Old Parish Magazines

of St James A. & M.

Issue No 

THE BREAM MAGAZINE.
January 1876

HYMNS FOR THE MONTH.
2nd Sunday after Christmas 209, 133, 16, 258
1st Sunday after Epiphany 211, 57, 55, 19, 262
2nd Sunday after Epiphany 51, 263, 179, 186, 147
3rd Sunday after Epiphany 98, 52, 279, 105, 154
4th Sunday after Epiphany 21, 58, 177, 102, 146

BAPTISMS.
Dec. 21, Henry Charles, son of James and Ann Jordan, Bream’s Meend, collier.

MARRIAGES.
Dec. 14, by the Vicar, George Teague to Emma Jane Baker, of Bream.
Dec. 18, by the Vicar, George Dorrington to Mary Brain, of Bream.
Dec. 23, by the Vicar, William Davies, of Bream, to Martha Smith, of Clifton.
Dec. 28, George Baker to Harriet Watkins, of Bream.

THE STORY OF LIFE.
Passing a life is like writing a book; the book has its leaves, its chapters, and its volumes. So the life is broken up into days, and months, and years. We partly make the Book of Life ourselves; it is partly made for us; we take up the pen and begin to write, but God guides the hand. We cannot make our story end just when and where we please ; we cannot make it long or short, as we like; but we can always make it end well. We cannot tell whether the story will be cheerful or melancholy, exciting or common-place; but we know, if it ends well, it must be a happy one. So far, then, we are the authors of our own lives; we must take pains about the story. We have just closed one volume, and we are beginning another. It would be wise to look over the last volume, and think carefully before we write the next; we cannot correct the mistakes, it is true, for they arc printed off as we write them down; we are allowed no proof sheet; but we can avoid them for the future. Besides, we shall thus be able to keep up the thread of the story. We do not begin a fresh story every year, but go on with what we have already begun, and a story is not a collection of many different tales, but one consistent whole. Our story may not always be interesting to others, but it should be the most interesting of all stories to ourselves. Nothing is done well without taking pains. Would not our story be better written if we were each to take more interest in it? Every new volume should show an improvement.

The Story of our Village Life for the past year records the following facts :—Baptisms, 58; Marriages, 11; Burials, 31. Collections and offertories, in all, .£29 -16s. divided thus:
Foreign Missions...............£6-3-0
Home Missions .................£2-2-6
National Society.................£2-0-7
Diocesan Society...............£1-7-2
Church Building Society.....£1-17-6
Church Repair Fund..........£10-4-9
Alms for Poor ...................£6-0-0