,transcribed from the #ahec8 ,arthur    
,hall1 ,virtue1  ,co4 edition by ,david 
,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org          
,picture3 ,pamphlet cover          ,,the
  ,,people',s ,,palace  ,,and ,,the     
,,religious ,,world2                    
,,or1                ,,thoughts ,,on    
,,public ,,agitation ,,against ,,the    
,,promised                  ,,charter   
,,to ,,the ,,new ,,crystal ,,palace     
,,company1                        ,,and 
,,on 8,,sabbath ,,desecration40         
,,by                                    
,a ,,layman4               8,,the       
,,sabbath ,,was ,,made ,,for ,,man1     
,,not ,,man ,,for ,,the ,,sabbath40     
,mark ii4 #bg4                          
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,london3                               
,,published ,,for ,,the ,,author ,,by   
,,arthur ,,hall1 ,,virtue1  ,,co41 #be1 
,,paternoster ,,row1                    
,,introduction4      ,,disagreement with
 the object and dislike of the tone of  
the incipient  agitation for preventing 

the concession of a ,royal ,charter to  
the ,crystal  ,palace ,company1 except  
upon the condition of its gates being   
closed on  ,sunday--a desire to         
vindicate the consistency of many       
religious people1  whose silence might  
be construed into sympathy with the     
movement--and the  wish to offer a few  
thoughts on the impolicy1 in a religious
 point of  view1 of such attacks on the 
pleasures of the poor3--are1 in brief1  
the  motives which have determined the  
printing of the following pages4  ,the  
,writer believes the ground traversed is
 firm and solid1 though he is  unable to
 beguile the journey with those flowers 
of rhetoric and gleams  of warm fancy   
with which more gifted writers can      
brighten their course4  ,though         
inexperience in book-making and         
pamphleteering is no excuse for  unsound
 conclusions1 he hopes it may avail to  
disarm the severity of  criticism4      
,convinced that for the advantage of    
true religion1 as well as  its          

professors1 the ideas he has broached   
require to be freely1 closely1  and     
sincerely discussed1 he ventures to     
claim for them candid and  unprejudiced 
consideration4  ,he hopes it is         
superfluous to state that he  has no    
pecuniary interest in1 nor connexion    
with1 the project in  question4         
,,the ,,people',s ,,palace1  c4 c4      
,,shall the new ,crystal ,palace be open
 on ,sunday8  ,this question is         
exciting a good deal of                 
attention--especially in the religious  
world1 and  is likely to attract more1  
ere finally set at rest4  ,it is a      
question of  magnitude1 and possibly of 
political importance4  ,it becomes1     
therefore1  the duty of all who feel    
interested in its solution1 to ascertain
 clearly  the facts upon which it is    
based1 the principles with which it is  
bound  up1 and the consequences which   
will flow from its decision4  ,the      
occasion  seems to have been seized upon
 by what may be called the ,sabbatarian 

party1 to make a determined stand on    
behalf of the principle for which  they 
have often fought and been              
vanquished--the right of the religious  
world to impose their notions of        
,sabbath observance upon the community  
at  large4  ,the particular point at    
issue may be readily decided by any     
unbiassed mind1 on examination of the   
actual facts4  ,but the ,sabbatarians   
refuse to be bound down to the case as  
it stands4  ,they exaggerate and        
pervert the facts2 and1 under cover of  
the smoke and excitement thus  created1 
advance to a general assault upon what  
they term 8,sabbath  desecration40  ,the
 design of the next few pages is rather 
to point out  the impolicy1 danger1 and 
hopelessness of any public movement to  
prevent  the opening of this place of   
recreation on the ,sunday1 than to      
advocate  or defend that step4          
,although the facts of the case are     
conveniently lost sight of by the       
agitators in question1 they are really  

so important to a right  understanding  
of its merits as to admit of            
re-statement4  ,it appears1  then1 that 
the ,new ,crystal ,palace at ,sydenham  
is in the hands of a  joint-stock       
company1 and is to be conducted on the  
same commercial  principles as all      
speculations of a like character4       
,their object is  familiar to every     
newspaper reader4  ,in brief1 they      
propose to provide  for the people      
recreation and instruction of a kind not
 now within their  reach4  ,if the      
programme be faithfully carried out1 the
 project will  unquestionably tend to   
improve the health1 enlarge the         
knowledge1 and  refine the taste of the 
public4  ,the ,company have applied for 
a ,royal  ,charter of ,incorporation1   
the effect of which1 as is well known1  
is to  confine the liability of         
individual shareholders to the amount of
 their  shares4  ,in making their       
application to ,lord ,derby1 the        
,directors1 we are  told by the ,times1 

communicated to his ,lordship the terms 
upon which  they proposed to open the   
building and grounds on ,sunday4  8,they
 were of  opinion that until after one  
o'clock no trains should run from       
,london1  and the ,crystal ,palace      
itself should be strictly closed4       
,after that hour  they proposed to throw
 open the park and the winter-garden1   
but not to  exhibit those departments of
 the building which will partake        
exclusively  of a manufacturing and     
commercial character1 the intention     
being to  devote a certain portion of   
the space to specimens of manufacture1  
c41  which the public will be invited1  
upon certain conditions1 to display4    
,in the third place1 the ,directors     
undertook that on ,sunday no spirituous 
liquors should be sold in their         
grounds40  ,after an interview with the 
,directors1 ,lord ,derby acquiesced in  
the stipulations proffered by the       
,crystal ,palace ,company1 suggested a  
few trifling variations1 and promised   

to grant the required ,charter4    ,the 
announcement of this decision or        
promise--for it can scarcely be         
regarded as a fait accompli--has excited
 not a little alarm amongst a  section  
of the religious world4  ,the ,lord's   
,day ,society have taken up the  matter 
very warmly--publishing pamphlets and   
holding public meetings in  condemnation
 of the arrangement4  ,the ,evangelical 
,alliance1 a wide-spread  organization1 
at its recent ,conference in ,dublin1   
adopted a  strongly-worded resolution   
and memorial to the ,prime ,minister to 
the same  effect4  ,these acts of       
organized bodies have been vigorously   
followed up  by journals representing   
respectively the ,evangelical clergy of 
the  ,establishment1 ,wesleyans1 ,free  
,churchmen1 and a portion of the        
,dissenting  community2 who call upon   
their readers1 in every capacity1 and by
 every  means1 to resist the proposed   
8wholesale violation of the ,lord's     
,day40  #f  ,the strength of this       

disapprobation and alarm may be gathered
 from  one or two quotations4  ,a       
widely-circulated religious magazine    
denounces  the proposal as 8sinful10 and
 calculated to 8lead to sin on an       
extensive  and alarming scale10 and     
calls 8upon all religious and moral men1
  throughout the ,united ,kingdom1 to   
lift up their voices like a trumpet1    
and to cause them to be heard on this   
great and vital question40  ,a very     
influential newspaper in the ,north     
predicts that 8the measure will have a  
most fatal operation on the religious   
interests of the country10 and  urges a 
general expression of public opinion 8to
 prevent the ,minister  from persevering
 in his intention to grant a ,charter   
containing  permission to open the      
,crystal ,palace on ,sunday40  ,a       
,clapham clergyman1  in a pamphlet very 
loosely put together1 #g says1 8,the    
projected  aggression of pleasure in    
#ahec1 is to me a greater object of     
dread than  the aggression of ,popery in

 #ahej1 because it falls in with the    
taste of  the vast majority of mankind40
  ,a metropolitan ,dissenting journal   
speaks  of the question as one involving
 a principle 8that would speedily extend
  itself to other institutions10 and    
expresses its belief that the           
recognition by the ,state that the      
,sabbath ends at one o'clock1 would be  
8a far deeper stab to public morality1  
and afford a greater triumph to  ,popery
 and ,infidelity1 than any act of the   
,british ,government since the  days of 
,james ,,ii40  ,ministers of religion1  
of every denomination1 are  therefore   
called upon to protest against the      
threatened evil1 and  ,sunday-school    
teachers to petition against a measure  
aiming a deadly blow  at those          
institutions4  ,another ,london paper is
 even more emphatic1 not  to say        
intemperate1 upon the subject1          
describing 8this new guild of  ,sunday  
traders as craving1 through the         
sign-manual of the ,sovereign1  license 

to open a gorgeous temple of rampant    
pleasure1 and to filch1 by  ,royal      
authority1 both coin and conscience from
 every unit of the  countless myriads1  
which from ,sunday to ,sunday1 they     
know1 will throng to  this haunt of     
unzoned enjoyment1 and this under the   
wicked plea of  sympathy for the poor40 
,these are but specimens of the style of
 writing  adopted by the self-elected   
defenders of 8,sabbath observance10 in  
order  to excite their readers to the   
proper pitch of apprehension4  ,but ex  
pede ,herculem4  ,they will suffice to  
indicate the real or affected panic     
which seems to have seized the leading  
organs of the religious world1 at  the  
proposed boon to the ,crystal ,palace   
,company--an alarm1 be it observed1     
which may be communicated to thousands  
of minds1 and result in a  virulent1    
perhaps a formidable movement4  ,before 
matters have assumed  this shape1 it in 
worth while to inquire what occasion    
there is for all  this outcry1 and      

whether ,christian men are either right1
 honest1 or wise1  in originating a     
wide-spread agitation to prevent the    
concession of the  promised ,charter4   
,the end sought by the objectors is     
twofold--first1 the prevention of the   
threatened act of 8,sabbath desecration0
 by ,royal authority2 and second1  the  
entire closing of the ,palace on        
,sunday4  ,to produce the greater       
effect upon the public1 the two         
questions are ingeniously1 but          
unscrupulously1 mixed up1 and furnish a 
wide margin for that kind of  indignant 
declamation on encroaching upon 8the    
poor man's day of rest10  opening the   
floodgates of vice and irreligion1 c41  
c41 which is likely  to tell on the     
unreflecting4  ,for purposes of         
dispassionate inquiry1 the  questions   
are better separated4    ,it appears1   
then1 that the ,sabbatarian party are   
greatly alarmed at the  contemplated    
sanction by the ,crown of the opening of
 this great theatre  of secular         

enjoyment on ,sunday4  ,it is1 they say1
 a public recognition by  the ,state of 
the ,sabbath as a secular               
institution--official encouragement  to 
,sabbath-breaking4  ,it may be objected1
 in limine1 that the facts of  the case 
do not bear out their assertion in the  
form presented4  ,when the  new ,company
 went to ,government1 they were already 
in possession of the  right to open     
their grounds on ,sunday4  ,the ,crystal
 ,palace is private  property2 and if   
the law permits ,cremorne and           
,rosherville ,gardens to be  open on    
that day1 what is to prevent the        
,sydenham ,company from using the  same 
privilege8  ,they1 like other           
joint-stock companies1 could exist and  
conduct the speculation without the     
advantages of a ,royal ,charter4  ,it   
is1 then1 clearly a mistake to suppose  
that they request ,government to        
sanction the exercise of that right4    
,they do no such thing4  ,in asking  for
 the advantages of a ,charter1 they     

volunteer certain concessions to  the   
feelings of the religious world4  ,if   
,lord ,derby had declared himself  not  
satisfied with the conditions1 they     
might have turned round and said3  8,we 
will1 then1 do without the privilege1   
and pursue our own course  unshackled by
 any restrictions beyond what the law   
imposes40  ,whichever  way1 therefore1  
the question is settled1 it cannot be   
fairly alleged that  the ,state makes   
itself a party to 8,sabbath             
desecration40    ,it may further be     
urged1 that ,government have no right to
 refuse1 on  religious grounds1 a       
privilege which it happens to be at     
their discretion  to confer4  ,to       
upholders of the principle of a ,state  
religion this  argument will1 of course1
 not avail4  ,they will maintain that   
the ,queen  is the ,head of the ,church1
 which1 by a legal fiction1 includes the
  nation2 and that1 therefore1 the      
exercise of her influence in this matter
  is perfectly legitimate4  ,but where  

is the educated man who1 in the  present
 day1 advocates the theory of a church  
establishment in all its  entirety--that
 is1 who would insist upon the duty of  
the ,state to maintain  8the truth10 or1
 in other words1 to exclude all         
,dissenters and ,catholics  from        
,parliament1 and repeal the ,toleration 
,act8  ,the present system of           
toleration is confessedly a half-way    
house to full religious freedom4  ,so   
long as ,dissent in any shape is        
recognised by the ,government1 that     
,government--which1 for civil purposes1 
represents the whole community1 and  is1
 moreover1 virtually chosen and         
controlled by a power composed of       
diverse religious elements--has no right
 to make itself the partisan of  any    
religious opinions4  ,it has long given 
up the principle in practical           
legislation1 and the nation has ratified
 the decision4  ,it is really           
surprising that any ,dissenters1 the    
fundamental principle of whose          

nonconformity is the repudiation of     
,state interference in religious        
matters1 can1 by any sophistry1         
reconcile their minds to such a         
violation  of it as is involved in the  
demand made upon ,government to become  
the  organ of particular religious views
 on the ,sabbath4    8,oh6 but10 these  
,sabbatarians will1 doubtless1 reply1   
8we only call upon  the ,crown to       
preserve the ,sabbath as a civil        
institution--a day of rest  from toil--a
 barrier to the encroachments of        
#8money-getting' companies and          
capitalists40  ,this style of argument  
is very much like begging the  question4
  ,it is simply a claim that the ,state 
should accept their  definition of what 
constitutes 8a day of rest40  ,is it not
 an enormous  fallacy for religious men 
to seek to impose upon ,government their
  interpretation of the                 
,sabbath1--which1 moreover1 it cannot be
 denied1 is  at variance with that of   
the bulk of the population1--and require

 that on  8civil0 grounds it shall have 
the force of law upon the nation8       
,cessation from labour1 and the         
observance of certain religious duties1 
are by no means one and the same thing4 
,the former may be perfectly  consistent
 with an excursion into the country1 or 
recreation amid the  woodland scenery of
 ,sydenham--which is the precise thing  
the religious  agitators1 repudiate1 and
 are trying to prevent4  ,the argument  
has force  only when applied to the case
 of the servants of the new company1 who
  will be required to perform certain   
work on the ,sabbath2 but even to it  is
 exceptional2 for there are cases in    
which even the most rigid  ,sabbatarians
 would admit of deviations from its     
conclusions4    ,but1 putting aside the 
principle involved2--on the ground of   
expediency  there are reasons why       
,government should not refuse the       
promised ,charter  on the plea advanced4
  ,they would not be acting             
consistently4  ,much  stress is laid    

upon the presumption that the granting  
of this ,charter--or1  as the           
,sabbatarians say1 the ,royal sanction  
to an act of 8,sabbath                  
desecration0--will be a precedent for   
the opening on ,sunday of every other   
place of amusement or recreation1 in the
 metropolis and kingdom4  ,a  precedent 
forsooth6  ,has not the metropolis and  
every large town its  tea-gardens1 and  
places of popular resort8  ,the supply  
of this species of  ,sunday enjoyment   
already pretty nearly equals the demand4
  ,the only  difference between them and
 the new claimant of popular favour is1 
that  the latter proposes to furnish a  
higher style of recreation2 and having  
many independent recommendations1 asks  
,government for the concession of a     
privilege granted to other parties      
without regard to religious             
considerations4  ,would ,lord ,derby be 
dealing out 8even-handed justice0 to    
higgle with this new ,company because it
 had a boon to ask1 for a  concession to

 religious prejudice which was not      
required in other cases8  ,but1 still   
further1 with what decency could he     
require the ,crystal ,palace  ,company  
to close their grounds on the ,sabbath1 
when the ,hampton ,court  grounds are   
open to the public by the express       
authority of the ,government  and       
,legislature8  ,the precedent1 at which 
so much alarm has been  expressed1 has  
for some years past been established4   
,if1 as one of the  agitating organs    
phrases it1 the granting of the proposed
 ,charter would  transfer the 8sin0 of  
,sabbath desecration from individuals to
 the nation1  we have been for some time
 under the threatened curse4    ,there  
is no escape1 therefore1 from the       
conclusion1 that if the ,crystal        
,palace grounds are to be closed on     
,sunday--the present law being          
confessedly inadequate for that         
purpose--it must be by a new act of     
legislation1 not of specific1 but of    
general application--an act which  will 

include ,hampton ,court as well as      
,sydenham1 and ,rosherville as well  as 
,hampton ,court--which will have the    
effect of shutting up every place of    
popular recreation on ,sunday4  ,are the
 objectors to the ,crystal ,palace      
,charter prepared for such a wholesale  
crusade against the recreations of  the 
people8  ,have they contemplated such an
 alternative8  ,probably  not--that is1 
so far as the rank and file of the new  
agitation are  concerned4  ,as respects 
the leaders1 experience is the best     
test2 and  from the avowed desire of the
 ,lord's ,day ,society1 the ,agnewites  
and the  ,plumptres1 to enforce by law  
the 8bitter observance of the ,sabbath0 
upon  the nation1 it may be easily      
imagined that they have anticipated such
 a  crisis1 and rather chuckle at the   
dilemma in which many timid friends of  
religious freedom--panic-stricken at the
 prospect of increased 8,sabbath        
desecration0--would thereby be placed4  
,let the latter take warning in  time4  

,it is only by a sweeping measure of    
legislation which would raise  the      
working classes up in arms against the  
religious world1 that the new  ,crystal 
,palace1 or rather its grounds1 can be  
closed on ,sunday4    ,if there be any  
truth in the foregoing arguments1 the   
reckless  denunciations we have referred
 to seem very much beside the mark4     
,one  might have been better pleased1 if
 the tastes and tendencies of the great 
bulk of the people were such that the   
,sydenham ,palace were no attraction  to
 them on the ,sabbath--their leisure    
such as that they did not stand in      
peremptory need of such relaxation4     
,the more highly men value communion    
with ,god1 the more gladly will they    
cherish the opportunities of            
cultivating the spiritual faculty on the
 day of rest from secular  employment4  
,but it is only as the privilege is     
valued that it is useful4  ,the pleasure
 and the profit go together4  ,if there 
be not the spirit of  devotion1 will the

 form of it suffice8  ,does not the very
 attempt to  impose the one where the   
other is wanting1 indicate a            
misconception of  the true spirit of    
religion8  ,the fuss made by the        
religious organs about  this proposed   
,charter is wholly inexplicable on any  
rational grounds  consistent with the   
intelligence and truthfulness of those  
concerned4  ,to  speak of it as fraught 
with injury to morality and religion is 
simply a  perversion of                 
language--unsupported by evidence or    
probabilities4  ,for1  observe--we are  
not1 or only to a small extent1 dealing 
with a population  who now 8keep0 the   
,sabbath according to the notions of the
 religious  world1 but with people who1 
if they do not spend the ,sunday at     
,sydenham1  will1 almost without        
exception1 spend it in a worse manner   
elsewhere4  ,according to their         
acceptation of a well-spent ,sabbath1 it
 is but a  choice of ills4  ,where1     
then1 is the alarming evil8  ,is it1    

that a  saunter through the ,crystal    
,palace grounds1 reached by a railway1  
is so  much more irreligious than a     
stroll in the ,parks1 reached by an     
omnibus8  ,does a change of scenery     
transform the character of the deed8    
,do a man's  nature and tendencies      
become metamorphosed by exchanging1 for 
a few  hours1 his squalid abode for a   
public-house1 a gin-palace1 a steamboat1
 a  tea-garden1 or a ,crystal ,palace8  
,is there something so deleterious in a 
,sunday glance at the beautiful         
prospects of ,anerley1 that the country 
must be convulsed to prevent it8 #ab    
,it becomes ,christian men to look this 
matter fairly in the face1 and not  be  
deluded by cant and prejudice4  ,let    
them manfully examine facts and         
probabilities1 before they commit       
themselves to unreasoning clamour4      
,neither the cause of religion nor of   
truth will gain by allowing common      
sense to be overborne by invective and  
exaggeration4  ,the ,sabbatarians       

themselves will admit that the people   
who are likely to crown the heights  of 
,norwood are not those who would        
otherwise frequent a place of  worship2 
but1 for the most part1 overworked      
artisans and labourers1 with  their     
families1 who systematically spend the  
,sabbath at the tea-garden or           
ale-house--who1 if they were not at     
,sydenham would perhaps be at           
,gravesend--who1 if they could not enjoy
 the beauties of ,sydenham1 and  restore
 their wasted energies amidst its       
health-inspiring breezes1 would         
probably kill the time by the indulgence
 of depraved appetites in a  poisoned   
atmosphere4  ,the recreations of        
,sydenham are as elevating1  refining1  
and harmless1 as at any other place of  
,sunday resort--probably  more so4  ,at 
the same time1 they are more attractive4
  ,is it1 then1 so  very irrational to  
suppose that1 under the circumstances of
 the case1 the  change will be a gain8  
,surely it is not ,quixotic1 though     

opposed to the  ,sabbatarian view1 to   
conclude1 that the facilities offered to
 the working  classes by means of steam 
for recruiting their strength and       
improving  their tastes by country      
excursions1 and1 in particular1 the     
superior  attractions and judicious     
regulations of the new ,crystal ,palace 
,company1  are1 on the whole1 calculated
 to promote the health1 temperance1 and 
morality of the people4    ,it is not   
assuming too much to conclude that the  
8attractions0 and  8regulations0 of     
,sydenham will be superior to those     
which obtain  elsewhere1 ,a visit to the
 tea-gardens of ,chelsea or ,camberwell 
on a  ,sunday afternoon or              
evening--accessible to all who purchase 
a ticket of  8refreshment0--will satisfy
 any unprejudiced person on this head4  
,the  scenes he will there witness can  
scarcely fail to convince him that the  
cause of morality will gain from the    
transference of a portion of the  crowds
 there assembled to the ,norwood grounds

 and their stricter  surveillance4      
,other things being equal1 ought not the
 religions world to  prefer that the    
working classes of ,london should enjoy 
the fresh air of  the tea-garden to the 
drunkenness of the gin-palace--the      
temperance  associated with the sylvan  
landscape of ,sydenham1 to the license  
of  ,cremorne8    ,no doubt there is    
another side to the picture4  ,the event
 so much  deprecated will unquestionably
 tend to induce many people to 8break   
the  ,sabbath0 who would not otherwise  
do so4  ,this will especially be the    
case  with the young1 who will1 to some 
extent1 desert our ,sunday-schools1 as  
well as places of worship4  ,but the    
anticipation of harm from this cause    
may be exaggerated4  ,the attractions   
held out by the ,crystal ,palace do     
exist elsewhere1 with others of a more  
baneful character1 and you cannot       
suppress them but by a general act of   
legislation4  ,if the number of         
pleasure-takers is increased1 the       

influence for evil is diminished4  ,the 
argument1 too1 is essentially vicious2  
for if its 8superior attractions0  is a 
reason for closing the ,crystal ,palace 
on ,sunday1 fine weather is to  be      
deprecated on the same ground1 and rain 
and fogs courted as the allies  of      
church and school6    ,but the ,crystal 
,palace ,charter is menaced because it  
will rob the poor of  their day of rest6
  ,if the poor were obliged to visit    
,sydenham on  ,sunday1 there would be   
some force in the plea4  ,but it is     
notoriously  otherwise4  ,are not the   
hundreds and thousands who every ,sunday
 crowd the  outward-bound               
railway-carriage1 steamboat1 and        
omnibus1 following their  own           
inclination as much as the aristocracy  
who take their afternoon  airing in     
,hyde ,park1 or the thousands who       
frequent their places of  worship8      
,what right1 then1 have the latter to   
dictate to the former how  they shall   
spend the day of rest--or1 unbidden1 to 

constitute themselves  the champions of 
the 8poor man's day80  ,may not the     
journals who hold  such language be     
fairly called upon to produce their     
authority8  ,if the  working-classes    
object to the opening of the ,crystal   
,palace1 or to  railway and steamboat   
travelling1 on ,sunday1 they will       
refrain from using  them2 but so long as
 it is otherwise1 nay1 the reverse1     
religious men  only injure the          
,christianity they profess1 and assume  
the garb of  hypocrites and intolerants1
 by pretending that the poor are thereby
  wronged1 and calling upon the ,crown  
to interfere for their protection4      
99 99 99 99 99    ,briefly to           
recapitulate the foregoing facts and    
arguments3--,the ,crystal  ,palace      
,company is a private speculation1 not a
 public institution4  ,they  propose to 
open only their grounds and             
winter-garden on ,sunday1 and  that but 
for half the day4  ,this place of       
recreation1 therefore1 stands  on much  

the same footing as ,richmond or any    
other public park--being  accessible to 
the masses by no other means than a     
conveyance--differing  only in providing
 refreshment 7exclusive of spirituous   
liquors7 to its  frequenters4  ,it is   
untrue to assert that a ,royal ,charter 
will enable the  ,company to open their 
grounds--for the right exists           
independent of the  ,charter4           
,government1 therefore1 cannot be said  
to sanction 8the  desecration of the    
,sabbath0--being unable to prevent it4  
,the ,state has no  right to refuse a   
privilege on religious grounds1 seeing  
that it is a  purely civil institution1 
and bound to secure entire liberty of   
conscience2 which is inconsistent with  
partiality to the views of any  sect4   
,to spend the ,sabbath as a day of      
recreation does not clash with  its     
definition as 8a civil institution40    
,in exacting the shutting-up of  the    
,sydenham grounds1 ,government would be 
acting inequitably1 for other  and worse

 pleasure-gardens are open on           
,sunday--inconsistently1 for the        
grounds of ,hampton ,court ,palace1     
which are national property1 have been  
for some years accessible to the people 
with their express sanction4  ,it  would
 not1 therefore1 be a precedent for 8the
 desecration of the  ,sabbath40  ,if the
 ,crystal ,palace is closed on that day 
by authority1 all  other places of      
recreation must be closed also--for you 
cannot have  partial legislation on the 
subject4  ,such a general measure would 
be  highly unjust and injurious1 besides
 being impracticable4  ,the             
much-deprecated event would not be      
likely to increase the irreligion or    
immorality of the people2 for1 although 
some few might be led to desert  places 
of worship and neglect ,sabbath         
privileges1 by the superior  attractions
 of the ,sydenham ,palace1 many more    
would substitute its  pleasures for     
those of a less elevating character1    
offered without  restriction elsewhere2 

while the bulk of those who frequented  
it would  not1 in all probability1 if it
 were entirely closed1 8keep the        
,sabbath0  in the sense of these        
alarmists4  ,the day of rest can only be
 a period of  spiritual profit to those 
who value it for that purpose4  ,to     
impose its  religious observances upon  
those who do not1 is to promote         
hypocrisy1 not  piety4  ,for the        
religious world1 confessedly a minority1
 to seek to  impose1 by ,state          
interference1 their notions of what     
constitutes a day of  rest upon the bulk
 of their fellow-countrymen1 is         
intolerant--an act of  coercion at      
variance with the first principles of   
,christianity4  ,there is  good reason  
for believing that the cause of         
morality1 and therefore of  religion1   
will1 with the present tendencies of the
 metropolitan  working-classes1         
decidedly gain by the opening of the    
,sydenham  pleasure-grounds4  ,it will  
be no more harmful than free access to  

the  ,parks4  ,it will not rob the poor 
of their 8day of rest10 because it is   
quite optional with them to go there2   
and1 while they act as free agents1  it 
may be presumed1 that they spend the day
 as best suits their  inclinations4     
99 99 99 99 99    ,the ,crystal ,palace 
,company are well able to take care of  
themselves1 nor  does it form part of   
the plan of these pages to defend their 
cause4  ,but  the wholesale abuse which 
is heaped upon them is positively       
nauseating to  the impartial observer1  
considering how far they have gone in   
attempting  to meet religious scruples  
and prejudices4 #ae  ,the mingled rant  
and  cant issuing from these professedly
 religious newspapers is extremely      
injurious to that ,christianity in whose
 name they profess to speak4  ,sad      
would it be for religion if its holy    
claims were really associated with  the 
untruthfulness these organs have        
uttered--and the more reason why  those1
 who are jealous for the honour of their

 faith1 should protest  against its name
 being mixed up with the effusions of   
intemperate  alarmists4  ,from their    
spirit it might be thought that the     
,company had  set the religious world at
 defiance1 instead of shutting up for   
half the  ,sunday1 closing the          
manufacturing and commercial portions of
 the  building1 and forbidding the sale 
of intoxicating drinks4  ,if they are   
to blame1 it is for conceding too much  
to prejudice4  ,nothing is gained  by   
closing the grounds up to one           
o'clock--not even the good will of      
opponents4  ,the principle which would  
allow them to be thrown open for  half1 
would be equally valid to keep them open
 all1 the day4  ,at present1  the       
arrangement is a mischievous compromise 
between devotion and  recreation1 and   
stamps the ,sabbath on high authority   
with a continental  character4  ,it     
gives a wrong notion of godliness1      
bringing it into  apparent antagonism to
 secular enjoyment--making one portion  

of the day a  counterpoise to the       
other--fostering the delusion that      
religion is simply  the observances of  
certain duties and attendance in a place
 of worship4    ,if there be any truth  
in this plain statement of facts and    
arguments1 it  follows that the         
agitation1 being got up professedly to  
prevent the ,crown  from sanctioning the
 opening of the ,crystal ,palace on     
,sunday1 is really  directed against all
 places of recreation accessible to the 
public on  that day4  ,this1 indeed1 is 
the main drift of the declamatory       
appeals of  its promoters4  ,they are   
either agitating on false pretences1 or 
covertly  aiming at an object injurious 
to the liberties and welfare of the     
country4  ,if that object were openly   
avowed1 many timid friends of  religious
 freedom who indulge certain vague fears
 of the increase of  8,sabbath          
desecration10 would shrink from         
supporting it4  ,in either case1  the   
leaders prove their unfitness to be the 

guides of opinion4  ,want of  candour1  
fairness1 and truthfulness1 are doubly  
worthy of exposure and  condemnation    
when exhibited in connexion with the    
name of ,christianity4  ,religion       
suffers enough from open foes1 without  
the need for injuries  from professed   
friends4  ,hence1 because they are      
jealous of its true  character1 because 
anxious to vindicate its purity and     
self-sustaining  efficiency1 it becomes 
the followers of ,christ to protest     
against this  movement4  ,the very fact 
that they agree to a great extent in the
  religious views of the agitators in   
question1 and sincerely desire to see   
the ,sabbath valued by all men as an    
opportunity for spiritual culture and   
enjoyment1 is an additional reason why  
they should repudiate the  sentiments   
uttered1 and the course pursued1 under  
the banner of their  faith4  ,the       
alarmists may rely upon it1 that there  
are many more  followers of ,christian  
truth than the writer of these pages1   

who have no  sympathy with that         
intolerance which would coerce others   
into their  convictions and their method
 of 8keeping0 the ,sabbath1 and who     
observe1  with pain and indignation1 the
 attempt of misguided1 though perhaps   
conscientious1 men1 to originate a      
crusade against the ,sunday recreations 
of the people4                          
99 99 99 99 99    ,it is scarcely       
possible to discuss this particular     
topic without the mind  being directed  
to the general question--of which it is 
only an  offshoot--the position assumed 
by religious men in relation to the     
world  at large1 especially to the      
masses4  ,a few considerations on this  
momentous subject may appropriately and 
usefully be thrown out in  connexion    
with the foregoing arguments4    ,it may
 be at once stated1 that there is no    
intention of entering into any  argument
 with the believers in the efficacy of a
 ,state-appointed religion  and         
priesthood4  ,those who encourage this  

practical infidelity to the  truths of  
,christianity--whose principles would   
have obliged ,christ to  exclaim1 8,my  
kingdom is of this world0--are1         
doubtless1 doing no  violence to their  
views in calling upon ,government to    
insist upon 8the  bitter observance of  
the ,sabbath10 and to enforce upon      
,jews1 ,infidels1  and ,mahomedans1     
outward conformity to the ,state        
religion4    ,but it does so happen that
 many who are in bondage to this        
intolerant  principle1 do1 nevertheless1
 somehow or other1 acknowledge the      
transforming influence of ,christian    
truth upon the individual heart1 and    
are at one1 in their religious          
convictions1 with the open adherents of 
the voluntary principle4  ,to this      
united body of what are usually         
designated 8,evangelical ,christians10  
the question may fairly be  put--whether
 they are pursuing that line of policy  
towards the world which  is best adapted
 to bring the world over to their views8

    ,their object1 next to their own    
spiritual improvement--for that seems   
the great aim of modern                 
,christianity--is to commend the ,gospel
 to those  who have it not--to win over 
to hearts of men to the authority of    
,christ--to induce them to accept to the
 free offers of reconciliation with     
,god made through to ,saviour1 and      
evermore live in ,his likeness4  ,they  
will readily acknowledge that religion  
is founded upon love1 and adapted  to   
call forth to willing homage of grateful
 souls2 and that the  spontaneous1      
cheerful surrender of self to ,god1 the 
preference of ,his  will to ours1 the   
cordial reliance upon ,him for 8every   
good and every  perfect gift10 is the   
very essence of ,christianity4          
,institutions1 forms1  and ceremonies1  
are but the media for expressing this   
truth1 and are  worse than useless      
without it4  ,sympathy between man and  
his ,creator is  religion--to awaken    
that sympathy in others1 will be the aim

 of all who  have felt it for           
themselves4    ,how1 then1 do           
,evangelical ,christians commend this   
living truth to those  who do not       
profess allegiance to it8  ,to a great  
extent they conceal its  benign         
character4  ,they build a wall around   
it1 and make it appear to be  an        
exclusive property4  ,oftentimes they   
refuse to acknowledge it in  others     
unless associated with certain forms1   
symbols1 and institutions4  ,they       
overlay it with the claims of this and  
that interest1 or make it  speak in the 
language of this or the other ism4      
,they proclaim that the  ,gospel is     
omnipotent to save--that ,christ's      
kingdom is a spiritual  kingdom1 and    
,his reign in the heart of man--but1    
alas6 practice and belief  do not       
correspond4  ,they are1 to a great      
extent1 afraid to trust  ,christianity  
to its inherent power4  ,for the        
propagation of the truth1 or  the       
extinction of unbelief1 they will often 

have recourse to means not in  harmony  
with their convictions4  8,the end      
sanctifies the means0--often1           
unconsciously1 forms their rule of      
conduct1 and quiets their scruples in   
trying to make men religious by         
irreligious means1 in claiming the aid  
of  the magistrate's sword in putting   
down error1 in demanding that the       
incitements to sin be removed by the    
strong arm of compulsion1 yea1          
sometimes1 in attempting to coerce the  
indifferent into the reception  of to   
truth4  ,how greatly does this want of  
confidence in the power of  the ,gospel 
contrast with that scriptural faith     
which is able 8to remove  mountains60   
,a ,state religion is1 no doubt1 the    
greatest obstacle to a proper           
appreciation of ,christianity by the    
working classes--for through that       
medium it is reflected as simply an     
elaborate machinery to provide          
comfortable incomes for an army of      
priests--a gigantic establishment based 

upon selfishness4  ,but even this dead  
weight upon the progress of  religion   
would be greatly lightened if           
,evangelical ,christians rightly        
commended it to the affections of the   
people--if1 instead of bowing down  to  
the great imposture1 and drinking into  
its spirit1 they unceasingly  displayed 
the benign and disinterested character  
of the ,gospel4  ,whatever  the         
religious organizations of the present  
day accomplish--and it is not  denied   
that they do something--they do not seem
 to be capable of  evangelizing the     
masses4  ,to this objection it is no    
reply to urge that  they never have1    
except to a small extent1 effected that 
purpose4  ,if  true religion be what the
 religious world say it is1 there must  
be1  irrespective of all former         
experience1 some lamentable deficiency  
in the  mode of presenting its great and
 omnipotent truths to the people4  ,for 
it  is a notorious fact that the bulk of
 our working population do not care  for

 religion1 scarcely come within range of
 its teachings1 and1 for the  most part1
 dislike its professional               
representatives4  ,is there not here    
something more than the natural aversion
 to superior goodness1 and the          
preference for self-gratification8      
,every one will have fresh in           
recollection a touching episode in that 
eminently religious book1 8,uncle ,tom's
 ,cabin10 in which are detailed the     
successive steps in the training of a   
little outcast negro4  ,miss ,ophelia   
undertook the benevolent task1 and      
performed it only too conscientiously4  
,no pains1 no sacrifices1 were spared in
 educating the benighted ,topsy4  ,the  
system of the ,northern lady was perfect
 in its mechanism4  ,instruction1       
exhortation1 reproof1 punishment1       
followed in due order4  ,the young mind 
exhibited unusual quickness and aptitude
 in the  acquisition of knowledge4  ,one
 element alone was wanting--the moral   
influence of the teacher4  ,that being  

absent1 all the rest seemed             
comparatively valueless4  ,between the  
upright ,new ,englander1 with her       
unflinching sense of duty and her       
prejudice against colour1 and the       
hardened negro girl1 there was no       
connecting link--an entire absence of   
affection and sympathy4  ,yet that moral
 waste on which the lady of strong      
sense and set rules could make no       
impression1 was reclaimed by the        
kindness of a child4  ,topsy's heart1   
steeled to ,miss ,ophelia's             
exhortations1 melted at ,eva's sympathy4
 #ah    ,this story fitly illustrates   
the present relationship of the ,church 
and  the world4  ,organised religious   
communities may establish their         
societies1 may erect their places of    
worship1 may give their lectures  with  
the object of reclaiming the masses from
 vice and irreligion1 may  proclaim the 
sinfulness and the duties of men--and   
yet their labours may  achieve only     
partial success4  ,the means may be     

admirable1 but the spirit  that breathes
 through them may be defective4  ,there 
may be a great show  of concern1 the    
conscientious performance of a duty1 but
 an absence of  that cordial1 hearty    
interest which is requisite to kindle   
sympathy4  ,surely there is a philosophy
 in the use of religious agencies as in 
ordinary affairs4  ,in our efforts to   
evangelize the poor--to whom  originally
 the ,gospel was preached1 and amongst  
whom1 it should never be  forgotten1    
were its greatest triumphs--we are bound
 to consider the  probable results of   
the means put in operation1 as well as  
the end  sought1 unless we expect ,god  
to work a miracle4  ,otherwise1 with all
 the  elements of success1 we may make  
no progress2 and1 perchance1 pull down  
with one hand while we are building up  
with the other4    ,is it reasonable1 or
 at all in accordance with experience1  
to suppose  that the way to reach the   
hearts of the people is to put ourselves
 into  direct antagonism to their       

rights1 habits1 or wishes8  ,do we      
commend the  ,gospel to them by         
fostering the notion that men may be    
made religious by  ,act of ,parliament1 
or the fiat of the ,crown--by insisting 
that they shall  8keep0 the ,sabbath    
according to our notions1 not their     
own--by clamouring  to curtail the means
 of obtaining pure air and recreation   
one day out of  seven1 because we       
consider it 8sinful80  ,the religious   
world is absorbed  with its 8causes0 and
 8interests10 8enjoyments0 and          
8privileges20 and1  while thus          
systematically turning its attention    
inwards1 and  calculating every         
pulsation of the great world around in  
relation to  itself1 is too apt to      
forget that there is a moral law whose  
foundations  lie deep in the principles 
of revealed truth--and that any         
violation of  the precepts of that law1 
whether by abrogating natural rights1   
dictating  the actions and occupations  
of others1 or coercing them into an     

apparent  piety of heart and life1 is   
altogether foreign to the genius of     
,christianity4  ,our ,lord has given his
 followers an injunction to preach  the 
,gospel--the power of which over the    
heart none who have felt it can         
mistrust4  ,if by this agency1 and this 
alone1 the affections of man are  to be 
changed and a new life created within   
him--if1 in a word1 the world  is to be 
won over to the cause of truth1 by the  
exhibition of ,god's  love--surely it   
indicates a want of worldly wisdom as   
well as distrust of  the ,divine power  
and promises1 for the disciples of      
,christ to be calling  to their aid     
extraneous help2--at one time relying   
upon the sword of the  civil            
magistrates--at another on              
,parliamentary legislation4  ,if its    
professors are to be believed1          
,christianity is ever in imminent       
danger4  ,between the encroachments of  
,popery and the progress of ,infidelity1
 we  are always in a state of chronic   

alarm for organized religion4  ,really  
it  would seem1 that if it were not for 
the frequent exercise of a little       
authority--that is1 physical force1 an  
occasional crusade against ,popery1  a  
persecution by society of free inquiry1 
the religious world would  lose all     
confidence--,samson must inevitably be  
overcome by the seductions  of ,delilah 
or the hosts of the ,philistines4  ,it  
may safely be concluded  that1 where    
this faithlessness obtains1 the power of
 the ,gospel is  deficient4             
,christianity is essentially aggressive1
 but1 according to the  experience of   
its degenerate disciples1 it is hard    
work to act upon the  defensive4  ,does 
not the outside world take note of these
 things8  ,what  more natural than that 
the sceptic and indifferent should doubt
 the  alleged power of religion when    
such are its apparent                   
manifestations--when1  positively1 any  
particular discovery of great advantage 
to mankind1 such  as the application of 

steam to locomotion1 or any special     
event promising  social benefit1 such as
 the opening of the new ,crystal        
,palace1 fills its  adherents with      
apprehension1 because it seems to       
disturb their particular  interests8    
99 99 99 99 99    ,how is the great     
gulph that separates the masses of the  
people from  religious institutions to  
be bridged over8  ,here is a problem    
worthy of  the anxious consideration of 
the religious world4  ,to treat so great
 a  subject would require the compass of
 a volume instead of a pamphlet4        
,indeed1 it has already been discussed  
in extenso by others2 so that it  is    
superfluous to do more in these pages1  
than refer to one or two points         
directly bearing on the question in     
hand4  ,it may then be remarked1 that   
to secure the required end it is needful
 not only to do1 but that much  must be 
left undone--especially in the direction
 of the poor man's  pleasures4  ,if the 
,gospel be not taken to them they were  

better left  alone2 for interference    
with their rights only irritates them1  
and widens  the gulph4  ,the two forces 
will1 as things go1 move on like        
parallel  lines1 but never unite4  ,the 
bulk of the people are far beyond the   
reach  of such delusive palliatives as  
stopping ,sunday trains1 and shutting up
  tea-gardens and public-houses4  ,the  
preacher's voice rarely reaches them1   
and ,christianity itself wears1 in their
 eyes1 the stigma of being a            
middle-class religion1 not adapted to   
the poor1 to whom originally it was     
8glad tidings of salvation40  ,they are1
 besides1 almost ostracised from  our   
religious assemblies4  ,talk of ,sabbath
 desecration6  ,suppose                 
working-men--say1 for example1 the      
#aj1jjj pleasure-seekers on the ,croydon
  line--were to flock to our places of  
worship8  ,what is to be done with      
them8  ,there is at present no room for 
them in the system4  ,it requires  time 
and money to erect and consecrate       

steepled buildings1 fashion pews1  make 
cushions1 choose a professional         
minister1 and organize collections1  c4 
,and when done1 how does it suit the    
tastes and sympathies of the  poor8  ,do
 they not feel themselves out of place1 
and suspect the means  are made of      
importance disproportionate to1 and even
 obstructive of1 the  end8              
,christianity appears to them entrenched
 behind a barricade of forms  and       
creeds1 and genteel requirements1 which 
its followers have erected4  ,the world 
without catches but a distant and       
imperfect glimpse of its  benign        
features4  ,religious men prefer        
standing behind their  entrenchments to 
an aggressive movement in front1 or if  
they do advance  it is with incumbrances
 great as those which impede an ,english
 army  marching over the plains of      
,india4  ,costly temples1 with elegant  
spires1  are becoming increasingly      
necessary to the proclamation of ,divine
 truth1  and1 in not a few cases1 pious 

men half sink under the sacrifices thus 
incurred1 or the load of debt           
contracted4  ,there is something quite  
affecting in the fact1 that while the   
masses of the people are getting        
farther and farther off from the agency 
of religious institutions1  ,christians 
who are ever denouncing the external    
pomp and show of ,popery  are1 as it    
were1 concentrating their attention on  
genteel and elegant  places of worship1 
and in all their arrangements for the   
celebration of  religion approximating  
to the ,romanist standard4  ,and        
this--when a portion  of such           
superfluous expenditure would provide   
means for carrying the  ,gospel into the
 ranks of the poor--is boasted of as a  
mark of taste--of  ,christian           
earnestness--of religious progress6     
,fatal delusion6 #ba    ,men's          
susceptibilities are the same as ever   
they were--but how to awaken  them8     
,the religious world will find it in the
 career and directions of  their great  

,exemplar1 not in the bearing of the    
,pharisees4  ,the grand  truth embodied 
in the aphorism of our great dramatist--
                 8,one touch of ,nature 
,makes the whole world kin10    has a   
spiritual as well as a social meaning4  
,to recur to our former  illustration4  
,a child with love in her heart and     
sympathy in her eye1  may subdue the    
will when reason and authority utterly  
fail4  ,by  approaching the masses in   
this spirit1 the religious world may    
gain  access to their affections1 and   
will1 no doubt1 find that the ,gospel   
retains its pristine omnipotence4  ,but 
if they are to be treated as the        
patrimony of organized religious        
societies and institutions1 to be       
8cribbed1 cabined1 and confined0 at     
their pleasure1 and admonished from     
afar off on the sinfulness of ,sunday   
recreation--if the enormities of        
,popery are more zealously denounced1   
and hair-splitting differences          
agitated1 by ministers and their flocks1

 than ,,the ,,truth preached 8in the    
love of it0--farewell to all hopes of   
making any substantial progress in      
evangelizing the great bulk of the      
working classes6 #bb    ,by such        
movements as that we have objected to1  
the poor are being driven  farther off  
from ,christianity4  ,suppose this      
particular ,sabbatarian  agitation to be
 successful1 where is the gain to       
religion8  ,will it not  be associated  
in the minds of those already out of    
reach of the preaching  of the ,gospel1 
with a dog-in-the-manger meddlesomeness1
 with the claims  of rival systems1 and 
the designs of interested priests8      
,what an  encouragement would it be to  
that party represented by the 8,lord's  
,day  ,society10 who would avowedly use 
their triumph as a stepping-stone to    
further demands--who would stop all     
trains and conveyances on the ,sabbath1 
except1 perhaps1 the carriage of the    
rich--who would ruthlessly sacrifice    
the health of the working-man by        

confining him to the filth and closeness
  of this wilderness of bricks and      
mortar1 and who would erect over the    
remains of pure and gentle              
,christianity1 a gigantic system of     
hypocrisy  and formalism which would ill
 conceal the hatred and disgust of all  
classes for a religion without heart or 
sincerity6    ,to treat the             
working-classes in the spirit of those  
who are fomenting  this agitation1 is   
unjust and cruel1 as well as impolitic4 
,the point has  been before adverted to1
 but will bear amplification4  ,suppose 
the ,rev4  ,mr4 ,orthodox1 the popular  
preacher of the ,west ,end1 discussing  
this  question of 8,sabbath desecration0
 in the squalid apartment 7if ever he   
has found his way there7 of ,john       
,starveling1 the overworked slop-tailor1
  of ,typhus ,court1 ,westminster4  ,to 
the weighty arguments of the wealthy    
rector1 on the necessity of shutting up 
all railways and stopping all           
conveyances1 may not the poor underpaid 

artizan reply1 that the ,sabbath  was   
made for man1 not man for the           
,sabbath--that ,god requires mercy1 not 
sacrifice--that the ,sunday trip is to  
him the safety valve of life--that so   
long as he is obliged to work for six   
days out of seven1 without              
intermission1 to keep body and soul     
together1 the seventh must be  devoted  
to renovation4  ,let the charge of      
mammon-worship rest on the  right       
shoulders4  ,if the ,crystal ,palace    
,company1 who enable this poor man  to  
inhale the pure air and enjoy the       
beauties of nature1 are actuated by     
sordid motives1 how much more are       
they--and their name is legion--who     
allow  their passion for money-getting  
to reduce thousands to a life of        
slavery1  and oblige them to regard     
,sunday not as the ,lord's ,day1 but    
only an  opportunity to repair their    
wasted health and energies4    ,there is
 not much doubt or danger in the        
conclusion that whatever tends  to      

ameliorate the condition of the people1 
to ennoble their tastes1 to  expand     
their ideas1 or to improve their        
physical well-being1 opens a more       
favourable field for the influence of   
religion4  ,the converse of this  truth 
will be seen in the almost              
hopelessly-irreclaimable state of the   
adult 8dangerous0 classes4  ,religious  
bodies mistake in shaping their  plans  
as if there were no medium1 looked at   
from a ,christian point of  view1       
between the lowest depths of depraved   
self-indulgence1 and the pure           
aspirations of devotion4  ,they are not 
exempt from recognising the truth1  that
 all physical1 social1 and political    
improvements1 as well as the            
consistency1 meekness1 and gentleness of
 the followers of the ,gospel1  have a  
bearing upon the spiritual destinies of 
mankind4  ,when will they  cordially    
acknowledge in their creed that the man 
who discountenances the  mammon-grasping
 spirit of the age--who promotes the    

education of the  poor--who advocates a 
reform of prison discipline--who helps  
to sweeten an  unwholesome              
neighbourhood--who encourages pure and  
healthy recreation1 is  doing more to   
prepare a soil favourable for the       
reception of religious  truth1 and to   
break down the barriers which interpose 
between the working  classes and the    
religious world than the ,no-,popery    
agitator1 the  loud-mouthed denouncer of
 8,sabbath desecration10 or the zealous 
stickler  for outward uniformity and    
formal observances8  ,the one is doing  
something to repair dilapidated         
humanity--the other is interposing fresh
  obstacles to that great desideratum4  
,,footnotes4      #f  ,we have          
diligently read all we have been able to
 lay our hands upon  in favour of the   
agitation--but only one out of what may 
be called the  8religious               
newspapers0--the ,nonconformist--has1 so
 far as we are aware1  discountenanced  
it4  ,still it is to be borne in mind   

that this seeming  unanimity is by no   
means indicative of the same feeling    
amongst  intelligent ,evangelicals1 in  
whom a liberalizing leaven is largely at
  work4    #g  ,the ,divided ,sabbath4  
,remarks concerning the ,crystal        
,palace1 now  erecting at ,sydenham4    
,by the ,rev4 ,wm4 ,jowett1 ,m4,a4      
,london3 ,seeleys4    #ab  ,the         
,sabbatarians can scarcely be aware that
 the ,croydon ,railway  ,company now    
often carry as many as #aj1jjj          
pleasure-seekers up and down  their line
 on ,sunday4    #ae  ,one journal calls 
them 8the devil's caterers40    #ah     
,this beautiful episode has been quoted 
with admiration by some  newspapers1    
which1 if the truth wrapped up in it had
 been invested with  the folds of modern
 religionism1 would1 doubtless1 have    
described it as  fanaticism4  ,so much  
depends upon the shape and spirit in    
which religion  is presented4  ,may not 
some portion of the aversion set down to
 the  thing sometimes result from the   

mode of its presentation8    #ba  ,this 
statement may be set down as an         
exaggeration of the facts4  ,it  was1   
however suggested to the mind of the    
writer1 by the perusal of a  striking   
speech of the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,campbell's1 at
 a recent meeting in  ,manchester1 in   
aid of a ,jubilee ,fund for the ,sunday 
,school ,union4  ,in the  course of his 
address1 he adverted to 8the terrible   
fact0 that if the  clergy of all        
denominations1 and the city             
missionaries1 with all their  converts  
and adherents1 were removed from the    
great metropolis1 8the  blank thereby   
created would not be very great40  ,he  
went on to say that  8adult conversions0
 in ,london and ,england were 8a rare   
thing10 and to  describe the class as   
8sealed1 unapproachable1 unimpressible40
  ,he  proceeded in the following       
strain3--8,were you to multiply your    
ministers1  both ,church and ,dissent1  
with real evangelical men1 and to build 
edifices  so that each thousand of our  

adult population should command for its 
service--if it choose to avail itself of
 it--such clergymen1 or minister1  it   
would very slightly alter the case 4 4 4
  ,i have no hesitation in  saying1     
that1 unless some other agency than the 
public ministration of  the ,word is    
brought actively into operation1 even if
 we had such an  assemblage of gifts and
 talents concentred in our preachers as 
the world  never saw1 we could not do   
much40  ,his hope lay only in the       
influence of  ,sunday ,schools upon the 
minds of the young4    #bb  ,the writer 
does not deem the tenour of the above   
arguments  inconsistent with a belief in
 the fact that the major part of        
whatever  good is done in this world for
 elevating fallen humanity1 socially or 
religiously1 results from the           
self-denying efforts of pious men4      
,while  others talk they act4  ,they    
deserve all honour for what they        
accomplish1 but have no claim1 on that  
account1 to be exempted from fair       

comment4  ,these strictures will1 no    
doubt1 be set down to a censorious      
spirit1 and not unlikely the writer will
 be denounced as an enemy in  disguise4 
,this1 however1 is the lot of all       
reformers and objectors to  things as   
they are4  ,for its own sake1           
irrespectively of the general           
principle1 the ,christian ,church ought 
to value the right of free  discussion4 
,honest criticism of a good cause1 is   
much more to be desired  than           
undiscriminating praise4  ,it is a      
mournful fact1 and in itself a  sure    
symptom of unhealthiness1 that there is 
scarcely a religious  magazine or       
newspaper which dare venture to give    
utterance to such  sentiments as are    
contained in this pamphlet4  ,the outcry
 raised against  the candid expression  
of opinion has these1 amongst others1   
injurious  effects--it perpetuates      
corruption1 it drives intelligent young 
men away  from religious societies1 and 
it furnishes unbelievers with a cogent  

argument against the ,gospel4  ,god     
grant that the ,christian ,church may   
put  away this mischievous intolerance1 
and pursue their mission with a  greater
 breadth of plan1 wisdom of purpose1    
toleration of differences1  and economy 
of means4