The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-09 00:00:00

IkIEETING OF NONCONFORMISTS.

Last night, a crowded meeting of the dissenters
of the metropolis was held in Freemasons'-hall, to
present Mr. Edward Miall with a testimonial in
recognition of his public services in the cause of
civil and religious freedom. Mr. Shefff Cockerell
was in the chair, and there were present on the
platform Mr. John Bright, M.P., Mr. Barnes,
M
M.P., Mr. Gilpin, M.P., Mr. P. A. Taylor, M.P.,
Mr. Stansfeld, ALP., Sheriff
Mr. Hadfield, M.P.,
Cockerell, Mr. Samuel Morley, Dr. Halley, Dr.
Angus, Rev. J. H. Hinton, Rev. W. Brock, Rev. J.
Barnet, Mr. Duncan M'Laren, of Edinburgh; Mr,
Charles Robertson, of Liverpool; Mr. H. 0. Wills,
of Bristol ; Mr. Cossham, of Bristol ; and numerous
other ministers and laymen from various parts of
the country.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, ex-
plained that the meeting was held for the sake of
paying homage to a great principle—a principle
embodied in Mr. E. Miall, who, as editor of the
Nonconformist newspaper, had for the last 21 years
advocated the freedom of religion from anything
like state interference—a cause which ho had also
served as member for Rochdale.
Mr. HEATON having explained the origin of the
testimonial, stated that it had, by subscriptions
from all parts of the country, reached the amount
of £5,000.
Mr. S. MORLEY, as a member of the executive
committee, then read to Mr. Miall an address, and
at its conclusion handed to him a banker's pass-
book for £5,000 and a silver tea and coffee service,
on the tray of which there was an inscription indi-
cative of the nature of the gift. The address stated
that 1,500 persons, scattered over every part of the
United Kingdom, had subscribed to the testimonial,
wishing to express their very high estimate of the
value of the services which Mr. Miall had rendered
to the cause of civil and religious liberty.
Mr. MIALL, in a speech too lengthy to be re-
. _ . _

peed in full, returned thanks for the honour con-
ferred upon him. He first returned thanks to the
Deity for every act of his own which tended to
good as the result of his merciful Providence. It

was to that, and to the abilay of his colleagues, he
attributed the success of the Nonconformist. He
and they looked forward to seeing the great prin-
ciple which they had advocated brought about by
the revival and expansion of religious life in the
Established Church itself—a religious life which
some good men, and some men whose spiritual cha-
racter was not so much respected, desired to restrict
within the narrow limits of human law. Religion
was in fact everywhere freeing itself from its poli-
tical degradation, as at Rome, at Vienna, at Paris,
and in the colonies, in spite of the efforts of those
who by the iteration of words they could make
facts, and hurled vituperation at the heads of those
who advocated the voluntary movement, but who
could not be so shouted down. For himself he had
become accustomed to read the most atrocious
calumnies on himself, just as he would read any-
thing else in a newspaper, and to deal with them
in the way of business. Reference was made in the
address to his having been one of the Royal Com-
missioners appointed to inquire into national edu-
cation, and he thought he ought rather to be con-
gratulated on that appointment than be thanked
for his services on the commission, for his labours

there had been rendered easy by the patience and
courtesy with which those other commissioners who
did not agree in his views received his exposition of
them. Baying again attributed the success of his

labours to a higher power, and personally thanked
those who had been instrumental in getting up so
magnificent a testimonial, Mr. Maill resumed his
seat.

Mr. JOHN BRIGHT, M.P., next addressed the
meeting, and said—l feel as if in great danger of
marring the effect of this remarkable meeting, and
of the impressive speech to which we have just
listened, by any observation I can offer to you.
(Hear, hear.) But apart from that I have great
pleasure in being permitted to say a few words on
an occasion when I have derived a pleasure not
exceeded by any other public meeting I ever
attended. Mr. Miall and I have not met for the
first time to-night, nor is this the first time that we
have stood on the same platform. (Hear, hear.) In
September next, on the 10th day of that month,
it will be 22 years since he was in my house in
Rochdale, when he was visiting some of the neigh-
bouring towns and some of the friends of the cause
of religious freedom, with a view to ascertain how
far it was likely that a journal like the Noncon-
formist would succeed. I had then the pleasure of
discussing this very question with him, and calling
with him on several of my friends, and got a num-
ber of them to contribute to the fund on which the
Nonconformist was started. From that time to
the present I have enjoyed the friendship of Mr.
Miall. In 1852 he became the parliamentary re-
presentative of the borough of Rochdale, of which
I am an elector ; and I will undertake to say it was
a misfortune, and a great misfortune, when, from
local differences and accidental circumstances, the
connexion between my friend Mr. Miall and the
electors of Rochdale became severed. Only this
night, five minutes before I left the House of Com-
mons, I was speaking to a gentleman in no way
identified with the views held by us, and when I
told him where I was coming, " Ate" said he,
" Miall was the only man who argued that great
question as it ought to be argued in the House of
Commons." (Cheers.) I believe that to be per-
fectly true, and I therefore regret that I cannot
speak of my friend as I could have spoken of him
some few years since, and call him my parliamen-
tary representative. In 1860 he was appointed one
of the royal commissioners to inquire into national
education. The Duke of Newcastle made, I believe,
the best selection it was possible to make, when he
asked for Mr. Miall, a man of intellect, a man of
great information, a man of sound judgment, and
one honoured with the confidence of those through-
out the country who understand the voluntary
principle as we understand it. But I had the oppor-
tunity of hearing from the lips of the Duke of New-
castle not onlywhat be thought of Mr. Miall when he
appointed him one of the commissioners, but also
what he thought of him after the work on which they
were both engaged was over, and his Grace bore
testimony to his courtesy, to his moderation, his
sound judgment, and bis liberality, during the
work on which they were engaged, and that, too,
in language as eulogistic as anything we have heard
to-night. (Cheers.) But, going back to 1840, his
life has been since then dedicated to one great pur-
pose—(hear, hear)—to the freedom of religion. We
all know he has been a teacher of dissent to dis-
senters, and of protestantism to professed protes-
tants ; and I agree with him that the great prin-
ciple of voluntaryism had of late years been making
great progress—a slow progress, some people may
think, but one not the less sure—a principle which
I used to think would never be adopted except by
one great revolution. It is one which has been
assented to by only one great State—the people of
the United States of America. If you will read the
work of the Rev. Baptist Noel, or the magnificent
speeches of Dr. Duff, the Indian missionary, in
which he describes what has been done by the
voluntary principle, you can only come to the con-
clusion that there is nothing piety or zeal has
offered on the face of the earth equal to that which
has been done on the voluntary principle. In
Canada, too, it has been in some measure adopted.
In the Australian colonies, too, it has been adopted
to a lerge extent; and in this country, notwith-
standing the fierce swing to and fro of the wave of
intolerance, it yearly, daily, and he might say
hourly progresses. In Ireland only one-tenth of
the population acknowledge a connexion with the
Established Church. (Hear, hear.) In Scotland
two-thirds of the population have no connexion with
the establishment. In Wales, again, eight-tenths
of the people do not attend or value the ministra-
tions of the Ests.blished Church—(hear, hear)—and
in England it has been proved that rather more
people prefer to go to chapel than to the Esta-
blished Church. Me
(C-eerfa) With this fact before us
and that growing religious feeling which we wit-
ness in the church itself, you mayrely upon it the
voluntary principle cannot slumber. I never hoped
the church would be brought to feel the value of it
except by a revolution, until I saw a strong and
growing zeal spring up within the church itself; for
believe me, when once a feeling of zeal has come