The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-05-12 00:00:00

OPENING OF MUSEUMS ON SUNDAY.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, May 8, the Earl of Dunraven rose
to call the attention of the House to the question of the
°Dening of museums and galleries on Sunday, and to
tr'e—" That, seeing the success which has attended
4, e action of her Majesty's Government in open-
t'g on Sundays the national museums and galleries
Vthe suburban districts of London and in the city of
Oblin, and whereas this Howse was last Session in-
;urnied by her Majesty's Gove.rnment tbat no opposition
*() Sunday opening, so far as it had already gone, had
s'°ll3e before them this House is of opinion that the time has
ved for extending the policy of Sunday opening to all
„"418, etuns and galleries supported by national funds." The
"*°ole lord commenced by stating that he excepted the
!nlendment of which Lord Stanley of Alderley had given
.tice its object being to provide that those institutions
should not be opened before the hour of two o'clock on
andaya. That amendment would merely remedy an
°l'llaight in the drawing of the Bill, but he could
;lot accept Lord Shaftesbury's proposal for open-
the. museums and galleries on certain week-day
reoings as a substitute for his own. He asserted that the
feeling of the working classes in the metropolis was in
„1470ur of what he proposed, and he quoted resolutions
...wagged at a meeting of working men's delegates to show
"'al it was so. His lordship, in continuing, said the
11,ezt point he wished to mention was whether the
°rlcing men would avail themselves of this privi-
.!ge or not. He was aware it was often claimed
that they oared nothing about it, and that where institu-
"ls were opened they did not go to visit them. That
,Tegation was not, however, at all borne mit by all the
_ stbnony of competent olaservers in the places where
~,Innsetuna and art galleries were open. On 11 Sundays of
year 82,000 people visited the gallery of the Royal
siltation at Manchester; the Birmingham Art Gallery
aka visited by 29,000 people on the Sundays of one year ;
"14° Botanic Gardens at Dublin were visited by 156,000
fo'ople in one year; and those at Kew by over 411,000
teoDle. He could multiply facts of that kind, but he thought
had sufficiently shown that there was a strong desire
Sunday opening should be extended to the Metro-
thatt, it wits found where the privilege was accorded
at the working classes had most greedily availed them
!elves of it, and that their being opened had caused no
teandal, nor even occasion of complaint. In other words,
i.`„o. had shown that wherever the experiment had been
led it had proved successful. The opposition to the pro-
L'olal was, he thought, founded on well-meant, but false
Pions. In concluding his speech, the noble earl said ;
tilliere was one other point to which he would refer, and
e2!t Was the question of extra labour. That would be in-
esimally small. As a matter of fact we had long since
Zre to the conclusion that a certain amount of labour was
p„ ()viable on Sundays, if it led to good results. It Perna-
;eat were to pass a Bill to suppress newspapers which
ipeared on Monday morning, they would put an end to
,s4eh More Sunday labour than would be incurred by the
r4:elling of museums. There was nothing he would more
CeplY regret than to see Sunday labour largely increased
al to see the reverence for the Sunday abated or lessened one
i"'"tn ; and he believed that we ran a risk of seeing it
Is_laened it the alteration he suggested was not made. The
e7niter was in the Sabbath ceasing to be useful to us or a
Vat benefit to the people. It was the most intelligent
B,,,sand women who felt the disadvantage of the present
SEucLaY• He greatly regretted also that anything like a
;)1c akould be given to religious feeling, but he did not
I:„ueve that any such shock would be given by opening the
th!aelllng on Sunday. He should be very sorry to think
zat the religions sentiments of this country rested on such
,s'erY flimsy foundation. He merely asked their lordships, in
E,clusion, to believe that the extra labour required would
I 4;1 nfiniteaimal, and he asked whether it was just to the tax.
that that they should be practically debarred from having
Deide;linYment or use out of the buildings for which they
(bear, hear); and whether it was fair that the work.
'Den of London should labour under a great disadvan-
fr. as compared with those in our other great cities.
Motion asked for nothing but justice to the work.
Ifet+Chuises ; it was a boon greatly desired by many intent-
oth" men and women, not only among them, but among
2oner classes of the community. He did not want to
e;tee any one against his onscience. but only liberty for
one to do as he pleased. There was no danger of their
Sunday as a day of rest, but he would ask whether it
inl•blight, kind, or considerate to lay insuperable obstacles
tat,"`e Way of their fellow-countrymen who were anxious to
at e themselves and who could not do so until those ob-
-oiaCl,os were removed. They only desired to do that with-
coetanning anyone, and by so doing he thought they would
" an undoubted benefit on all classes. (Hear, hear.)
luee noble earl concluded with the motion Which stood in
name.
Powerscourt seconded the motion.
Earl of Shaftesbury quoted statistics to show that in
1875 blgham intoxication on Sundays had increased since
lh ',when the galleries were opened there. He referred to
the -crir_oadhurat's success in defeating a similar motion in
lantens° of Commons last year and to petitions pre-
-6 by that hon. gentleman this session to show
the the feeling of the working classes was against
WolaroPosal. He argued that what was asked for
laoitave the effect of greatly increasing Sunday
Pegii; and that the inducements afforded to people to con-
mato" n large numbers on Sundays for amusements led to
ot thy.cation, and he contended that the mass of the people
„,acluded" country were opposed to Lord Dunraven's proposal.
`m tby a certain proportion of our working eeoPle h
g t be agnostics and a still largerproportion might
*-noerent to religion' ,but there was another and a not
ketilsoldte them
body of 'them who were deeply religious,
rest
ra "erg 13qg fowl churches in chches and chapels, while a
e d anY Were noeftiundlii either. Those wen men under.
freele.enest religious convictions; and, regarding the matter
the L: r 4,3, highest point of view, they held the sanctity of
anYtbin' 8 Day to be so great that they would submit to
re..„E rather than that it should be depreciated. It was
r,!44lollkable fact that there should be such a concensus of
h. anion
—Nsextrae g working men that the opening of the
and t, on Sunday would lead to great social mischief,
dVeb
_a,at the Lord's Day must and should be respected as a
fe4,),_ rest for all classes of the people. Were not those
the-reit' to be regarded? And did they not show that
mut the hearts of the people that love for social