The Telegram. — 1894-12-04 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

CHICKERELL.  ANOTHER BURIAL GRIEVANCE.  A great deal of leeling has recently been caused in the pariah of Chickerell ha the inability of the rector, the Rev.—Poole, to bury two children of Nonconformist parents because they had not been baptised. The facts of the case are as follow :--011 Monday, the 19th November, a little girl, aged five years, named Matilda Hawker, the daughter of a wheelwright living at FleeOs Cottage, died ; and two days afterwards a younger daughter named MiTITIB, aged four year, also died, both deaths being due to a-disease common among children. As the deaths had occurred within such a short time of each other, it was intended that both children should be buried at the game time in the pansh churchyard. It became known to the rector, however. that neither of the children had been baptised, and the rev. gentleman found that he could not, in acomiance with the bishop's instructiona undertake to conduct the ordinary burial service of the Church of England, but he was willing to conduct such a service as is used in the case of a suicide. The children having attended the Congregational Sabbath School at Chickerell, the parents naturally felt strong objections to allowing them to lie buried with such a service. The Rev. W. Twiner Hughes, of (Hamster Street Chapel, Weymouth, was accordingly commituicated with, and asked to conduct the burial service in the churchyard, and the required Iva) notice having been given, the rev, gentleman attended, and the two children were buried on Sunday site-noon, November 2fali. The first portion of the service was p-sformed at the Congregational Chapel, which was crowded with people, and ;Mr. Hughes delivered a short, impressive address Irvin the words, " Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of God." Re mad the teaching of Christ on the relation of children to His kingdom would not bear out the doctrine that unbaptised infants were outside the pale of that kingdom. It was simply monstrous and a libel upon the character of God to imagine that the mere fact of a child not being baptised would shut the door of the kingdom of heaven against it. The service at the grave was also attended by a large number of the villagers, and the tact that the grave was literally lined with flowers sinxested to the rev. gentleman the tenor of ha address, He remarked that Christianity had thrown such a light upon de-ath"Christ having brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel—that we no longer looked upon the grave as a dark prison tell, but 'nerdy as a rtaiting-place fur that which is mortal of man, so that the horror of the grave had been taken away and they now saw it lined with flowers. The service included the singing of the bruin commencing, " Here we buffer ;gni and pain." it is only fair to the rector to state that he pieced no obstacle in the way of a service being conducted according Bo the practice of Congrepuoiral churches, but, at the same Mine, it seems strange that the Eandilished Church should have no letter means for the escape of a clergyman from such a dilemma than a refusal to read the service of that church or the insulting alternative of using the form of service adopted in the ease of suicides. The fault, of course, is not that of the individual clergyman, but of the antiquated and absurd ecclesiastical system which lie has to ear r y outs Among those who contributed wreaths, crosses, and flowers for the funeral, besides the brother; and sisters and other relatives of the deceased children, were Mt. W.Jesty. Mr. and Mrs. New. Mr. and Mrs. Hicharda, Mr. and Mrs. Amity, Mrs. an Miss Stephens, Miss M. Barthett, Mrs. Marthallsay, Mrs. Harvey, Mr. Curuick. Mr. and Mra. Weliber, Mr. K Marshallsay, and Me. and Mrs. W. Raishley. A special service was held in the evening, conducted by Mr. It. Elawkes, when the Congregational Church was again crowded, and feeling reference was made to the sad event of the day.