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500 Intelligence . —Parliamentary : New Churches Bin .
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written on morality , beginning with Helvetius and Grotius , had contended for the education of the people as the basis of their happiness . He proceeded to take a review of the state of the lower orders in Paris contrasted with those of
London , and gave a decided preference to the state of improvement of the former , which he attributed to the care taken of their instruction by their clergy . The lower orders of the agricultural class were niore than any other in this country involved in ignorance and in vice .
While things were in this condition , he thought it a species of blasphemy to talk of voting so many hundred thousand pounds to the building of Churches , Churches might be built if necessary ; but then let it be , as it ought to be , by voluntary subscription , or by speculators , who would not fail to be amply
reimbursed by the sale of seats . How did it happen that so many Dissenting meetinghouses had started up ; except in consequence of the builder speculating on the subscriptions and the sale . of pews , which for the greater part very amply repaid him for the labour and money expended ? He contended that it would be much
more worthy of Gentlemen to expend the sum now proposed for new Churches in the improvement of the morals and principles of the lower orders , through the instrumentality of rational education , which might be the means of snatching them from the controul of their passions
and vices . There were , however , in some parts of the kingdom , such as the county of Lancaster , districts which required the aid of that House towards supplying them with proper places of public worship . In those districts he must confess the standard of morals was
very low , and he thought money might very prudently be applied in this way towards the amelioration of their moral and religious condition . If the vote were restricted loan amount commensurate to such an object , and he did not think it could fairly exceed £ 150 , 000 , it should have his corrlial support , but lie would not support any more extended grant .
Dr . Lushjngton professed himself unconvinced by the arguments of his Hon . Friend . He believed that as our old laws enforced the attendance on divine service , each person , whether high or low , was entitled to have u seat iu Church whenever he chose to attend divine . ser
vice . Hence , the giant being proved to be necessary in consequence of the growing population of the country , he considered it must be admitted that such a grant would on the part of the Legislature be a mere act of justice . —In fact , were the old law to be enforced , there was no doubt thai every parishioner
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Woald be compelled to attend service \ n the Parish Church . The misfortune however , was , that there was no accommodation for our growing population and that the poor in particular having no seats provided for them , were obliged
to take shelter in a Methodist or Dis * senting meeting-house . To-those sects he was , however , no enemy * nor did he wish to set bounds to their real useful * fulness ; but he confessed that he wished the Church of England placed on fair grounds with Methodism . He wished to draw the notice of the House to the
existence of a body or society denominating itself the Home Missionary Society . It was really jocose to observe the com * ments which had been made in a report made by some persons delegated by that Society as Missionaries in the district of Worcester . The report from . which , he should detail some of the statements
asserted , that such was the deplorable state of the people in that dark aud benighted county ( he hoped none of the Members for Worcester were present ) , — that it put their wits to an end to attempt to describe their gross depravity . Now what was the House prepared to
expect from this announcement ? Certainly something most revolting and abhorrent * JBut no such thing : the reporters went on to enumerate those enormities , and assured the Society , that on a Sunday , after afternoon service , the
young people joined in foot-ball and hurling , bat and ball , or cricket . —Nay , that some of them provided themselves with Hues and bait and went a fishing , whilst others amused themselves running races in a field not far from the Churcli
—The young girls of the county came in for a share of ivprobktion : for what ? Could the House imagine it possible ? Because they assemble together in the villages and hamlets in groups—Tht ^ c worthy missionary reporters went on so offer a little adrice on the subject ot
these enormities , and commenced with a pretty broad dogma—that it was time Christianity and the Gospel should he the aggressor—that it was necessary to go about from house to house denouncing all such enormities , and collecting subscriptions to support the Home
Missionary Society . And so they did to tlic letter , not leaving a single hovel uinissailed . —Could the House doubt that it efforts of this kind were continued with impunity they would not deteriorate the British character and produce infinite
mischief ? This paper which ought to be among the archives of the Right Hoik Gentleman , contained a list also of the . monthly prayer meetings iu each place , and provided that three persons should each in their turn keep these as it were *
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1824, page 500, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2527/page/52/
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