HOW THE UPPER TEN SPEND SUNDAY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2471, 12 May 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

HOW THE UPPER TEN SPEND SUNDAY.

A SWKKI'tNt; IMI'KAOiIMKNT, Till! Bishop of lixeter, in the Upper House of Convocation, presented a petition from die Lord's D-iy Observance Society, Tin; petition stilted that there had boon a very marked increase in the employment of tho afternoons and evenings 011 Sundays for amusements of various kinds in the upper and fu-hionabie classes of society. Those of recent date included formal dinner partic, smoking concerts, theatrical performances, comic recitations, exhibition? of jugglery, coach drives, boxing at a

club, show Sundays in the studios ol artists, luwn tennis, dances at club*, aiui private houses, and Sundays up the river. Thd Ions; list of tho.-e amusements embraced men of art, science, polities, and commerce, as well as a large number oi me.lo dilettanti and ot' men and women of means, whose prominence wasonly thai of devotion to plcasurp. Many of thesi amusements were public and were accordingly open to criticism, and their pivvaienoo in our midst fio 1 t.o very loose Sunday habits on the part of the rich and great and noble of the laud.

The Bishop of London, at the discussion which followed agreed that tho practices complained of had been increasing quietly for a considerable number of years. He particularly regretted that the upper •classes should take pleasure on a day which ought to be to them, more than to others, a day for public worship and for doing honour to God. Tho evil was a very serious one, although it was much more excusable in tho lower classes of society, where there was unremitting toil throughout the week, and where the other aspect of tho Sunday—that it was a day of rest from toil—must necessarily take up very much larger space in their thoughts than the aspect and character of it as a day of worship. He thought the proposal in the memorial that they should join in a public protest against Sunday amusements and entertainments was rather a doubtful one.

Protests of this kind, if issued and allowed to fall flat, did more harm than good. But the evil whs seiious and if they could make a difference in it by public protest, a public protest would be well worth whili?.