3i8 DISTINGUISHED CHURCHMEN
bury & Buxton s tallest, broadest and heaviest drayman and a cigar-maker s foreman, who was once Mr Bradlaugh s right-hand man. Under them we had a staff of twenty-three sidesmen, all of whom had been at least three years com municants, and had taken a keen interest in the welfare of the Church. For their positions in life, we find the people give to the collections very well hardly ever less than 6 per week. "
" Presumably you make temperance among the people one of your chief objects ? "
" Yes ; there are eight or nine temperance societies carried on in connection with the Church for men, for women, for young men, and several for young women and children. In this district there is a great deal, I will not say, of active infidelity, but of general callousness about any thing. The question of temperance reminds me of a little incident which occurred some years ago. Mr Buxton, I remember, was standing as one of the candidates at the School Board election, and I was a good deal interested in that election.
"One of the electors, with a party of others going up to the poll, observing me, remarked, We are going to vote for Buxton and cheap beer ! I don t know quite how he expected to get cheap beer through the medium of the School Board ! But that just shows how some of the people look at things. Yes, you are right ; we take up a
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