PREACHES AT OTTERBURN.

great kindness.

265

Your name is so familiar

throughout Northumberland that we have only to get your permission to advertise it to ensure a very good attendance."

Dr Bruce accepted the invitation and conducted the special services.

The preaching station at Otterburn, which had been opened by Dr Bruce in August 1830, had developed into an important and flourishing congregation. The chapel in which they worshipped had become too small for their accommodation, and a new church was built, at the opening of which, in January 1886, Dr Bruce preached. The occasion was for him especially interesting and solemn, and before beginning the sermon he made feeling reference to the early history of the congregation and to the part he had taken in its formation more than half a century before. It was always a pleasure to him to take part in the services of the Presbyterian churches situated in the remote districts of Northumberland: he was attracted by the simple manners of the people, and by their earnestness in upholding under difficulties the ordinances of their Church.

Kielder was a district to which he was particularly attached, situated as it was among the Border hills, and when in April 1886 he was asked to spend a Sunday there, to assist at the Communion, he gladly accepted the invitation; nor did he allow the inclement weather which prevailed at the time to prevent his keeping his engagement.

--

CHAPTER XIV.

1850, SPEECH AT PUBLIC MEETING CALLED TO CONSIDER THE OPENING OF NEWCASTLE POST OFFICE ON SUNDAY - 1854, LECTURE ON LOCAL MEMORIALS OF GEORGE STEPHENSON-1855, SPEECH AT MECHANICS' INSTITUTE, NEWCASTLE-MARY MAGDALENE HOSPITAL-CHARTER OF KING JAMES I. ACT OF PARLIAMENT AUTHORISING THE PULLING DOWN OF CHAPEL ON BRIDGE AND BUILDING NEW CHAPEL AT BARRAS BRIDGE 1826, THE REV. RICHARD CLAYTON APPOINTED MASTER -1856, HIS DEATH-EFFORTS MADE BY TOWNSPEOPLE FOR THE REORGANISATION OF THE CHARITY-CORPORATION APPPOINT THE VICAR TO THE MASTERSHIP-PUBLIC MEETING TO PROTEST-SPEECH BY DR BRUCE-INQUIRY BY CHARITY COMMISSIONERS-PROCEEDINGS CARRIED ON FOR ELEVEN YEARS-1861, CLAYTON MEMORIAL CHURCH-CHARITY REORGANISED-1874, SPEECH AT ALNWICK MECHANICS' INSTITUTE— 1878, ELECTED GUARDIAN OF THE POOR-1879, OPENING OF INDUS1881, PRESIDES AT MEETING IN SUPPORT OF

TRIAL DWELLINGS
VILLAGE HOMES.

IN the summer of 1850 the Postmaster-General made an order closing Newcastle post-office on Sunday. A number of the merchants and other leading people of the town signed a requisition to the Mayor to call a public meeting for the purpose of considering the propriety of petitioning Parliament to reopen Newcastle post-office on Sunday. A meeting called by the Mayor was held on Monday, 1st July, at noon in the Guild Hall. It was considered right by a number of the inhabitants of the town to support the action of the Postmaster-General, and to endeavour to secure rest for the men employed in the post-office as far as

CLOSING OF POST-OFFICE ON SUNDAY.

267

possible on Sunday. When it was known by those who signed the requisition that their proposal was to be opposed, much interest was excited. A small knot of influential persons had been accustomed to manage the affairs of the town, and it was seldom that measures proposed by them were thwarted or even questioned. A good deal of curiosity was therefore aroused on the present occasion respecting the character of the opposition. The meeting was very numerously attended, and, according to the Newcastle Guardian' of 6th July, it

"included most of the leading bankers, merchants, manufacturers, and shipowners of the town and immediate district, with several of the clergy and ministers of various denominations."

Numbers of the working classes were also present. Dr Headlam, the Nestor of the Whig party, moved the first resolution, which was, "That the recent change in the post-office regulations is inconvenient to the public." Mr Christian Allhusen seconded the resolution. Dr Bruce then rose and moved an amendment:

"That this meeting petition Parliament to continue the present postal arrangements for the Sunday." He said that it was with extreme reluctance that he obtruded himself upon the meeting. He had never before taken part in a meeting of a political character, nor of a religious character if it had also a political aspect. was not pleasant to stand up and oppose the wishes of any of his fellow-townsmen, but he felt compelled to do so on the present occasion. It

It

was very difficult to speak on the subject, because he entirely concurred in the opinion already expressed, that though a theological subject, yet it ought not so to be discussed. He could not, therefore, support his position on the grounds most conclusive to himself, but it had been argued as a common-sense question, and he did not fear to meet any man on that ground.

He then proceeded to point out that man requires one day of rest in seven to have fellowship with higher and holier things than he meets with in his six days' intercourse with the world. It was inconsistent for men who talked about toleration and liberty to say to the hard-working post-office clerks that they should not have rest on Sunday. He admitted there were cases in which necessity and mercy would sanction the delivery of letters on Sunday, but he maintained that such cases were comparatively few, and they ought not on account of a few chance occasions systematically to deny Sunday rest to a large body of their fellow-subjects. He said the merchants and business men of London could do without their letters on Sunday, and so long as the post-office in London was closed on Sunday it was idle for the merchants of Newcastle to allege that the closing of the post-office on Sunday prejudicially affected their business. The post office was an admirable institution, and he would cherish the men who worked it. England had long held up her head in the midst of the nations, and he could not help connecting this fact with the other, that England was distinguished among the nations for

MEMORIALS OF GEORGE STEPHENSON.

269

the respect which she paid to the observance of Sunday.

The Rev. Richard Clayton seconded the amendment. Many other speakers followed, and at the end of a very excited debate the Mayor put the amendment and declared there was a majority against it. The motion was then put and carried. Sir John Fife moved a second resolution

"That this meeting is of opinion that it is the duty of Government to afford the community at large every reasonable facility for the transmission of letters and newspapers as heretofore on Sunday."

This resolution was seconded by Mr N. G. Lambert, and was carried without opposition.

Although Dr Bruce and those who acted with him were not successful in carrying the amendment, they felt satisfied that their protest was not without effect, and hoped that in time public opinion would support their action.

In 1854 he delivered before the Literary and Philosophical Society a lecture on the Local Memorials of George Stephenson, the engineer. He had known him personally, and had visited him in his cottage at Killingworth, and he took some pains to collect, from men who had been intimate with the great engineer, particulars of his early life. In this way he was able to gather a considerable store of information respecting his character and habits, and he related a number of anecdotes which gave interest to the lecture.

On October 31, 1855, an important meeting was held at the Mechanics' Institute, Newcastle. Earl