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

'HE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

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. Hume, 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 Man-
chester 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, /dr. Blenkinsop. dr. Haylock,
Mr. J. Edwards, Mr. Quaile, Mr. E. Edwards, Mr. C. H.
Davie, and other members of the society.
Dr. Hume commenced the business of the evening by
descanting on the benefits which the Mental Improve-
ment Society was calculated to confer. Its objects were
two-fold—literary and benevolent. The literary objects
were carried out by means of essays, which were read to
the society at least once a month, and were afterwards
preserved under the name of the " The Portfolio " of tile
society ; and also by means of discussion on various
literary, historical and other subjects. He 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,

.nd writing

in exact man. He defended such
the attacks which 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 the first place, carried out by the application of the
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 descriptions of work. A permanent teacher was ap-
pointed ,who was assisted every evening that the school was
open, by two or three members of the society, who under-
took the duty in rotation. He highly eulogised the exer-
tions of the society, whose efforts, although isolated, am
perhaps in themselves not very gr

societies from

_ .
what good lay in their power, and Were besides setting an
example to other societies, worthy of imitation *".

Ile was

most happy to find young men employing themselves in

he socie

was to

the members visiting our lanes and alle.
from vice those poor neglected creatures, who otherwise
would certainly be found in gaols.—in alluding to his

and rescuing

connection withtheMentallmpriivement Society, he stated
that he had been present at its birth ; he had nursed it
and rocked its cradle ; and although its beginning was
email_ it efromr+hcanna .0 44- -

grown parent, who
had just given birth to a strong and herlthy baby—the
Wilde-street Ragged School. (Much applause.) The
worthy chairman then proceeded to give the mem-
bers around him some sound advice as to the neces-
sity of thei
and physica

ieeing it a

advantages of continual activity. With
kETIVITY and SYSTEM, one man would do more in a
lifetime than another could do in three or four lifetimes
without those aids. And in reference to books he strongly

advised that those who had little to spend in books, shoUla
lay out that little in the purchase of WORKS OF REFER-
ENCE. This was advantageous not only in a pecuniary
point of view, but also as being a saving in time, which

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 bad 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 all 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._ _ _

kr. EDWARD QUAILS rose to return thanks for the
honour 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. JOHN 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 acclamation.
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,
and for the eulogistic remarks which Mr. Edwards had
made. 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
matter, but if one or two active members of the society,
such as his friend Mr. Edwards, were to canvass them,
he felt sure that the ladies would respond to the call with
alacrity.

Dr. Hume then vacated the chair, which was taken by

Mr. HA LOCK then pi
to Dr. Hume, for his able performance of the dutie
chairman. He said—Dr. Hume, in the course of his ad
mirable address, alluded to his former connexion with this
Society, or rather, with the Discussion Class, out of whose
ashes, this Society, Phoenix-like, arose. He did not

.ed to move a