ANNIVERSARY OF THE S.P.C.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 265, 1 August 1908, Page 12

ANNIVERSARY OF THE S.P.C.

hwiyi v biidiin I urine o.r.Ui St. Paul's Cathedral, London, was thronged on Wodnosday morning, May 13, for the great act of thanksgiving-in connection with the 207 th anniversary of the Society for the Propagation of the GqspeL. There were present, amongst others the Archbishop of Canterbury and the, Archbishop of Brisbane, the •Bishops of Salisbury, Dorking, Antigua, Auckland, Bunbury, Carpentaria, Columbia, Natal, Pretoria, Tiniicvelly, 'fravancore, Waiapu, and-Wangiiratta, Bishop Montgomery and Canon Scott Holland. A new feature of the service this-ycar was.the singing of the Litany in procession before .the Eucharist commenced. At ten minutes before eleven the Cathedral choir and clergy started from the Altar chanting the Litany, and at tho west end of the building the ..Archbishops and Bishops with their Chaplains joined'.the procession. The Aitlibishop of Canterbury celebrated, the . Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop Montgomery were Gospeller and Epistoler, and the Archbishop of Brisbane preached tho sermon. It was a masterly discourse, in which his Grace pleaded for a greater supply of clergy ill tho far-off parts of the British Empire, ill order that the first conception formort by tho native of the white man might not bo one of immorality and irreligiou, such as was usually tho case when' the representatives of commerce and " civilisation " were the first in tho field. '■

\ The annual meeting was held on May 14 at the Church House. The chair was occupied'by the Archbishop of Canterbury, president of the Society,' and among those present were: The Archbishop of Brisbane, the Bishops of Auckland,' Carpentaria, Goulburn, Waiapu, and Wellington. A synopsis of the report for 1907 was read by thp Secretary (Bishop Montgomery). Reference was first made to the new ■ House; and then to the losses by death, the first name being that of Bishop Wilkinson, Primus of' tho Scottish Church,' tho creator of tho Day of Intercession in 1872. The various mission fields were then reviewed —: India, North China, Manchuria, Korea, Africa, Australia, and . tho West Indies. With regard to income, tho report stated: —"Our special funds fell short by £6000 in 1907, as compared. But our General Fund has never, reached so high a figure,' in a normal year, as in 1907—£4764 more than in 1906—and £126,230 for the one item, General Fund. The whole income from all sources was £156,613. When will it be £200,000, and never drop, below it?. Our. literature, we hope and beliove, keeps up it 3 standard. The magazines increase in circulation. The East and tho West is our joy and glory, and if you ask in what department we are about to make the greatest strides, wo answer—in the King's Messengers' work. Wo aro to havo a clerical secretary for the Children's Department, with his .office in the S.P.G. House. Wo believe wo can promise you twelve months hence such an accession of strength in tho Children's Department that you will have great cause to thank; God at our next annual meeting." JOTTINGS." Speaking at a meeting to w.elcomo him, tho Rev. Thomas Stephens, tho new minister at the Maiden (England) Congregational Church, . remarked that ho Was the twenty-ninth proachcr in his family; Since ho began there had been eight more, so that they had a family record of thirty-eight preachers' in 240 years. Mr. Edward Aston, of Oaklands, Wilmslow Park Wilmslow,' Chester, and of Manchester, 'who died last September, left estate of tho gross value of £12S,0SS. He bequeathed £25,000 to tho Manchester and Salford Weslovan Mission; £2000 to tho Circuit Stewards of the Stockport Trinity Circuit, upon trust to apply the same in paying ofj debts; £2000 to tho Children's Home, Bonner Road, London; £2000 to •' Dr. Barnardo's Homes; and £2000 to tho Boys' and. Girls' Refuges, Strangewavs, ' Manchester. After other bequests ho left the residue of his estato to tlie General Chanel Fuud of the Wesley ail Mothodist Connexion. At tho recent United Methodist Conference at Sheffield, Mr. Samuel Meggit Johnson, speaking for. the Wesleyan body, congratulated the Conference on the completion of the unity of the three Churches, which now constituted the United Mothodist Cliurch. The Rev. G. Youle,. ex-President of tlie Primitive Methodist Conference, said when tho union did take piacc between the United Methodists and the Primitive Methodists, and also, lie spoke it with a good deal of temerity, with the AVcsleyans—for if, the Wesleyans would not. join them tlioy would join the Wesleyans—(applause)—he believed God would bless the union and use it for His glory.

Jewellery to tho value of several hundred pounds was stolen in the early hours from a jcwcllor's shop at Great Yarmouth. Tho thieves carried off a number of diamonds, wedding rings, etc. Tho new tramway line,along the Wormwood Scrubbs Road, starting from College l'ark, "Willcsdo.n Junction, to Hammersmith, and linking, up Willesdcn Junction with tho ■Franco-British Exhibition was opcuod recently.