New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-12-18
THE SUNDAY LEAGUE IN ENGLAND.

London has brought forth another new thng
into the political world. Not content with orisl-
mating the Administrative Reform Association, the
metropolis has Tow inaugursted Sunday League,
having for its object the opering on Sunday alter
noon of the sydenbam Crystal Palace, and OF MI
seums, Picture Galleries, and Botanical Gardens
tn, oupLout the United Kingdom This Lesgue is
the legitimate Offspring of the demonstrations
made in HI de Park last Summer against restrict
i've Sunday legislation, when the watchword OF
.he metropolitan masses was-uot On outcry for
universal suffrage or any other political change
but-the unique sent ment, We won't be driven
into church" The petitions to Parliament
which the League has issued for general u'e are
given in another column, and set forth the rea-
sons on which the demand is grounded. These
petitions are a remarkable and characteristic
expression Of the ideas now current among the
English working class. We have before had Occa
SIGN to advert to the latitudnaran tendencies
with which the popular English mind is now COM
pletely saturated, and to ihOw how much more
advanced it is in this respect than that Of Scotland
or ireland What ia novel in the present move
ment is the rare spectacle Of the Metropolis taking
port of the provincial seats OF Industry" Slug
pisb, impenetrable London, which the Yorkshire
radical has scolded, the Glasgow radical scOrned
and the Dublin radical cursed, Refms suddenly to
have taken start and manifested at lsst some
signs of activity in the popular cause.
This same Sunday question has agitated English
society Of late in more ways than one. In Septem-
Natl al liam IN da la
borer, was imprisoned by some local magistrates
for reapDg bic little patch of corn on the seventh
day. The conviction took place under statute
of Charles II forbidding a man from following
bis " Ordinary occupation" on the Sabbath. The
people and the London press took up the cause Of
the man Williams, and the Home Secretary wrote
to the magistrates sienifying bis disaPproval Of
their course, AID RENTING the mans punish
ment or the ground iha! as his ordinary occupa-
ton" was that of laborer-for-hire, engaged in
reapipg smother mans corn, he was not pursuing
his " ordinary occupation on the Sabbath in reap
irg his own corn. This was strict construction
with vengeance
Nor i. this lax respect for the Sabbath confined
to the politicians and the peope-it is openly pa
rsSed BY the "best" and travelled classes Of En-
elsh society. Along with the French alliance,
insular England seems to have put on continental
ideas of sabbath.keepipg. During the fine season
of this year two select military bands have been
detailed to perform operate and marshal music in
Remington Gardens on Sunday afternoons, for the
spiritual OBLIGATION and entertainment OF crowds
of the upper and middle ranks OF West End So
ciety. This Remington Gardens band has naturally
bfen great oense in the ears Of the more strictly
religious classes throughout England. And now
TO cap it oil, the City of London has elected Jew
for Lord Mayor, and people have laughed to see
Mr.. salomons, in obedience to old customs attend
divine service at st. Pauls
II was during the long Wing rule that succeeded
the Revolution Of 1858 that latitudnaran opinions
made such vast progress in England; it was during
the time when the Church party were In opposi'
ton that shsftesbury, Tindsl, Collins, Chubb,
Rolinobroke, and host of other such writer's,
found readers and disciples. England has entered
upon period analogous to this since 1887 anditn
during the administration OF Wings like Lords Mel
bourne and Palmerston at time when the Church
marty il again in violent opposition that, By one oil
those MYSTERIOUS laws Of mind the operations Of
which we perceive but cannot fully account TOR,
beterodox ideas are again seen to grow apace and
epioy an interval of high prosperity.
In the mean tine, the Tory Bishops whifper in
subdued tones 10 each other about the snfuness
of an iufidel war; but the English publ' does
not hear them, still less heed them. The Church
party rejoice that no One Of the many very old
Bishops has dropped off as yet during the Pamers-
ton regime and refer this happy result to direct
interposition of Providence on behalf OF the
Churchs honor; but the general public think that
Lord Paluer.ton appointing Bishop would be
almost as amusing conjuncturs as the Hebrew
Lord Mayor attending service in Christian Ca
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