The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-12-11 00:00:00

LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL AND
THE SUNDAY SOCIETY.

Mr. Mark H. Judge, honorary secretary of the
Sunday Society, addressed a communication on Nov.
24, to Lord Randolph Churchill, requesting him as
Chancellor of the Exchequer, to receive a deputation
respecting the claims of the trustees of the British
Museum and National Gallery to be provided it ith
funds necessary to enable them to open their respec-
tive institution-, on Sunday afternoons. To this re-
quest the following reply was sent to Mr. Judge:
Treasury Chambers, Whitehall, S.W.
November 25, 1886.

Sir,—Lord Randolph Churchill desires me to
acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your letter
of yesterday's date, together with the enclosures, and,
in reply, to say that until Parliament has definitely
pronounced in favour of opening museums on Sundays,
he thinks no good object would be gained by his re-
ceiving a deputation from your society.—l am, Sir,
yours faitbf ally, FRANK D. THOMAS.
This veply was considered by the committee, and
on Dc:.". 1, Mr. Judge wrote again to Lord Randolph
Churchill, this second letter being in the following
terms :

My Lord,—l have the honour to acknowledge the
receipt of your reply to the communication I ad-
dressed to your lordship on behalf of the committee
of the Sunday Society on the 24th ultimo. The reply
was considered by the committee yesterday at a special
meeting, presided over by Professer W. H. Corfield,
M.D., when the following resolution was unanimously
agreed to :—" That the committee thank Lord Ran-
dolph Churchill for his reply to their communication
asking him to receive a deputation from the Sunday
Society, and that a further letter be addressed to his
lordship, pointing out—(1) That it is in accordance with
precedent for the Government to take the initiative in
such a matter as including in the estimates the cost
of opening museums on Sundays, where the authorities
responsible for their management have expressed a
desire to open them on that day. (2) That this course
has been followed for upwards of thirty years,
during which period the national museums
and galleries at Kew, Hampton-court, Green-
wich, and Dublin have been successively opened
on Sundays, and that it is only two years since
provision was made in the estimates for the Sunday
opening of the Science and Art Museum in Dublin.
(3) That the House of Commons has without excep-
tion supported the Government of the day on each
occasion when this has been done, and continues to
do so year by year. (4) That, therefore, the House of
Commons must be considered to have already de-
finitely pronounced in favour of opening museums on
Sundays. (5) That the committee, therefore, consider
that the large section of the community represented
by the Sunday Society may fairly claim to be heard
by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject of
the desire expressed by the trustees of the British
Museum to be provided with the funds necessary to
enable them to open that institution on Sundays,
unless the Government has already decided to include
the requisite sum in the estimates to be submitted to
the House of Commons next session."
I trust that the reasons set forth in the resolution
will induce your lordship to fix an early day for re-
ceiving the proposed deputation.—l am, your lord-
ship's faithful servant,
MARK H. JUDGE, Hon. Sec.
To this second application the Cbancellor.of the
Exchequer has sent the following reply:
Treasury Chambers, Whitehall, S.W.
Dec. 3, 1886.
Sir,—l am desired by Lord Randolph Churchill to
acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Ist
inst., in which you furnish him with a copy of a reso-
lution agreed to by the committee of the Sunday
Society. In reply his lordship wishes me to say that
he has read your letter with interest, but that he
oinnot concur in the conclusions at which the com-
mittee arrive. He must therefore adhere to the reply
which was communicated to you on the 25th ult.—l
am, sir, yours faithfully, FRANK D. THOMAS,
Mark H. Judge, Esq.