The corporation of the Sons of the Clergy has existed
for 270 years, and for 207 years it has celebrated its annual festival in St. Paul's. The festival of this year took place on Wednesday, and none of the usual ceremonies were omitted. There was a service in the cathedral, and a dinner in Merchant Tailors' Hall, in due accord- ance with precedent. The body does good service, and gives aid to all worthy and needy claimants in England and Wales. Now there are no less than 10,000 clergymen in England who only receive on an average 1001. per annum while in actual duty, and a large propor- tion of whom go through life without much, if any, pecuniary ad- vancement. As a class, clergymen are especially debarred from seeking to increase their scanty incomes by the numerous resources open to laymen, and when incapacitated by age, sickness, or mental infirmity, no pension or provision is found for them by either Church or State. The corporation annually assists, by pensions and dona- tions, about 1250 persons—clergymen, their widows, aged single daughters, and children. During the past year 16,5001. has been so distributed, but so numerous are the applicants that the funds per- mit only of very limited and often quite inadequate grants being made. It is especially desired to raise the amount of the pensions to the widows and aged single daughters of deceased clergymen, of whom there are at present no less than 712 receiving only pensions varying from 101. to 251. per annum ; and, to do this, of course, the co-operation of the rich and benevolent is required. The annual meeting of the Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind was held in St. James's Hall on Monday, the Bishop of Oxford in the chair. After a musical performance by a blind choir, the secretary read the report. It stated that the total number of the blind at present receiving benefits from the society and the five institutions formed on its model amounts to 300, of whom 170 are assisted by the parent association, and 130 by the affiliated insti- tutions. Of the 170 directly aided by the society 66 are supplied with employment at their own homes, 46 are instructed and employed at the institution, 9 are engaged in various official capacities, and 49 receive pecuniary aid and participate in the religious and mental ad- vantages which are afforded to all connected with the association. Of
the 66 employed at their own homes 48 have been inmates of one or more of the 25 blind schools in the kingdom ; but at the expiration of the time'at which they were allowed to stay there, were compelled from want of employment to enter workhouses or beg in the streets. The men and women in the employing department of the society earn from 6s. to 11. 4s.per week. During the past 20 pupils have left the department for teaching trades, and, having succeeded in ac- quiring means of livelihood, are now employed by the society at their own homes. The 46 pupils at present in the institution have been inmates for periods varying from six months to two years, and obtain wages ranging from ls. to 12s. per week. The receipts for goods sold during the past year amount to 35001., which is 6001. more than those for the year previous. Of the 35001. received on account of sales, 28001. are for articles made by the blind, and the remaining 7001. for goods made by the sighted, used in connexion with those of blind manufacture. Four kindred associations have been formed in Devonshire, Lancashire, Surrey, and Yorkshire, and these societies, in conjunction with the Leicester institution, at present render assist.. ance to upwards of 130 blind men and women; eight blind teachers have been supplied during the year to kindred associations and other institutions for the blind, and in the same time 40 cases of sickness have been relieved by means of the sick fund supported entirely by the blind. The deposits in the savings bank have amounted to up- wards of 1051. The total receipts have been 65381. lh. 9d., and the expenditure, 6174/. lls. 6d., leaving a balance of 3641. Os. 3d. The Bishops of Oxford and Chichester, Sir John Pakington, and Dr. Jelf, took part in the proceedings and set forth the beneficent objects of the association. The Bishop of Oxford said that had it not been for the daughter of his right rev. brother, the Bishop of Chichester, he believed that it might have been years before we should have seen such a meeting as that ; she had been the originator of this asso- ciation, and when he remembered that she was now suffering from sickness, in some measure brought on by her labours in this cause, he did believe that it was the duty of every one who could to assist her and gladden her charitable soul. The Bishop of Chichester moved the adoption of the report, and in doing so alluded in feeling terms to his daughter, who, being herself afflicted with blindness and feeling sympathy with those similarly afflicted and less fortunately circum- stanced than herself, had established this association to ameliorate their condition. The report was adopted.
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