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By the Rev. John Wilkinson. 61 
others like minded have repealed that law in regard to the labouring 
poor: the sooner the better. But will or can the clergy undertake 
the work? The want of willingness will be very exceptional, and 
may be provided for as such. But the want of ability, arising 
from occupations which admit of no interference, will be more 
frequent. We must remember however that this difficulty will 
oceur in towns and populous neighbourhoods—the very places 
where it can be most easily met—by enlisting the services of other 
most competent residents. Here in Chippenham you could not 
indeed ask the Vicar to write a physical, civil, and ecclesiastical 
history of his parish, he has other and more serious calls on his 
time and attention. But he has already found a brother Clergyman 
who has done the most difficult part of the work for him, and I am 
very sure there are many here perfectly willing and able to finish it. 
In every parish of any size or importance there must be a division 
of labour: a committee of parochial historians must be formed, who 
shall divide the composition between them; and generally, in asking 
the Clergyman to undertake the work in any parish, you would 
permit him to call in what helpers he chose. All the reports of 
the several parties would be in answer to certain specified heads 
of inquiry, and the whole would be revised, consolidated and ar- 
ranged by a competent body of editors. 
But, of course, it is not for me, nor for any other private 
individual, nor indeed for this Society, to summon the Clergy to 
this labour. We might call, but I fear they would not generally 
answer. ‘ Do nothing without the Bishop” must be our motto in 
this as well as in other matters in which the Clergy are concerned, 
and I have not failed to observe it now. Before moving in this affair, 
I consulted the Bishop of Salisbury. He has twice written to me, 
approving warmly; and he authorizes me to say this. He hopes 
that the promoters of the scheme will visit him at the Palace, and 
form with him a plan of operations ;! he wishes the Palace to be 
1 This meeting has been held. The plan, already in progress, is, that a paper 
of parochial topics, together with a specimen history of one parish in Wilts and 
of another in Dorset, be prepared, printed, and circulated among the Clergy, 
with an address from the Bishop. 
