THE A.M.C. OF THE M.U.I.O.O.F.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 724, 8 September 1870, Page 4

THE A.M.C. OF THE M.U.1.0.0.F.

[DERBYSHIRE COURIER.]

The Annual Moveable Committee of this Society held their sittings from the 6th to the 10th June, inclusive, at the town of Chesterfield ia Derbyshire. On the evening of Sunday, the 6th, the Delegates of the A.M. C. and other Oddfellows attended the parish church, when the Right Roy. the Lord Bishop of Lichficld (Dr Selwyn) preached an excellent and appropriate sermon to a crowded' congregation of about 5000 persons. Great preparations had been made by the townspeople to welcome the Delegates, and at nine o'clock on Monday morning, when the preparations had been completed, the town presented a very gay appearance. Two triumphal arches had been erected, both being elegantly adorned with flower?, wreaths, and scroll work, and across the streets through which the procession was to pass were suspended, every here and there, appropriate mottoes ; while the display of bunting • was prodigious. ; The procession was formed in the Durrant Meadow at 11 o'clock, and was composed of between 4000 and 5000 persons, exclusive of those who formed an extraneous guard of honor as it marched through the streets. It was calculated that about five in the afternoon, more than 15,000 persons were present at the fete in the Durrant ! Meadow. About 500 sat down to the banquet, the chair being taken by Lord Frederick Cavendish, M.P. " In proposing the toast of '.' The Manchester "Unity," his Lordship said : — "There is one aspect in which this institution forces itself upon the attention of every one whose duty it is to look into the condition of the country. Many of those Blue Books which so plentifully bestrew unhappy members, tell but one cheery tale of progress, whether we regard the trade of the country, the revenue, the increase of wealth of the population — all are in the same direction — all tell of a wonderful and marvellous growth. But, on the other hand, there are some statistics that tell a very different tale. Of all the plague spotd which ever affected the country, F know of none bo dark, and I none so deplorable, a3 the pauperism of I this country. lam not going to say that it is greater now than it was before the reform of the poor laws, or greater than in those evil days that preceded free trade. Still, although not so bad as then in proportion to the population, the figures which tell us about it tell a very ugly tale. During the last ten or - i weive years there has been a decided increase. 8000 or 9000 paupers of twelve years ago have increased to 1,000,000 or 900,000. This is not all. Every effort made to diminish it or relieve it, seems but to add to it. When we take better care of the old, the widow, and the orphan, we seem only to add to those to be dependent upon the charity of the state. . . . Gentlemen, I own that the more I study the question, the more it seems to me that that self respect which we wish to see in the breast of every Englishman, can only be developed and nurtured by sound Friendly Societies."