The Wolverhampton and Midland Counties Advertiser. — 1876-05-13 (Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England)

THE MAY MEETINGS.  The British and Foreign Bib!e Society laid out last year more than £2011,010. The Church Missionary Society did not fall much Lek's./ the same sum. We must remember, too, that the whole of what we have lately been seeing is the faint and imperfect reileetivm of n smell part of England's voluntary work. We hear of a great deal, but there is a great deal more behind of which we do not hear now, or of which we do not hear at all, but which is . just as vital as the rest. Such a total, however we may regard it, is certainly not to be overlooked or slighted. Rather it is one of the most important forms in which our national life reveals itself, one of the most assured proofs we have of its intensity and worth. It is no little matter thist Buell work has been going on, and under such stimulus and direction. It is the work, of course, of imperfect agents, and, therefore, not wholly admirable, and by no means exempt from errors. But even so we may be proud of it, and may even more feel sure that it is worth improving. On the whole, there is a very fair agreement between the objects at which the different societies have been aiming, even where they have been most unlike. Missions to the heathen world outside and efforts to deal with heathendom at our own doors are but different, parts of the same great idea, and proceed in different ways in obedience to the sante command. We could easily multiply the instatics of this harmony. It is, as we have said, the rule, but it is not the universal rule, and we must look, therefore, at the exceptions as well as at the examples. The first of theee which forces itself upon US TION, will le furnished by the Liberation Society. Some of its members are, no doubt, members of other societies too, and with a leas negative aim and title. We know the account which these would give of their presence among the friends of Chun+) disestablishnient. T tey would regard, or would profess to regard, the Establisbed Church as the great enemy of voluntary zeal, and would olaitn to be rendering an import ant service to the cause of relirous freedom, and, therefore, to the cause of the Church herself, by doing all they can to fee a religious body from what they would term the bonds of the State. This Is rdd wird others would say, by whose side they have bees Wel standing. The effort to promote disestablishment may come either from the wish to pour new life into the Church, or from the wish to give it a deathblow. The want of perfect agreement among our different voluntary agencies is clear, however nee,,ssary or excusable. We find, too, in the speeches at the May meetings of other societies that there is sometimes a trace of needless acrimony, not much, perhaps, in itself, and not always unprovoked, but a little more obvious than we could wish. Noe can we wholly avoid the reflection that some of the ends pursued most earnestly, and some of the means employed for promoting them, are at beet of very doubtful value. Much as we esteem national sobriety, we must yet doubt the aim of the National Temperance league, which addresses itself especially to men of moderate habits, and thinks these the most proper objects of it. reforming zeal. In missions, again, there Is ample room for more judgment than we can discern at present, for more distinction of kind between hopeful end hopeless fields of labour. There are regions we know in whien the new niesiet2e may be delivered with the certainty 'hat it will do good ; while there are others in which the case is doubtful, and some in which the balance of advantage is rather the other way, and in which more harm than good is likely to result from turning things upside down by such agencies as we can as yet press into the service.— Times.  At the Bow street Police-court, last week, William Vance, medical student, and Mrs. Bnee were com• mitted for trial for conspiracy to murder. Dr. Bond, who examined the drugs found at the prisoner Vance', residence, said all the bottles contained drugs which would darroy lifer  31. Leon Lscudier, director of the Th6lltre Italien of Paris hes offered an engagement to Madame Patti, whereby la rivo is to give twenty-live performances nett winter at the Salle Ventadour. at a salary of 5000 C. it  MR.