The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-30 00:00:00

TriE SUN, LONDON, TIIIIRSDAY EVENING,:, JUNE 30, 1853.

crouch around hint had each a lump of snow in their
open mouths, and each clutched a snow-ball in their
enormous paws. llcre, at this early hour, only " the
sentry paced his lonely rounds," but before long all the
young life of Stockholm was awake and abroad, and
rolling and plunging in the snowy place. Never before
did I imagine there could be such lifo in Stockholm,
for in public—that is to say even in the streets—the
children are so very quiet, and the boys seem to be their
fathers in miniature. But now they were boys, the
snow had given them life, and I need only look at Carl
Tretons Jorg to learn that Swedish spirits rise as the
thermometer falls. All sorts of people were walking
over it with double briskness, tracing countless paths
over its depths ; the boys, and even the dogs, lay down
and rolled in it, Scarce shaking it from them as they rose.
I stood and laughed-at the antics of both animals, who
seemed alike to welcome it as an old dear friend."

FANATICISM IN SCOTLAND.

MIL F. MACKENZIE'S PUBLIGHOUSES BILL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—You must have noticed that a countryman of
mine, Mr. Forbes Mackenzie, late M.P. for Liverpool,
introduced a bill into the House of Commons, rendering
the union of the trade of a grocer and spirit-dealer ille-
gal, and among other amiable provisions of the measure,
one was meant to close all public-houses throughout
Scotland during the whole of the Sabbath. In respect
to the first of the mala proltibita set down, the hon.
gentleman argued that people learnt to drink in grocers'
shops. They don't learn to drink at elections. 0 dear,
no !—for there is nobody to provide the liquor. Pa-
triotism may, on such occasions, go with a thirsty throat,
and virtue, as in other cases, be its own reward! Mr.
Mackenzie is now turned out of Parliament—but his
bill has been read a second time ; and as " hosts of heroes
rise when one doth bleed Il" and as in others of con-
genial mind, the " departed spirits of the mighty dead"
may be held to have a new residence—some one may be
found to push forward the orphan measure now deprived
of its natural parent. Will you allo wme through your
esteemed columns, to repeat a portion of a letter which
I addressed to an eminent statesman, regarding the part
of the bill of Mr. F. Mackenzie, rendering it imperative to
close public-houses throughout the whole of the Sabbath.
" The provision is partial, harsh, and will be futile in
result. _ _ _ _

" Inns and hotels will be left open, where the wealthy
may obtain the finest of liquors or wines ; it is the poor
man whom the provision will affect. If made law
it does no stop a certain amount of Sabbath trading.
It does not universally stop the Sunday sale of intoxi•
cants. The provision is partial therefore, irritating, and
unjust.

In large towns a considerable number of persons (as
happens in the case of Edinburgh) come in from the
country to attend divine service. They will, in the
event of the bill becoming law, be prevented from ob-
taining the most moderate refreshment betwixt the two
stated services of their places of worship. Some may
say the parties so situated might go to the coffee-shop.
There would in that event be traffic created, and the
preparation of the refreshment would have occupied time
not necessary in the other case, Many persons, too,
from habit or infirmity, require some stimuli. At any
rate, sir, you, I believe, would refuse to assign to the
law the province of deciding what sort of beverage a man
should drink on the Sabbath. But in order the more forcibly
to impress on your mind the harshness, or rather tyranny,
(what despot would attempt as much ?) of closing all places
of entertainment (rather all houses of entertainment where
the poor may be accommodated) throughout all the
Sabbath, let us suggest examples of results likely to
follow. A person is taken ill with dysentery, British
cholera, Asiatic cholera, or fainting fits ; the family have
no spirits in the house as a medicine, and none can be
obtained—the publican not daring to afford any. Again,
I shall suppose the working man, on a Sabbath evening,
goes out into the country a mile or two along with his
wife, perhaps a feeble, sickly woman ; a necessity is felt
for half an hour's rest, and a glass of beer or spirits and
water. But any place of entertainment is peremptorily
closed, and neither rest nor refreshment can be obtained.
I trust, sir, I need not say to you, that such a priva-
tion, so far from denoting the ascendancy of Christian
principles, would demonstrate the evil reign of a bitter
and vicious fanaticism. * * I feel and know that
such measures as that under notice will damage, not ad-
vance, the interests of morality. I have to contemplate
the closed public-house—but to find the club and hotel
open—the rich supplied to inebriation with liquors,
where the man chooses to be intemperate, and the poor
man's glass of spirits or pint of beer interdicted. The
partiality of such an arrangement is one of its worst
features. Incidentally here I may observe—though
probably you do not require the information—that at
what is regarded the palmiest season of Scot-
land's virtue, the shutting up of public-houses
on the Sabbath would have been resisted. Had the
rule obtained, where would the multitudes flocking to
country sacraments have obtained refreshments after
many hours' exposure in the open air, in the fields, or on
the hill-side

" To diminish drunkenness is, I am to suppose, the aim
of those who are the abettors of Mr. Forbes Mackenzie

in his present attempt at restrictive legislation, espe-
cially the unseemly and detestable Sabbath drunkenness
too often exhibited in our streets. But, sir, the in-
nocent are not to be punished for the bad conduct of the
wicked ; and if legislation is to be made to apply in
such a case, why not shut up all places of enter;,ainment
whatever—inns, hotels, &c. The way to cure drunken-
ness is by indoctrinating the people with our holy re-
ligion—by educating the people—by providing them
with rational amusements—by their having cheerful,
healthy homes. But to confine myself to the special mat-
ttr under notice, I beg to state that some knowledge of
human nature, and considerable experience of city life,
embolden me to predict that, if the bill at present be-
fore the House of commons be passed into law, the evil
deprecated will be largely increased. Some short time
back the Justices here shortened the hours during which
it was allowed to keep open public-houses on the Sab-
bath, and the consequence was the opening of abomin-
able doggeries or unlicensed dens, exempt from police
control, where spirts were freely sold to all who came
to purchase. If I recollect aright, a very large number
of these houses were in operation. And it may well be
inferred that, in too many cases, the liquor sold would
be bad—conducing to disease and precipitating intoxica-
tion.
* * * lam anxious for the moral well-being of
my fellow-citizens, but am persuaded that legislation
can do little to subserve this grand object. Laws such
as that to which I have referred are inimical to morality,
and exasperate the citizen against the Government of
his country. They occasion hypocrisy and teach de-
ceit, rendering frauds against the revenue a trade to the
reckless and depraved. A humble student of the In-
spired Volume, I have yet to learn that they derive
countenance from the ethics of Christianity. I believe
I can appreciate the way in which you will construe
petitions and other influences brought to bear upon the
Legislature in this case ; but you can have no idea of
the moral coercion which exists in Scotland. I am
ashamed, as a Scotsman, to think of it, and will not
enter further into the matter at present. I only say
that it would be worthy of you, sir, to give your power-
ful opposition to the Public-houses Bill. * * I may
just add here that there are some who support the bill
of, Mr. Mackenzie, who, if in their power, would pro-
hibit their neighbours from enjoying the air of heaven
on the Christian jubilee, and who would assume in such
matters a power POPERY never dared to put forth in its
most proud days of domination."
So far I use the freedom of giving an extract from a
letter addressed as already stated. Fanaticism, I may
further explain, is quite rampant among us ; while I
have doubts as to our increase in vital godliness and
Christian charity. The press and the more reflecting
and liberal-minded of the people feel the baneful influ-
ence of this sullen and hateful power. Some, too, of its
ministers are themselves subservient to a master they
obey only in form. The chairman of the principal rail•
way line shut up in Scotland all the Lord's-day, does not
hesitate to avow that this restriction or the opposite free-
dom is to him matter of entire indifference. Fanaticism
has as its insignia the fetters, the gag, and thumbkins of
coercion ; and it can brazen it out in its own cause.
The clerical declaimer against any accommodation to the
public per rail on the sacred day will himself hire a car-
riage for his own accommodation, and apply the "flat-
tering unction to his soul" that his case is different from
that of other men. The amusements of life, unless slavishly
moulded to the taste of those arrogant purists, are decried
and run down. In a provincial town of some pretensions,
recently, the directors of a Mechanics' Institute refused
to allow readings from Shakspere in their school. While
drunkenness and licentiousness are so prevalent, the
red-hot vengeance of our public instructors is directed
against the theatre, however well conducted ; and if in
their power, as already stated, some of the fraternity
would not allow the poor man to breathe the air of
heaven on the Sabbath. Happily, East Princes-street
Gardens here are open during certain hours on the
Lord's-day, and afford a pleasant and cheerful walk to
worthy persons, who strictly attend to the duties of reli-
gion, but have not yet learnt that it is sinful to recreate
themselves amidst the flowers and shrubberies of a garden
on the Sabbath ; nor, perhaps, have arrived at the
conclusion that, higher and better things regarded, a
country walk is a sin against the Author of their
being and their faith. Just to illustrate to you the sab-
batarian conscience, I may instance the conduct of your
local justices towards those who sell spirits during even
the hours allowed by law on the Sabbath, as explained
by a g:-ea:: authority in the civic estate. No publican is
punished for the act per se. How kind and considerate !
But if the obnoxious individual is found guilty of a fault
otherwise, he is deprived of his licence. In other words,
a citizen is punished for doing what the law expressly
says he may do. The same this, substantially, as if the
proprietors of a newspaper, allowed to publish a supple-
ment, were not troubled on that account ; but if found
guilty of some violation of police law, had their establish-
ment shut up—the efficient cause of the severity consist-
ing in their being chargeable with an act strictly legal in
itself. But I will not trouble you fui iber with such
miserable details ; but gladly, while in escape from my
unhappy themes, subscribe myself—Your obedient ser-
vant, JUSTITIA.
Edinburgh, June 24, 1853.

LADY MARION.—The new work of fiction entitled
"Lady Marion," is creating great Interest in fashion-
able society. It is the production of Mrs. W. Foster,
the niece of the late Duke of Wellington.
RUSSIA AND TURKEY.—The following is the motion
which Mr. Layard has placed on the notice paper of
the House of Commons for the Bth of July :—To call
the attention of the house to the menacing attitude of
Russia towards Turkey, a power of which the indepen-
dence and stability have been repeatedly declared by her
Majesty and her royal predecessors, in addressing Par-
liament, to be objects of their especial solicitude.