with this meeting. It has been felt to be necessary, first, to raise the tone of Christian feeling and communion, by confining attention to the object already stated; and by exercises of a hallowed nature, adapted to promote it, in the hope that our combining together in any great movement, either for the defence or propagation of the common faith, might thus be rendered more practical, and more likely to be of a sound and lasting character." The enthusiasm which prevails at meetings of this kind, and at the "May meetings" generally, would surprise most persons. A large proportion of those present are females of that portion of the middle classes who are in easy circumstances, who are shut out by their views, opinions, and habits from many of the common sources of emotion. At Exeter Hall, their sympathies are powerfully exercised; the range of subjects in which they are most conversant are dwelt upon with exciting interest; the imagination is awakened, and distant objects are viewed in an enchanted light. Considering the topics of declamation which abound at Exeter Hall, many of them truly grand in their scope and character, it is not at all wonderful that their discussion should inflame the mind and kindle the religious and moral feelings of the hearers. In scenes like those witnessed at Exeter Hall, there is, as Wilberforce remarks, "a moral sublimity which, if duly estimated, would be worthy of the tongues of angels." The artist finds in such scenes a great subject for the pencil. It is sufficient to refer to Haydon's Picture of the Great Meeting of Delegates for the Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade throughout the World, held in June, 1840, under the presidency of the venerable Clarkson. The artist left his painting-room unwillingly, in the belief that the scene would be one of a very common-place character. The account of his visit is graphic and striking, and we give an extract from it as being calculated to familiarize the reader with the general spirit of a great religious meeting. "In a few minutes an unaffected man got up, and informed the meeting that Thomas Clarkson would attend shortly: he begged no tumultuous applause would greet his entrance, as his infirmities were great, and he was too nervous to bear, without risk of injury to his health, any such expressions of their good feeling towards him. The Friend who addressed them was Joseph Sturge, a man whose whole life has been devoted to ameliorate the condition of the unhappy. In a few minutes, the aged Clarkson came in, grey and bent, leaning on Joseph Sturge for support, and approached with feeble and tottering steps the middle of the convention. I had never seen him before, nor had most of the foreigners present; and the anxiety to look on him, betrayed by all, was exceedingly unaffected and sincere. Immediately behind Thomas Clarkson were his daughterin-law, the widow of his son, and his little grandson. Aided by Joseph Sturge and his daughter, Clarkson mounted to the chair, sat down in it as if to rest, and then, in a tender, feeble voice, appealed to the assembly for a few minutes' meditation before he opened the convention. The venerable old man put his hand simply to his forehead, as if in prayer, and the whole assembly followed his example; for a minute there was the most intense silence I ever felt. Having inwardly uttered a short prayer, he was again helped up; and bending forward, leaning on the table, he spoke to the great assembly as a patriarch standing near the grave, or as a kind father who felt an interest for his children. Every word he uttered was from his heart-he spoke tenderly, tremulously; and, in alluding to Wilberforce, acknowledged, just as an aged man would acknowledge, his decay of memory in forgetting many other dear friends whom he could not then recollect. After solemnly urging the members to persevere to the last, till slavery was extinct, lifting his arm and pointing to heaven (his face quivering with emotion), he ended by saying, May the Supreme Ruler of all human events, at whose disposal are not only the hearts but the intellects of men-may He, in His abundant mercy, guide your councils and give His blessing upon your labours.' There was a pause of a moment, and then, without an interchange of thought or even of look, the whole of this vast meeting, men and women, said, in a tone of subdued and deep feeling, Amen! Amen! To the reader not present it is scarcely possible to convey without affectation the effect on the imagination of one who, like myself, had never attended benevolent meetings, had no notion of such deep sincerity in any body of men, or of the awful and unaffected piety of the class I had been brought amongst........ I have seen the most afflicting tragedies, imitative and real; but never did I wit. ness, in life or in the drama, so deep, so touching, so pathetic an effect produced on any great assembly as by the few, unaffected, unsophisticated, natural, and honest words of this aged and agitated person. The women wept-the men shook off their tears, unable to prevent their flowing; for myself, I was so affected and so astonished, that it was many minutes before I recovered, sufficiently to perceive the moment of interest I had longed for had come to pass-and this was the moment I immediately chose for the picture." This Anti-Slavery Convention was succeeded by the annual meeting of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, at which the late Duke of Sussex presided. Clarkson was present, also Monsieur Guizot and Mrs. Fry, and many persons whose services in the Anti-Slavery cause are known in every part of the world. Amongst the speakers were an American judge, an English missionary, a French philanthropist, and a man of colour. In the following year Prince Albert made his first appearance at any public meeting in England. The great hall was filled two hours before the proceedings commenced, and the platform was crowded by some of the most distinguished men in England. The meeting was that of the Society for the Extinction of the Slave Trade, and the Civilization of Africa. The speakers at the "May meetings" comprise a few of the Members of both Houses of Parliament; at the Church Missionary Society, and the Bible Society anniversaries, some of the bishops; at the meetings of other denominations, the leading men in each. Persons of provincial celebrity make their debût before a London audience; and the variety and peculiarities of the speakers are a sufficiently tempting theme to the critical among the fair sex. In one year Wilberforce attended ten of these meetings in as many days, and spoke twelve times. To a man of strong philanthropic feelings, and of sufficient consideration to attract the public eye, especially also if he be a fluent speaker, and have the business habits which constitute a good "committee-man," the various religious and benevolent institutions in London open a very active field of exertion and usefulness. The Exeter Hall class of societies so entirely depend upon the principle of aggregation, that to gain influence in the direction of their operations and affairs necessarily presumes the existence in some degree of qualifications which in another popular body leads to the highest distinctions. But however eminent and influential any of the well-known speakers and leaders at Exeter Hall may be, their fame is circumscribed and limited to a world of its own, unless they happen to have achieved importance in some other sphere; and out of their own region they would be unknown if the newspapers did not make the public familiar with their names; though a large territory, no doubt it is, in which they find enthusiastic admirers, and wherein they are appreciated. Then again, to the world at large, Exeter Hall is only regarded as a single arena, whereas it is one field with many encampments of distinct tribes; or, as a writer lately remarked, "The manner in which they club and congregate, and yet keep apart in distinct groups, reminds one of the rival orders in the Church of Rome. Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, Monks, Friars, and Canons-regular-all had their independent organization; all were rivals, though zealous members and supporters of one Church. And Wesleyan, Church, Baptist Missionary Societies-all maintain a certain degree of reserve towards each other; all are jealous of the claims of rival sects; and yet are all attracted by a common sense of religious earnestness. The independent and often mutually repelling bodies who congregate in Exeter Hall are one in spirit, with all their differences. Without a pervading organization, they are a Church." * The first three days of May in the present year (1843) were each the anniversaries of one of the great religious societies. On the 1st, the Wesleyan Missionary Society held its meeting, which was addressed by a converted American Indian in his native costume. The income of the Society for the preceding year was 98,2527., and the Report stated that it supports 265 principal mission stations. On the following day the meeting of the Church Missionary Society took place. The income for 1842-3 was 115,000l. The next day was the anniversary of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the most Catholic of all the religious societies. On the 12th of March, 1804, when a committee met to complete the organization of the new institution, a motion was made to appoint the Rev. Joseph Hughes to the office of secretary, but was opposed by the Rev. J. Owen, who urged the impolicy of constituting a dissenting minister the secretary of an institution which was to unite the whole body of Christians. This led to an arrangement, the principle of which was at once so judicious and liberal that it has constituted one of the chief corner-stones of the Society's stability and success. Three secretaries were appointed-a clergyman, a dissenting minister, and a foreign secretary, in order that the foreign churches might be represented in the Society. Thus, as Mr. Owen, the historian of the Bible Society, remarks, "The progress of an hour carried the committee on, from the hasty suggestions of a short-sighted attachment to the wise determination of a liberal policy." At the same time, the future proportion of churchmen, dissenters, and foreigners in the governing body was distinctly defined. It consists of six foreigners resident in or near the metropolis, fifteen churchmen, and fifteen dissenters, the whole of the thirty-six being laymen. The first meeting of the Society was held on the 2nd of May, 1804, when Lord Teignmouth was appointed president, and on the following day four of the bishops sent in their names as subscribers. The Bible Society has 2870 affiliated societies in this country, of which 101 were formed in 1842. In 1810, six years after the establishment of the Parent Society, there were but eleven branch Societies in existence, and the annual income was only 18,543. Ten years afterwards, in 1820, the income amounted to 123,5477. The Bible So 1x 6 'Spectator.' ciety has issued about fifteen million copies of the Scriptures, and it has caused them to be translated, either wholly or in part, into the languages" of every nation under heaven." The Baptist Missionary Society celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 1842, by the collection of a fund called the Jubilee Fund, which amounted to 32,500/., and the ordinary receipts for 1842-3 were 21,1987., making a total of upwards of 53,000l. raised by a comparatively small and not wealthy body. The Baptist Missionary Society was the first which sprung up in England after an interval of nearly a century from the establishment of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. It was succeeded in 1795 by the London Missionary, which also holds its anniversaries at Exeter Hall. At the last meeting, May 11th, the income of this Society for the past year was stated to be 78,4507., and its expenditure 85,4421. Altogether a sum of about 400,000l. a-year is annually collected for missions, and as a very large amount is obtained in small sums, the number of contributors must be prodigious. In 1822, the income of the Church, Wesleyan, and London Missionary Societies was 98,000l.; but it is now triple this amount. Besides the Missionary Societies, there are kindred institutions, whose object is to supply the want of religious instruction at home. The Baptist Home Missionary Society has an income of above 5000l., and the Home Missionary Society of above 90001. The Church Pastoral Aid Society (income 19,0007.), and the Clerical Aid Society (income 78187.), both in connexion with the Established Church, are designed to provide more adequately for the religious wants of the people in populous districts. The Society for the Propagation of Christianity amongst the Jews has an income of 25,000l. a-year. The Bible Society circulates the Scriptures alone, but there are other Societies which undertake the distribution of works of a religious and moral nature. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, with an annual income of about 100,000l., circulates nearly four million publications in the course of the year, of which about three millions are tracts. The Religious Tract Society, established in 1798, has an income of above 50,000l., of which less than 60007. is derived from voluntary contributions, the remainder being the produce of sales of publications, which comprise every variety, from a hand-bill and "broadside" for cottage walls to a commentary on the Bible. In 1842-3 the number of publications issued exceeded sixteen millions, and above two hundred new ones were added to the Society's list. Since the formation of the Society, 377,000,000 publications have been circulated in ninety different languages. There is one series of tracts adapted for sale by hawkers, in which improvements have been successively made at various intervals during the last forty years as the popular taste advanced; and as some notice of this change will probably be interesting to many readers, we give it in the form of a note.* The Sunday School Union, established in 1802, has an income of nearly 9000l. a year from * Soon after the formation of the Society, small publications usually sold by itinerant vendors were found for the most part, immoral and disgusting in their contents; the best among them were absurd and puerile. In 1805, the attention of the Committee was especially directed to these publications, when it was deemed expedient to supply a better article at a lower price to the vendors. The Committee were obliged, in the first instance, to prepare tracts with striking titles, and in some degree inferior in their contents, to prevent too great a discrepancy from those they were designed to supplant. The titles of some of them fully evince this:- The Fortune Teller's Conjuring Cap,''The Wonderful Cure of General Naaman,' The Stingy Farmer's Dream,' 'Tom Toper's Tale over his Jug of Ale,' 'Rhyming Dick and the Strolling Player,' all indicate that it was necessary to catch at the sale of publications. The City Mission and District Visiting Societies are recently established institutions, for the purpose of relieving the spiritual and temporal necessities of the poor in London. The London City Mission has an income of 6700l. a year; and during the year preceding the last report, 364,369 visits were made amongst the poor, in a population exceeding two millions, within eight miles of St. Paul's. We here place before the reader a summary of the Receipts and Expenditure of Religious and Benevolent Societies for 1841-2, taken from the Christian Almanac' for 1843: African Civilization Society Anti-Slavery* . Baptist Missionary Baptist Home Missionary Baptist Irish Baptist Colonial Missionary Bible Translation (Baptist) 1,600 British and Foreign Bible* rance* British Reformation* Christian Knowledge* Christian Instruction Church of Scotland Missions Jewish Mission. Education Scheme 5,684 Church Extension. 3,403 very uninformed minds; there were, however, many of a better description. By degrees, the worst of the profane and vicious publications were supplanted. The supply from the Society, of Hawkers' Tracts, fairly met them in the general market, and was generally preferred wherever education had extended; but it was plain that, had not a superior article been supplied, the old wretched tracts would still have been forced upon the Sunday school scholars, and others who were acquiring the ability to read. And in the year 1818, the public cry was changed; it was then generally said, this series must be improved. This was done; several of the old tracts were discontinued; and many others were introduced much superior.-Abridged from the Christian Spectator for July, 1839. * The total of the receipts of the Societies thus marked includes sales of publications. Mission Fund. Sunday School Union Suppression of Intemperance 4,196 10,241 908 Trinitarian Bible* 2,201 101,618 |