The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-02 00:00:00

THE MILLER TESTIMONIAL.

We have very great pleasure in extracting the
following abbreviated report from a local journal—
descriptive of the splendid and beautiful tribute
recently offered to the humane and gifted Origi-
nator of the Ragged School Entertainments.
The testimonial to Mr. W. H. Miller, in recog-
nition of his valuable services in connexion with the
Ragged School movement, was presented on the
24th ult., under very interesting circumstances, at
the Hall in Dow,hty-street, Lamb,th. At eight.
o'clock the Earl of Shaftesbury took up his position
on the platform, and was loudly cheered.
G. W. BARNARD, Esq., bonorai y secretary to
the Testimonial Committee, then rose and read tite
()Rowing addre,s
"To Mr. W. H. Miller, Superintendent of the Lambeth

Ragged School.
" Dear Sir,—As friends and acquaintances amongst
Whom you have long lived and laboured, who have bad
ample opportunities of observing your character, and of
witnessing your self-denying efforts to do good, we have
minted for the purpose of present; ng you with a substantial
mark of our esteem, and of our high appreciation of your
novel and most successful attempts to provide and suggest
attractive and elevating entertainments for scholars in
Ragged Schools. We cannot, dear sir, be insensible to the
large amount of self-imposed toil to which, in addition to
your business engagements, you have thus subjected your-
self, in order to prepare those artistic scenes and sketches,
so well calculated to catch the eye and fix the attention of
the young; nor can we fail to admire the talent
Which gives life to those scenes by narratives and ee-
scriptions, and deduces lessons at once thrilling the mind,
and calling into action the better feelings of our nature. But
Most of all we rejoice in the conviction that in all your pur-
oses and plans, it is your noble and exclusive aim, by the
blessing of Almighty God, to do what you can to rescue
someof the myriads of our outcast juvenile population from
the pestilential influences of low and vicious places of
amusement, and to show how pleasure and profit may be
combined, thus convincing all that 'religion never was
designed to make our pleasures less.' Accept then, dear
air, the accompanying time-piece, together with the purse
containing 100 sovereigns, as a memorial to yourself and
your family of our hearty appreciation of your philanthro-
pic cfforte, unl a 3 an expres.,ion of cur earnest hope that
your life may long be spared, that the lu: tre of your good
name may never be tarnished, that the blessing of them
that are ready to perish may still come upon you, and that
at last, having served your generation by the will of God,
you may go hence to be included amongst those to whom
will be addressed the great Master's commendatory words,
Because ye have done it unto these little ones, ye have
done it unto me.' (Signed) " SHAFTESBURY,
" Chairman of the Committee, on behalf
of the general body of the subscribers."'
The reading of this address was frequvntly inter-
rupted by hearty applause. At its doe() the time-
piece which formed part of the testimonial was un-
covered, and testified by its appeatance to the goad
taste of those who were concerned iu its production
and its choice. It bore the following inscription :
"On the 24th day of March, 1858, the Right Hon. the
Earl of Shaftesbury presented this Time-piece and a Purse
containing 100 sovereigns, to Mr. W. 11. Miller, as a me-
morial from his friends and neighbours of their high appre-
ciation of his efforts to instruct the outcast juvenile popu-
lation, through the medium of moral and intellectual en-
tertainments, expressly designed and prepared by him for
Ragged Schools."

The noble CHAIRMAN then rose to make the pre- 1
sentation. Addressing Mr. Miller, his lordship
said that a body of his friends had assigned to him
(the chairman) the office of giving effect and reality
to the spirit of the beautiful address which had
lust been read, and to a-k him to accept of sonic
substantial proof of the value in which they held
his services in the cause in which he had so zeal-
ously and happily engaged. It has been said that
the man -vho made two blades of grass grow where
only one had grown before, deserved the gratitude
of society. What then was due to the man who
bad grafted on the stock of ignorance the precious
fruits of knowledge and religion ? (Applause )
Mr. Miller had solved a great problem. and was
entitled to take rank with many oth: rs as one of
the benefactors of the human race. (Renewed
applause.) He therefore asked Mr. Miller to ac-
cept this testimonial as a token of their approba.
tion of his talents, and of the mode in which he ap-
plied them. Mr. Miller had recognized in human
nature that faculty of admiration—a faculty most
)Owerful in its ;ntluence, whether for good or evil.
Mr. Miller would, therefore, accept this testi-
monial as a token of their admiration of his talents
and character, and also as sit expression of their
gratitude. It was true that Mr. Miller had only
done his duty in the sight of God ; but still those
who knew him could not but lie grateful to him, as
to a fellow-creature whose talents had been governed
by Christian principles and reduced to Christian
practice. (Loud applause.) He (the chairman)
knew that he spake the sentiments of all now pre-
sent, when he invoked the blessing of God on Mr.
Miller, with a wish that he might be blessed in his
work, that his days might be prolonged, and that
he might come to his grave like a shock of
corn in full season—and might there be written
on his tombstone, the lines which had honoured
one who was also a teacher of men through men
medium of pictures presented to the eye. His
lordship then recited the hues written by Garrick
as an epitaph, on Elogarth, altering the last line so
as to read—

" For Miller'd honoured dust lies here."
(Great applause.) He had now to request that Mr.
Miller would receive this small and insignificant
gift, not as a recompe Ise, but as a recognii ion, and
as a token of their deep regard. (Prolonged ap-
plause.) His lordship then handed the purse of
100 sovereigns to Mr. Milller.
Mr. W. H. MILLER having feelingly responded,
sat down am'd the most hearty applause. He after-
wards proceeded, in accordance with the pro-
gramme, to give a art of his entertainment, :` A
Journey from the Nurib Pule to the Equator," in
Which he engaged the unwtarit d attention of his
audience amid frequent applause and hearty
laughter. The whole of the boautrful panorama,
painted by Mr. Miller's own hand, was unrolled.
Theentertainment having concluded,
Mr. Miller's name was finally received with three
cheers, followed by cheers, still louder, if possible,
in honour of tha Earl of Shaftesbury.

. POnEIGN TAMFFS.—A return of all alterations made
ri? the Customs' tariff, 01 foreign States and their depen-
°ley!, received since the 10th of March, 1857, has been
13,/,inted by order of the House, on the motion of Mr.
41'wdegate, M.P. It ills 23 pages of a Parliamentary
Paper,