The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-04-16 00:00:00

CLOSING OF PUBLIC HOUSES

One of the greatest improvements of modern days in the
metropolis is the regulation by which every tavern, gin palace,
beerhouse, or coffee-house, is compelled to close its doors
precisely at twelve o'clock on the Saturday night, and is not
allowed to re-open till one o'clock in the afternoon of Sun-
day. Instead of the orderly church-going inhabitants being
shocked continually in their way to their places of worship
with the sight of crowds of drunken men and women, just
turned out of the dens in which they have been drinking all
night perhaps or from an early hour in the morning, to
loiter about until the hour for re-opening, the sight of a
drunken person on a Sunday morning is now rare indeed.
The interval between the Saturday night's excess and one
o'clock on Sunday is sufficient to allow of the return of so-
briety. The poor man has time to collect his senses; and
the beneficial result is, that instead of the whole of his week's
earnings being squandered in one uninterrupted debauch, he
is compelled, even against his inclination, to be sober for at
least a portion of the Sabbath ; and in very many cases there
is no doubt that he spends the remaining portion in a manner
worthy of a rational and thinking being.
Perhaps it would be well if those liberal gentlemen in the
Town Council who a few years ago were so anxious to pro-
vide quoiting and skittle grounds, baths, and other similar
relaxations for the working classes, would turn their atten-
tion to the vast amount of real advantage to be conferred
upon those classes by the procuring of such a regulation with,
respect to the hours of closing these places of resort in Li-
verpool. It is a well-known fact that there are thousands
of our population to whom Sunday is a day appropriated
exclusively to drunkenness—who never arrive at a moment
of sobriety on that day. Thousands, it is well known, lie
down in their clothes on a Saturday night, in order to be
ready to reel to the ginshop or the beerhouse by daybreak.
The fields and the lanes in the outskirts of the town afford
ample evidence how the church-hours are passed ; and the
scenes of riot and disorder which disgrace our streets on the
Sunday evening, are sufficient to shew with what zest they
have returned, after these temporary rests in the process of
bestialization, to the enjoyment of their darling vice. With
such a regulation as that which is strictly enforced in the
metropolis, it is probable, nay certain, that much of this
crying evil would be avoided. The working man would be
enabled to sit down to a comfortable meal with the money
which he now spends in prolonging his Saturday night's re-
vel; and, perhaps, instead of returning to the spirit-vaults
after church-hours, he might be induced to xpen the day
soberly with his family, or even to attend a place of worship.
It may be urged that by such a regulation the interests o
the publicans would be injured. It may be said to savour of
Andrew Agnewism. Be it so. With respect to the publicans,
however, there is little doubt that the respectable portion of
that body in Liverpool, as in London, would gladly welcome
the regulation in question ; and as to the Andrew Agnewism,
let it he judged by its fruits, which would be an increase in
the comforts of the working man's home—in the decency of
his wife and his children—and an increase too in the stock of
public morality.
We throw out these hints in the hope that some member
of the Council, or some of our magistracy, will direct their
attention towards the subject. We have ourselves very
recently had an opportunity of witnessing the regulation in
its working, and can cordially recommend its adoption.