, 1865-01-27

a or day labourers, and are almost as
vigorously confined as prisoners, grew
pathetic over the loss of one of their two
fixed holidays, besieged the papers with
letters, scoWled at employers TO whom it
did not matter, and even petitioned the
Treasury. OF course they got their
wish, though there are a good many diff
t|icuIties in the way Banks, for example,
must open for a few minutes on any day
not closed by law, people in business
have a right to present bills which have
arrived at maturity, and generally legal
Obligations cannot be shifted from 0ne day
to another. Then there are crotchetty
employers, and avaricjous employers, and
employers with a grudge against holidays
rs "uuSeltIjng folks mlnds,' and the
sight Of one shop open IN a street makes
all other shopkeepers who have closed
restless and unhappy. A days delay of
business in a ely ike London, too, real
~ costs money, the additional shipping
expenses, for example, being expressed
by thousands Of pounds, and altogether
the employees did not feel quite certain Of
the concession. The world, however,
when not Initiated is fairly good-naturcd,
the general feeling is that Christmas has
no business TO fall on a Sunday, that it is
a kind Of oppression on 'i. part Of the
Astronomical authorities, The Government
offices and great employers have given
way, and we doubt not on Monday Lon
don will look as dreary, and empty and
tired of It's OWn existence as On a gala
day it usually does. The class agSr.eved
by the aImanack, however, still feels that
it will obtain its holiday as Of favour, and
a movement is spoken Of to induce Co.
vernmcnt to bring in a Bill next Session
authorizing the Queen in Council to de-
cree a legal holiday GA any day in the
year.
We are not quite certain that this pro-
position, reasonable as il looks, is alto
gether wise in its simplicity. 1t is Of
course d little anomalous, not to say
absurd, that when PEOPLE are unanimous
in wishing for a holiday there should be
no power in England authorized TO de
clare one, that a few captious, or i'll
tempered, or o~ver-greedy persons should
be permitted to interfere with the rea-
sonah!e enjoyment Of an entire people,
but the remedy proposed might prove to
be an excessive one. Sensible men do
not want to see England, which ahstains
from Iabour on Sunday, re-introduce The
holidays so frequent among the CONT
mental nations, which treat that day as il
haIf-holriay OILY. It IS very difficult
Indeed to recall Il holiday oace couced d.
for nothing, as W. AVE seen tiis year,
produces more resistance ami irritation,
The classes affected make engagements,
contract habits, and spend money on the
security Of enjoying d particular day of
leisure, and cannot endure to have it
interrupted for what always seems to
them some wholly inadequate reason.
Every new day therefore added to the
red-letter list has a tendency to become
permanent, while as the years roll on
new occasions for anniversaries are pref
ty certain to be discovered. We shall
have one, for instance, the moment the
law is passed, to keep alive the memory
of the Prince Consort, and probably for
the next victory which happens to in
tegest the people, besides d Equalization
of the irregular holidays Easter Monday,
Whit Manday, and for London the Der
by Day, We may very soon, say in one
c~I 4,r,ol,oo ooIJIoJ Nth