The Evening Star SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1874.

Evening Star, Issue 3510, 23 May 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1874.

We cannot say that Mr Turnbull’s proposal with regard to the running of Sunday trains is likely to meet the necessities of the case. In fact, it would seem to belong to that class of things that may fairly he objected to on the ground that they are neither “ fish, flesh, nor glide red herrin’.” We hold that no middle course can be taken in this matter. It is either right and proper that trains should be run on Sundays, or it is not. If the former alternative be accepted—if trains are to run on Sundays, they should run at such times as will .be most convenient for the public; if the latter, all traffic on the line should entii’ely cease on that day. As we said the other evening, the only valid objection to the^ running of Sunday trains is that the railway employes are thereby prevented from having a complete day of rest. It is assumed by the opponents of the running of Sunday trains that all the railway officials are especially anxious to go to church twice a-day ; that they are all married men, who desire to spend their Sundays in the bosom of their families. If this be the case, we can only say that we are very glad to hear it, but that judging from what we see of other bodies of men engaged in the public service, they must be considered as forming a striking exception to the general rule. In fact, we should have been inclined to expect that there might have been found amongst them quite a large proportion of men who are neither married, nor remarkable for holding strong views on any religious question whatever. In short, we believe that it would be quite possible to arrange matters in such a way that trains might be run on. Sunday afternoons, without interfering with the religious convictions or the domestic arrangements of a single person actually engaged on the railway. Very few persons would be required for the working of these trains, as there would be no goods or luggage to attend to. No persons who conscientiously object to work on the Sunday should be oompelled to do so ; but we cannot see why, if the public convenience demands it, those who do not object to earn a few extra shillings on a Sunday afternoon, by taking charge of two or three trains, should not be allowed to do so, A very slight increase of the staff would render it possible for every member of it to have one complete day’s rest in the seven—those who wish it, on the Sunday ; those who do not, on some other day. We imagine that Mr Stout’s motion on the subject was intended to provide for the difficulty in question in some such way as the one indicated above. With regard to the shower of petitions on the Sunday question that has lately fallen on the Provincial Council table, we may observe that it would be well if the members of the Council would take «ome steps to ascertain exactly what amount of weight ought to be attached to them. It is plain that if, as has been asserted, a large proportion of the autographs appended to these documents were the names of Sunday School children, the importance fairly attachable to them would be very much lessened. Valuable as Sunday Schools are as part of the machinery for educating the rising generation, it can hardly he said that the opinions of those attending them, are as yet so far matured, they they e.m carry any great weight on so diffi-. <cnlt a question as that under considera-i (ti®n, Acuto and clever as the young (people in the Colonies confessedly are, we .scarcely think that the.time has yet arrived when the O,overnment of this .country should be carried on by mneans of petitions from Sunday Schopl children. If we might be allowed ton

coin a new word, we should say that things are not yet ripe for the establishment of a Sunday-school-ocracy.