The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-10 00:00:00

conferring an equivalent advantage, an opinion which, not-
withstanding some complaints, has, on the whole, been jus-
tiLd by the result. Such a measure, as your Lordship will
remember, was at that time under consideration, and hal
long been regarded as a desideratum, viz., the transmission
of the forward' letters through London oa the Sunday,
with a view to their delivery en the Monday morning, a
measure which I felt confident might be effected, not only
without any addition to Sunday labour, but even, when taken
in all its bearings, with a great reduction thereof. Even in
the London office, on which alone the labour of such transmis-
sion would fall, I saw reason to believe that in the event the
total amount ot Sunday labour, so far from being increased,
would be actually diminished by the improvement. I need
not remind your Lordship how fully this anticipation has
been confirmed by experience. With these views I pre-
pared, under yourlordship's instructions, the minute of the
3d of February, 1849, submitting the combined measures,
of closing the provincial offices throughout England and
Wales on the Sunday, as a general rule, from ten o'clock
to five; of restricting their Sunday deliveries in all
cases to' one, and, on the other hand, of providing for
the transmission on the Sunday of the forward' let-
tees through London, s' as to be delivered on the Monday."
There was an epitome of the whole report in an able article
in the last number of the Quarterly Review, to which he
requested the attention of the House- Tee Honourable
Member then read the following extract:—" On the 7th
of January, 1849, the money order Sunday business was
finally suspended throughout England and Wales, thus
suddenly relieving 450 provincial poet-offices; on the Ist of
April, 1849, the Auspmsion of the money .order Sunday
business was extended to Ireland and Scotland, thus re-'
lieving 234 additional offices; on the 28th of Octobee, 184 P,
the provincial post-offices throughout England and Wales
were not only as a general rule-closed on Sunday from ten
o'clock to five, but their deliveries on that day were restricted
to one. By these measures 508 provincial post-offices were
closed for about three additional hours. In 191 post towns,
233 deliveries were discontinued, and 3CB letter-carriers re•
lieved of one hour and a half each of Sunday duty. On the
29th of December, 1549, in the suburbs of London, beyond
the three-mile circle, the early Sundae, delivery was trans-
ferred to a very late delivery on Saturday night, by which
191 persons were entirely relieved from Sunday duty; on the
13th of January, 1850,in the provincial post-offices through-
out England and Wales, further extensive relief was given-
1, by the discontinuance of a large number of Sunday
mails; 2, by the disuse of money pre-payments for all
inland letters, by which restrictions 576 provincial post-
offices and about 4,000 dependent offices were closed on
an average for four additional hours." The effect of the
several measures adopted by the Post-office had been to
relieve every Sunday upwards of 6,000 persons, on an
average, for five hours and a half each.—( Hear, hear,)
Those general reductions were in the act of being made
when the Noble Lord the Member for. Bath introduced his
meesure to the House, and when.the House, forgetting all
that had been done and was being done, stopped the entire
postal service of the country on Sundays, in the expectation
that Sunday labour would be slopped at the same time. He
(Mr. Locke) was strongly of opinion there was no reduction
of Sunday labour. There might be the shifting of labour
from one class of employes to another, but there was no re-
duction in the amount of labour necessary for carrying on the
required communication of the country. (Hear.) It was
true that letters and newspapers must remain in the Post-
office until Monday morning, but arrangements were made
for the employment of persons to deliver newspapers totally
distinct from the Post-office. The railway companies had set
the example of carrying newspapers to every station of the
line, and had them delivered on Sunday. In the great towns
of Liverpool and Manchester, and in ether towns, there was
a distinct class of persons organized to deliver newspapers.
(Hear, hear.) In a letter from Mr. Heywood it was stated
that he was ready to establish boys, like the Post-, flies, for
the delivery of letters. In a letter from Williner and Smith,
of Liverpool, they stated that they would deliver newspapers
by their own messengers on the Sunday morning.— (Hear.)
He also begged to refer to another communication
from a correspondent in the Times, who stated that be and
his father for thirty years had been booksellers and news-
paper agents, and that they never had sold any newspapers
on the Sunday. The newspapers were sent to the sub-
scribers, and they visited them for the cash ; but now they
had to employ several messengers to go about the town and
perform what had been done by four postmen. Then there
were placards posted on the walls stating that newspapers
would be delivered; tmd'there was scarcely a beershop in the
town that was not taking in Sunday newspapers under the
new regime.—(Hear, hear.) Could any one doubt that by
the division of labour it was necessary to employ a larger
amount of persons than were employed when the business
was conducted through one channel? But that was not all.
Those facilities were open only to the rich.—(Hear, hear.)
The poor man could not get a special messenger or send par-
cels by the railway train.— (Hear, hear.) He begged to read
an extract from the letter of a surgeon, who stated that he
came from the country to attend a funeral which was to
have taken place on Monday, but on his arrival be found a
letter had been cent to him, stating that the funeral was
postponed to Tuesday. The consequence was, that during
his absence one of his patients died. He (Mr. Locke) also
called attention to a letter from the superintendent ot a
'unatic institution, stating the difficulties that would arise in
communicating with the relatives ot patients under the new
system. He likewise read a letter from a medical gentleman
referring to the hardship which that system would cause to
the poor in cases of sickness, and a letter from Dr. Laycock,
of York, to the same effect.—(Hear, hear.) A letter posted
on Saturday afteruoon would not be delivered until the Mon-
day morning following, though the destination was only a
few miles, and that delay would be felt throughout the whole
country.— (Hear, hear.) The morning mails would be only
available to the extent of 200 miles, and the detention of the
delivery beyond that extent must cause serious inconve-
nience. A vessel sailing from tire Thames callel at certain
places on the court, at Dover, Plymouth, and other places, to
receive dispatches, and that vessel might sail on a Sunday,
or a vessel from Hull might sail on Sunday, and in such
cases Urn passengers often availed themselves of the Sunday
night's mail to communicate with their friends, but that ad-
vantage was now taken from them, and it should not be•
taken away on light grounds.—( Hear, heir.) hut is the
Noble Lord to limit the application of this measure to the
Post-office ? Why not comprehend other public depart-
tnents and private establishments? Why were doines.tic ser-
vants to be deprived of that rest which was essential for the
Post-office?—(Hear, hear.) Because, if they asserted
that principle in its entirety, the whole country would
see the extent of the mischief, and that it would, in fact,
overturn the whole framework of staiety.— (Hear' hear.)
How, he asked, were they to rest on the Sabbath, and what
was the rest they were to enjoy? Was it relaxation, or fa-
mily intercourse, or innocent recreation ?—( Hear, hear.) It
was the preparing a the mind for great religious and moral
impressions —purifying the heart by the contemplation of
God's works, and resting from labour—stirring up in the
mind the precepts of Christian charity and duty, on which a
man may meditate during hours of toil—that was the rest of
christianized and humanized men, and constituted that so. t
of society that made families happy, communities contented,
and nap ions free and prosperous. In conclusion he begged
to move the resolution.
Mr. ROEBUCK seconded the resolution. and did so be•
cause he had not had an opportunity of expressing any opi-
nion with respect to the resolution that had been passed by
the House. He took it that those persons who had aided in
passing that resolution had been actuated by one of two
opinions. One opinion was, that the matter was a religious
matter; the other wes, that it was one of mere policy and
convenience. When they came to discuss the matter those
opinions crossed one another, and, as the disputants might
happen to be affected, each opinion was employed in refe-
rence to this subject. He would take the liberty to separate
theta, and bring them, as far as he could, clearly and defi-
nitely before the. House, and would ask the House upon
which of the two, or upon both, they were determined to
rest their decision.—(Hear.) Directly and broadly he
would assert, that as a religious question the House of Com-
mons had no right to deal with it. He had been told by
those who claimed for themselves the right to express an
opinion to the House that their opinion was that the House
had no right to thrust down the throats of laymen a religious
opinion.—(Hear.) Who would come forward to vindicate
that right? Was it the Dissenters of this country? Were
they, of all other men, to do so, who instructed their repre-
sentatives to come to that House and say there should be no
State Church, and who asserted also that there should be
perfect freedom of religious opinion?— (Hear. ) How could
these very men sign petitions insisting that it was the duty
of the House to enforce what they called the observance of
the Sabbath?— (Hear, hear.) Now he (Mr. Roebuck) de-
nied totally.that the Sabbatn was known to the Christian
religion.—(Hear, hear.) He spoke it seriously and
gravely.—(Hear, hear.) He was not speaking there fcr the
purpose of exciting any opinion but that of conscientious and
deep concern for the interests of the country, and he asserted
that so far as Great Britain was concerned, Cris was not a
question within the competence of the House of Commons,
for it was not the Jewis:l Sabbath they were endeavouring
to enforce, it was the. Christian Sunday—a thing very dif-
ferent from the Jewish Sabbath—(Hear, hear)—and none
of the canons against the breach of the Jewish Sabbath
could be properly directed against any act performed on the
Christian Sunday.- (Hear, hear.) If he wanted an autho-
rity, he could go back to the great fathers of the Protestant
Church, beginning with Luther and going on to Calvin and
other authorities of that Church; and every one of them
said that the Christian Sunday was what the Church called
a feast day—it was not marked by ascetic observances,
it had nothing to do with the Biblical Sabbath, it was a day
of rest, a day set apart for human obsrevances and for hu-
man purposes, and upon human grounds Inc was to justify
his proof of . that assertion.—(Hear, hear.) He did not pre-
tend to argue with any other man respecting his religion—
with that he had nothing to do; it was a question for him
and the great Author of his being, he had no desire to inter-
fere with them, and would that the same humility would
persuade other men to abstain from forcing their opinions
upon others. - (Hear, hear.) The second matter was the
political observance of the state; and he came to it with a
full knowledge of the great benefits which mankind derived
from a day of rest. Every marl wino worked with anything
like seriousness or consecutivness with head or hand no st be
grateful to an institution that gives him peace one day in the
seven. No man could more fully understand the value of
such a day than one who belonged to his profession; and if
what that tlf)art meant. Let it not be him.— (Hear, hear.)
an bservance was established that gave him relaxation on
the seventh day, he was most humble and grateful for
sbuuctil letmeansthem understand bdeienrgstanpdruei:
run away with by a word or a name, and let them ask what
they wished to consider as rest.—( Hear, hear.) Rest to the
body and to the mind to the largest number of the commu-
nity to whom it can be afforeed.— (Hear, hear.) How could
it be afforded to the largest number? There were certain
works of absolute necessity, that could not be got rid of;
but necessity was a narrow word.—( Hear, hear.) Then
came:that which mankind might consider trot altogether a
matter of need or necessity, but of habits become almost
such. - (Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord talked of the work
of postmen on Sunday—that he would discuss presently.--
(Hear, hear.) Where was the difference between the post.
man's work and the labour of the servant, who in the
morning laid with parade their Sunday's breakfast table,
and 'who prepared the coach to go to church, and
brought it back again fur that humble servant of the
Lord who had ridden to church to pray ? (Hear, bear.)
How many of them who had signed the petitions had
confined themselves to the necessities of the Sabbath?—
( Hear, hear.) IVlrat were the necessities of the Sabbath ? A
healthy man required a crust of bread and a glass of water
for his-food for twelve hours. Was there any man who con-
fined himself to that? (Hear, bear.) There is an lion.
Gentleman opposite who is at the bead of a large brewing
in . Sac nmaaai efe?r—o
I(
necessity
ihre‘apr. )It Iun.1;,(1.
twueraeittihey workers
concern, and he wanted to know from trim if they malted oa
a
siting required
eight days, and that if, •
saidg tsl or
;
v as necessary to give the communii y
good beer, therefore
M eux and Co. malt on a Sunday.—
(Laughter.) And fu ther than that, he wanted to know
how many public-houses
(Oh, ob.) Had he -es men open in which beer was sold.
works of necessit, not a right to illustrate an argument upon
allusions.)— Ife jr [An Hoer. Blamnsa—Not by personal
Mem-
bers of teat House— .o,t.know that Meux and Co. were Metn-
vain hypocrisy, not,
ofaugh)— but Inc knew there was much
world; and that that whicerrse, in that House, but in the
was called necessity, when we
spoke of things which touched' ourselves, beeeme much more
imaertant when it affected
work of necessity ? The poor man
interests. But what was a
in the week. His education was
worked bard for six days
a
in that Reuse, The mere writing not like that of gentlemen
of a letter for a working