The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-03-22 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 1853

CORRESPONDENCE.

correspondents

LONG SERMONS.-VENTILATION.

LETTER 11.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

AN EARNEST CHURCHMAN,

Liverpool, 14th March, 1853,

LONG AND SHORT SERMONS,

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

Six,—l have read two or three effusions respecting long
sermons, in your columns, and draw the following conclusion
from them—that the writer sits under a minister who under-
stands the theory of the gospel, but who is as yet a stranger to
the practical part of it; for, did he feel inwardly the new
creation, he would cease to wonder how ministers feel when
they go into the pulpit to preach, and see immortal souls
gathered together to hear words which may prove a savour of
life to them, and that peradventure the imperishable seed may
drop upon some heart there, which will be his crown of re-
joicing in that day when time shall be no more. I am sure he
would then feel that the time he specifies is too short to enlarge
upon a subject so infinite in importance, and so full of blessing
(if rightly received). He should also recollect that it is through
the foolishness of preaching those are saved who believe.
Hoping that those of our ministers who are so generous with
their talents and time, will still adhere to the full measure,
and not curtail their sermons of any part of their fair propor-
tions, and that your correspondent may find out the secret
which will make all sermons, however long, too short,

I subscribe myself your obedient servant.
OLD SUBSCRIBER.

THE HIGH LEVEL RAILWAY SCHEME

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
SlR,—The subject of a High Level Railway along the Docks,
as it has been proposed by Mr. Grantham, is too important to
rest with a mere surface discussion in the Polytechnic Society,
as it certainly had nothing more at the meeting on Monday
last. The Mayor, in moving a vote of thanks to Mr. Grantham,
entered into the question to some extent ; but, apart from that
very excellent speech, the evening was wasted in mere personal
conversation ; and when I rose to second the motion, with a
view of following the arguments advanced by the Mayor,
strange to say, I was considered out of order, and was obliged
reluctantly to submit to the desire of closing the discussion.
I trust, however, the question will be kept before the public
until its merits are fully known and properly appreciated.
The object we have in view, I presume, is to consult each
other as to whether a high level railway along the docks of this
port would be a public benefit or not; and if a benefit, whether
practicable, and on what plan to be carried out.
We are not to consider how the interests of the London and
North-Western Railway would be effected, nor the convenience
or inconvenience of any particular party, whether any party
may he damaged or improved—for it will be admitted the
impossibility to carry out an undertaking of such magnitude
without doing both good and harm among the interests con-
cerned—but if, in the course of its canvass, the good should
appear greater than the evil—taking the case as you will admit
it should be taken, on the broad aspect of public good—then
we shall be bound to come to the conclusion that a high level
railway should be recommended, without endorsing the plans
proposed by Grantham, who deserves our best thanks for
bringing the case in detail before us so elaborately and so
comprehensively, that no one can fail to understand what he
means. But I dare say he will admit that improvements may
be introduced, and that his estimates are intended only as a
mere approximation to the cost.
Now, having had the model before us, and three nights'
debate on its merits, I have on my part come to the conclusion,
and by no means a hasty one, that the high level railway along
the Docks of Liverpool ought to be recommended by the Poly-
technic Society; and I shall proceed to state my reasons for the
conclusion to which I have arrived. I am influenced by no
interest or motive but the general welfare of the town. I have
no pre-conceived notion involved in disputes about the timber
trade being carried on at the north or south end of the town,
nor whether docks should be extended north or south, nor
whether the Wapping Docks are the wisest investment of the
dock funds, or the margin of the river occupied by party walls,
to the exclusion of ship-building yards, nor as to whether
there should be warehouses round the docks or not ; on all
these important subjects we may considerably differ in opinion;
but some gentlemen have not only one opinion, but are com-
promised to their party by public declarations, and in some
cases by interests, direct or indirect, with which a high level
railway may interfere. I have no such influences to bear upon
my mind ; and you will, I trust, admit my views as impartial.
It was hinted by more than one speaker at the meetings, that
Mr. B. Poole had the interest of the London and North Western
Railway in view in advocating the high level railway. I am
not bound to apply motives to any statements; but the posi-
tion of the London and North Western would, doubtless, be
a great support of the high level,andmay be fairly taken as one
of its main contributors of revenue; which would not be the
case if, instead of two goods' stations by the dock side, there
was only one central station, and that situate some distance
from the docks. Most of us know how often it now happens
that goods at the north station have to be shipped at the south
end of the town, and goods at the Wapping station have to be
shipped in the north docks, two, three, or even four miles dis-
tant. It is not claimed that all the goods that come to Liver-
pool will go by this line to the ship, but certainly a considera-
ble portion of them will; and who will deny that such con-
venience would encourage the manufacturers and merchants
generally to ship their goods through Liverpool. This, I pre-
sume, is one of the most desirable objects in view, because it
will increase and improve the port

Now, with reference to revenue from passengers, it will
be stated that the cost of an omnibus from one end of the
docks to the other is only twopence, and that a dozen of these
vehicles are enough to perform all the requirements of that
kind; this argument, if it be worthy of the name, applied with
equal force to the old turnpike roads as compared with the
railroads that followed. By means of the proposed railroad it
. .

_ . ..
must be remembered that the north and south ends of the town
would be brought virtually nearer together; the same low
charge of twopence may be the fare, but a train starting every
ten minutes from each end would induce thousands to travel
by this read who never go into an omnibus, especially if the
means of propelling the train be employed which I shall pre-
sently describe; the safety of which will be one of the induce-
. . _.

ments for all parties to travel by it; and as to a considerable

_ . ---
revenue from this source I think there can be no reasonable

apprehension, to say nothing of the rapidly increasing extent
of the town, both north and south.

Much doubt seems to be entertained about having necessary
space for working effectually the goods trains on the road. I

apprehend each dock will have its side rails ; and if such

accommodation be insufficient, you have always the convenience
of putting the goods on the quay below the railway; and if

inconvenience arises by rail, you are not barred from usingcarts

at any time, the same quay room being there for any purpose;
. _ .

in fact, you have double quay room produced by this high

level invention, which, taken in any aspect you will, must be

considered a vast convenience and improvement of the port,

which could not be attained by any other means. There

are various mechanical arrangements for economising the
space and crossing the dock gates, which are mere shadows for

engineers of the present day to grapple with, and which form
no part of the present discussion. The subject of rails cross-

ing the
for whi

street pavement from the lower shed to any warehouse,
ich it would be a convenience, is a mere mechanical
matter that could be arranged with great ease and convenience
to all parties; in fact, the high level road would practically
bring all the waterside warehouse property convenient to either
end of the town, and secure a great saving of carriage as well
as security of the goods from exposure to weather and pilferage.
Mr. Braithwaite Poole has given us a statistical account of
the progress of the port in its commerce, and Mr. Grantham
has given a faint outline and fair estimate, so far as it goes, of
what the revenue, from such undertaking, is likely to be, and
also the probable cost, all of Which Will of course be subject to

Letters addressed to the Editor should be accompanied by the
real• name and address of the writer, not for publication, but
as &guarantee of good faith ; this is indispensably requisite
in any statement of facts.

The Editor wishes it to be understood that he does not hold
himself responsible for the opinions or statements of his

SIR,--Respecting the ventilation of churches—to continue—l
repeat that the amount of injury done to the constitution of
thousands, especially to those of the young and delicate, by
long confinement in badly-ventilated churches, is incalculable.
The fundamental principle of ventilation is this : that each
individual be supplied with one gallon of pure unbreathed air
each minute. This is absolutely necessary to sustain health ;
and where in our churches is this supply given ? Were a man
to confine himself in a chamber filled with diluted carbonic
acid gas for five hours each week, and afterwards be heard to
complain of being in a bad state of health. would any well-
informed person be surprised ? Yet this is what most of us
are really subjected to, for the atmosphere of our churches is
quite as poisonous and injurious. Yesterday I attended a
church in the suburbs, where were probably a thousand per-
sons, yet there was no ventilator nor window open. At first
the air was endurable, but as the service progressed evidences
could.be seen all round of its increasing impurity. Some were
drowsy, others pale, in others a hectic flush indicated that
something was not right, while the children present seemed to
suffer materially. In one who sat near to me I noticed the
roseate hue of health gradually change into an unhealthy pale-
ness—in some yawning showed that nature craved the oxygen
Irhich the ignorance of those responsible had failed to supply.;
and -yet in this neighbourhood we hear of epidemics con-
tinually, and people "cannot account for it." Can we expect
health or vigour, if we neglect the laws upon which God has
made them depend? Because no serious result immediately
follows-the cause of injury—because the neglect of this law is
slow in manifesting its full effects—the sufferers fail to trace
whence their ailments (differing perhaps in each according to
their different predispositions) flow. Why is spring generally
considered an unhealthy season? It is not really so ; but, at
this time of the year, the accumulated influences of the close
churches and other places of resort during the winter begin to
tell upon the system. An eminent physician in this town has
said that his prartirP was more than doubled when evening
services and long sermons were introduced into Liverpool, and
he attributed-this to the neglect of ventilation—the ailments
being those most likely to be produced by such a cause.
It is very easy to allow the noxious gases to escape through
ventilators in the roofs of churches, especially when the gas is
lighted, and the churchwardens of our churches should really
see that this is attended to; and if many of our clergy will
continue their " long sermons," at any rate let them do so in
a pure atmosphere, where, if our minds are wearied, our bodies
are not sustaining absolute injury.—I am, Sir, yours, &c.,