The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-11-30 00:00:00

The tnost reckless enthusiasm would very soon
cool down under such a trial of its powers of
endurance. The volunteer force will always
demand a considerable concession of time and
attention from all classes of the community; and
there can be no doubt that the question of the
day will very speedily become one as to whether
the end to be achieved is worthy of the sacrifice ;
whether the circumstances of the country are
such as imperatively to require it; and whether
the arrangements of business men and their em-
ployes are such as- to enable them to afford it.
Wo venture to say that, Unless the Early Closing
and,§lAprday half-holiday movements are very
much more extensively carried out than has yet
been effected, the answer to this momentous ques-
tion will be fatal to the permanent success of the
volunteers.

rAe ;Early dosing and Saturday Half-holiday
rrioVethents, however`, are worthy of support on •
their own ;merits; apart altogether from the
volunteers. The difficulty may be reduced• to
two points, namely,- whether.or not such a reduc-
tion of the hours of labour,is an advantage and a
duty, and whether volunteer drill and practice
are desirable modes ..i)f dispOslng of those addi-
.
tional hours of relaxation. To begin with the
latter; we find two antagonists in the held : the
publicans and their caterers,—and' a Certain class
of educationalists who fancy that the volunteer
" mania," as they. call it, has proved prejudicial
to, .their favourite vocation. Few people will
. sympathise, with .the lamentations of the .proprie-.
tars of IoW amusements and •a certain class of
iiblic-houses. As regards the other class of oppo-
-nents, we should be sorry to think that they are
other Wise thdn laboUring Under a misapprehension.
Can it be, if the volunteer movement is upon the
whole 'a good thing, and calculated to empty the
haunts of pleasurable vice, that it has a seriously
injurious effect upon institutions truly designed
'for the welfare of the people? We do not believe
it. In the end, any little disturbance to the
success of evening meetings for instruction must
be satisfactorily adjusted. That which is good
in itself cannot be' perriianently at variance with
other good objects and institlition4. The more
serious difficiilty is not as to the propriety of this
mode of employing leisure hours, but
.as to the
advantage of so far reducing the hours of labour
to permit of it. Now, on this vital point, it will
be conceded that " all work 'and no play makes
-Jack a bad and a dull boy." To work men up to
Abe very verge of their capacity and endurance
is denionstrably unjust and unprofitable. The
converse of the proposition is equally true up to a
certain point, for in proportion to the relaxation
that any class of workmen properly enjoy, will
be their ability for efficient and profitable service:
This truth at ont time seemed to have been lost
sight of. Of late, thanks to the Early Closing
Association, it has been brought frequently and
prominently before the public mind, and met
with no small share of recognition. How often
must it be reiterated in the ears of unbelievers
before they will be persuaded to put it to the
test of
experience ? We are thus forced to the
conclusion that the Volunteer Movement and the
Early Closing and Saturday Half-holiday Move-
ments are not less essential to each other's success
than they are severally conducive to .the real
welfare of the people and the highest interests
of the nation.