Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-06-14 00:00:00

that day we res

callings, and all other worldly ernployments, and
dedicate it to the immediate worship of GOD, whose
—and that although

service is perfect free

" the charge of Judai

upon those

that use this

term in a Christian sense, may appear too severe ;

yet, upon many accounts, it is expedient not to
distinguish this day of the Christian warship by the
name of the Sabbath, that term being properly
applied only to the day of Jewish worship." Now,
if this be so,—if the character of our Lord's Day be
such—be, in fact, as we believe some of our own
great divines have styled it, the Christian's weekly

commemorative festival,—it certainly would not seem

to preclude the taking of sober, rational recreation
by those who have no other opportunity of enjoying
"rest from the works of their ordinary callings,,
being fully occupied all other dal;

" from early

morn to dewy eve," in wearying toil and care.
Not that the religious character of the day is, on
any account, to be overlooked. It is the only day in
the week, to the great bulk of the people, when
there is leisure for any special attention to their
religious concerns, as well as to those of their
physical and mental condition. There are sacred
duties for that day, which Christians lie under a
solemn obligation to attend to. But if the calm
and quiet enjoyment of that recreation which the

toiling masses so urgently need once a week, is not
incompatible with those duties, then, assuredly,
ought so large a majority of the community, and
one whose industry so . eminently earns for them
the right to such an enjoyment, to be debarred of no

fair opportunity of obtaining it on the only day in
the week when it is in their power to do so.

"Absence of occupation is not rest."

To cease from labour is not always to recruit
exhausted nature, --'not with rational creatures, at
any rate, whatever it may be with our beasts of
burthen. They need more than that, who are
engaged all the week in wearying labour, whether
of body or mind. They need to recreate;—that is,
to refresh after their week's toil, to be relieved after
their six days' weariness. At the same time, the
recreation, the very relief they seek, must
be in keeping, as much as possible, with the sober
sanctity of the day; and, especially, ought it to be
so taken, as not to interfere with the careful and

conscientious performance of its religious require-

ments.
The question has just been brought before the
Government again, by an application for the opening

of the South Kensington Museum on Sundays. -A
deputation to the Lord President of the Council,
headed by Sir. JOSHUA WALMSLEY, and comprising
a number of working men, as well as several scientific

personages, has presented a 'memorial from the
working classes, setting forth, in a strong light,
their reasons for seeking access to that Museum, on
Sunday afternoons. In the first place they maintain

that it was established principally to promote the

education of the people ; and it is open on week day
evenings for that purpose—a boon which, ' they
acknowledge, iis highly appreciated. But then
" large numb ors of f:c industrial population resident
in the manufacturing districts of the metropolis, are
precluded from availing themselves even of the
evening exhibition, owing to the great distance of
the Museum from their places of business or resi-
- and, on that account, they say, " for this
numerous section of the metropolitan workmen the
Sunday opening would be of the greatest advantage."
But here, we humbly think, they rather overshoot

dente,"

—Lord Palmerston the more conservative, and Lord John
Russell the more popular section—and that LordiGraaville,
who possessed the confidence• ()tooth statesmen, might: have'

greater facilities for inviting the whole Liberal party under one
administration, than, could be cnj oyed by either of the sectional
leaders. Lord Palmerston consented to act under•the premier-