the increase. His prayers for the audience and their children should be that in all their times of trial, and at the moment when they passed the shadow of death, the promises of Scripture might give them aid and comfort; and that when they had entered an eternal world, they might find in their own realized happiness the truth of all that God had therein spoken. Many of them would spend their days without riches, but they would remember that there was a word in that book which would make them rich indeed. Mr. Hume again thanked them for the kindness thus manifested towards him, and invoked God’s blessing upon them, desiring them to look to Jesus Christ, their only Saviour.
School Matters
At the time of writing (July, 1900) the Wesleyan Chapel in Norman Road, erected in 1836, has been totally destroyed by fire, but its attached schoolroom, built at a more recent date, has been preserved. This circumstance may lend additional interest to the fact that on New Year’s day, 1862, the annual tea-meeting in connection with the Sunday Schools was held in the new room attached to the chapel, and upon that occasion a stall of useful and fancy articles was exhibited, the object of which, in humble imitation of more pretentious allurements, was to raise, if possible, something towards clearing off the debt upon the building. The room was opened at two o’clock, and in a short time the stall was surrounded by eager purchasers, whose payments amounted to about £20, the same to be handed over to the building fund. It then only required a small additional sum to entirely free the building from incumbrance. At 5 o’clock, the tea commenced, and not one vacant seat was to be found; so that, probably, there were 200 or more sitting round the tables.
The National School Children of St. Leonards-on-sea, to the number of 469, were inspected on Monday, August 18th, by Mr. R. L. Roe, the Government Inspector of Schools, and a very favourable report was given as the result of such Inspection. For the same schools a sermon was preached in the St. Leonards Church on Sunday the 27th of April, and a sum of £21 was collected.
Temperance Meetings
An annual meeting was held in the Norman-road Temperance Hall on the 16th of May, and such was the enthusiasm then and there displayed and the number of persons then and there present as to leave no room to doubt that the cause was making wonderful strides of progression. About 250 persons first sat down to tea in a room that was profusely decorated with garlands, festoons, banners and mottoes; and the utmost delight appeared to pervade the whole assembly. After tea, a second meeting took place, at which there could not have been far short of 400 persons, the entire floor of the building and its approaches being densely crowded. The Rev. W. W. Hume, who presided, explained the object of the meeting, and eloquently descanted on the duties of working men and the necessity that existed to put a stop to the terrible evils of drunk-
