Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-05
SAVANNAH PORT SOCIETY.
Anniversary Meeting Last Night-Al
Interesting Occasion.


Trinity NE. Church last evening. Inc
spacious e.Iifice was literally packed Win
Savappob,s hest citizens. both ladies and
gentlemen. the benches OF the ounda!
schcol being utilized to accommodate the
vast throng crowding 10 take part in the
interesting exercises of the occasion.
The services were opened by Rev. Rich
ard Webb, Chaplain Of the society, read
inc the 10th Psalm: ''Oh that men would
praise the Lord for his goodness; tor ms
wonderful works among the children oil
men," After which followed the SINGING
Of the beautiful hvmn. Lord of the Vide
Extensive Nainf-' by the choir. tine con-
creation Joining. and the great chorus OF
voices producing a grand exhibition
of vocal melody. After a feryent prayer
bv the Chaplain. Rev. Mr.. NeDb, the Tou-
tine business of the society was quickly
dispatched. A..
Z. b. ReppaTd, Esq., the PRESIDENT 'heh
read the following report:
10 he officers and Members of the Sdrdn-
nah Port SOcietg:
We beg leave 10 submit to you this the
10th annual report OF our sOcletH. we
succeeded in having the necessary re-
pairs to the Bethel finished early IN the
wear 1882. These repairs were alluded 10
in our last report as being necessary, the
August in the year 1881.
We are glad to report that our society
i clear of all debt. aside from small
balance due Brother Webb for his past
wears services, which amount we expect
10 make up by the collections to-nlght
and the collection Of Onr membership dues
during the next few weeks. Our Home Is
still in an unfinished state, but we look
forward to the future with great hope that
some one will come to our relief and fur-
nish-us with the money to erect 1t.
1t would be very desirable for the Port
Society to rent some room in convenient
location on the Bay, suitable for reading
room for Captains and sailors. II would
be a good thing for Us to have such place
Of resort for them. where they could write
letters and read the papers and nave gen
eraI headquarters. If we could possibly
raise the money for this purpose during
the coming wear, it should be done.
our Bethel Is in tolerably good repair,
and we do not expect to have to eXpend
much money on it during the coming
year
REPORT OF THE CHAPLAIN.
Mr.. Richard Webb, the chaplain, made
the following report:
TO the PreSideni, Managers and Members
If the Port Society:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN-It Is with
much pleasure and many thanks to our
Heavenly Father that | present my four
teenth ANIMAL report. / have been enabled
/ during the past year to visit 9I6 vessels OF
all classes and different natiOnalities, and
have distributed the following amount OF
reading matter i'm eleven different lam
guages. but chiefly in English: 3,l?3
/ pages of tracts, 763 copies " the Sailors
! .HagaziRe, 1854 numbers of the Seaman S
/ Friend. 1853 religious papers, making OF
magazines and papers Il total OF 4,OSO. l
have also distributed los copies OF the
| word of God, mostly in foreign languages,
and have preached 14S sermons and made
| 20 visits to the hospitals and jail.
! | could have distributed much more
reading matter if had been furnished
( with a larger amount. as the demand is
! ALWAYS greater than the supply. believe
| that books. papers and tracts are read
more by seamen than by any class llN-
{ inc on shore. for often at sea when they
! have no access to daily papers as We
I haVe) i'm their watch below, they Will
/ pick up and read anything they can get
I hold of. hence il is very important that
they should always find good, wholesome
reading matter at hand. If it is the Lords
will that | continue in this work the com
/ iDg year. ] hope YOU Will enable
"a 10 obtain all / need for
this ;>urDOse. ] am receiving every
month from; the American seaman Friend
society fifty copies Of the SdltGrS -Haga-
zinc: and at other times hundreds Of II num-
bers of the SeaHdH'S Friend a." AJe III MI
which they supply gratuitOusly. ne
manager of the Christian Herald, OF Me-,
York. has also given me over a thousand
numbers Of his interesting paper for dis
tributiOn There is a great need for a
good reading room, well supplied with
books and papers for the use OF sailors. II
we had one in a convenient place, II would
20 far towards keeping them out OF oad
company, and might be the means OF
leading many of them to the Saviour. 1t
should be a good sized room IN when we
could hold prayer meetings, gospel, tenn
perance and service of song meetings.
The wealth and prosperity of savannah Is
largely derived from its shipping, and we
should see to it that the seamen who
visit our port are well cared Tor; they
should not have tOsay. No man
cared for nv SOUL in savannah.
Our Bethel Mission Sabbath school now
numbers fifty scholars. / think it right 10
state that the school Is carried on entirely
without any aid from or expense TO the Fort
Society. Mrs Webb continues to super
intend 1t, and desires to avail herself OF
this occasion to express her hearty tnahks
to her cO-labOrerS in this work, and is
glad to inform all interested that they are
not without encouragement in their labor
of love. Through the kind response to her
appeals for pecuniaTy help she has been
enabled to give the scholars a picnic IN
the spring and Christmas tree at Christ
mastide. when the Bethel was handsome
~ decorated with flags and the little peo-
pie had happy time.
TEEASURER's ANIMAL REPORT.
.S,rauadh Port Society. ia account Nth John
". Burroughs. Treasurer
ISSs DR..
Dec. 3l.-TO balance on hand
from last report ...-.-- , I2' %
Dee. 3l.-TO annual dues
Received for the year 1850 l. 90
Received for the year 1881 40 90
Received for the year 1882 2l5 OV- so W.
Dee. SI.-TO donations
Received from friend of
the society .-.-.------ 300 90
ING ~ - jan '''',''''' 264 90
Received from Bethel col
lectons..--.-..- -..-..--. 10 p U4 =
$I.lo3 50
1852 or.
Dec. 3I.-By Chaplain's sal
airy. as per cash book $500 90
Dec. 3l.-By home fund, as
per cash book .----.- 100 10
as per cash book - - I52 67-SI.O52 81
Dee. al.-Bv balance on hand. 522
We. the committee appointed to examine
the books Of John W. burroughs. Treasurer
savannah Port society, have performed that
duty, and find the books correctly kept. We
also find that his. payments have been made
SAMUEL p. HAMILTON.
L. l.. NEIDLINGER.
Savannah, Ga. Jan. II, 1883.
THE ADDRESS OF REV. MR.. CURR.
At the conclusion of the reading of the
above reports. the choir sung in beautiful
stvIe the HYMN known in the collection as
the ..Guiding Star" Rev. Mr.. Curr, who
had. at the request of the society, con-
scented to preach a sermon suitable to the
occasion. introduced himself in few fe-
licitOus remarks, and took for his text:
..The Sea is His, He Made 1t, and His
Hand Formed the Dry Land" He took as
the base work Of his discourse: 1.-The
Sea-a Highway, a Battlefield and a
Grave" In handling these several heads
Of his discourse the reverend gentle
man was powerfully eloquent-his
descriptions of the sea as
the great highway Of nations,
interspersed with quotations from the
poets who had immOrtalized the sea, in
GLIDING ByrOn's apostrOphe, ''ROll on,
thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll" and
of the great battles fought upon its sur
face in ancient and modern times, were
o,,1 Very effective Then no came