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St Peter’s Magazine November 1901
The Declining Year
George Edgcome’s homily for this month focused on the flight of time
and ‘how Christmas is approaching and another year almost passed’. The
shortening days of the month inspired him to reflect that ‘our days are
too few and are far better spent in doing good than in disputing over
matters which are, at best, of minor importance’. He included in such
matters disputes over interpretations of the Bible and debates about
church ceremonial. He preferred to emphasise good works and a consecrated
life, as did Paul who wrote to Titus. The motto for the month was from
Titus (3,9): ‘Avoid foolish questions.’ On the other hand he thought
questions about whether people accepted Jesus Christ into their lives very
important. He argued that ‘when we have a clearer understanding of the
kindness and love of our Saviour, God, towards us… November fogs will no
longer trouble us’.
In the November 1901 issue of the magazine the main item was a report on St Peter’s Church bazaar, as reported last month. Apart from that, the magazine carried a series of short items about the social outreach of the church.
The Social outreach of the church
This seems to have been of a seasonal nature, mainly offered in the Autumn, Winter and Spring of each year. In 1902 the magazine Calendar explained that ‘The Girls’ Friendly Society, Girls’ Evening Home and Band of Hope are discontinued during the summer months’ (SPM 6/1902), although the pattern of meetings in 1901 and 1902 also showed this.
The Girls’ Friendly Society (GFS) restarted its activities on 9 October 1901, after a break of six months since its previous meeting in March 1901. Its meetings were held in the People’s Hall, Heathcote Street. ‘Girls desiring to get to know about our society may come as Probationers, paying one penny a week until admitted as members’ wrote Miss Ethel Evans of the Park, who appears to have organised it (as well as the Bazaar) and was styled as ‘Associate’. It met weekly for two hours from 7.30pm for recreation, apart from a singing class. The singing class was run by a Miss Annie Cartwright who joined as an Associate in February 1901 (SPM 2/1901). She was preparing the members for the Industrial Competition by the Nottingham and district branches of the GFS which was to be held in April 1902 in needlework, various handicrafts and singing (SPM 2/1902). Although St Peter’s singers were congratulated on their performance they did not gain a prize (SPM 05/1902), but one of the members from St Peter’s ‘Alice Mills, won first prize in for dressmaking while Edith Willis won a prize for a child’s frock’.
GFS membership was stable in 1901/02. Forty members attended a Christmas party in January 1901 (SPM 01/1901) which was held in the St Peter’s Infants’ School ‘because there were too many for Heathcote Street’. In June 1901 ‘St Peter’s mustered a goodly number of members to join the Nottingham branch of the Girls’ Friendly Society for the Annual Festival [in Southwell]. About three hundred members and Associates went by train for a service at the Minster at 3pm where Archdeacon Richardson preached the sermon’ (SPM 08/1901). It was reported that ‘all enjoyed seeing over the Cathedral and strolling in the lanes about the town. It was a perfect summer’s day.’ In September 1902 the St Peter’s branch of GFS was said to have about fifty members and three Associates (SPM 08/1902) of whom about thirty members, the three Associates and Mr Bell [the curate] went to the Annual GFS festival held at Lincoln on 23 August 1902 (SPM 09/1902). Apparently there was persistent rain all day and a heavy storm during the steep walk up to the Cathedral, unlike the previous year. However the participants were warmed with a meat tea at Church house.
The Girls’ Evening Home also recommenced its activities in the Autumn. Its opening night was on Monday 13 October ‘at 8 o’clock in the Infants’ School. Needlework is the order of the day. Plain or elaborate clothes can be made and paid for in small sums weekly’ (SPM 11/1901). However it also had a recreational element to it. ‘It is hoped that once a month all members of our Home who have attended three nights out of every four will have an invitation to a Recreation Evening, probably on a Saturday night’ (SPM 11/1901). The Home met weekly during Autumn, Winter and Spring and was run by Mrs Robert Evans, Mrs Walker, Miss Gill and the Misses Evans.
The only indication of the numbers of members is in February 1901 when the magazine reported that thirty girls attended the Christmas party - ‘tea and fun’ (SPM 02/1901) on 31 December 1900 from 7pm to 10 pm. At this time a number of girls were asking for drill in addition to the recreation. ‘Dumb-bell drill will be capital exercise for those girls who sit at machines all day’ (SPM 03/1902). However there was no trained help available, although ‘St Peter’s Home holds the Drill certificate and we should be sorry not to retain it’ (SPM 02/1902). Indeed nobody came forward to help until March 1902 (SPM 03/1902), when a Miss Webb ‘kindly consented to teach musical drill for about half an hour every Monday evening’. As a result of her efforts ‘in the musical Dumb-Bell Drill three teams competed and St Ann’s and St Peter’s were highly commended but St Ann’s won by one mark’ at the Annual competition of the Nottingham Girls’ Evening Homes on 22 April 1902 (SPM 05/1902). The Rt. Rev. Bishop Hamilton Baynes presided at this.
Apart from the Parish Visitors who seem to have visited parishioners in their home, the other main organ of social outreach was the Mothers’ Meeting and Clothing Club. The Calendar of the Magazine shows that it met weekly every Monday during 1901 at 2.15pm. In 1902 it moved to Wednesdays and then Tuesdays at the same time but did not meet for July, August and September. A brief item in the November issue of the Magazine casts some light on its activities. ‘Meetings during October have been well attended… There is a short Bible lesson, a reading, and tea. Members pay two pence for the tea and towards expenses for a summer excursion’ (SPM 11/1902).
Next month draws to a close this series of reflections on the St Peter’s Parish Magazine 1901-02 by looking forward to how St Peter’s began to change when a curate was appointed in December 1901, and the new aspects of spiritual outreach that began to develop.
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© St Peter's Church, Nottingham
Last revised 11th November 2001