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

ST. AIDAN'S CHURCH, REGENT ROAD

ON Friday evening last, the congregation of the tem-
porary church in St. Aidan's district, in which the Rev.
Mr. Dandy officiates, held a tea-party in Regent road, as a
re-union between pastor and people, and as a means of
forwarding the good work they have in hand of erecting
and endowing, what is now so urgently required, a larger
and more permanent church for that crowded part of the
town.

As soon as the company had partaken of an excellent
tea, provided by the ladies of the congregation, the Rev.
Mr. Dandy, who occupied the chair, rose, and after express
ing the gratification he felt at the sight of so many kind
friends around him, gave a sketch of the spiritual destitu-
tion of the district when he was first appointed to superin-
tend it, and of the measures which had been taken to bring
the dense population of that crowded neighbourhood to a
knowledge of the truth. Those efforts, he stated, had
either been initiated or cheerfully supported by the
inhabitants themselves, and thus were successively formed
a plan for the systematic visitation of the district, an
organization for Sunday school teaching, a committee for
collecting a fund to build a church and schools, (the service
being at present celebrated in a room hired for the pur-
pose, and now too small,) and a committee of working
men, to aid, by gathering weekly contributions, and, where
possible, by their labour, in the furtherance of all these
measures. Mr. Dandy, in conclusion, alluded in feeling
terms to the kindness he had invariably received from the
members of his congregation, and to the great success
which had attended the labours of the committees, and
urged them to continued unity and perseverance.
R. H. Macrae, Esq., next addressed the meeting, stating
that he laid no claim to oratorical powers, but that, in a
good cause, he would work with the best of them. H e
related his experience of many years as a Sunday school
teacher in his own district, in which he was, he
believed, the only one, of his station in society, and con-
cluded a most effective speech by calling upon the working
classes to rally round their Church, to attend her ordinances,
and support her extension.

The Nev. Dr. Baylee followed in a lengthened address,
full of interesting statistical details of the good which
might be effected by the people applying to religious and
educational purposes one-half only of the sum they an-
nually expend in luxuries. He also gave an interesting
account of the rise and successful operation of St. Aidau's
College, Birkenhead, of which he is the principal, and
recommended to those present the adoption of the
prophetic symbol, the beast with four heads, viz., the lion,
the ox, the man, and the eagle ; which the reverend gen-
tleman explained to signify courage, patience, intelligence,
and soaring to heavenly things.
The Rev. Mr. Sheldon, of St. Matthias's, and the Rev.
Mr. Dodge, of St. Peter's, Everton, severally addressed the
meeting, after which resolutions were passed, thanking Mr.
Marsden for the gratuitous use of the room ; to the ladies,
for the liberality with which they had furnished the tables;
to Mr. Maitland, and other gentlemen, for their kindness
in furnishing materials for the use of the company ; and to
the operatives, for the taste and labour with which they
had voluntarily fitted up and adorned the rooms.
Between the addresses, several anthems were performed
by the choir of the church with considerable taste and
execution.

The meeting broke up at a late hour, delighted with
their evening's social and intellectual intercourse. - •

MUSIC AND TILE DRAMA

THE ROYAL AMPIIITHEATTLE during the past week has
been devoted to benefits, and was less or more filled each
evening in proportion to the popularity or connexions of
the parties on whose behalf the entertainments were
given. The present week is also set apart for benefits at
this house ; this evening being devoted to that of Mr. F.
L. Villiers, an actor of great and rising merit, whose ver-
satility of talent and gentlemanly bearing entitle him to
general favour. To-morrow, Mr. Jones, the mechanician

to the theatre, takes his benefit.
THE CHRISTMAS PANTOMIMES are already far advanced
in preparation ; that for the Theatre Royal is founded on
the adventures of St. George, and his renowned victory
over the Dragon. The dialogue and incidents have been
again entrusted to the prolific ingenuity of Mr. Buckstone.
The harlequinade will be sustained by the members of the
Lauri family. Mr. Edgar, of the Park Theatre, announces
The Fountain of Wealth and King Humming Top; or
Harlequin and the World of Toys : the joint production
of Edward Blanchard and Charles Millward. For the
opening of this the whole of the original properties have
been secured from Drurylane, and Mr. Dewhurst has been
engaged as clown. At the Adelphi active preparations
are going forward for the production of Cinderella,
written for the occasion by Mr. J. Courtnay.

THE LIVERPOOL APOLLO GLEE CLUB held its first
dress concert of the season on Wednesday evening, in the
Adelphi Hotel, the great saloon of which was well filled
by a fashionable assemblage. The various solos, and the
glees, madrigals, and other concerted pieces of vocal music
were given with becoming spirit and good taste. The
accompanying departments were judiciously attended to
under the able execution of Messrs. G. Holden and J.
Sheaf, and the general performances were worthy of the
reputation of the club. It is highly gratifying to record
the continued success of this one of the oldest musical
institutions of Liverpool. The value of such a club is best
witnessed by the deep interest taken in its welfare by the
intelligent and influential gentlemen who constitute its
honorary and subscribing members, and by the assiduity
and good taste displayed by those who are its performing
members, as well as by the numerous visitors who, by
their attendance at its open meetings, testify their appre-
ciation of its merits.

AT TrrE THEATRE ROYAL, on Friday evening,

benefit was given by Mr. Copeland in aid of the Patriotic
Fund. The pieces selected for presentation were " The
Soldier's Daughter," after which a concert was performed,
the entertainments concluding with Dibdin's nautical and
musical drama, "The English Fleet in 1342." In the
first-named piece, we had the novelty and pleasure afforded
by Mrs. Copeland's successful personation of Widow
Cheerly, her delineation of which character was tasteful,
interesting, and ladylike. We had also introduced to our
notice a new candidate for popular favour, in the person of
Mr. A. Wood, who made a very favourable impression in
the character of Timothy Quaint. Mr. F. L. Villiers was
gentlemanly and effective, as Frank Heartall, and Mr.
and Mrs. Walton were deserving of commendation for the
able manner in which they respectively performed the parts
of Mrs. Ma?fort and Governor Heartall. The other
entertainments were well sustained, and all of the per-
formances were honoured 'with merited and warmly-ex-
pressed approbation by an audience, select though scarcely
so numerous ,as the attractions and the occasion seemed
to call for.