The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-22 00:00:00

THE CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

The first subject brought under notice on Wed-
nesday was that of " Temperance and Sunday
closing." An address was presented from the local tem-
perance associations, urging that a "Baud of Hope" should
be formed in connection with every Christian church, and
that the churches should aid the movements for reducing
the number ef public-houses, restricting the hours during
which they were open, and closing them entirely up( n
Sunday. The chairman, amid general cheering, said ho was
sure the meeting would receive the address with respect
as its promoters had done so much in the cause of educa-
tion and religion. A resolution was subsequently carried
ttnanimously to tho effect that the Union recognised the
great gcod done by temperance associations, and invited
suprort to any measure for closing public-houses on the
Lord's Day, ar_d to any measures for the diminution cf
drunkenness. Mr. S. Morley, M.P., said he expected Mr.
Bruce would next session introduce a measure of a larger
character than was supposed. Ills statement last session
that persons should have some voice as to the granting of
licences for the sale of intoxicating liquors in their neigh-
bourhood, admitted a great principle, and the question was
how far it should be carried. Later on another
subject of interest in the present condition of Church
and State was brought forward. A report was brought up
on the prof osed Ministerial Sustentation Fund. It seams
that the principles of Independency will not allow its
members to provide a fund such as that raised by the Free
Church of Scotland. Congregationalism in England has a
fund in connection with each of its county associations,
and it has been proposed that there should be some gene-
ral board to deal with the question. It was said that,
while voluntaryism was flourishing in cities and large
towns, there was no improvement in the country districts
by which it would be judged. Many instances
were mentioned of ministers whose circumstances
were painfully reduced, ono minister present stating
that £5O had saved him at a crisis of his life, and another
speaking of an acquaintance of his who lived with his wife
and family on meal mixed with water. A resolution
calling a general conference on the matter was adopted.
"How wo may best avail ourselves of the universities of
C:mbridge and Oxford for the education of our ministers,"
was a question propounded by Mr. Neville Goodman, MA.,
and considered at some length. Mr. Reed, M.P., thought
the great difficulty of Nonconformists had been that the
roads to the Universities had been blocked up, the
grammar schools having been closed to a great extent to
the children of Nonconformists, but they would now be
opened by Mr. Forster's bill. It was suggested that the
continental system of university eduCation by universities
spread over the country was wanted in England.
The working men's meeting was held at the Birmingham
Agricultural Hall, Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P., presiding.
The chairman, in opening the proceedings, disclaimed all
hostility to the Church, though, for themselves, they
repudiated everything like State interference. They were
there to express the opinion that all interferences by
political power to extend the religion of a people had
utterly failed in their object. Addresses on " The Tem-
poral Advantages of Christianity to the Working Classes,"
and "The Adaptation of Congregationalism to Working
Men," were then read. Much amusement was created
by an anecdote told by the Rev. H. Tarrant, who, in
speaking of the temperance question, said ho heard
a sharp boy say to his father. " I know why they
call your public-house the Pig and Whistle. It is because
you feed the publican's pig, and leave us to whistle for the
bacon." The Birmingham meeting was naturally of a
different character, although the leading members of the
Union were present. The speakers addressed themselves
principally to the great question of disestablishment. Mr.
C. Reed, M.P., was in the chair, and said that they did not
wish to attack the English Church in particular—they be-
lieved in her doctrines in the main—but their attack was
against an establishment. Mr. Reed went on to examine
the relative numbers of Churchmen and Dissenters, arriv-
ing at the conclusion that about twelve millions of "the
population belonged to the Church and seventeen millions
to the Dissenters. In Wales the per centage of Church
members was 14.5, while the Dissenters were 53.3 of the
whole population. There were signs in the Church of
England of awakening to spiritual life, and these they
should rejoice over. The Rev. A. Thompson said he believed
the days of Church Establishments were numbered. A
great step was taken when the portentous words, dises-
tablishment and disendowmeut were inscribed on
the statute book. The Rev. Dr. Halley, who
adopted a snore political tone, referred to the
first meeting of the Congregational Union in the
Birmingham Town Hall thirty years ago. Alluding
to Manchester, he said that, much as he loved it, he was
once ashamed of it, and that was when it rejected a states-
man of the purest principle because he would have spared
his countrymen the Crimean war. Birmingham, however,
had repaired the dishonour of Manchester, and the people
of Manchester would now be glad to receive Mr .11right
from their hands.

At an adjourned county meeting in Thurles +on
Wednesday, Mr. Heron, Q.C., was proposed as a candi-
date for Tipperary ; no other name was put forward.
There was some tiOsent, but M,-k_Hor9D waa 4.51.01ACK1 by the
mal9rity,