Rev Alfred ALSTON M A [3842]

  General Notes:

1294. Alston Rev Alfred bn 6 Apr 1871; son late T R Alston Esq. of Clairville Sydenham Hill SW; Entered S.H. Sept. 1884, left Mar. 1886; Subsequently at Wadham Coll. Ox. BA 1892; MA 1897; Deacon 1897; Priest 1899; Now curate of Coppenhall Crewe. Address Christ Church Coppenhall Crewe. Brother of 774 - not correct
The Lancing Register 1848-1900 NZSOG

DEPARTURE OF THE REV. ALFRED ALSTON FROM CREWE.
PRESENTATION.
Few, if any, of the assistant clergy who from time to time have laboured in the parish of Christ Church, Crewe, have endeared themselves more to the parishioners, or gained more marked popularity, than the Rev. A. Alston, who left Crewe early in the new year for Bewdley, Worcestershire, where he has been appointed curate-in-charge of a mission church. Although the reverend gentleman's ministry in Crewe only extended over a comparatively short period of two years, he was instrumental in accomplishing much good work, more particularly in the south end of the parish, and in connection with the Mission Church of St. John. From the first, he evinced not only a kind, but a brotherly interest in the young men of the parish, and the deep concern which he at all times manifested as to their welfare resulted in his being able to gather around him between two and three hundred young fellows, who were most regular in their attendance at a class conducted by Mr. Alston each Sunday afternoon. He also arranged suitable
meetings for the members of his class during the weeknights, and it was mainly through his indomitable zeal and perseverance that a scheme was set on foot to establish in the parish a Young Men's Institute. This is now an accomplished fact, and it must be a source of considerable satisfaction to Mr. Alston, as well as to the esteemed Vicar of the parish (the Rev. G. J. Howson), under whose direction the scheme was carried through, to know that the institute is so far fulfilling all that was expected of it, and is likely to supply a long felt want in the interests of the younger portion of the parishioners. When it became known that Mr. Alston was about to sever his connection with the parish his numerous friends recognized that the occasion of his departure preseuted a fitting opportunity for them to mark their high appreciation of his noble work. A committee was formed to arrange for a presentation to
the reverend gentleman, and, as showing the kindly feeling of the parishioners towards him, it may be mentioned that there were three hundred subscribers to the presentation fund. The gifts consisted of a handsome gold watch and chain, together with an address, and these were accompanied by every good wish on the part of all who have had the privilege of Mr. Alston's acquaintance during the time that he has been in Crewe. The presentation took place on Monday evening in the Eddleston-road schoolroom, and the proceedings were characterized by the utmost enthusiasm. There was a crowded attendance, and the gathering was presided over by Mr. R. D. Sharpe. Those present included the Vicar (the Rev. G. J. Howson), the Rev. A. Alston, the Rev. A. J. and Mrs. Ward, the Rev. E. A. Auden, Mr. A. Williamson, Miss Hill, and Mrs. J. N. Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. W. Thompson, Miss Speakman,
Mrs. Lowe, Mr. Wharton, Mr. Hindle, Mr. Dain, Mr. Poole, and others.
Mr. SHARPE, in asking Mr. Alston's acceptance of the watch and chain and the address, said a duty had been deputed to him, which he accepted with great pleasure, a pleasure lessened only by a deep sense of his inability to efficiently perform that duty. He was, however, encouraged by the knowledge that he of whom he was privileged to speak needed no words of his to commend him to those present. Their own hearts would speak for Mr. Alston far
more eloquently than he (the chairman) could, for the rev. gentleman was held by them in an esteem and an affectionate regard which could find no adequate expression at the narrow gate of his poor speech. A little over two years ago, Mr. Alston came amongst them a perfect stranger, and in those two years, all too short for them, he, by his earnest and conscientious work, by his zeal for the good of souls, and by his genial and kindly manner, endeared himself to all who had had an opportunity of knowing his real worth and of estimating his high qualities. (Applause.)
His gentlemanly manner, his unvariable courtesy, his intellectual refinement, and his keen appreciation of these qualities in others, had given him considerable influence in the parish. (Hear, hear.)
But there were more important considerations than these to speak of. Never since the world began had there a greater commission been given to man than to " go and preach the Gospel," but that commission was not intended to apply only to the work of the clergy within the walls of the particular church building to which each might be attached. Important as this work was, he the chairman often thought that a very essential part of a clergyman's duties lay outside his church, in the streets and in the houses of the people ; for if the Church would fulfil its proper mission, then it must concern itself with the material life of the people as well as with their spiritual welfare. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Alston had recognized this, and without detracting in the least degree from the dignity of his sacred office, he had known how to descend to the level of those amongst whom he had worked, to concern himself in their interests, to enter into their joys and their sorrows, to meet them on the ground of a common humanity, and so to teach them that great truth which must underlie all effort for the amelioration of mankind, that was the universal brotherhood of man, without which it was impossible to teach that other and cognate truth, the universal fatherhood of God. (Applause.) It might be said in a word that Mr. Alston in his ministrations in that parish had lived his sermons and had preached his life. (Hear, hear.)
They all knew the splendid work which Mr Alston had done amongst the young men of the parish, a work which was almost a revelation to them, that close relationship with and interest in the individual soul. At a critical time in the life of a young man, when he was just leaving the restraints of home life, and going out into the world to work for his living, where temptation and allurements would assail him on every side, Mr. Alston had, as it were, met him on the threshold of his new life, and by wise counsel and careful and thoughtful teaching had sought to arm him against those temptations. and to hold up for his aim a high ideal of life, as well as to lead his footsteps by that "strait gate" and "narrow way" which so few by their own unaided efforts find, but which the warm interest, the wise teaching, and the cheering encouragement of a good man might enable so many to gain. (Applause.)
It was this interest which Mr. Alston had taken in the young men that had made his influence over them so personal and so strong. He had sometimes spoken to him (the Chairman) of discouragement in his work, and had not been satisfied with the progress he was making. but he (Mr. Sharpe) had had to remind him of the need of patience, pointing out to him that he was breaking up new and uncultivated ground, and that he could not hope to reap a harvest in a day. He had no doubt there would be a harvest, and that many of these young men who had identified themselves with Mr. Alston's class in their onward course through life would have occasion to remember with heartfelt gratitude
those two years of close companionship with him.
They must believe that the wholesome and nourishing bread which Mr. Alston had cast " upon the waters " of the lives of these young men would be seen, although it might be after many days, and let them hope that many, nay, all of those for whose good he had so anxiously laboured, he would meet again, in that deep dawn beyond the tomb, and that looking back from there (over the eternal landscape of the past, they might all, teacher and taught, rejoice together. (Applause.)
Addressing Mr. Alston, the Chairman said he had now, in the name of his many friends and also in his own name, to ask him to accept the watch and chain together with the address as a token of their esteem. They knew that he would not value the gift for its mere intrinsic worth, but would value it as the evidence of a desire on their part to convey to him in visible form a memento of the time during which he had ministered in the parish, and to remind him of his friends in Crewe. (Applause.)
They asked him to accept also their earnest and best wishes for his prosperity and happiness. In bidding him farewell they felt a touch of sadness which was inseparable from that word, but they knew that it had also in it something of a benediction. and their earnest prayer was that Mr. Alston might be blessed in the work of the sacred calling to which he had devoted his life, that he might be permitted to turn many to righteousness, and at the close of a long and successful career, having finished his course, he might be able to say in the words of his Divine Master : "of them which Thou gavest me I have lost none" (Applause.)
Mr. SHARPE then handed the address, together with the watch and chain, to Mr. Alston amid hearty applause.
The watch, a beautiful one, is a fine example of horologist's art, three-quarter plate, keyless movement, English 18 carat gold, with demi-hunter cases, fitted with a compensation balance, and fully jewelled (Burmah rubies), with a monogram on the back A.A. Both the watch and the chain were supplied by Mr. Fox, jeweller, of Market-street.
On the watch was inscribed "Presented to the Rev. A. Alston, by his Vicar and friends in Crewe, as a mark of their appreciation of his earnest work amongst them" The address, which was in album form, was read by Mr. W. Thompson. who had acted as secretary on the Presentation Committee. and was as follows "To the Rev. Alfred Alston, M.A. Reverend and Dear Sir, We the undersigned, on behalf of your friends in Crewe, beg your acceptance of this address, together with a watch and chain, as a token of esteem and appreciation of your earnest and successful work in the parish of Christ Church particularly your patient self-denying efforts for the benefit of the young men amongst whom you have so thoughfully and perseveringly laboured during the last two years. Your cheerful
and friendly manner, and ever ready and generous help where most required will long be remembered. and we most sincerely regret your removal from our midst. You carry with you our prayerful wishes that you will be long spared in health and happiness to continue the good work you have so thoroughly and zealously commenced"
The address bore the signature of the members of thee commitee and also the whole of the subscribers.
The Rev. A. ALSTON, who was received with marked enthusiasm, said in the first place he wished to say what a real pleasure it was to him to come amongst them again that night, and see the familiar faces he loved so much. He did not know how to thank them for their beautiful present, nor could he tell them how much he appreciated their great kindness towards him. It was so difficult to thank people sufficiently for their many acts of kindness, and he
feared that he was not grateful as he ought to be. He thought perhaps that in those two words "thank you" there was more than in all the adjectives he could hunt up in the dictionarv. and so he said with all his heart. "Thank you" (Applause.)
He could assure them that he needed nothing to remind him of the kindness and consideration which they at all times displayed towards him, during the two years that he had laboured amongst them. He should never forget his many friends in Crewe. nor the happy time he had spent amongst them. There had been real svmpathynbetween them and himself, and they had shared their sufferings and their joys together. (Hear, hear.)
He remembered that just before he left Crewe someone wrote to him and said that he did not think he would love any other people so much as those amongst whom he had laboured first, and he could assure them that he would always think of the people of Crewe as his first love. (Hear, hear.)
He would never love other lads as much as he loved the lads
he prepared for confirmation while at Crewe, or those who identified themselves with his Bible Class. He desired to take that opportunity of expressing his deep thanks to his many friends for the generous help they had afforded in making the Parish Institute an accomplished fact, and he rejoiced to think that they were able to open the institute on the first day of the new year. (Applause.)
If it had not been for the kindly assistance and the hearty response
accorded to that scheme by the parishioners, it would not have been possible to provide the institute at all ; and he was delighted to hear that the work associated with it was being attended with complete success. People used to say that because he was going away they did not believe the institute would succeed, but its success so far had been all that could be desired and he was satisfied that it was going to be a still greater success. (Applause.) They all knew how much he thought about the men of Crewe, and how he longed that they might have a right conception of
happiness, and he was convinced of this, that the Parish Institute would assist them to realize what true happiness really was, He believed that the institute would show to the men of Crewe what they had probablv not recognised before, that it was perfectly consistent with Christianity to have thorough English fun (Applause.)
He thought the reason why very often Christianity did not appeal to men was because they regarded it as a "wishy-washy" sort of
thing, and he believed that by the important step which had been taken in the parish, resulting, as it had done, in the provision of a suitable meeting place for men, they had done something which would assist to remove such an erroneous idea, and teach them to realize that to be a Christian was to be manly. (Applause.)
As Carlyle had said, the finest man in all the world was he who developed both the natural and the spiritual parts of his life. In
conclusion, the rev. gentleman again expressed his sincere thanks to the parishioners for their most handsome and useful present, remarking that he would always value it very highly, and would ever hold in grateful remembrance the kindness of his many friends in Crewe. (Loud applause.)
Mr. WILLIAMSON heartily supported the observations of the Chairman, and paid a high tribute to the work of Mr. Alston amongst the young people of the parish.
An interesting programme was then gone through. and the various items were richly enjoyed. Mr. R. Mansfield gave a very pleasing rendering of the song "The Red Cross" and he also sang "Soldiers of the Queen" and "The Absent-minded Beggar" His appeals to the audience to "pay, pay, pay" were not in vain, for during the progress of the song Mr. Mansfield had to encounter quite a shower of coins, which were intended for the Local Reservists Fund,the amount realized being about 10s.
Mr. J. Platt acquitted himself with much success in the humourous song, "Is there anything else you'd like" and he responded to a hearty encore by singing "The Sheeny Man" He also had an enthusiastic recall for his capital rendering of "The Philosopher" A recitation "The Lost Goloeshoe" was given in a praiseworthy manner by Miss Speakman, whose efforts were thoroughly appreciated, and others contributed to the success of the entertainment, Mr. Stanley Worrall discharged the duties of accompanist very efficiently.
On the motion of the Rev. A. J. WARD, seconded by Mr. J.WARTON a cordial vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Sharpe for presiding, and a very pleasant gathering was brought to a close by the singing of the National Anthem.
The Committee who had charge of the arrangements for the presentation were :-Mr. Sharpe (chairman), the Vicar (the Rev. G. J, Howson), the Rev. A. J. Ward, Mr. W. Thompson (honorary secretary), Miss Hill, Mrs. Adamson, Mrs. Hawkins, Mrs. Mann, Mrs. Nothard, Miss Fox, Miss Jones, and Mrs. Holland.
Alstoniana Pg 396.

  Other Records

1. Census: England, 3 Apr 1881, Crescent Wood Rd Clairville Camberwell LND. Alfred is recorded as a son aged 9 scholar born Sydenham KEN

2. Census: England, 5 Apr 1891, Wandsworth LND. Alfred is described as a brother unmarried aged 19 an undergraduate born Sydenham KEN