VOICE FROM SOUTHAMPTON.-No. XII.

THE lively Packet Port is again astir. Not this time amongst its shipping, or in the streets within its grey and ancient walls. The stream of people is setting outwards through the venerable Bar Gate which once formed the northern boundary of the good old town, and at which kings, nobles, and warriors had to stand suppliant and ask admission through its portals.

It is not a holiday, and yet the bunting floats gaily from many a flag-pole near the site in the Above Bar Street which is evidently the centre of attraction ; men, women, and children seem all wending their way to the "Above Bar Chapel," at the rear of which (according to the huge posting-bills which greet us at its entrance-gates) is to be laid the foundation-stone of the "Watts Memorial Hall."

On reaching this place we find a spacious platform erected tier above tier, and decorated above and all around with flags, evergreens, rhododendrons, festoons of flowers, and other usual gay insignia of these auspicious occasions; whilst thickly grouped upon the platform itself were gathered Churchmen and Dissenters of various hues and sorts; all assembled to show their sympathy with the object in hand. The sombreness of masculine broadcloth was cheerfully enlivened by the bright and varied costumes of the gentler sex, who were abundantly represented in this comprehensive group; and again, with these were intermingled the civic dignitaries of this vivacious borough. The Mayor and Corporation, in state attire, with their attendant Town Clerk, the Town Sergeants bearing aloft those shining

emblems of municipal authority, the silver oar and gilded mace, and sundry other official regalia,—were present in unwonted numbers to do honour to the occasion. Beside these notables we discovered the well-known form of Samuel Morley, who I imagine must have laid more "foundation-stones," and put more pounds sterling upon the top of them, than any living citizen of this chapel-building country. In contemplating this generous and half ubiquitous public benefactor, it strikes one what an interesting collection of "silver trowels," duly polished and inscribed, he must by this time possess; and how, as one after another he turns over this "cabinet collection," they must remind him of gratifying times when, by his presence and by his words, he has cheered the promoters of many a country "cause," and helped on the blessed work of Protestant Christianity in many a neglected spot.

But there is a two-fold reason for his presence here to-day. Firstly, the new Sunday School buildings in connection with which this memorial stone is to be laid, are on a scale which must rejoice the heart of every sound Nonconformist; and, secondly, although not actually one of Southampton's own sons, it was, as he tells us, in this chapel that he worshipped as a school-boy, and in our town that he passed his earlier years, and received those lessons which, under God's providence, have been the groundwork of whatever usefulness he has since attained to. All honour to the man who thus reflects credit upon the town of his youth, and upon the admirable master (John Bullar) under whom he was trained; and who now, from his own experience of its benefits, is so anxious everywhere to bring the young under like moral and religious educational influences.

It is a pleasant thought that, sooner or later, an English town generally does justice to the memory of

its illustrious citizens. So was it with Dr. Watts. After allowing nearly two centuries to elapse since his birth, Southampton suddenly awoke to the fact that, except for the old-fashioned house in which he was born, until very lately she had nothing to record the circumstance that the great hymnist was a native, and that a good portion of his life was passed within her gates; that many of his hymns were written expressly for the Above Bar Chapel, of which his father was for some forty years an honoured deacon, and within whose walls he himself had often preached. Not only so, but the very land whereon we now stand was given by the elder Watts to the congregation worshipping here, whilst his distinguished son Isaac was the first name entered on its baptismal register. Two centuries have since elapsed, and its representatives are now busy in laying the foundations of the Watts Hall, for the benefit of the children of the descendants of the same church for which he composed so many of his hymns.

The Elementary Education Act having, happily, given a fresh impetus to the Sunday-school system, and revealed the necessity of class-rooms for effective teaching, these Watts school-premises are designed to contain some sixteen distinct class-rooms, besides the hall for about 1,000 children; thus forming a religious power in the town, which, if rightly worked, must prove a valuable nursery to all the causes upheld by, or connected with, the congregation itself. What an admirable place, also, for those most humanising and fraternising and fostering opportunities called teameetings to say nothing of religious lectures and Protestant protests!

As might be expected, from the nature of this gathering, Watts's hymns now and again pealed forth from a multitude of children's voices, intermingled with many others who had sung them when they too

were young; and it was a touching tribute to his memory, and to the cause itself, when from their lips ascended into the clear, blue vault of heaven, high above all other sounds, the well-known words :

"How glorious is our Heavenly King,
That reigns above the sky!"

Heartily, also, did the audience respond to the sterling words of Samuel Morley, who, trowel in hand, spoke of the earnest sympathy which he felt with Sundayschool teaching, and the nearly four millions of scholars who were thus brought under the religious instruction of thoughtful and religious persons; whilst he forcibly added that he did not think any one was competent to talk to a little child about Christ who did not love that Christ, and who did not seek consistently to lead the life of Christ. Alas! that many a Sunday-school teacher should destroy the teaching on the Lord's Day by an inconsistent life during the week! People needed example as well as precept, and the teaching of the Sunday-school was not confined to the Sabbath day. They needed, therefore, to guard well the ranks of their Sunday-school teachers, and to look, with Christian concern, to their character

during the week. He concluded by expressing an ardent hope that the premises they proposed to raise would be the centre of an activity that should make itself felt throughout the whole town, and that, whilst he trusted the building itself would suggest work to everyone, a very large measure of God's blessing might rest upon the various works which would be undertaken therein.

But let not the reader suppose he was the sole actor on the scene. Pleasant was it to see-after the stone had been duly tapped, levelled, and squared by this distinguished stone-layer-emerging from the crowd, a little boy and maiden, bearing a purse from the

Sunday-school children, to be laid upon the stone, and holding between them a small silk banner, with the appropriate inscription:

"Then let us join this holy train,

And our first offering bring.'

It was also very gratifying to know that these infantine bearers of their schoolfellows' free contributions were laden with no less than seven pounds sterling (not avoirdupois), to help raise a superstructure upon the now settled stone; and, as purse after purse was added to the store, we rejoiced in the thought of the multitude of bricks which would be superimposed from the proceeds of these tasteful and weighty mementoes of the day.

It would be of less interest to narrate the various speeches made by others during the ceremony, or at the collation afterwards; suffice it to say that they took their tone from that which has already been notified, and the whole proceedings were as gratifying as they were thoroughly successful.

How forcibly did much that was expressed at this time carry us also back to the day when, some fourteen years ago, after duly considering what should be done to the man whom Southampton delighted to honour, it had been resolved that not one congregation merely, but the town and county that gave birth to Dr. Watts, should unite in erecting a monument in one of the public parks to his memory. The idea, once launched, grew rapidly; subscriptions, large and small, poured in from all sides; and the result was that a statue of white Sicilian marble, raised upon a polished granite pedestal, was sculptured and erected in what has since been fitly termed the Watts Park.

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity," were the words which often ran through the mind whilst this work was in progress.