Bridport, Beaminster, and Lyme Regis Telegram and Dorset, Somerset, and Devon Advertiser. — 1881-11-04 (Bridport, Dorset, England)

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CHURCH PASTORAL  AID SOCIETY.  LORD SHAFTESBURY AND THE REV. CARE OLYN ON THE  the neceisities of the times. They bad given grants to nu ates and 187 lay agents ; but they ought to be able b-to giVre them to at least 1,100 curates and 500 lay ascente. (leer, hear.) With reference to lay agency, it was a ,es atter for great rejoicing that the bishops of the church re rac lle becoming to recognise its value. When this weeiation was started in 1836, part of tbeir principles was .rtthey would do what they could to introduce it. It we very coldly received by the bishop and the clergy themselves, and for a long time they did little or nothing w ,)‘,/ they were fully aware of its enormous ill that N owe. with the growing numbsre of the people it wis iryosiihle to go on without it. They could not add to the rgv—they need n enter into the reasons. This was not on txperim.nt, the records of lay a4encies were full benetici a results. Let them remember the mighty work the laity had carried on, and what they were able to do .-he thought more than the Church of Elgland. At this foe there were soin•thing like 100 distinct miss:ens, and ki was satisfied that at this moment by their means the Gepel had been preached to 40.0000 people who knew tithing of the Word of God. Some time ago he went to sped institution called Fairlop fair. in the E set End, and inclination with it he asw 85 different persons told off is hold services. There was nothing but order and attendos, although the listeners were com-posed of some of the wiestelooking creatures to be found in any quarter of the fall. He hoped the clergy would begin to do what he worry they did not do, take a broad view of lay agency pis means of grasping the masses of the population and promoting the interests of the Church and the spreading of the Gospel. The noble Earl then spoke of the value of childreu'd agencies, ant turning to matters of fiwonee, said they could only raise the required sum by pres-ing upon the public the enormous necessity and the rat results which had arisen Irma movements of that arscriptiou. He remembered once coming out of the pavilion after one of their services, and a young man come up to him and touched him on the arm, and said "You don't know, any lord, the geol these s-ervices are ding to my class," and walked away. (Applause.) The date of the nal ion was now one of crest peril with regard to its social history. Let them see hew it was being used. See what was go n; on in Ireland and in England. He Ind read what had occurred to the B othni e, a vessel bilongito the Canard Company, of which the chairman ess Mr. John Burns, one of his most valued friends. He bid told him by letter the whole history of it. She c orried stout 1,200 passengers and th se devils incarnate—(hear. her)—to scatter over the carpet of the saloon a grest quantity of petroleum, and after concealing two bottles went away, and it was proved that this stuff ignited immeliately any one stepped upon it. They also found it could not be put out with water, and all they could do was to cut it out of the carpet and throw it into the sea, and even then there was danger of its igniting some of the shipping. That showed there was a spirit of destruction of murder and of bloodshed at large. How could hiey check it? No amount of human defence could save society from the graatestiterror that bad ever come upon it. Thera was nothing for it but to spread the G soil) through the whole mass of the community. Day by day they mast preach things temporal and eternal. They must appeal to the hearts and consciences of the people. The tendency to democracy was increasing, society was breaking uP, and a state of things was threatened when the atuenities of life would be destroyed. It was a time the most significant that had ever happened in the history of mankind. These societies must be maintained or the British empir e will be extinguished. Rev. Mr. WATSON proposed a vote of thanks to his lordship, and in acknowledging it, Lord Siiairraseuitir alluded In terms of great admiration to the work of Moody and Sinkey, remarking he did not wish for the time when the masses should have been educated up to Grego ian chants. The meeting then separated, the usual collection being  WO AU.