They maintained that those Scriptures were given
by God himself—that they were not itidebted to the genius
of any man, however brilliant to the judgment of any man,
however sound or to the experience of any man, however
improved for that Book—it cause from God himself. They
all knew that the interpretation of it given in the schools
systematically was not simply a private interpretation,
but it was the voice of the Established Church
of the realm, of the Reformed Catholic Church of England.
The interpretation given in these schools of the holy
Scriptures was, as they had all learned and rejoiced to
know, in strict accordance with the formularies of the
Church of Eneland. Now, one reason, without entering
into special particulars, why they valued the system, was
this—that they taught with authority truths which came
came from the highest source, and which were, neverthe—
less, beyond the comprehension of the learners at the time.
They made all the learners little children, for they placed
before them all truths which it was beyond their reason
to comprehend. If they taught anything concerning God,
they invited to a view the far end of which no
created mind could see. It was a truth concerning
every intelligent creature that he must either know nothing
at all about God, or else he must he involved in in vstery
somewhere; for if he had got a glimpse, it was but a glimpse,
which terminated where finite sight terminated, where finite
intellect and mind terminated, there remained the mystery.
Except men received the kingdom of God as little children,
they should in no wise enter into it. True religion involved
statemen's which no man in the world could explain
or understand. There was no tree religion ; for example,
without what they called the incarnation—that is, God
and man in one Christ—without that there could be
no mediator between God and man. Without that there
could he no sacrifice for sir.. Without that there could be
no fulfilment of the law by man. Without that there was
no Christianity. Without that there wes no salvation.
And yet the highest intellect which had ever appeared
upon the face of the earth in man could not explain it.
They must, then, receive it as the little child received his
lesson from the Bible without understanding it at the time.
There wi re many things in it which they coul.l understand;
but the deep things upon which all rested were things
which they could not understand. There was a limit
to reason in the affair of religion. There were
regions for reason to work in, but there were limits,
and there was no mare important lesson to learn
then the boundary lines of reason and faith in the things of
God. It was the business of reason to examine carefully
upon evidence whence the book came from, the origin of it,
the miraculous interferences by which it was attested to
come from G el • and having obtained reasonable proof that
it came from God, it was reasonable then to listen to it es
the little child listened to its father. There was reasons
attitude—having exerted itself like a man to examine the
evidence whence came the book, then to take its seat as a
little child and listen to what the book said. (Applause.)
He contended that Christianity could never be
taught, if, as some would have it done, it were to be
taught like a science, proportioning what the mind was to
receive to the meastre of its comprehension. Speaking of
Sunday schools, Dr. 111• Neill emphatically declared that he
wished they could at once put an end to all the Sunday
schools throughout the kingdom, if in their place they could
induce all parents to take their children with them to church
to hear divine service. Passing on to speak of the condition
of the working classes, the speaker delivered a powerful and
energetic denunciation of the public houses, as the source
of folly, blasphemy, vice, and crime. He declared that
those who made it their study to go about and relieve the
poor ought absolutely not to support the wives and
families of drunkards. If ladies and benevolent men
would only refuse against the compassion of
their hearts to give one farthing to support the families of
men whom they knew to be drunkards, they would de 12:1,,-".
to remedy mischiefs of such nature in future than could

done by ten thousand schools in the present state of atrair
No one need starve iu England, and those whom al,
drunkard ought to support and did not, should be allowed
however harsh such a step might seem, to go to the
workhouse. Giving money for their support was only
aiding the drunkard to visit the pnhlic house.
The speaker dwelt upon the evils which fl )wed
from the use of the public house in most impressive
language, and concluded with an eloquent exhortation
to his hearers not alone to avoid altogether such a practica
but utterly to discountenance it, by refusing to hold any
intercourse with those who adhered to it. The rev. gentle-
man concluded amid warm acclamation.

One of th 3 choir (Miss Morris) here sang, " I know that
mp Redeemer liveth."

The Rev. Dr. James next addressed the meeting in an
eloquent and energetic speech, principally upon the manage-
mei, t of church schools.

Mr. Lunt sang " The Battle Hymn."
The Rev. Dr. Hume delivered a brief but instructive
address upon the means of increasing and expanding the
present school system.

During Dr. Itutne's address, Mr. William Brown, M P.,
entered the hall, and was received wLh an e.,thusiaitic
burst of applause. When Dr. Hume had concluled, the
chairman requested Mr. Brown to address the :fleeting,
introducing the name of that gentleman with an eloquent
eulogium.

Mr. Brown, on coming forward, was greeted with
renewed applause. Having explained that he would have
atterded at an earlier hour but that he had previously
promised to preside at Dr. 112ffle's lecture, he briefly
addressed the meeting upon the importance of the rapid
spread of education. .!-Te referred to a lecture of Mr. Whit-
worth, of Manchester, to show bow much the spread of science
had done by the improvement of machinery to cheapen the
necessaries of life to the working man, and render his existence
comfortable. lie referred casually to the centeminatiug in-
fluences produced upon seciety by letting loose ana9ea—cn, e
community so many ticket of leave men, and_.ee l/reased a
hope that the government would take t4a.dratter up, and
relieve those w!.o were disposed to do well from such
baneful associations. He declared thr.t although a great
stickler for the liberty of the subject, he felt almost disposed
to go as far es the King of Prussia, and say that the
children who were uneducated must go to school, and he
would certainly carry coercion so far as to prohibit
persons from being employed in any shape under government
who could not read or write. fie slid, he feared there was
less want of schools and churches, than want of education,
on the part of parents to make their children use them. Me
Brown highly commended the clergy for their exertions in
the spread of education, and concluded amid loud applause.
After the singing of the anthem, the proceedings were
closed with prayer.

The asseniblj did not separate until a few minutes before
eleven o'clock.