The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-01-18 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARP.

ANNUAL SOIREE OF THE MENTAL IMPROVE-

MENT SOCIETY

The members of this useful and interesting society,
and their friends, held their annual soiree on Friday even-
ing last, at the Royal Assembly-rooms, Great George-
street, on which occasion the chair was taken at a quarter
to eight o'clock by the Rev. A. lime, LL.D. Around
him on the platform were seated various deputations from
societies of the same nature :—Mr. Roberts and Mr. R.
Leake, jun., from the Manchester Athenaeum, Essay and
Discussion Society ; Mr. Harry Rawson, from the

chaster Literary and Scientific Society; Mr. Henry Danson
and Mr. W. M. Ross, from the Roscoe Club ; Mr. Lafone

and Mr. Kurtz, from the Chatham Society.; Mr. J. A.
Picton, Mr. J. D. Finney, Mr. Blenkinsop, Mr. Haylock,
Mr. J. Edwards, Mr. Quaile, Mr. E. Edwards, Mr. C. H.
Davie, and other_membersof the society.

descanting on the benefits which the
ment Society was calculated to conf
two-fold—literary and benevolent

Mental Improve-
Its el

:jects were

The literary objects

the so

ty at least once a month, and were afterwards
preserved under the name of the " The Portfolio " of the
- and also by means of discussion on various

literary, historical and other subjects:Th; pointed out
the various benefits which such exercises as the society
_ _

provided were_ calculated to
_confer on the members, and

referred to the opinion of Bacon, that reading made
a full man, conference a ready man, and writing
He defended such societies from
had often been made on them,

asserting that when they were properly conducted,
and in a proper spirit, they could not fail of being
beneficial. The benevolent objects of the society were,
in thy. first 1,.. —c

funds of the society (after defraying) the necessary
expenses) to the admission to the evening schools
of the Mechanics' Institution, of poor boys whose
means were too limited to admit of their paying for them-
selves ;
,and in the, second place, by the members and their
friends • Supporting, by their voluntary contributions, a
free evening school, which had been opened by them in
Wilde-street (four evenings per week), for the education
of the lowest class of poor boys, engaged during the day in
various d escriptions of work. .A.permanent teacher was ap

pointed, who was assisted every evening that the school wt
open, by two or three members of the society, who under
took the duty in rotation. He highly eulogised the exec

what i

_ d lay in their power, and Were besides setting an
example to other societies, worthy of imitation. He was
most happy to find -young men employing themselves in
this way ; and the best proof of the benefits of the culture
which the society afforded, was to t
the members visiting our lanes

yq, and rescuing
1, who otherwise

were the best means of eliciting truth, why should such
subjects not be discussed as admittedly affected the wel-
fare and'happiness of the human race ?
Mr. KURTZ, Honorary-Secretary of the Chatham So-
ciety, thanked the members of the Mental Improvement
Society for their kind invitation ; and, in referring to the
progress of opinion, and the general improvement which
had taken place during the last few generations, took
occasion to defend our grandfathers and grandmothers
from the ridicule which Mr. Roberts had thrown on
them, asserting, that in their day and generation, their
opinions were as good as ours are during our time ; and
that our successors might as well, in a future age, ridicule
the opinions we now held. Mr. Kurtz concluded an ex-
cellent address, by wishing the Mental Improvement
Society ail success, and by regretting that the members of
the Chatham Society had not been able to decide on hav-
ing such delightful meetings as the present.
Mr. EDWARD QUAILE rose to return thanks for the
4onour which had been conferred on the society by the
presence of the guests that evening, and also for the good
wishes which they had been kind enough to express for its
welfare. In a neat and pithy speech Mr. Quaile expressed
a hope that the societies whose representatives were
around him would also succeed and progress, and that the
present would not be• the last occasion on which they
would have the pleasure of their company.
Mr. Join.; EDWARDS then, in an eccentric and highly
amusing speech, moved a vote of thanks to the ladies for
their company on the present occasion, and took occasion
highly to compliment the fair sex for the happiness which
they, conferred on man. On Mr. E. concluding his ad-
dress; the vote was carried by acclmation.

Mr. C. H. DAVIE, honorary secretary of the society,
rose as the self constituted representative of the ladies, to
return thanks for the honour which had been done theM,
for the- eulogistic remarks which Mr. Edwards had
In the course of his observations he said that he
was certain the ladies felt,.as much as the gentlemen, the
benefit which the ragged school of the society was con-
ferring on poor boys; and why then should not they (the
ladies) support a similar school for girls, for whom one
was as much wanted as for boys ? To be sure, the ladies
might not be expected to take the first step in, such a
hut' if one or two active members of the society,
..vprp to canvass them-

matter

Dr. Hume then vac
Mr. Finney.

to the call NI

;hair, which was taken by

chair Man. He said—Dr. Hume, in the course of his ad-
mirable address, alluded to his former connexion with this
Society, or rathei-,iwith the Discussion Class, out of whose
ashes, .this Society, Phoenix-like, arose. He did not
however.tell you, what is nevertheless the fact, that to.
_ .

certainly for

baps mainly indebted for its existence, and
itch of its prosperity and usefulness ; for

iot only did he heartily assist the projectors
trangers.to each other) in its formation, but by ti

e period—(a rnasnner'*l

s•-
ierved the utmost decorum, w
- • • • ^

calculated to draw out

the latent faculties of the most • diffident members,)---he
was instrumental in greatly fostering, if not generating,
that friendship and cordiality of feeling, which is so es-