The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-19 00:00:00

THE DAY -OF HUMILIATION.

(From the Examiner.)
We certainly are a people much given to the observ-
ance of precedents. We lose an army, and precedent
censoles us ; it always happens in the first campaign.
Why does it always happen? we are strongly disposed
to ask ; but we are told there is no precedent for such
an inquiry. We nominate unproved men to important
employments, we retain proved inefficient men in high
offices, and ample precedent justifies the proceeding.
And now, according to precedent, we are to pray and
fast on Wednesday next.
We are informed, indeed, that this 21st of March is
not to be a fast-day. We have abandoned that Popish
superstition—by no means let us fast. Well, to those
who are in easy circumstances this may be a gra-
cious dispensation. Our statesmen who have bungled,
and who now bid us all humble ourselves to depre-
cate the consequences of their bungling—they cer-
tainly will not fast. The 21st of March will be to
them as other days, excepting only that it will be a holi-
day. No office, no committee, no House of Commons ;
only attendance at church in the morning to hear Mr.
Melville, and, that Popish superstitions may not be
countenanced in high places, dinner as usual iu the
evening. But there are some in this country upon
whom that law is enforced which says—" He that will
not work, neither shall he eat." There are some to
whom daily labour is daily bread, and to whom a corn-
, mend to be idle is, indeed, a command to fast. This
seems hard. - If Ministers, or even if a member of Par-
liament, were to be mulcted a day's pay, the inconve-
nience would not be great—the injustice poz-baps ban
less. But these sheep—what have they done ? Their
part was to pay taxes, and they have paid them ; was
to send forth soldiers, and they have sent them. Their
work, one would say, has not been done ill or
grudgingly. A severe winter has combined with the
war to increase suffering ; an unusually long frost has
combined with a dull trade to diminish employment,
and so multiply hardship ; and what religion is that
which, when all this has been so patiently and bravely
borne, steps in and says—" Humble yourselves ; give
up another day's work, another day's shopkeeping,
another day's wages, another day's profits ; for this will
be pleasing in the sight of Heaven, this will prove
that the nation is lowly and penitent, this will perhaps
avert some misfortune, perhaps win some favour for us
—eves the taking of Sebastopol ?"
What religion, we repeat, is this that presses thus
hardly a on the poor, while it makes dull the conscience
of thedl rich ? A day of humiliation I Surely we are
already sorely humbled. What summons will stir in us
such depths of shame as the letters from the Crimea ?
The lines at Sebastopol—the harbour of Balaklava—the
graves of Scutari—a military system tried and found
wanting, a military reputation jeopardized in the sight of
Europe, a national prestige departing from us—if the
thought of these things do not humble us, would a whole
month of fast-days avail to do it ? A year ago we fasted
and prayed by precedent ; we went to church ; wd
heard sermons ; but we came away, and we went en as
usual writing, and reading, and talking of the glorious
anny, our unequalled fleets, and the magnificent spec-
tacle which we presented to the nations. Alas it the
Privy Council Day of Humiliationetuldt
i:anted notw to keep us
from boasting then, who will say
ti
ut:Lko us humble now ?
A Day of Prayer—itis a solemn phrase, not to be
sp.iken of irreverently ; but of all thins reverence is
most opp"sed to cant. We have starved an army—
therefore let us fast ; we have found our vaunted eye-
tem worthless—therefore let us humble ourselves ; we
have taken all measures to insure di,aster, and disaster
has attended our efforts—the refuse let us pray ! But it
is net teverence to be cowardly, amid it is not piety to
lie superstitious. Laboretre eat orare. The gods help
those who help themselves ; but never did the gods lend
a pitying ear to those who in the hour of peril, when the
ship was drifting towards breakers, left the ropes and
betook themselves to easy prayers. Our Puritan ances-
tors fought with sword in ono hand and Bible in the
other ; but the Bible was not iu the wrong hand. The
Great Apostle did not desire the sailors of a disabled
ship to fast, but to eat ; nor was it till those resources
of precaution had been taken which eventually saved
the vessel that he deemed it seemly or pious to call upon
the ship's company to pray.