The Sun.
London, England, 1834-09-01 00:00:00

THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

The old Montidy is somewhat dull this month, at
least it is less vivacious than usual,—marvellously like
a sick joker, who, unable to forego his vocation, yet
utters his quips and cranks with a face of preterna-
tural longitude. Even the " Nights in the Galley,"
instead of being bright and sparkling, as we have so
often found them, have only here and there a pale star
faintly twinkling out from the September darkness.
We are perfectly aware of the hackneyed line, ali-
quando bonus dormitat Homerus ; but though Homer
might nod when it so pleased him, and no great harm
done either to his fame or his finances, we much doubt
whether the same license of napping can be granted
to the writer of a magazine. He is like a professed
wit, bound to say a certain quantity of good things, on
pain of forfeiting his character of joker-general, and
as Stephano said when he missed his bottle, " There
is not only disgrace and dishonour in that, but an
infinite loss."

The attempt of Sir Andrew Agnew and his compeers to
turn Sunday into a black Monday has called forth an ar-
ticle rather more historical than argumentative, and per-
haps in this case argument would have been useless, the
knight having a very saintly contempt for so carnal a
guide as reason. Were the fact otherwise, we might
be tempted to inquire by what right these fanatics pre-
sume to step between God and man, and dictate on
matters on which no one can safely assume to himself
to judge for another ? The Jew looks upon Saturday
as his Sabbath, but is he for that to bid labour cease
with those, who, adopting a different mode of calculation,
have made the Sunday holy ? If not, why should the
Christian pretend to exercise a more despotic sove-
reignty over the thoughts and conscience of his fellow
beings ? Again, the Catholic, in most countries,
having gone through his prescribed duties in the morn-
ing, deems it no sin to devote his evening to innocent
amusement ; he opens the ball-room, the theatre, the
museum, frankly and unreservedly to his brethren ;
and why not, if he feels that lie can do so without
any violation of his moral or religious duties ?
Is he for that the less sincere in his faith ? or
what is there in the creed or conduct of the
fierce and gloomy Calvinist, that he should presume to
lay down the form and manner of religious observance
for another ? With as much show of reason might
the Catholic turn round upon the Dissenter, and de-
mand that he should keep holy the fast-days of the
Roman calendar, and abstain from flesh through
Lent. But, " No," says the saintly corps ; "we in-
sist upon your doing as we do, or beware the stocks and
the treadmill. You shall scream Psalms till you are
hoarse, and eat cold pudding on a Sunday ; hot por-
ridge would scald your souls, and to roast a leg of mut-
ton would ensure your own being roasted, while to ex-
change kisses with a lass"—oh dear loh dear is
the shortest cut to perdition." It is mighty pleasant,
notwithstanding. By the by, if the very absurd Sir
Andrew should ever again venture to bring forward his
Sabbath Bill, we trust some one of our senatorial
sages will have the wit to get up and propose as an
amendment that no marriages shall be contracted on a ,