The Evening Star. TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2863, 23 April 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1872.

Our contemporary, the Daily Timm, this morning gives prominence to the crude opinions of a shallow thinker on the Saturday half-holiday. Were it not that Diogenes would have given his cynicisms to the world in correct phraseology one might have imagined his spirit had dictated the remarks ■from contemplation of the narrow area of his tub. A little less affectation in style and a considerably greater attention to truth, and Aristotle’s predicable “ differentia,” might tend to render the snarls of the writer of “ Casual Notes” useful, instead of mischievous. Through inattention to or ignorance of the import of the word “ employ6s” this self-constituted censor of men and manners allows himself to fall into a maze of folly and inaccuracy. In order clearly to understand the bearing of this half-holiday movement upon it is necessary to consider to 'what class it specially refers; but this seems to have escaped his attention. There are many occupations that admit of half a holiday being given to those engaged in them without detriment to our social arrangements and without any sacrifice of wealth; and it is the employes in these that, with great reason, plead the unfairness of being compelled to spend six and a half working days in doing what by a little management on the part of customers may be effected in five and a-half. Those in the employment of distributors, to a man, affirm this to be possible ; and we believe them to be right. They say that every thing that is now sold in drapery and grocery establishments during the week could be sold and delivered before one o’clock on Saturday, and, if so, all they ask is that buyers will make their purchases so as to enable them to enjoy an afternoon’s recreation. Until it can be proved that this position is false, the opponents of the movement must be con-

tent to be condemned by tbo sound! judgment and good feeling of the com-' munity. It is plain that employers will suffer no loss, but be gainers in a variety of ways ; by the enjoyment of leisure themselves, by saving in the cost of lighting, wear and tear, and other expenses of needlessly keeping shops open, and otherwise ; their employes will have opportunity for healthy recreation, and the community themselves will gain by attention to economy of time, and the humanising habit of thinking of the comforts of others as well as their own. As a matter of course, these remarks apply only to • distributors : producers are of another class. To attempt to apply the same rule to them would be an unjustifiable interference with industry. Singularly enough, this Diogenes of the “ Casual Notes ” is prepared to do this “by a legislative enactment, which he says should be “ of a similar character as the Factory Act.” Evidently he does not know what this Factory Act is. It relates solely to producers, and was intended for the protection of children. Its bearing upon adults is indirect, and only limits their hours of labor by so much as they are regulated by the employment of children. In every other respect men and women are left free to work as long or as short a time as they choose. The following quotation will enable our readers clearly to understand why it was passed : The large sums invested in machinery make it a matter of great importance to the owners to keep their works in motion as constantly as possible, and, unless prevented by legislative interference, there is too much reason to believe that children may be tasked beyond their strength, to the permanent injury of their constitutions. This abuse was the more to be apprehended, because a large proportion of the children engaged in cottonspuning are not directly employed by their masters, but are under the control of the spinners, a highly-paid class of workmen, whose earnings depend greatly upon the length of time during which they can keep their young assistants at work. Although the recitals of cruelties alleged to exist were shown upon investigation to have been very greatly exaggerated, it cannot bo denied that enough of misery was produced to render it imperative upon the Legislature to interfere. A Parliamentary Committee sat for investigation of this subject in 1832, and subsequently a Commission was issued by the Crown for ascertaining, by examinations of the factories themselves, the kind and degree of abuses that prevailed, and for suggesting the proper remedies. In consequence of these inquiries an Act was passed in 1833 (2 and 3 William IV., c. 103), the provisions of which it is believed have done all the good which it is in the power of the Legislature to do, consistently with the prosecution of the branches of industry to which the provisions of the Act apply. Those provisions applied to regulating the hours of labor of children and youth between 9 and 18 years of age. It is very plain to those who are well informed on such subjects that the temptation to long hours of labor is direct where production is the object, and that legislative enactments very necessary to guard against children being oppressed would be inapplicable and tyrannical if applied to the employment of adults. In the case of shopkeepers, the hours of closing can in no wise injure them nor the public, so long as they preserve good faith amongst themselves : and of this we are certain, that the majority ate inclined to do so. A few have shewn an inclination to recede from their agreement. It is quite within the power of the public to convince them of their sense of what cannot be considered otherwise than a breach of that honor which ought to mark the conduct of a British tradesman in every department of business. If there is one tyranny more intolerable than another, it is that of a minority over a majority, and it depends upon the public whether they will allow this to stand in the way of the adoption of a really useful practice. Some thousands of our towns people have signified their determination to do no shopping after a given hour on Saturday, and if they arc true to their bargain, the minority will become tired of waiting for customers, who honorably make known their determination to carry out the movement by keeping out of their shops.