CENTENARY
OF   THE   FOUNDING   OF
THE "BAR" CHAPEL
AND   THE
JUBILEE
OF   THE   OPENING   OF
The (United) Methodist Church COWLING

When you have read this Book will you please send your contribution or your promise to
MR.   STEPHEN EMMOTT,  14 Park Road,  Cowling (Trust Treasurer)  or to
MR. WILLIAM SMITH,  16 Hartley Place,  Cowling (Treasurer of the Jubilee Fund)

PRICE    ONE    SHILLING Issued Free to all Subscribers to the Jubilee  Fund.

Programme of Celebrations

SATURDAY & SUNDAY,  8th &  9th  OCT.,  1932
On SATURDAY,
A CONCERT
will   be   given   by   the  following Artistes :

MISS ISOBEL BAILEY                     MR.  ARTHUR COX

MISS CONSTANCE WILLIS      MR.   HOWARD FRY

At the Services on Sunday the 9th, the same Artistes will assist, and the Choir will render anthems.

Preacher :
REV.  F.  A.  FARLEY,  B.D.

 

SATURDAY & SUNDAY,  15th & 16th OCT., On SATURDAY,
A RE-UNION
of former and present Members and  Sunday School Scholars. TEA at 5 p.m.
ORGAN RECITAL & PUBLIC MEETING at 6-30 p.m.

 

On SUNDAY, Services will be conducted at 10-30 a.m. and 5-30 p.m.
by the
REV. H. V. CAPSEY
a former Minister, and  now Secretary of the Young-People's  Department

Programme of Celebrations
 

SUNDAY, 23rd OCTOBER,  1932
Services will be conducted at 2-0 and 6-0 p.m.
by the
 

Rev. Walter H. Armstrong
of Eastbrook  Hall,  Bradford ;
Chairman of the  Bradford  District in the Re-united Methodist Church.
 

SUNDAY,  30th  OCTOBER,
 

Mendelssohn's
 

Oratorio  "ELIJAH"
will  be rendered by A    CHOIR    OF    PRESENT    AND    FORMER    MEMBERS

Principals :

MISS GLADYS  HESKETH,  Soprano,  Todmorden
MISS  MARTHA SAUNCEY,  Contralto,  Bradford
MR. ALLAN  MURGATROYD,  Tenor,   Haworth
MR.  JACK CLAYTON,  Bass,  Halifax

Services at 2-0 and 6-0 p.m.

*****

1.    The Origin of the Church.
THE Church which is now known as the United Methodist Church, Cowling, originated in those unhappy, far-off days when democracy was struggling with arbitrary authority, not only in the fields of national politics, but also within the "Society of the People called Methodists". The Evangelical Revival, in which John and Charles Wesley were the conspicuous agents of God, had saved England from rapid moral deterioration, rekindled the flame of personal religion in the Established Church of England, as well as within those Churches which were known as dissenting bodies, and had provided the spiritual impulse from which sprang many of the most fruitful movements of the 19th century. By 1830, forty years after the death of John Wesley, the Methodist Society had already been rent, the Methodist New Connexion having been formed by those ministers and preachers who were expelled from the Wesleyan Society for insisting on the right of such preachers to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper and baptism, at a time when the Wesleyans them­selves were not prepared for that definite separation from the Church of England. It is worth noting that all the important secessions from the main body of Methodism were caused by differences of opinion regarding some principle which the mother Church of Methodism was later willing to accept, and that fact alone is a sufficient reason why the dismembered body should now be re-united.
Two independent revivals of religion which owed much to Methodist influence had resulted in the formation of the Primitive Methodist Church in the North of England and the Bible Christians in the South-west. And now the country was on the eve of the success of the Reform agitation, by which the old corrupt electoral methods were swept away, and the first step in the broadening of the franchise was taken. This was scarcely the time for the arbitrary exercise of authority. The temper of the age was against it. Yet some Wesleyan Superintendents used their powers in such an autocratic manner as no democratic Church would tolerate to-day, and several minor secessions were the results.
In Cowling, in this year three local preachers—S. Gott, R. Heaton, and W. Heaton—and thirteen other members of the Wesleyan Church were expelled by the Superintendent Minister, and these commenced to hold services in the Middle­ton  Baptist  Chapel,   which had  fallen  into disuse. In  five months this little community had grown to a membership of fifty-six, and affiliated itself to the Keighley Circuit of the Protestant Methodists. By 1832 it had become possible to plan the erection of a larger Chapel on the main road. This was opened for public worship in 1833, and from the fact that it was built hard by the toll-bar, came to be known as the " Bar Chapel."

2.   Prosperity wrested from Adversity.
Another secession from the Wesleyan Methodist Church resulted in the formation in 1835 of the Wesleyan Methodist Association, whose first Annual Assembly met at Manchester. In the following year this newly formed body was joined by the Protestant Methodists, and the " Bar Chapel " continued for many years to be within the Keighley Circuit of the Wesleyan Methodist Association.
The men expelled from the Wesleyan Methodist Church and who formed the various sects of Methodism were among the most ardent of Methodists ; indeed it was their very ardour which had got them into trouble. It is not surprising, therefore, that the new Societies not only grew in numbers, but also extended their influence through the missionary zeal of their members. Churches were established at Colne, Lothersdale, Silsden, Cononley, Eastburn, Sutton, Kelbrook, Blacko and Gisburn, through the energy of local preachers from Cross Hills and the " Bar Chapel " at Ickornshaw. In 1839 most of the Churches in the west of the Keighley Circuit were, for the greater convenience of working, separated from that Circuit to form the Cross Hills and Colne Circuit, and the " Bar Chapel " appears on the plan of this newly formed Circuit as Ickornshaw. The venture at Colne appears to have failed in about the year 1846, and the Circuit was then known as the Cross Hills Circuit.
All this time the village appeared on the plan as Ickornshaw. The new road from Keighley to Colne had not yet been lined with dwellings. That came about through a change in the local industry, which at one time threatened Ickornshaw and Middleton with extinction. The hand looms, which had provided the people with a livelihood which these barren hills would not otherwise afford, were being displaced by the power looms, which were being installed in many parts of the country. The products of these power looms could be sold at prices so low as to make it impossible for the hand looms to compete with them, and this village, like many another at that time, began to be depopulated. The drift to­wards the towns, where employment could be obtained at the new power mills, had set in strongly. But there were some whose love for their native village was reinforced by a love for the Chapel which had meant so much to them, and a few of the members of the " Bar Chapel " (it is recorded that there were four of them) met to consider how they could save their village and their Chapel. With great daring they re­solved to build a power loom here. Their resources were very slender, but they agreed to co-operate, and to wait for payment for their labour as masons, joiners, carters, until the mill was able, out of its own products, to pay what was due. The success of that first power mill encouraged others to make similar ventures, and so there grew up a new village along the New Road Side. Poverty had been turned into success. Faith had justified itself.

It would be impossible to distribute praise justly among those whose names were honourable in the history of those days in Cowling, and it is better not to make the attempt. Many of them have descendants still serving among us as Trustees and Leaders of the Church, as teachers in the School, and in the public life of the community. It may truthfully be claimed that the " Bar Chapel" has furnished the people of Cowling with some of its best servants, and that no Society has done more for the common good. At one time the only education available in the village was given on the premises of the " Bar Chapel." The inhabitants of Cowling have honoured its members with positions of public trust, and that trust has been faithfully discharged.

3.    Secessions and Union.
In 1849 the Wesleyan Methodist Conference expelled three ministers, the Revs. James Everett, S. Dunn and W. Griffith for advocating certain reforms. This was condemned throughout the country as an arbitrary and unwise way of dealing with such demands, and those who left the Wesleyan Church in sympathy with the expelled ministers formed a new sect called the " Wesleyan Reformers." In 1857 this new body united with the Wesleyan Association to form " The United Methodist Free Church," whose first Annual Assembly was held at Rochdale in 1857. From that time the " Bar Chapel " was therefore a United Methodist Free Church.

4.    The New Chapel.
About fifty years after its erection the " Bar Chapel" was considered too small for the needs of the community which now used it. It had seating' accommodation for 400, and at that time there were over 300 scholars and 68 teachers. The congregation must often have exceeded the capacity of the building. A site was purchased from Boocock's Charity for £1,030, and measures were taken for raising the sum of money required to carry out the design of the architect, Mr. John Judson, of Bogthorn. Collectors were appointed, and must have done their work well, for the subscriptions, together with the proceeds of a Sale of Work, amounted to £2,500 by the time the foundation stones were laid on 25th June, 1881, by Mr. J. Petrie Fielden, of Rochdale, and Mr. John Binns, of Cowling. That ceremony was followed by a public tea, and that again by a public meeting', in which it is a joy to note that, amongst others, two Wesleyan Ministers took part, and that one of these, even so long ago, referred to " the shadowy dif­ferences" between the two branches of Methodism there represented, and said that the things in which they differed were nothing compared with the things in which they agreed.

There is no doubt that in building the spacious Chapel in which we now worship, the Trustees of that time expected that Cowling would grow in size and population, and there were good reasons for that expectation. Many similar villages had become towns. England was then supplying the world with textiles, and there seemed to be no end to the demand for the products of local industries, and the fact that 300 children belonged to our Sunday School alone shews that the population was then increasing. To-day the total population of school age is under 200. No further expansion of Cowling has taken place. These facts explain why there is seating accommodation for half of all the people of the whole district within the present Chapel. We cannot say that those Trustees were at all unwise. They did well to shoulder the burden of providing an adequate place of worship for future generations ; and the amplitude of the porch, aisles and stairs, and of the grounds and approaches, is evidence that they were no niggards either in their giving or in their conception of what is worthy of a place of worship.
The stately edifice was opened on Saturday, 14th October, 1882, and some details of the special services which followed will be of more than ordinary interest. A dedicatory prayer meeting was held at 5 o'clock in the morning. In the afternoon and evening, services were conducted by the Rev. A. Holliday,

The theological tutor of Manchester, Rev. S. S. Barton, of Leeds, and Rev. J. King, of Keighley. The Rev. A. Holliday was the preacher on both occasions, and a newspaper report of the time says that in the afternoon Mr. Holliday was " listened to attentively for the space of an hour." On the following day, Sunday the 15th, the Rev. S. S. Barton was the preacher. On Saturday the 21st, in response to an invitation to all former as well as present scholars and teachers, over 600 people sat down to tea in the old " Bar Chapel," and at the evening meeting of the same day addresses were given by a number of old scholars who were then residing in other parts of the country. It is significant that one of the speakers on that occasion, fifty years ago, remarked that he could not agree with those who sighed for " the good old days." On the next day, Sunday the 22nd, Rev. M. T. Myers was the preacher.

The total cost of the land and premises was £5,501/11/8, and of that sum £2,250 remained to be raised when the opening services were begun. When it is remembered that the value of money was relatively much higher than it is now, and that the level of wages was very much lower, it is truly remarkable that those opening services should have had the following financial results : on Saturday the 14th, £110/18/-; Sunday the 15th, £114/10/4 ; Saturday the 21st, £64/15/7; Sunday the 22nd, £153/17/2 ;  a total of over £444.

The whole undertaking was carried through with amazing self-sacrifice. At one sale of work articles were put on sale which had been made by artisans during many hours of work after the long working hours of those times ; and it is related that the boys of the Sunday School even found a market for their pets so that they might contribute something to the total required.

These building and financial efforts did not throttle the spiritual life of the Church, for we read in the minutes of a Quarterly Meeting held on December 15th,  1888,  that  there were 230 members, and the second resolution is as  follows:

" That this meeting desires to express its devout thankfulnessto Almighty God for the gracious outpouring of His Holy Spirit which has been manifested in the quickening of members and in the conversion of sinners, and prays that the glorious work which has already begun in our midst may continue and that many more may be brought to a saving knowledge of the truth."
 

On the next two pages is shewn a reproduction of the announcement concerning the opening of the new Chapel.


United Methodist Free Church
COWLING
OPENING of the new CHAPEL
The Opening Services in connection with the above newly-erected place of worship will be commenced
ON    SATURDAY,    THE    14th   OCTOBER,    1882,
when Two Sermons will be preached by the

Theological Tutor, Crescent Range College, Manchester.
Service to commence in the Afternoon at 3-30, and in the Evening at 7 o'clock.

On   the  following  day,  SUNDAY,  Oct.   15th,

Two Sermons will be preached by the
 

REVD.      S.      S.      BARTOX
of LEEDS.    Service in the Afternoon at 1-30, and in the Evening- at 5-30.
 

On    SATURDAY,   OCTOBER    21st,
A Public Tea Meeting
Will be held in the OLD CHAPEL.     Tea on the tables at 3 o'clock.
Tickets 6d. each may be had at the Chapel House. After which,
A GRAND   PUBLIC   MEETING

will be held in the New Chapel.

Addresses will be given by a number of Old Teachers and Scholars formerly connected with the Sunday School held in the old place, of whom a large number have been specially invited and for whom a FREE TEA will be provided. Meeting to commence at 7 o'clock. J. R. REDMAN, Esq., of Haworth (an old scholar), having kindly consented to preside.

 

On   SUNDAY,   OCTOBER   22nd,

Two Sermons will be preached by the

of LONDON.    Service to commence at 1-30 p.m. and 5-30 p.m.

 

A Collection will be made on each occasion in aid of the Building Fund.

For the convenience of Strangers a TEA will be provided in the Old Chapel on each occasion.

During the progress of the Tea on Saturday, the 21st, a  SALE OF WORK will be held in the Old Chapel, to which your attention is kindly invited.

To the Teachers & Scholars formerly
connected with the Sunday School
at Bar Chapel, Cowling.   -

MANY of you will have learned with pleasure that the Trustees, Managers, &c., in connection with the above place of worship have recently erected a NEW CHAPEL, which they are now about to open in place of the old one, wherein you along with ourselves received our first religious impressions and training.. The undertaking has been an arduous one, but by the blessing of God they have been enabled to bring their great work so near to a close as to make arrange­ments for the Opening Services—as announced on the accompanying circular. It has been suggested by those more immediately connected, and also by others who were formerly, but are not now resident with us, that it might be a suitable time to invite the Old Teachers and Scholars—who are still to be found—to pay a respectful visit to the old place and its associations. For this purpose the school registers from the first have been carefully examined and names selected there from, for whom a FREE TEA will be provided on Saturday, the 21st of October, after which a Public Meeting will be held and addresses will be given by Old Teachers and Scholars ; J. R. Redman, Esq., of Haworth (an old scholar), has kindly consented to preside. In the hope that this invitation may awaken in your mind recollections of the past, we trust the reflections thereon may be an incentive in the direction of inducing the rendering of that assistance for the completion of our great work, which we hope also, you may feel constrained to give. Having consulted your friends on the matter, they are willing to offer you their kindest hospitality during your stay with them, which they earnestly desire should be extended over the Sunday.

To   these   interesting   Services  you  are   therefore kindly and affectionately invited.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees,

JOHN  BINNS,   Chairman
JAMES EMMOTT,  Secretary
JOHN  HARTLEY,  Treasurer

 

5.   The  New  Sunday School Premises.
Such a building enterprise might have been considered quite enough for one generation of a community so small as that of Cowling, but within the next few years new Sunday School premises were being planned, which added a further £2,500 to the cost of the premises, making a total for site, Chapel and School premises no less than £8,000. Almost everyone into whose hands this brief history will come will know how commodious is the accommodation for the teaching and mid-week activities of our Church. These buildings were erected in the years 1886-87, and consist of a central assembly room capable of seating over 500 persons, and separate class-rooms on both sides of this hall, fifteen in number. At that time there can have been few Churches of the United Metho­dist Free Church which were so well equipped.
 

Within a few years the debt on this pile of buildings had been reduced to £1,300, and a three-day's bazaar was held to bring this down to £1,000. A newspaper report of this success­ful effort says that the opening ceremony on the first day was performed by Mr. Herbert Sharp, of Bingley, with Mr. Everett Binns in the chair.
 

6.   The Mutual Improvement Society.
Among the activities which these new premises now provided for, mention must be made of the Mutual Improvement Society, because of the influence it had upon the lives of its members, many of whom were here trained to think and express themselves upon public questions, and were thus, prepared to render service to the community in other ways. Some of the papers contributed to that Society by Mr. Everett Binns when little more than twenty years of age have been read by us, and they reveal the most careful and thoughtful preparation, which must have been a most valuable training of his own mind as well as a useful and appreciated service to the Society. The papers are written out fully, and each extends to more than thirty closely-written large quarto sheets, representing many hours of thought and writing. Doubtless there were other contributions as valuable which we have not had the privilege of reading, but these are mentioned as examples of the care and diligence with which the work was done. Changing conditions have made  it advisable to change the form of thatSociety, and it was succeeded first by the Christian Endeavour Society, to which many owe a very great debt, and later by the Young People's Guild, which has also had a very useful history ; but through these various transformations it is doubtful whether the same fruitful toil has been put into the work of its successors by their members as was given to the old Mutual Improvement Society. We have become accustomed to having things done for us, either by experts or by those who are at least more expert than we are ourselves, and have overlooked the fact that it is in our own efforts, however faulty, that we gain most, as we also give most.
 

7.    The Union of 1907.
Another piece of Methodist history must here be referred to. For some time the smaller bodies of Methodists had realised that there were no differences between them which could not be composed, and eventually definite negotiations for union were begun between the Methodist New Connexion, The United Methodist Free Church, and the Bible Christian Church. Such negotiations have to be protracted, because there are not only such questions as polity, doctrinal basis, rules and constitution to be considered, but also the various departments (such as Home Missions, Foreign Missions, Theological Colleges) with their respective Funds to be amalgamated. These big tasks were finally carried through, Parliamentary sanction obtained, and the union of these three denominations consummated by 1907. From this time onwards the Cowling Church was therefore a unit of " The United Methodist Church," which was the official title of the newly formed connexion.
 

8.   The Ministry.
It was the policy of those who led the Church in these developments to wait until the debt on the premises was substantially cleared off before undertaking the further responsibility of maintaining a resident minister, who, when he came, would not be burdened with financial problems, but should be free to do the real work of spiritual ministry, The services had been conducted by an able group of local preachers from the surrounding district, and by students of our Manchester College. In this way the Cowling Church came to be known to most of the ministers of our denomination before they entered upon their Circuit life.     It is evidence ofthe devotion and interest of the housewives of those years that Sunday after Sunday these visiting preachers were hospitably entertained in the homes of our people. On special occasions the services of the tutor of the College or of some other distinguished minister were secured, and one of the most frequent of these visitors was the Rev. Anthony Holliday.
But the time at length came when it was felt that it was possible and wise for Cowling to have its own resident minister and to be a separate Circuit, and the Rev. Bruce White was appointed in 1905. The debt on the premises had now been reduced to £500, and during Mr. White's ministry an Old Scholar's Re-union was held, on Easter Saturday and Sunday, April 18th and 19th, with the object of extinguishing that remaining debt. The collections and subscriptions amounted to £650. In a later paragraph we reproduce pen-portraits written by Mr. White at that time for the " United Methodist " of 21st May, 1908.
Partly owing to his illness, but also owing to the evident affection which existed between people and minister, the usual rule which requires a minister on probation to remain no longer than two years in a circuit was suspended in the case of Mr. White, and the whole of his probation was spent in Cowling—a period of five years. His successors were the Revs. H. V. Capsey and J. Smallwood, who, as they came to Cowling for the last year of their probation, were each re­quired to take up an ordained minister's appointment at the end of their year, but brief as was their stay they both endeared themselves to the people of the village, and still count Cowling people among their friends.
In 1912 a house was bought to serve as a manse and the Cowling Church advanced itself to the status of "a married man's circuit." The Rev. C. E. Penrose was the first ordained minister, and he has left behind him many friends and the memory of an unresting organiser who allowed no one else to rest. It was he who suggested that the first service on Sunday should be held at 10-30 a.m., instead of 1-30 p.m. as had been the custom, and though that change was perhaps made with some apprehensions as to the results, it has en­tirely justified itself. Most of our regular worshippers will agree that the morning service is the one they like the best, and for many years it has been the best attended. The Great War, of course, broke out during Mr. Penrose's term of service at Cowling, and it was still ravaging the world when he left in 1917.
He was succeeded by the Rev. William Whitehead, who stayed   for   five   years,   and   shortly   after   leaving   Cowlingtransferred    his    allegiance    to    the    established    Church    of England.
The Rev. A. C. Lockett came to Cowling in 1927, and gave five years of very valuable service. He rallied the congregation, gave earnest attention to the Sunday School, and by his indefatigable visiting and unfailing friendliness endeared himself to all the people of Cowling, and of all religious denominations, and of none. It was he who instituted the careful training of older scholars for Church membership, and it is mainly owing to his efforts that so fine a body of young men and women are now in membership with us and preparing for the responsibilities of Church office and leadership.
 

9.    The Sunday School.
The ample provision made for accommodation for the Sunday School reflects the earnest concern which has always been manifested by our people for the efficient conduct of their teaching. At a time when town Churches were shewing great hesitancy and suspicion regarding the proposals for the reform of Sunday School methods, of which Mr. Archibald, the founder of the Westhill Training College, was the pioneer, here in Cowling, which might have been thought to be out of the stream of such new movements, these reforms were welcomed, in a cautious but in a practical way. As early as 1907 a Primary Department was formed to enable the scholars under eight years of age to be taught in a way suited to their needs and capacities, and in 1921 the class-rooms on one side of the assembly hall were converted into a Primary Room. This work was undertaken at a time when costs were very high, but also when money was more readily obtained than it is at times when prices are low, and the usefulness of this room for mid-week activities has been full repayment for the money then expended.
 

In 1923, under Mr. Lockett's ministry a separate Junior Department was also formed, to provide for the proper training of scholars of from nine to twelve years of age ; and in 1928 the last steps necessary to make our School fully graded were taken, when the remainder of the School was then divided into Intermediate and Senior Departments.
 

These changes have meant a considerable addition to the work of the teachers, but that extra time and trouble have been gladly given in the interests of the efficiency of the School.   The former arrangement by which many classes weretaken by teachers on alternate Sundays only was altogether abolished, and all the staff agreed to attend every Sunday. This made it possible to have smaller classes, and to ensure a more personal and continuous contact between teachers and scholars. To prepare themselves for their work on the following Sunday, the teachers meet for from one to two hours every Friday evening, so that there is the closest co-operation between the teachers, and no likelihood of the work being done in a careless or hurried fashion. Many of our teachers, at considerable expense to themselves, have given up their holiday week to attend a Summer School for training of teachers, and we now have a staff and School of which any Church might be proud.
The advance in education since the State took control of the elementary schools made it necessary that our methods should be adapted to changed conditions, but in the earlier days zeal quite as great was shewn in other ways, and the teachers of to-day are but continuing a tradition which has always demanded that we should give our best for the children who are sent to us for Christian instruction. Many of our senior members can testify concerning the devotion of the teachers of their school-days, and have very happy recollections of their experiences at the Sunday School.
 

10.    The Choir.
Few Churches have a better Choir than ours. Great tribute is often paid to the influence of the late Mr. Joseph Bradley in fostering loyalty to the Church and pride in their work in the Choir of earlier days, and the present choir-master, Mr. John Bailey, has upheld that tradition. Not only is our Choir able to take its part quite worthily side by side with front-rank soloists at the October Musical Festivals, but they never fail to enrich the services at all times. Their attendance is an example to the congregation, for morning and evening throughout the year the average attendance must be about 25 out of a membership of 33.
The annual Musical Festival was instituted in 1919 as a celebration of the Trust Anniversary, and the work of the committee, which year after year has had this matter in hand, has been very efficient. A total sum of over £800 has accrued to Trust funds during these years, and it is from the proceeds of these concerts and services that the debt on the Manse has been discharged.
 

11.    Finance.
The maintenance of these large premises in good order, of a manse, and of a resident minister requires an annual income of about £600, beside what we require in order to contribute worthily to Connexional funds, such as Mission, College, Sustentation and Superannuation funds. This is a big task for a community as small as that of Cowling, but it is met with loyalty and self-sacrifice, so that there is at present no debt of any kind on the whole estate. We have certain enterprises now in hand which will cost about £1,200, but it is hoped that past and present members of both Church and School will join so gratefully in these jubilee and Centenary Celebrations that this expense will also be discharged without leaving the burden of a debt to be carried by those who will have to continue to bear the somewhat heavy current expenses.
 

12.    The Cemetery.
The site of the " Bar Chapel" is now used as a burial ground, of which an extension is now necessary. The late Mr. John Hartley, who owned the adjoining field, expressed his intention of giving to the Trustees a portion of this field sufficient for this purpose, and that intention is being honoured by his son, Mr. Watson Hartley, who is adding to his father's gift by bearing the whole cost of road-making and of the planting of trees and of walling the new extension. This is a very generous gift, and the work is being done upon a generous scale. The Trustees will have to bear the cost of draining the ground, and this will amount to over £160. It is desirable to raise this sum now, since it is not possible to make the charges for burials on such a scale as to recoup the Trustees for this outlay. It may not have been realised, and it may not have been wise, but it is a fact that the burial ground has hitherto been a source of expense rather than income. This is another of the public services that our people have rendered.
 

13.    The Organ.
The Organ which is now in use was installed as long ago as 1883. It has served us well, and its tone and other qualities surpass those of some more expensive instruments, but it is in need of extensive repair. Parts of it have suffered the ravages of time, and though it has not yet failed us on important occasions, it  has  been  causing so  much  trouble behind   the scenes that we have for a few years been rather nervous as to how it would behave. Its defects are partly concealed by the great efficiency of our organist, Mr. J. E. Forte, but they will not be concealed much longer. Since it has become necessary to renovate the instrument, it is considered advisable to bring its action up to date, by substituting pneumatic action for the tracker action throughout. This will give much quicker and more accurate response, and will not impose upon our organist an amount of exertion which is not demanded by more modern action. The aim of the Trustees in specifying the work to be done has been to provide a good instrument which will not be a source of expense or anxiety in the future, without incurring the cost of luxurious refinements. It has been kept in mind that the organ is required mainly for public worship and not for organ recitals, and therefore only one stop is to be added to its present equipment, and that is one which has often been needed. It would have been not un­reasonable to spend twice as much as we propose to do on this work if industrial conditions had been more favourable. To put this work in hand, and complete it and pay for it this year, will be a very suitable commemoration of the Jubilee of the building of the Chapel. While we are being asked to make sacrifices in order to balance the national budget, it is not good economy to delay work of this kind, either for our­selves or in the general interest, for delay would probably in­crease the expense ultimately incurred, and no economy helps the country at present unless it is an economy of national expenditure. If all those who can possibly do so would put in hand such work as this and thereby create employment, they would be rendering more assistance to the country than by the unwise restriction of expenditure.
 

The present apparatus for blowing the organ is giving trouble, and when the instrument is being overhauled it is wise to replace the gas engine with an electric blower. If this is done the supply of electricity has to be brought to the premises, and so it is proposed to instal electric light in Chapel and School at same time. The total cost of this work is estimated at £1,000.
 

14.    An Appeal.
The present members of the Church are so sensible of their debt to their forerunners that they will do their best towards raising this sum, but they cannot expect to raise it all without the help of former members and scholars. But these, too, will recall their connection with the " Bar Chapel' with gratitude and affection, and for the sake of what it has meant to them, and for what it may still mean to the village they love, they will wish to take a worthy share in this Celebration.
We appeal to everyone to whom this Handbook is sent to respond with some gift.    Your donations may be sent to—

Mr.  STEPHEN  EMMOTT,   Trust Treasurer, Park Road Cowling,

or Mr. W.   SMITH, Treasurer of this Special Fund, 16,  Hartley Place, Cowling

Pen and Portrait Pictures from the Past.

(Reprinted from "The United Methodist," May 21st, 1908)

In Mr. James Emmott the whole community is pleased to recognise one of the Church's most loyal and devoted sons. Earnest alike in work and in prayer, his genial disposition and rich humour, and the simplicity and sincerity of his religious faith, have endeared him both to old and young. As secretary to the trustees, class leader and Sunday School superintendent he has rendered magnificent and lifelong service. His labours have been Jong sustained and unremitting. None is more deeply concerned than he about the prosperity of   the   Church, and   none   has toiled with greater  or  more persevering zeal and self-sacrifice.
 

Mr. Everett Binns, the head of a large business house, loved and respected by his workpeople, is a leading figure in the life of the Church and School, of both of which he has been secretary. As Sunday School teacher, class leader and chairman of trustees, he brings to his work an alert mind, a heart both large and warm, and a spirit at once humble, reverent and earnest. The Church that was so dear to his honoured father and grandfather is dear to him too. But he also figures largely in the religious, social and political life of the community. As president of the local Free Church Council, member of the Parish Council and Skipton Board of Guardians, and chairman of the Glusburn Education Committee, he is doing a great work in fields both large and fruitful.

Mr. Jonas Laycock, for over forty years a Sunday School teacher, also a
superintendent and class leader, is a fine type of stalwart Methodism, His large, well-knit frame and strong face are in entire keeping with the robustness of his faith. Be it in society class, Sabbath School or prayer meeting, his voice, ringing with the intensity of a living conviction, may be heard testifying to the truth and saving power of the old Gospel, or risingin praise and petition to Him " Whom having not seen he loves," and serves.

Mr. James Snowden has rendered over forty years of loyal service as Sunday School teacher, trea­surer and superintendent, Church steward and class leader. Many there are who can testify to the wise counsel given, and the bene­dictions breathed in beautiful prayers by their old leader in bygone days. And to-day when his tremulous voice is heard a hush falls upon the company as the spirit of God descends. Strictly conscientious, zealous, full of love to God and good-will to men, warm-hearted    and    affectionate, Mr.   Snowden   is  gladly   accorded  a place  among  our  lovedand  honoured  men.

Of Quaker descent, Mr. John Hartley is a model of scrupulous honesty and religious simplicity. Retiring in disposition, he has nevertheless served the Church as treasurer to the trustees for many years, and is chairman of the Parish Council. By unremitting labour he has established and built up a textile business, conducting it in such a way as to merit the respect of all. He is a Christian gentleman of the old-world type, conserving the best elements of a bygone day,   and adding theretoan  unobtrusive charm  of manner,   and   a   kindness   of heartthat win both the respect and affection.

*****
 

The Cowling Church is fortunate in having as its secretary Mr Wright Snowden. He has held the office for twelve years, bringing to the fulfilment of his duties both ability and zeal. He has also rendered excellent service as Sunday School teacher, and is at present one of the super­intendents. In addition he holds the secretaryships of the Cowling branch of the Local Free Church Council and of the Cowling Interdenominational Temperance Society. He is a willing and indefatigable worker, a good organizer and a fluent speaker much in demand as a thoughtful and earnest local preacher. Though but young in years his manly Christian character and splendid service richly entitle him to an honoured place among our worthies.

B. H. W.