The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-09-05 00:00:00

l'ltE SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

THE Saturday half-holiday is a necessity of the
age, and promises to become rapidly and univer-
sally established as an institution of the country.
" All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
Recreation is absolutely necessary in order to
preserve the equilibrium of "mots sana in corpore
steno." "Merry old England " has been apt to
forget het mirth in the absorbing pursuit of com-
merce and wealth. The blinding :passion for
gold had almost extinguished our healthy love of
manly sports arid eiercises) and all but superin-
duced a feelitig of something like contempt for
everything that seemed physical enjoyments.
Fortunately a happy " Change has come o'er the
spirit of our dream," and within the last twelve
Months we have imbibed a strong passion for a
species of out-door exercise, which bears the
scrutiny of the severest judgment, arid has sup-
plied a motive for Urging on, against all obstacles,
the glorious half-holiday movement. Alen of all
classes are beginning to see and feel more clearly
than ever they did that to toil every available
hour of the day, and that for every day of the
week, in a routine of unremitting drudgery of
any kind, is neither more nor less than a degra-
dation of mental and physical nature, and a waste
of the vital and wealth-making resources of the
people. Employers and employed alike become
more and more convinced that to overwork or be
overwrought is in the end uo profit to any one;
but on the contrary, that it is fraught with loss,
.misery, and ruin, to the community' as Well as to
the individual. Viewed apart altogether from
the requirements of the grand Volunteer orga-
nisation, the Saturday half-holiday movement
cannot but recommend itself to every intelligent
and profound thinker, not merely as desirable,
not merely as involving no real loss to employers
or employed, not merely as fraught with benefit
to health, but as a movement positively necessary
to secure these lasting and substantial benefits to
the population, to maintain our national resources,
and our grandeur and influence as an European
potter.

London has set an example which Liverpool
must soon follow. It has been to the disgrace of
Liverpool that her toiling denizens, amid so much
wealth, have been long subjected to unduly pro-
tracted hours of labour, and without any holi-
days throughout the whole year, save only
Christmas and Good Friday, and even these, in
too many instances tve could nante, only partially.
Even busy Manchester has, in this respect, been
far before Liverpool. In truth, we do not believe
there is any other town in the kingdom where the
vast body of the population are subject to so
much slavery—voluntary slavery if you will.
Some progress, however, has been recently made
in the right direction, and we trust the day is not
far distant when we shall be able to rejoice in the
permanent and unanimous establishment of at
least a Saturday half-holiday. There is really
no insurmountable obstacle in the way of obtain-
ing that desideratum, beyond the difficulty of
persuading narrow-minded people .of what
constitutes their true interests, and the tedi-
ousness of the process required to induce mulish-
headed people to change a habit, especially
if it be, as in this case, a very bad one.
It ought to stimulate the Saturday half-holi-
day cause here and in all other large
towns which have not yet adopted it, to
find that the system has been fairly inau-
gurated in the metropolis. Let the Liverpool
people strike another blow at the exclusive and
uncharitable process which has hitherto refused
to extend this boon to the thousands of young
men and women employed in our shops and
warehouses. Too much. work and too little play,
we repeat, is not profitable. Now is the time to
adopt an improvement in this respect. •In truth,
it cannot be much longer delayed, and, the
sooner the concession is made, it will be so much
the better for all concerned.
What better use could our young men make of

such a half-holiday than that to which happily they
would now be most certain to apply it, namely,
in support of the Volunteer movement ? We
!night plead for the half-holiday for the sake of
the Volunteers' cause alone. 'We might justly
argue that it is necessary to permit of the ‘'fall
development of that patriotic effort. But we
take up another, and, if possible, higher ground;
and 'we say that Volunteering is necessary to
make the half-holiday as profitable as it
ought to be. Viewing the duties of a
Volunteer merely as a process of physical

exercise and training; as a means of draw-
ing men forth to breathe the fresh air, and prac-
tice a manly bearing, and as a method of bringing
together all classes of society in one. common
combination,—we pronounce it to be . the best
possible manner of securing that healthy recrea-
tion and relaxation which is the great object of

the half-holiday movement. Thus would we
meet and silence those who see no political neces-
sity for a Volunteer force. As a moral and
social organisation, it confers benefits which
demand that our youth should be set free Ito
enjoy it. To those who have seen the good
effected already among the existing Volunteers
we need say little to urge this argument.
TO those who doubt, we sasr, enquire of any
who have had the best means of judging
from actual. experience. Above, all,, do, not
listen to those mere theoriSts who will, -tell
you of what- they think ought to have been the
effect of the drill and parade. Did space permit
us we might specify innumerable instances where

the most tAdrked iftiprovement has been wrought
in the social habits of the men enrolled iri our
Aolutitcer radks. We kilo* of do inStaliee of an
'4pOsite chaiitetel
to all thOie 7ho have already joined the
Volunteers, or yielded them pecuniary and moral
support, we say lend your rnOst s ..entious aid in
prornotink the agitation for a Saturday half-
holiday for our shop and warehouse-keepers in
every branch of trade. Nothing could more
effectually secure the further p.ugmentation
of the Volunteer movement, or tend to
place it any way higher in the permanent
feelings and affections of the people of
Eughtnii It the VQhttiteo ljtoyymedt should
confer do other benefit upon this country than
that of having secured this great blessing to the
masses, it 'will have earned a rig- lit to the kratefel
acknowiediMen6 Ph4ar.4;.rlist and
patrio.t. fainisiers of religion would effectually
serve the interests they have most at heart, by
extending to this half-holiday movement their
most cordial support; because it could not fail
to advance the becoming observance of the
Sunday, and the suitable performance of the
duties appropriate to that day. Let all classes
unite to give a helping hand to the agitation,
and ere long the barrier of prejudice Will give
way, the htboitrio;classes r ill. itiVaiie. to a new
sense of life, and society at large will reap the
benefits which wait upon a healthy and happy,
as well as loyal and patriotic people.