Hopping (1901): Church Rooms opened to hoppers

Post date: Feb 19, 2012 11:10:3 AM

Extract from Parish magazine of October 1901 (excluding 'the treasurer's balance sheet' referred to):

The treasurer's balance sheet indicates the nature of the work done among the hoppers this season. We have again, as in recent years, had the valuable assistance of ladies who devote their lives to mission work among people of the same class in London—Mrs. Riches and Miss Leake. There were nearly forty such ladies working gratuitously among the pickers in the hop-gardens of Mid-Kent. Their board and lodging expenses, as the accounts indicate, were defrayed by the Hop-picking Mission Committee, whose funds are drawn chiefly from London, Folkestone, and other places beyond the area which has been tapped by the Church of England Hop-pickers' Missionary Association started many years ago by Mr. Stratton.

The ladies spent their mornings in the gardens and the latter part of the day at the Church Rooms, where with the help of several ladies of the parish they carried on the work of the Coffee Stall, and entertaining hoppers in the large room.

The opening of the Church Rooms every evening proved a great boon to the hoppers, many of whom when going away expressed their grateful thanks for it, some of them going so far as to ask to be allowed to contribute towards the expenses. They used to spend the evening in playing games, singing, and writing letters. It was no uncommon thing for them to write 40 or 50 letters a day, and one evening no less than a hundred were written. The Coffee Stall did twice as much business as it did last year.

The new stall at the station, which was worked by Mr. Woodrow, a London man who for two years has done similar work for Mr. Cobb at Nettlestead, proved a benefit to the hoppers corning down and going away, and has fully realised expectations, though its position is not very favourable for doing much business at other times. Miss Lownds kindly undertook to supervise the work and keep the accounts. It is expected that next year it will more than pay its way, though it will be necessary at the outset to purchase a certain amount of furniture, which this year was kindly lent by Mr. Cobb.

Literally hundreds of people attended the Lantern Services held at the different encampments. In all there were ten of these services, consisting of hymns, prayers, and a show. Mr. E. C. Colby took three, Mr. L. J. Hamshire also took three, explaining slides on South Africa, and the Vicar four, telling a story called " Teddy's Button." On four occasions Mrs. Livett's singing " Ora pro nobis " (with illustrations) was much appreciated. Mr. Edward Goodwin has to be thanked for lending a horse and trap for these services. Mr. Marchant, Church of England Missioner, also rendered much help at these services, in addition to his regular work in the gardens. On Sundays Mr. Marchant held brief services at the various encampments, and a special service for children at Canon Court. One Sunday the Misses Cator held a Bible Class for girls and Miss Lownds one for boys during the afternoon, and after the Evening Service in Church the Choir and a few members of the congregation assisted at a service in the Church Rooms, at which the attendance of hoppers, chiefly men, was sufficiently encouraging to warrant its repetition more often in future years. The Vicar delivered an address, illustrated by slides, on " The Prodigal Son."

A very successful experiment was tried by Mr. Ralph Cook in his gardens at Manor Farm, and a similar one by Mr. Humphrey Wickham at Nettlestead, which deserves the favourable consideration of other growers—the establishment of a coffee stall stationed near the pickers throughout the picking. We hope to be able to give full particulars before next season. Meantime it is said that these stalls do a brisk trade, and help to keep the pickers in the gardens.

A large number of people attended the Conference promoted by the Hop-pickers' Mission Committee. held at Wateringbury. At a celebration of the Holy Communion an address was given by the Rev. J. H, Brown, Vicar of St. Andrew's, Stockwell, who spoke on Psalm 126, 6 ("Though he goeth on his way weeping, bearing forth the seed; he shall come again with joy ..." Sent to do his Master's work. Three legitimate reasons : attractiveness of the work, desire of reward, and sense of mission—' He sent me.' Christ's incentive : ' to do the will of Him that sent Me.' ") But brief notes like these cannot convey any sense of the beauty, the earnestness, the helpfulness of the address. After the service a meeting was held in the Church Rooms, Col. Warde, M.P., presiding. The opening of rooms for the use of hoppers was the subject put down for discussion. Afterwards the very thorny question of the opening of coffee stalls on Sundays cropped up, and evinced a sharp division of opinion. It was decided to reserve the subject for discussion at the annual meeting, which will be held at Maidstone in November.