The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4491, 28 May 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1883.

The question of Sunday observance is occupying the minds of English speaking people in various parts of the globe, and reforms of a most desirable character have been and are being made in connection with it. In Melbourne the trustees of the Museum and Gallery of Art hare decided to open those institutions for certain hours on Sunday, and, as a natural consequence, a great amount of opposition and virtuous indignation wasexhibted by a certain section of the community, known as " Sabbatarians." , Of course, the subject opens up a very wide field for discussion ; but, as has been shewn in the instance we quote, reason and argument hare proved too strong for old fashioned ideas; and the party supporting liberalizing the Sunday has triumphed. In the ranks of those supporting the change " from the old to the new " were such mem as Bishop Moorhouse, and clergyman of various denominations. Otic of those has pointed out the absurdity of some of the arguments used; one being, that the opening of such plaoes of resort will keep people from Divine worship; and this clergyman remarked, " We may be sure we shall not catch men as we do rabbits, by now blocking this escape from our clutches, and now that." The notions that man can be driven to church or made religious by Act of Parliament have long since exploded. But aven allowing some of those unreasonable arguments more latitude than they deserve, even admitting that these places should be closed during the hours of worship, the few churchgoers gained by being so forced— if any are weak enough for such coercion—would not number a tithe of those who would find much more injurious resorts than the elevating institutions some of those " middle ages " men seem to have an objection to. The very word I liberalizing would appear to be offensive to those " reverends " who are so wrath at what they term a desecration of the Lord's day, and we don't wonder at it; they not only refuse to allow people bold* ing different opiniona to theirs, the liberty of mind,.which they themselves claim; they are not asked to do what they may deem a wrong, by taking advantage of the action we refer to ; full and free lib* erty is accorded to them, as to following the bent of their views and inclinations— this they of course claim,, and very pro* perly too; but they don't accord the same freedom to others, but rather desire to force their views on their fellow man whether with his consent or not. The great advantages belonging to the system of throwing public reading* rooms, museums, and such institutions open on the Sunday have been shewn

over and over again. The resorts of the ' masses, more particularly of the single portions, are, it is well known, not of an elevating kind ; and not only are they not conducive to the refinement or education of those, frequenting them ; but, the idlene?s enforced by them arehighly detrimental from a moral point of view. Who can assert that the perusal on Sunday afternoon of the literature of the day, can work such iDjury to a man as idling in company with others, frequenting hotels, or standing at street corners, would do? not to speak of doing worse things, which it is unneces*sary to mention here? For those whose inclinations lie in that direction, religious literature could be supplied, and any scruples of a pious nature would be thus overcome. Not only is great temptation thus removed from the paths of the younger members of the community, but the ends of education are served, and man's intellect benefitted. In this colony many such institutions are thus thrown open, and we hope that steps will- be taken to afford residents here an opportunity of similarly spending an hour on Sunday afternoon. Many are unable to do so during the week, through inability to at tend during the time the reading room is opened, and those people cannot afford to supply themselves with the newspapers they could see in it; consequently their afternoon on the day of rest is " put in" where best it may. This is one of the temptations we refer to, and which leads to au intemperate use of hotels, rain idling about the streets, or recourse to other undesirable means of occupying time; all of which —even the strictest Sabbatarian ma st admit—are of infinitely more injury to man than the healthy recreation of the mind to be drawn from everyday literature. We must again express the hope that steps will be taken in the direction indicated for the relief of the local population.