The Forest of Dean Examiner : — 1877-01-05 (Blakeney, Gloucestershire, England)

STRANGE UTTERANCES OF A MINISTER. On Sunday, in the Temperance Hall, Bolton, Mr. J. K. Applebee, a well-known public lecturer, addressed the congregation of the Free Christian Church in that town, as their minister, for the last time prior io sailing for America. Mr. Applebee addressed his hearers as "Ladies and Gentlemen," and said he did so advisedly. If he had addressed them as "Dear friends," or even 8B "Friends," as "Dearly beloved brethren," or even as "Brethren "—he would have used words which would not have been correctly expressive of the emotion he felt. He was a friend and a brother to every' body connected with that church; but that was a very different thing from saying that everybody con' neoted with the church was a friend and a brother to him. He was a friend and a brother to the veriest worm that crawled, yet when the worm misinterpreted the meaning of its worming life, and made his higher life uncomfortable, then, without any remorsefulness he proceeded to do execution on him. This was what he was about to do to-day, but as people ought to be polite even to worms he addressed them all present, worms included, as "Ladies and Gentlemen." On the whole, he had come to the conclusion that Bolton was a most unpleasant place to live in. There was nothing lovely either about it or in its inhabitants. Its people were as cold and cloudy, as muggy and as unsympathetic, as coarse and as boisterous, as its own skies were cold and cloudy, muggy and unsympathetic, coarse and boisterous. Some of his congregation, he feared, were past praying for; anyhow, he Rad taught them the unwholesome lesson that ii prayers were to do them any good they must be their own prayers, and not those of a spiritual doctor called in on an emergency to pray officially. Did they think that he was going to leave his fireside, ! forsake the company of Homer, Shakespeare, and Milton, and all other worthies of historic time, to listen to their imbecile tittle-tattle, and to sip the dishes of dirty scandal they were so fond of brewing? If he did not speak the truth when he said he would go from their midst with honeqy unimpaired and honour untainted, might his right hand lose Its cunning, might his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth, I and if there be a hell might the light of his soul go out in the blackest smoke of it! The congregation I thus addressed owns no connection with any denotuiI nation, the tie which has hitherto bound them together being simply admiration of Mr. Applebee's lecturing.  The officers of the Grand Trunk line are negotiating with the engineers now on strike.  News from Cape Town, by Messrs. Donald Carrie's mail steamer Edinburgh Castle, by telegraph from Madeira, says the Kaffirs are reported to be quiet, and there is no prospect of war. At the Westminster Police Court, London, on Tues. day, FraderiA Treadaway was charged, on remand, with the wilful murder of Cr, Collins, at Pirmico, was further charged with the attempted murder of 'Elizabeth Collins. After hearing further evidence, the magistrate remanded the prisoner till Monday next.  , In a case of drunkenness which came before Mr. I Ender., the Hammersmith police magistrate, he re' tuar!:eri that it ice really chocking td see women charged every day, there being more women than men. Toe only way wo,len could expect their husbands to keep sober was for wives to give them comfortable 1 homes sod refrain from touching the drink. In his opinion it was louch word for a woman to get drunk I than a raar. _ . _  _ ..y ete..ek 45 feet high and four feet in req.. din & brickyard In Lichfield street, : Ho the around on Saturday, doing confideres....e re, property, but fortunately. without : mti injury.  verdict of "Wjlfi murder' 1.111 Tuesday at Davenport in the case of • eh had IT,en deliberately killed some 'lke coroner was instructed to re. Seergary to offer a reward.