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MINISTRY AT WARRINGTON. [Chap. IV. 



poor. They promoted the use of Indian corn, etc., and barley 

 puddings, which were a practical protest against the dreadful 

 waste of barley — more than enough to feed the starving millions 

 — by the distillers and brewers. A sermon on the " Gospel 

 feast " had " an especial reference to outdoor preachings, 

 showing how much more important they were than open-air 

 political meetings." (An election was impending.) "As we 

 three," he writes, " W. Robson, P. Rylands,* and I, all intend to 

 have plenty of this work, I thought I had better silence their 

 objections at the onset." He spoke that day, for half an hour, 

 behind the Bridewell ; and these open-air addresses continued, 

 during his ministry, to be a very important means of usefulness. 



Sanitary work occupied much of his time. The Association 

 of which he was secretary was largely composed of working 

 men out of employment, who made a careful house-to-house 

 visitation, filling up tables of particulars relating to the health- 

 fulness of dwellings. Persons receiving relief were set to 

 scour out the back streets and yards. The prevailing fever 

 gave an impulse to their efforts, and they did their utmost to 

 support Lord Morpeth's Health of Towns' Bill. Philip wrote to 

 J. Wilson Patten, Esq., M.P. (Lord Winmarleigh), May 19, 1847 : 

 " I have great pleasure in accepting your offer to present 

 our petitions for us, and am sending you eleven : one from 

 the working-classes, signed by 4319 persons; one by all the 

 Dissenting ministers, and nine from the members of the 

 different Dissenting congregations ; these, with petitions 

 [previously sent] from ratepayers, from medical men, and from 

 clergymen, make a total of fourteen petitions from this town, 

 with 5119 signatures. The petition from the working-classes 

 contains the names of almost all the adult working population. 

 It is the largest ever sent from this town, and the facts con- 

 tained in it are worth noticing." Philip was indignant with 

 Lord John Russell's ministry for allowing the Bill to be shelved,! 

 while they occupied themselves in making Manchester a 



* Peter Rylands, Esq., now M.P. for Burnley, was then a frequent 

 attendant at his chapel. 



t A Public Health Act was, however, passed in 1848. 



