The Maryport Advertiser March 10, 1882 The Attempt to Shoot the Queen

The Attempt to Shoot the Queen

The Maryport Advertiser - March 10, 1882

THE ATTEMPT TO SHOOT THE QUEEN.    On Sunday morning last, at the close of his sermon,  in St. Mary's Church, the Rev. W. P. SCHAFFTER, the vicar said:    "Since writing this sermon the awful news has  reached us that a daring and diabolical attempt was made on Thursday last, by  the hand of an assassin, to deprive us of our noble, gracious and good Queen  Victoria. Whatever were the circumstances  of the wretched man, whatever  were the political motives (if any) which led him to raise his arm to fire at  the Queen, the fact - humiliating fact to us as a nation - remains that a  wretch, a miscreant exists in our country who has dared to violate his  allegiance to our Queen by murderous intentions.    I have no hesitation in assuming that every one of  us in this town, from the youngest child to the oldest person, share in the  public indignation that has been expressed not only throughout the whole of  England, but also throughout the whole of the world. Every Sunday, and many of  us during the week, thank God in our public and private prayers for our gracious  Queen, and beseech Him that it may please Him to be her defender and keeper,  giving her the victory over all of her enemies.    Last Sunday our prayers thus ascended for her, and  a merciful prayer-hearing God has graciously heard and answered our petition,  and diverted the course of the assassin's bullet which designedly, I have no  doubt, was meant to pierce our Queen's heart - the heart of our Sovereign, who  loves her nation - the heart of a woman , who has always deeply sympathised with  any and every one who was in sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity -  the heart of a mother, which always throbs with fond motherly affection for her  children - the heart of a widow which still holds sacred, though more than  twenty years have elapsed, the memory of her departed husband, the late Prince  CONSORT - the heart of a true, noble, high-minded, pure Christian, whose whole  trust is in her God. Such a heart escaped the deadly missile that was aimed at  it.    Let us then Brethren, as belonging to that realm  over which our Queen rules, first unite in thanking God by singing the 400th  hymn (National Anthem), and then pray for her that she may be kept and continue  under God's merciful protection and care for ever and ever." The congregation  then sang the National Anthem.

 

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