The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-12-12 00:00:00

ika, the Rev. A. Camp'
)over, (

R. v. Sheldon, J. Bardsl
A. Hodgson, J. B. Brf
The Rev. Rector CAM
with prayer ; after which
The Lord Bishop of CIII

anckei,John Stewart, C

LL commenced the proceedings

he experienced in being called on to preside over the
annual meeting of a society which, like the present, was
so efficient for rendering aid in forwarding the great
work of the ministry. While tendering his thanks to
those who had conferred on him the pleasing honour of
presiding on this occasion, he could not omit allusion to
those gentlemen of the laity whose names were not only
to be found as contributors to this society, but who were
also liberal contributors to every society or association
for its object the spiritual or temporal well-being

of the community. To those gentlemen he begged to
tender his individual thanks, and with his thanks to
unite those of the clergy of Liverpool and of his diocese,
for their disinterested countenance and aid. In allu-
sion to this subject he might be permitted to express
a hope that the example thus set by them might be
the means of inducing others to contribute their share of

assistance in the good work. In speaking of the exe
tions of the society, he would of course be always uncle

stood to allude Co. exertions made for the purpose of
spreading the religious opinions of the Church of Eng-
land, and meant not to speak of those who differ from the
Church in regard to the tenets by which some of their
views are regulated. Of Protestant Dissenters generally,
he wished to speak with kindliness, and in a benevolent
spirit. It was in a high degree desirable to secure the
co-operation of the working classes, and their attention
and interest, and this he thought could be well effected
by the exertions of this society. In referring to this part
of the subject, he could not without painful feeling express
his regret that many of those classes were in a great de-
gree destitute of the means of enjoying religious teaching.
As already stated, he did not mean those who were under
the care of Christian Dissenters, who, however much he
might regret the differences which divide them from the
Church, he could not but look on as Christian brethren,

directing their efforts to the same object as themselves. He
referred, and referred with regret not unmingled with
fear, to those very numerous individuals, who, so far
as could be seen, were under no spiritual teaching, and
submitted themselves to no pastoral care. He considered
that by the employment of additional curates many of these
people could be reached, by the means of rooms licensed for

ihepurpose of accommodating religious ministrations among
the poorer and less generally accommodated classes. He,
for one, was inclined, in a considerable degree, to attribute
that growth of dissent, which all must have witnessed with
regret, to the want of a sufficient number of clergymen,
who should go about among the poor in discharge of the
ministerial office. If an active and numerous body of faith-
ful ministers had been maintained in homely and friendly
intercourse with the poorer children of the church, he
made no doubt that those who have followed dissent would
have remained attached to the church. It was not for
those, however, who adhered to such teaching, that he was
most truly afraid. His chief fear was for those who, fol-
lowing no religious guidance, were the fruitful sources
whence crime was chiefly derived, and from among whom
the great enemies of society were mostly to be looked for.
To reclaim such as these, the Additional Curates Society
offered peculiarly suitable means. It could not be said to
interfere with, but rather to be a kindred institution with
the Pastoral Aid Society, and both of these societies were
calculated to effect much good, if engaged in co-operation.
He wished to speak in no exclusive spirit, and would at all
times deprecate any attempt to raise party banners in the
church. He hoped at an early period to see all Christians
united under the great banner of the Church of Christ.
He wished to speak in the kindliest spirit of the Pastoral
Aid Society, and at the same time to impress upon it and
on this society the benefit of an exercise of mutual for-,
bearance, and a faithful rivalry on each in the discharge
of their respective duties. In reference to that duty, it
must be obvious that harmony of action, and benevo-
lence of feeling, must constitute important elements
in their chances of success. He had no fear upon the sub-
ject himself ; still, it must be obvious, that if they planted
down in any particular district two clergymen of con-
flicting opinions, and if those opinions were obtrusively
insisted on by each, the conflict of opinion thus manifested
would speedily become visible to those by whom they were
surrounded, and this would greatly impair, if it did not
entirely destroy, their usefulness. This was so self-evi-
dent, that he trusted he would be pardoned for not
dwelling on it at greater length. To the clergy of Liver-
pool, he begged to offer his warm thanks for the kind co-
operation he had uniformly experienced from them, and lie
begged also to convey the same expression of gratitude
to the clergy of the diocese generally, and for the same
reason. He likewise offered his warm acknowledgments
and sincere thanks to the laity of Liverpool, for the
disinterested and liberal aid they had always afforded
in carrying out the Christian and benevolent intentions of
himself and the clergy. It now only remained for him to
allude to the value of the Additional Curates' Society as
one whose endeavours were of the most- comprehensive
and beneficial kind. Of its character it was not ne-
cessary for him to say much—that was known to all
present ; of the extent of its importance he considered
that could only be limited by the amount of means placed
at-its disposal. Having made these few observations, he
called on
The Rev. A. J. ToMLIN, the secretary, who read the
following REPORT :
" It is impossible that any member of the Church of
England should be ignorant of the fact, that there is a
great and earnest effort going forward at the present
time in every branch of the work of Christ. In almost
every parish, the stimulus given to education is leading,
or has led, to the erection of new parochial schools ; and
diocesan training institutions are receiving large voluntary
contributions towards their completion. Church building,
and Church restoration, are also absorbing large sums from
voluntary offerings. The meshes of that great net which
spreads over the country are gradually becoming closer,
and its texture firmer, as the increase in population, the
ignorance of multitudes, and their vicious habits, are
better known and more deeply felt.
" It is a cheering fact, and one which should be borne
in mind by all who are engaged in the great work of
evangelising our home population. The conviction that, in
ordinary cases, there is a Church at each interval of three
or four miles, and a parish priest to every thousand or
twelve hundred parishioners:; a minister of the Gospel of
Christ, who is using his endeavours to civilize the people
committed to his care, both for this world and for the
next, is calculated to sustain the spirit in the task of
making provision for the dense masses which have accu-
mulated here and there in our large towns. For there
must surely be a great principle of Christianity often
brought forward by the clergy to the laity in its very
highest application, with' respect to the fearful spiritual
destitution of Christ's sheep, huddled together in our
large towns,—" Bear ye one another's burdens, and so
fulfil the law of Christ." No clergyman who has known
what it is to warn, to rebuke, to encourage, to bring home
the truths of the Gospel to the hearts of a parish manage-
able in numbers—no parishioner who has the blessing of
a teacher of true religion so granted to him, can fail to
compassionate the minister and the flock in a district of
seven, or ten, or fifteen thousand inhabitants.
" The Committee of this Society are deeply sensible of
the support which has been granted to them in former
years, and of the valuable aid derived from all classes in
the gigantic work which is before them. The Society has
been enabled to maintain its number of 331 grants during
the past year, and there is satisfactory testimony in
most cases, from the Rural Dean, the Archdeacon, and
the Diocesan, that the design of extending the parochial
ministrations of the Church has been efficiently carried
out. _ _

" But, during the current year, the appeal made at its
commencement has not been attended with the success it
justly merited. At that time, 200 overburdened clergy
entreated for aid. The number of unaided applicants has
increased to 265, and so far from having gained the abi-
lity to meet any of these cases, the Society's available
income has fallen short of the income in 1862-1853, by
the sum of £1,203 16s. 2d., the amount this year being
£16,102 3s. 6d., exclusive of £2,201 9s. 4d., restricted to
special objects.
" The hope of increased means, and consequently of
extended usefulness, has been "painfully disappointed,"
and the prospect of reducing the number of grants—(for
the alternative of selling a further part of the reserved
fund to cover the deficiency can scarcely last long)—is
so forcibly expressed in the report of the Parent Society,
that the committee beg to quote the words at length.
See page 7.—LWe regret that the extracts from the Report
are too long for our space.]
" The committee are painfully sensible that the diocese
of Chester bears a considerable share in the decrease of
the society's income. During the year the sum actually
remitted to London,:ancl applicable to the general purposes
of the Parent Society, has fallen from £7OO to £530.
."
In one point of view this diminution is very dis-
couraging, for it results from a cause which could hardly
have been anticipated—the omission of annual sermons by
the friends of the society, and the forgetfulness of clergy
who derive aid, respecting the exact period at which the so-
ciety's accounts are closed for the reception of contributions,
namely, Easter in each year. There are several donations
which have not been replaced,and the society has to regret
the loss of one of its oldest and most valued supporters—
the late venerable Lord Skelmersdale.
" Yet, upon the whole, the work of the society has not
lost ground permanently, it is hoped. Already some
omissions have been repaired ; and, if the income has sus-
tained a temporary gross loss of about £220, new friends
have added about £140: so that, if the friends of the society
will kindly make the effort so urgently needed, the com-
mittee yet hope for a considerable increase of means before
next Easter.

" In a work of this kind success depends upon the sus-
tained and united support of every friend of the society.
" Probably the apparent increase of means in 1852-3 has
led to the postponement of the claims of home missionary
cause to those of others which seemed to be more pressing
or more exciting. And yet this should not surely be the
case. If Christian England is to maintain the proud pre-
eminence which she has reached in the scale of Christian
nations, more earnest, more extensive, and more united
and systematic Forts are needed to overtake the changing
character of our population. The Bishop of New Zealand,
when pleading the cause of foreign missions, declared that,
in order to bring home true religion to our own people,
the clergy should be not' less than one in a thousand.
When we are told that an arrival of Christian emigrants
in New Zealand often causes dread rather than satisfaction,
because of their irreligion---when we are told that recruits to
' our army taken from manufacturing towns do not know
to what religion they or their parents belong, except from
the circumstance of their baptism at church—it is surely
time to lay aside differences of opinion, to awaken indiffer-
ence into zeal, in order that Englishmen may not have to
learn religion for the first time in the military 'schools, or
on the shores of a distant colony. To provide a remedy, a
vast increase of clergy is needed ; 264 are now supplicating
for assistants, and, to effect this increase, a hearty and
united effort is urgently called for.
" Your 'committee do not shrink from the task they
have undertaken as representatives of this society ; but,
at the same time, they cannot forget that the responsibi-