“We think the reader will admit that, upon the whole, the outcry by which such a measure as this was represented as a profane and godless scheme for abolishing the observance of the Sabbath, has no equal in history for prodigious and incredible absurdity. Even vaccination, we believe, was never described as a device for actually perpetuating small-pox, whereas the most judicious and effective step in a series of measures expressly designed to abridge Sunday labour has been thus, in the middle of the nineteenth century, represented, taken, and accepted as a deliberate stratagem for destroying the holiness of the Sabbath-day. That the spirit which facilitated the delusion was, in itself, honourable to the country, we freely admit, but that the common sense of Englishmen should be so strangely misled is a fact not very creditable to the national intelligence, or satisfactory to the national pride.”
Good effects also were soon manifest in another quarter of great importance:—
“April 30th.—Last night Mr. Hayter, in reply to a question from Mr. Fagan as to when the Sunday arrangements would be extended to Ireland, spoke of them as having given universal satisfaction; an expression which appears to have been well received in the House.”
In one quarter alone the former wrong was steadily persisted in:—
“May 9th.—The Lord’s Day Society has issued a manifesto in reply to our reports and minutes. It is more offensive and unprincipled than even their former publications.”
Meantime, as it was necessary, according to long-established practice, to allow some latitude in respect of the force to be summoned on the arrival of an extraordinary mail, I experienced no little difficulty in keeping this liberty within reasonable limits. Thus, though I found that one man was sufficient for dealing with four thousand ship letters, five men had been called in (on Sunday May 12th) to deal with seventeen hundred. I was consequently obliged to require from Mr. Bokenham a report advising a definite rule for preventing such excess; and this being obtained, matters thenceforth went on more smoothly. In short, the measures for Sunday relief being in the course of this month extended to Scotland and Ireland, I regarded the arrangement as complete.
This agreeable impression, however, was soon afterwards disturbed by Lord Ashley’s giving notice of a motion for an address to Her Majesty, praying for measures to be taken to stop the collection and delivery of letters and the transmission of mails on the “Lord’s Day”; in other words, for the total abolition of Sunday duty.
“May 23rd.—The Lord’s Day Society has issued a circular, urging members to support Lord Ashley’s motion. It stands for the 30th instant. It professes to give a history of the demand for total abolition, and of the relief afforded, and, of course, misrepresents facts.”
I could not but think that the Society, in its zeal for enforcing upon others a strict observance of the fourth commandment, too often deferred to a more convenient season its own observance of the ninth. Being called upon by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to supply such information as would be needful for meeting Lord Ashley’s motion, I drew up a memorandum, which, after mentioning further measures increasing the number of persons relieved to about eight thousand, concludes as follows:—