The Express.
London, England, 1866-12-01 00:00:00

ZAILY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.

This society society held its annual celebration last
wereias is ft. Jamie-ha, when a large audiesee had
eseetabled. The chair was taken by Kr. J. D. OeLa.

Q.C., ILP.
A statement was read by the BZCRITART (Mr. Henry
Walker) showing that since the last annual meeting the
agency of leeal committees of trade assistants had been
comployld for the abridgment of the late hours of Wainer
in the Borough, Pimlico, Edgware-road, Tottenham-wart-
y*, sad sere particularly in the east of London. Dis-
til.* meeting of the employers in the drapery and other
'odes had been held in Commercial-road, Whiteehapel,
Borough, and Pimlico, in most cases with the object of
:educing the hours from nine o'clock on ordinary
nights. Those meetings had resulted, with but
one exception, successfully. The movement for the
Saturday half-holiday during the past year had
been signal, both in manufacturing and retail trades.
In support of the movement a special committee had been
appointed, and various public measures adopted.
Through the influence of the Duchess of Sutherland, and
ether ladies, the services of a ladies' committee bad been
volunteered, and their 00-operetion bad resulted in pledges
boon many hundreds of ladies to conclude their shopping
before two on Saturdays. The movement had accelerated
the closing of the lesser houses of business on the Satur-
day night. In Islington most of the drapers now closed at
lye on Saturdays, instead of nine, and in :he Borough and
Pimlico la o'clock closing on Saturday had been adopted

by upholsterers and drapers.
The CHAIRMAN, who was loudly cheered when be
appeared upon the platform, said (after • few
preliminary remarks), that he, as • barrister, had
little hops of feeling the advantage of the early
@losing movement, unless indeed he was prepared willingly,
at because he could not help it, to " shut up shop."
(Laughter.) Besides sympathising with this movement
be envied it, because he perceived they were no longer to
be addressed as a struggling and unsuccessful association.
It was now fairly established in public favour; it had
gene on from year to year, steadily extending in power and
in the field of its operations ; and there was good hope of
a complete victory over those portions of the field that had
not as yet yielded to its efforts. The objects of the society
were perfectly moderate and reasonable, and would, there-
free, no doubt be attained. These objects were the abridg-
ment of the hours of labour in all departments of industrial
life where they were unduly prolonged ; the adoption of a Sa-
turday half-holiday:where practicable ; an early payment of
wages ; and the rescuing of shopkeepers and their assist-
ants from the drudgery of Sunday trading—than which
more reasonable objects could not be conceived. All rea-
sonable and religious men and women must desire that
those vast multitudes of their fellow-creatures immersed
in hard and unimproving labour should have some time
in every day, and some day in every week, for repose of
toady, refreshment of mind, the innocent enjoyments of
this life, and preparation for another world. If in a
-matter of this kind any class of society were unreasonable
or unoonsideted, it was the duty of every individual within
it to endeavour to rouse his class to right feelings, and to
me his influence, be it little or great, in favour of justice,
fairness, or righteous dealing towards all who were
employed in places of business. He could not
believe, however, that there was any strong necessity
to appeal to reasonable men and women in favour of the
Burly Closing Association. It was praised sometimes
because there would be en advantage to the volunteer
movement if a Saturday half-holiday, and spare hours in
the afternoons and evenings, could be devoted to the neces-
sary drill. This was an argument so far as it went ; an
excellent argument for those whose charms might attract,
but whose crinolines would certainly not be efficacious to
meal, invading Frenchmen ; an excellent argument for
those who belonged to the volunteer force, or supported it;
but it did not cover the whele ground. A Hear bear.) It
did not touch the case of women. However much we
might have yielded to the rights of women, we were yet
very much in this respect behind the darker and more
savage races of Africa. We had no women soldiers
like the King of Dahomey, and an army of Amazon
volunteers in this country would be not only strange but
unseemly to the public eye. (Laughter.) Moreover, with
regard to the other sex, this argument did not reach those
excellent young men who for good or bad reasons had not
yet carolled themselves in the volunteer force. (Cheers.)
Seriously speaking, men or women were not to be respected
or admired who, for their own convenience, and without
thought for others, refused to give up late shopping, and
would prolong with heartless indifference the weary hours
spent by many a poor girl in the depressing atmosphere of
• shop, and without even the comfort of a seat, while
wearily engaged in waiting upon the vexatious caprices of
someimperious and unreasonable customer. (Loud
cheers.) We might all fail in duty from ignorance or
carelessness, but the man who from deliberate unwilling-
MSS and selfiehneu increased the toils and hardships of
numbers of persons deserved nothing but dislike
and disapproval ; and the woman who so treated
her fellow women deserved herself never to know
the inestimable blessing of a devoted, tender, and mag-
1111DiMOUS heart. He had intended to say a few words
upon the question as affecting employers of labour, but
be was saved the trouble by a most interesting communi-
cation he had received from Messrs. Marshall and Seel-
grove. (Cheers.) The letter (which the chairman read)
showed that the result of their experience of the Saturday I
half-holiday was such that they were iletirminetl to close
their premises at two o'clock every Saturday throughout
the year. (Cheers.) No complaints had been made on
the point of public convenience, and the average of busi-
ness done had not in any way suffered. The writers of
the letter, while having reason to believe that the move-
ment was progressing favourably, regretted to add that
there was not that unanimity among principals of houses
generally that ought to exist—a fact much to be deplored
when it was oonsidered the class gave employment in
London alone to more than 84),000 hands. (Cheers.)
The most important question he (the chairman) would ask
was, " When you have got your leisure what will you do
with it r That was a question to which the young per-
sons alone could reply, and as they replied so must they
expect to have the sympathy of others. He earnestly
trusted they could answer that they were using their op-
portunities well, because it would be far better to be
ground down to the dust by endless and hopeless labour
than that the hours gained should be spent to injure the
body or degrade the soul. (Cheers.) Volunteering, of
course, was excellent for such as devoted themselves to
it ; also any manly and athletic sports which time and
reason allowed. Some years ago, before the misfortune
that led to the closing of St. Martin's-hall, he would have
urged men and women alike to follow the pursuit of
good music under the direction of Mr. Hullah—(hear.
bear) for am the enjoyment of fine music was
one of the most innocent and elevating of pleasures,
so the power to join in its execution was one of the most
pleasant and graceful of accoinplishnients. Clubs well ma-
naged, meetings, lectures, debating societies, good acting
of course, social gatherings, and quiet readings, all tended
to improvement and good. He besought them to remember
that our responsibilities did not end with our work, but
that for leisure as well as labour we must render an ac-
count. In proportion as this doctrine was acted upon
character would be strengthened, work improved, leisure
more enjoyed, things that now seemed good would soon
seem pleasant, and in the added faculties and enlarged
understandings that would result, there would be abun-
dant recompense for trouble taken to improve hours of
leisure according to principles of duty. As Wordsworth,
in his " Ode to Duty," said :
Flowers laugh before thee on their beds,
And fragrance In thy footsteps tread,:
Thou dust preserve the stars from wrong,
And the most ancient Heavens through theeare fresh andatrong.
(Loud cheers.)

Addresses in favour of the Saturday half-holiday were
then delivered by the Rev. Dr. MILLER and the Rev. NEW-
NAN HALL.
The Hon. Captain GRORTENOR, 31. P., in advocating the
claims of the society, said there never was a time in this
country in which labour in its various relations to capital
was more in need of earnest and temperate discussion, with
a view to its equitable adjustment, than the present.
Whatever claims la'our might advance, whether in the
direction of political power more extended, remuneration
more ample, or of hours less prolonged, it was absolutely
necessary they should be listened to without impatience,
and discussed without prejudice. (Cheera.l The Early
Closing Association had the great claims upon public
support of the rational nature of its demands, and the
moderation of its tune, and it pleaded for the recognition
of the fact that man was not mole a machine, and ought
not to be used as such. (Cheers.) The weekly half-holi-
day was the main end the society should keep in view,
although it might be open to consideration whether it
would be best for all houses to shut up their shops on the
same day, or whether the day now mentioned was the
best. (Cheers.)
Mr. T. HUGHES, M.P., spoke on his own experience of
the early closing movement, and congratulated the society
apon the beneficial change that had conic over the fashion-
able west-end dressmaking concerns. Tradesmen who
had followed the example of the Dressmaking Company,
established to close throughout the entire season at eight
o'clock, had spoken most highly of the improvement and
of its advantages. (Cheers.)
Other speeches were made.
During the evening a selection of glees was sung by •
choir of SOO voices (the singers being young persons em-
eoyed in London houses of business), conducted by Mr.
G. W. Martin.
The firms represented by gentlemen present were Sheol-
bred and Co.; -Marshal and Soelgrove; Howell, James, and
Co.; Jay and Co. ; Hitchcock, Williams, and Co.; Young-
man, Hayman, and Co. ; Harvey, Nichols, and Co. ; D.
M. Johnstone and Co. kc.
A hearty vote of thanks to the chairman and the choir
closed the interesting proceedings.

An old lady named!! Elizabeth Brett died at
Swabian as the 94th November, aged 96, She had lived
Isere the whets of her life. She was mother to 13 children,
grandmother to 49, great grandmother to 72, and great
teat irtnamotber to 1, making a total of 135.—liorfat