in the same chapel, as a memorial of the talents and virtues of a yet more celebrated literary character in his day, the late DR. PRICE. We could wish the custom of decorating the walls of Dissenting places of worship with such testimonies to departed worth, were more prevalent. There are few such, of any standing, we imagine, with which names of sufficient eminence might not be thus associated. At any rate, there can be few congregations, to whom the memory of some deceased minister must not be so dear, as to justify, to themselves at least, the rearing of a tribute to his praise in the scene of his labours; and we recommend all such to follow the example set in the case before us. The inscription, in this instance, is as follows; being from the pen of the Rev. Thomas Cromwell, F. S. A. the present minister at Newington-Green: TO THE MEMORY OF RICHARD PRICE, D. D., F. R. S. Twenty-six Years Minister of this Chapel: Born at Tynton, Glamorganshire, February 23d, 1723; Theologian, Philosopher, Mathematician; Lover of Truth as of God; His Eminent Talents were matched by his Integrity, His Moral Dignity by his Profound Humility. Few have been more useful in their generation, BIRMINGHAM UNITARIAN DOMESTIC MISSION.-On Friday, June 4th, the pupils of the Sunday-Schools connected with the above-named Mission, were assembled in the Society's Chapel, Thorp-Street, and addressed by their minister. Their clean and very respectable appearance was in the highest degree creditable to their parents, and gave great satisfaction to the teachers and several friends who came to witness and countenance the proceedings. At the beginning of last year, there were but thirty children in these Schools; on this day, nearly two hundred and twenty were present. Prizes, consisting of books, the kind gifts of persons interested in the prosperity of this humble institution, were, after the address, distributed to the most deserving of the scholars, each child present receiving also a plum-cake. All retired delighted with the events of the day, and with, as may be hoped, hearts full of gratitude towards their kind instructors, who, although very closely engaged during the week, devote their time and energies on the Lord's day, to the fulfilment of the Saviour's command addressed to Peter, "Feed my lambs." In the afternoon, about one hundred and eighty persons, of both sexes, sat down to a plain, substantial tea-repast. Of these, more than two-thirds were constant or occasional attendants on the Mission Chapel services. Owing to the want of a room contiguous and large enough to contain so many individuals, the chapel itself was used for this purpose; but to this no objection was or could be made. The meeting was strictly religious, and felt to be in entire accordance with, not only the social and benevolent spirit of the Gospel, but the more formal uses even to which the building is set apart. The tickets were sold at sixpence, that the price might as little as possible interfere with a desire to be present; and the whole of the arrangements appeared to give satisfaction. After tea, on the motion of the Rev. Hugh Hutton, the Rev. T. Bowring was called to the chair, who commenced the business of the evening by giving out a hymn, and then proceeded to congratulate the meeting on the numbers then assembled beneath the lowly roof of their house of prayer. They were met to rejoice and give thanks, and to strengthen each other's hands in the good, the great work of aiming to raise and improve the moral and social condition of their fellow-men: to be engaged in this cause was a high honour, and to its furtherance and success their most strenuous and persevering efforts should be directed. A number of sentiments were given from the Chair, which were responded to with great power and feeling by Revs. H. Hutton and William M'Kean, and by Messrs. T. Clark, Jun., Earl, Worsey, Godfrey, Martin, Towers, Rose, and Lowe. The several speakers dwelt with much force on subjects connected with the purposes of the Domestic Mission -the moral and spiritual regeneration of man-religious and general education and the importance of Sunday Schools. Some very interesting statistics were given, relative to the progress and prospects of the Thorp-Street Sunday Schools; and a unanimous feeling appeared to pervade the meeting, that on the prosperity of these Schools the success of the Mission must mainly depend. The meeting was concluded by singing another hymn, and a most impressive prayer offered up by the Rev. Hugh Hutton. The company separated, pleased with each other and all they had witnessed, carrying away with them, it is hoped, the spirit of the Scriptural declaration, beautifully alluded to by one of the speakers, "One is your Master, even Christ, and ye all are brethren." B. MANCHESTER UNITARIAN VILLAGE MISSIONARY SOCIETY. -On Wednesday, May 12, the annual meeting of this Society took place in the School-room, Lower Mosley-Street, Manchester the Rev. J. R. Beard, minister of Greengate Chapel, Salford, in the chair.-Mr. R. Aspden, Hon. Sec., read the report of the proceedings of the past year, by which it appeared that the most important stations connected with the Society were in a promising condition and afforded much ground for future hope. At Swinton, the endeavours of the Society, owing to the continued active and persevering exertions of Mr. Boardman, were highly successful. Mr. Boardman was frequently called upon to administer the rite of baptism and to afford consolation to the sick and dying, and recently the marriage ceremony had taken place in the little chapel attached to the station, being the first that had ever been performed in a Dissenting place of worship in the township of Worsley, in which Swinton is situated, though containing upwards of 30,000 inhabitants. There is a Sunday-school attached to this chapel, at which about ninety children attend for instruction, and in connexion therewith is a Clothing Fund and a Savings Bank. At Oldham, the chapel for Unitarian worship had been re-opened, attached to which was a Sunday-school, with sixty or seventy scholars belonging to it, who assemble in the chapel, which being found inconvenient, endeavours were making to erect a school-room on some vacant ground belonging to the chapel. From Padiham, Newchurch, and Rawtenstall, accounts were favourable, owing to the indefatigable exertions of Mr. John Ashworth, missionary, who visited them on alternate Sundays. Favourable mention was also made of the services of Messrs. Pollard and Robinson, who, for a series of years, have, without any temporal reward, laboured in preaching the glad tidings of salvation to the poor of these neighbourhoods. Two letters were read from Mr. John Ashworth, giving an account of his proceedings in these parts, which appeared to give great satisfaction to the meeting. The Committee regretted their inability to give more assistance to this promising field of their exertions, feeling convinced that it would be well bestowed and gratefully received. The Derbyshire stations continued the scene of Mr. Shenton's highly useful and important services. Owing to the age and infirmities of the Rev. Richard Nayler, arrangements were in progress for placing the four chapels of Bradwell, Great Hucklowe, Stony Middleton, Sheldon, and Flagg, under the superintendence of Mr. Shenton, who will be assisted by Mr. Hammersley. An extract of a letter from Mr. Shenton was read, which showed the nature and extent of his services, and which elicited the approbation of the meeting. Two other letters were read from members of the congregations in these parts, corroborative and highly commending Mr. Shenton's line of conduct. The report expressed the thanks of the Committee to the Senior Students of the Manchester New College, for the valuable assistance they afforded to the Society during the past year. In conclusion, the report called upon all those whom God had made stewards of his bounty, to come forward and support a Society which was doing and calculated to do so much good, and which was only prevented from extending its beneficial services, by the want of funds. The different stations did much towards their own support, but yet there were several districts where the Society could do much good, but were prevented by the want of means.-Christian Reformer. WE have great pleasure in saying, that the Rev. W. A. JONES, having passed through the prescribed course of study at the Carmarthen College, and likewise completed that of Glasgow, by taking with honourable distinction the title of M. A. at this University, has since received and accepted an unanimous invitation from the Unitarian Congregation of Northampton, to settle amongst them as their Pastor. THE Anniversary of the Kent and Sussex Christian Unitarian Association, will be held at Tenterden, on Wednesday, July 28, when the Rev. George Harris will preach. CHRISTIAN PIONEER. No. 180. AUGUST, 1841. Vol. XV. THE AGENTS OF CIVILIZATION. A SERIES OF LECTURES.-LECTURE THIRD. THE POET. POETRY is composed of two things;-of the natural perception of the beautiful, and of the artistic developement of this perception. In the former sense, we are all poets; in the latter sense, only a few possess the divine gift, and merit the distinguished name. We are all poets; for we are all capable of seizing, among the aspects of the actual, that harmony of proportions which constitutes beauty, and of finding, in the field of the possible and the spiritual, that image of perfection of which external grace and sublimity are simply the embodiments. The meanest event, the most insignificant object, if suggestive to us of brighter thoughts and deeper feelings than those that people the range of our ordinary musings, become for us a poetical event-a poetical object. Poetry, like religion, lies not in the outward universe, but in the inward soul. We take no glory from the region of being without us, which we have not first given from the region of being within. The circumstances that surround us may excite a particular series of contemplations, or stimulate to a particular series of actions; but they cannot in any sense be called the creators of such contemplations or of such actions; for it was our own brain or heart that had previously clothed the circumstances with their suggestiveness. There must, therefore, be in all minds the tendency to idealise the common, and to rise above the habitual, from the plastic energy which is the natural endowment of all minds, which moulds and colours the whole mass of existence, and which can modify everything, indeed, but individual identity. If the process by which we receive ordinary revealings from creation be itself a species of creation, that process guarantees a further process, by which we are made the recipients of extraordinary revealings from the same source. To take a familiar in |