The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-04-19 00:00:00

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knowledge of religion was useless—it is a sterile, a cold, and
barren thing, and totally destitute of moral worth, if
an interval be not allowed for exemplifying. They should
bear in mind the situation which this country bear at present
in relation to other countries—he did not exaggerate, when
he said of England, that on the state of religion in this
country depended the welfare of the world at large. Let
religion sink into a dry abstraction, let indifference pre-
vail, and not only the faith of the English church, but the
religious welfare of mankind would be at stake. On the
proper obervance of the Lord's day depended the ex-
istence not only of the Church of England, but of Christen-
dom at large, and with it the hopes of emancipating other
nations from the trammels of infidelity, bondage, and
idolatry would be likewise banished for ever. He then firmly
believed that as the observance of the Lord's day all their
hopes rested, and just as in proportion, as it was hallowed or
desecrated in England would his hopes rise, as to the preva-
lence of a depression of soundreligious feeling abroad. It was
for this reason he said they had not met them to hear a re-
port read, and the statements of their accounts given, but
they were called together for a much more important and
momentous purpose. He begged to remind them that the
plan in which their society was, possessed no ordinary in-
fluence. Liverpool exercised over the kingdom at large, an
influence somewhat corresponding to what England exerted
over other countries. She might therefore compare their
exertions here in the propagation of sound religious princi-
ples, to the effects produced by a stone thrown into water—
at firstit produces undulations, which are communicated to
the whole surface, all then become commingled, and finally,
the whole subsides into a calm and quiet smoothness. He
apologised foi having trespassed so long upon the attention
of the meeting, and concluded by calling upon the Secretary
to read the report.
The SECRETARY accordingly came forward,—but before
commencing to read the report, he begged to state, that he
had received a letter from the Bishop of Vermont, (who,
it was stated in the placards of the society, would be present
at this meeting) apologising for his absence, which was una-
voidable, as he was obliged to leave Liverpool on urgent
business, on Tuesday last. He thcn proceeded with the
report. After some preliminary remarks, on the subject of
Sabbath observance generally, in which was detailed the ob-
jects of the society, it went on to state the measures adopted
to carry those objects into effect. Placards, addresses,
tracts, and other useful publications were issued, enforcing
the necessity of the proper observance of the Lord's-day.
The conduct of two young men, who exert themselves, par-
ticularly in circulating those tracts, was mentioned in very
flattering terms, and their example was held forth as a model
for the imitation of others. The report also stated, that the
society had forwarded petitions to parliament, in favour of
Mr. Plumptre's motion, one of which was presented in the
House of Lords by Lord Skelmersdale, and the other in the
H. of Commons by Lord Sandon. Petitions and memorials
were also sent forward in favour of a suspension of business
in the post-offices of the kingdom to discohtinue the delivery
of letters, and to prevent the miming of the mail on the sab-
bath. In connection with this part of the question, the report
recommended to individuals who were favourable to the ob-
jects of the society to decline receiving or sending letters on
the Sabbath, and thus .theylwould avoid all participation in
the national guilt which they now incurred, while by their
own acts they sanctioned the proceedure. It next com-
mented upon the Sunday traffic on canals, which was the
cause of much crime and immorality, and stated that the com-
mittee had memorialised the directors of the Mersey and
Irwell Canal Company on this subject. A deputation
from the Society had waited upon them at their last meeting
at Warrington, but as yet no alteration had taken place.
Better results had been experienced from their appplication
to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company, who had passed
a unanimous resolution, securing to their flatmen the full
and uninterrupted enjoyment of the Sabbath. The report
also referred to the number of vessels, steam-packets, &c.,
that arrived in Liverpool on the Sabbath especially from Ire-
land. The committee memorialized the City of Dublin, the
Newry, the Waterford, the Dundalk, and the Belfast Com-
panies. Three of the companies (as we understood from the
hurried reading of the report) agreed to cease running their
boats on Sundays, and the Dublin Company, by whose boats
arriving on Sunday, the greatest annoyance was occasioned,
came to a resolution that, unless in a case of urgent neces-
sity, they would not allow their boats to leave the harbour.
The directors in Dublin allow none of their boats to leave
that port on the Sabbath. But the evil of the departure
from this port was not so great as that of the arrival
of the steam-packets. Vessels leaving Ireland on Sa-
turday arrived here on Sunday—on one occasion no less
than 17 arrived in one day, and the confusion that arose from
driving the flocks of cattle they were laden with through the
streets, separating them into lots, and obstructing the streets
with them, was very annoying to persons going to the various
houses of worship, and was most disgraceful to witness in a
Christian community on the Lord's day. The extent to
which this abuse is carried throw's great reflections on the
vigilance of the public authorities, and it arose in a great
measure from the circumstance that the Liverpool cattle-
market takes place on Monday, and, as the pasturage is
cheaper in Ireland than in the vicinity of Liverpool, drivers
detain their cattle in Ireland until as short a time as possible
before the market here. For the prevention of this system
of allowing vessels to arrive in this harbour on the Sabbath-
day, the report recommends that a higher rate of dues
should be levied on vessels entering the port on that day.
Another most painful pisition to behold' was, the constant
travelling by the railway on the Sabbath, whereby coaches,
canal-boats, &c. were brought into employment, for purposes
either of accommodation or competition. This was not the
only injury done. The custom of Sabbath violation hitherto
unknown in country villages was introduced, and crime and
immorality would inevitably follow, if the progress of the
system were not arrested by some legislative enactment, or
voluntary action of the Railway Companies. The committee
had already memorialized the directors of the principal rail-
ways, but with one exception, that of the Dalkeith Railway,
in Scotland, no good result was gained. The report referred
to the praise-worthy conduct of the hair-dressers and
barbers of Liverpool, 161 of whom had resolved to shut
their shops on the Sabbath, and in order to protect the
poorer portion of their brethren, had formed themselves
into an association for the purpose of laying informations
against any who should attempt to violate the law. This
conduct it was to be regreted, was not imitated by other
descriptions of shopkeepers. The coach proprietors, and
car drivers had acted in a manner deserving of the approba-
tion of the religious portion of the community—they spon-
taneously petitioned the Mayor and Town Council, not to
allow coaches and cabs to stand and ply for hire in the streets
on the Sabbath, and the report expressed a hope, that the
council would grant the prayer of the petition. It concluded
by giving a statement of the accounts, which is as follows :
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