The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-06-05 00:00:00

THE LORD'S-DAY OBSERVANCE
SOCIETY.

In London, on Tuesday, the forty-ninth annual
meeting of the above society was held in St. James's
Hall Restaurant, Regent-street, when a large party
of ladies and gentlemen interested in the question,
under the presidency of the Earl of Shaftesbury, took
breakfast together. At the public meeting after-
wards it appeared from the report read by the Rev.
J. Gretton, the secretary, that the committee re-
gretted that the Duke of Westminster and Sir Coutts
Lindsay opened places under their control to the
public on Sundays; but rejoiced to think that they
had prevented the opening of the Guildhall Library
on that day. It was also regretted that Mr. Cross
had remitted the penalty of £2OO obtained against the
Brighton Aquarium. The committee were still labour-
ing to get rid of Sunday postal work, to modify
omnibus and tramway locomotion and to put down
Sunday trading. The receipts Of the society had
been £1,271 13s. 4d.
Sir Charles Reed, M.P., said as a Nonconformist he
was glad to be there to co-operate with clergymen of
the Established Church in favour of Sunday obser-
vance. He rejoiced to think that the descendants of
the Puritans were as staunch to the matter as their
fathers. It was their duty to guard the sanctity of
the Sabbath, especially for the working man. They
were not the aggressors—they stood on the defensive;
but he would be no party to the revival of public
penalties to punish a man for not keeping the Sabbath
day. He contended that it was necessary, on social,
moral, and religious grounds, that the sanctity of
the Sabbath should be maintained. In this respect,
he had been much disappointed by the recent
vote in the House of Lords. In the House
of Cominons he regretted to see so much of the secular
element among M.P.'s, who would agree perhaps that
Sunday might be kept as a Bank Holiday; but in the
pulpits of the descendants of the Puritans, and in the
Sunday-schools, the true doctrine of the Sabbath was
religiously believed in. In America they were hand
in hand with us, and he believed there was a growing
feeling in favour of Sabbath observance in France.
Sir Charles ended by moving, "That the report be
adopted, that the committee be appointed, and that
this meeting records its firm belief of the Divine
authority and perpetual obligation of the Sabbath law
of the fourth commandment, and gives thanks to God
for all success which has attended the society during
the past year."

The resolution was unanimously carried.
The Rev. Mr. Stevens having moved a vote of
thanks to the Earl of Shaftesbury, the noble earl
in reply, said that the question was one of increas-
ing difficulty, in consequence of the increased worship
of the intellect, and that rendered it more im-
portant that they should resist the opening of
museums and picture-galleries on the Sunday. He felt
certain that if they did open museums on a Sunday
it would lead to the workmen having to do seven
days' work for six days' wages. He regretted that
the Secretary of State had sanctioned the principle
that aquariums might be opened on Sunday, and
ended by appealing to the audience to get hold of the
children of this country and train them up to Sabbath
observance.