In the fourth place, the Union could largely assist the movement in the provinces by obtaining the services of qualified persons, to act as honorary deputations, to address mass meetings of children, sabbath-school teachers. The Union could also extensively benefit existing societies, by mapping, &c. districts, and appointing honorary secretaries to overlook them, arranging for agents, and uniting all the societies in each district to the Union. In conclusion, permit me to say that if a definite sum were fixed upon as the subscription of Societies to the Union, to include travelling expenses of the agents, it would be better. May your meetings strengthen the cause, and may God's blessing rest upon you! Mr. W. A. VENNING, late of Canterbury, gave some interesting details of the state of the Band of Hope movement in that city, where, under the auspices of the Rev. F. J. Holland, it has been very successful. Mr. F. SMITH stated, that the chief object of the morning sitting was, if possible, to form some idea of the feeling of the country in respect to receiving supplies of agents from the Union. In the circular sent to the various provincial societies, the committee of the Union had proposed that if a sufficient number of societies could be found willing to affiliate, that four periodical visits might be made by the agents of the Union for an annual fee of £2. 2s., one of the visits to be with the Dissolving Views belonging to the Union; in this way providing an annual treat for the children, at a small expense. It was intended that the agent in each case should employ the day in visiting the schools, &c., and in this way a large amount of good might be done. It was intended for the agents to take tours, and that arrangements should be made for agents to visit contiguous towns. The agents' travelling expenses and entertainment would have to be paid in addition to the affiliation fee. Mr. J. B. KIRBY expressed his opinion, that such a system of visitation would be very useful, as many societies, especially in small towns, felt the want of others to take part in the work besides those they could secure in their own locality. Mr. J. RUTHERFORD, of Northampton, thought it was a great evil that the work was in most places left to a few; he felt very strongly, that the chief obstacles to societies affiiliating with the Union, as proposed, would be their want of funds; still he thought that there were few places where this was felt, but what it might be remedied, and more money secured. Mr. W. B. HARVEY, of Frome, thought it very desirable that some such proposal as that of the Union, should be carried out. He thought that £2. 2s. would seem a large sum for some societies to pay all at once; and that some modified plan might be adopted. He thought that societies in the country should be considered affiliated by the payment of some sum→→ say 5s. or 10s.; and that for each separate lecture, an additional sum should be paid-say 10s. besides travelling expenses and entertaining the agent; or if with the Dissolving Views, £1., thus giving societies the option of having one visit or more in the course of the year, according as their funds would allow. He thought that this was the most likely way of carrying out the system. In regard to Band of Hope libraries, he thought it a good plan to establish them. He would recommend the Union to publish a complete list of books suitable for libraries, and thought it would be a great boon to Bandsof Hope, if the Union could make arrangements with the various publishers to supply them at twenty or twenty-five per cent. discount. Mr. G. CURTIS, of Poole, said there would be no difficulty in getting money, and thought it was a good plan to give the children collecting cards. In respect to libraries, he thought it perhaps a better plan to get temperance literature as part of the libraries in Sunday Schools. Mr. MAIT, of Poole, said he was a warm supporter of the Band of Hope movement, and considered it was increasing in interest. He referred to facts having come under his own knowledge, of societies being in existence, where he least expected to find them. One way he considered the Union might help societies would be, by publishing suitable registers, and all the other requisites for a society, besides those already in existence. He also thought that it would be wise for agents to visit a place for a week or so at a time. Mr. G. M. MURPHY, in the course of some remarks suggested that it would be well if friends, when they went out of town, would place their evenings at the service of the Union, and thus provincial societies might be benefited. Mr. HARVEY remarked it would be a useful plan if the Union would offer prizes for Essays from members of the Bands of Hope. After some remarks from Mr. HAYES and Mr. SHIRLEY, the Conference adjourned till 3 o'clock, when it was resumed. Mrs. WM. FISON, of Brighton, then read a short Paper on the importance of the Temperance work, as removing one of the greatest obstacles to the progress of the Gospel, the other being the bad sanitary condition of the people. Mrs. Fison expressed her earnest sympathy with the founders of the Band of Hope Union, and her purpose, in connection with her own special mission, of bringing the Temperance subject before the children of the upper classes, in meetings of Upper Class Schools. Mrs. Fison suggested the desirableness of promoting the circulation of the Adviser, and other publications bearing on juvenile abstinence. In conclusion, after a renewed expression of her sympathy, Mrs. Fison said she should do all in her power to promote the objects of the Band of Hope Union. Mr. HARVEY said he had listened with great interest to Mrs. Fison's paper, and felt deeply grateful that so many ladies were taking part in this good work; he moved the following resolu-tion, "that this Conference thanks Mrs. Fison for her interesting paper, and recommends the Band of Hope Union to accept the offer of her services as a Honorary Deputation to hold Drawing Room meetings." Mr. B. TRESSIDER seconded, and Mr. MURPHY supported this resolution, which was carried unanimously. The Chairman then called upon the Rev. DAWSON BURNS to read the following paper :— BAND OF HOPE LITERATURE. Free speech and a free literature-represented by the rostra and the printing press-these are the constituent elements of the vital atmosphere of all social movements; the poles on which they revolve; the motive-powers by which their progression is ensured. It is not for us here to discuss which of the two is the more valuable. It is sufficient for us that they are both essential. In our day, at least, a social movement without a literature is a contradiction in conception, and would be a nullity in fact. And what is the Band of Hope Institution but a social movement of deep significance, both as to its moral tendencies and indestructible issues? It exists immediately for the young; but its influences radiate to all classes, and must affect the destinies of all future ages. As lovers and servants, then, of such an institution, we are attending to no matter of minor importance, or common-place, when we address ourselves to the subject of its Literature-what that literature already is, and what it may become-what, in simple reality, it must become, if the movement is to enjoy a reasonable prospect of desirable success. The title of this topic-"Band of Hope Literature," though 80 concisely sounding, has a convenient comprehensiveness about it, which tempts to sermonific subdivision; and I hope it will not be deemed falling too much under the power of the temptation, if I make it the ground of some remarks on Band of Hope Literature-1st, for the Children of Bands of Hope; 2ndly, for the Conductors of Bands of Hope; and 3rdly, for the Patrons of Bands of Hope. I. The Children of Bands of Hope require a literature suited to their years, tastes, and temperance standing. Do they possess such a literature? Fortunately, we can give an encouraging, if not a fully satisfactory, answer. Children's literature must embrace, prose, pictures, and poetry. (1.) As to prose, they have some excellent stock literature in the Ipswich Juvenile Tracts and those of the Scottish League-and in the periodical department, the Band of Hope Review and Adviser regularly provide fresh articles in prose, whose attractiveness is best displayed by the eagerness with which they are perused. At the same time I do not think that this vein has been fully worked, or that the supply equals the possible demand. I should like to see a Band of Hope Library, published in numbers, beginning with an Alphabet Book, and embracing a collection of anecdotes, narratives, fables (original, selected, and adapted), and sermons. Peter Parley's Tales, Esop's Fables, and Todd's Sermons are models which I see nothing to prevent being followed in the preparation of a "Library " of the kind recommended. The style should be invariably simple and lively. By simple I do not mean that words of one syllable should be always used, or even always preferred. Band of Hope children do not talk in monosyllables, and words of several syllables are often the most common and best understood. A simple style for children is the style which most nearly approaches to their own ordinary mode of conversation, as much removed from affected primness as from gaudy rhetoric. (2.) As to pictures, nothing can surpass those presented in the monthly publications; but both artistic excellence and encomium must stop here; yet wherefore should they? Why should not a series of beautiful designs be produced, at a price within children's savings, and the purchase of which for album and other use would cultivate their taste, and bring the eye in frequent contact with temperance truth set off with pictorial bewitchery ? If "a thing of beauty is a joy for ever," why should not abstinence and beauty be united so far as the art of the painter and en graver can unite them? I say the painter; for as children are fond of colours, provision should be made for colouring the prints, which might be plainly done at a small expense. Why, indeed, should not some of the Band of Hope Review engravings of a temperance cast be separately struck off with the accompanying letter-press-so reducing the outlay to a minimum cost? (3.) As to poetry-I speak under correction, but speaking according to my present knowledge-there is a great and urgent want-a whole continent yet unexplored. Hymns and melodies there are, of which I would not speak in disparagement-some of them are exquisitely sweet-but what have we in the way of a poetic collection expressly adapted for children to compare with Watts' Moral and Divine Songs, or Jane Taylor's Hymns? Our range of subject is, I am aware, much more limited; but surely the doings of intemperance and the contrasted doings of temperance could furnish suggestions for many a pathetic and arousing verse. Here I would earnestly deprecate doggrel in the attempt to avoid stiffness. There is a medium in metre, as in other things, between stilts and leap-frog; and children are keen at discriminating pleasant sense from jingling nonsense. Why should not some of our Parnassian friends try their hand at rendering the thousand and one historical incidents bearing on our question, into short poems, somewhat of the ballad stanza, so universally agreeable to young and old? Pardon me if to illustrate this point-which in my opinion is of mighty moment-I venture on a specimennot par excellence but by way of indication. Suppose the title to be A TALE OF ANCIENT GREECE. A King there was of mighty fame, Once many tears this monarch shed, But ah! with all the power he got Yet still he loved the wine, and drank |