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Leader (1850-1860), 3rd September 1853, Edition Country of 2, Page 17

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      The Paisley Block-Cutters, And Dock Laij...

      imerically and physically , but wanting Mind , they ain as they are—that is , as a whole—being debarred f f 7 fat skill by which deliverance alone is to come—° skill of a wholesomely -planned and thoroughly organized mode of action . Is it fair , then , even , should the unknowing child thrust its hand into , the fire ; in quest of some be' tchin " brightness , that that child should be as unconditionall y , as unpityingly blamed , assured as we are

      that it lias not yet been taught any better ? And 1 nee also , is it fair that some ten or twelve thousand dock labourers are to be considered as meriting no improvement in their daily circumstances , merely in consequence of the fact that they had not knowledge enough , spread through and actuating among the body at large , to compel a fairer reward for their hard labour than that which they at present receive ?

      Craving therefore , for my own sake and in my own rHit as a free-thoughted working man , as also in the general behoof of labour in all its branches and ramificat ions , that the Leader , on these considerations , will somewhat subdue the harshness of what it appears to still insist upon in respect to the two cases under notice , I now close this communication , which already has extended much beyond what I had purposed ; and this although there has been no attempt to illustrate the positions advocated by any statement of special factsa proceeding which would have spread over a considerably wider space . J . D . D . August 23 , 1853 . .

      I September 3, 1853.] The Leader. 857

      I September 3 , 1853 . ] THE LEADER . 857

      The Law Of Divorce. (To The Editor Of Th...

      THE LAW OF DIVORCE . ( To the Editor of the Leader . ) Sir , —The article in your last number , entitled " The Norton Case and the Law of Divorce / ' is too forcible and practical not to have made a strong impression on many of your readers . In the belief that I am , expressing , to some extent , their convictions as well as my own , I beg to offer the following remarks to your consideration .

      That a man should be morally free to submit to what he looks upon as an evil , instead of seeking with all his might to remedy it , appears to mo to be possible only on one of two conditions : either the evil must bear wholly and solely upon himselF , or he must believe it to be of such a nature that resistance can only strengthen it . Now , if it can be shown that , in the case before us , both these conditions are wanting , will not the more conscientious of those who " derive from

      the practical evils of the present law a conviction that , in part at least , it is essentially erroneous , " feel themselves no longer at liberty to continue in passive acquiescence ? I say the more conscientious only , for with the mass of mankind conscience appears to exercise a purely negative influence ; strong to restrain it is powerless to impel ; and for ono man who rests his claims to be considered a Christian on what ho is and docs , you will find a hundred who base their pro-tensions solely on what they avoid .

      Confessing , then , that our hopes must be exclusively fixed on the numerically weak , but morally strong , class , with whom conscience is positively as well as negatively efficient , I submit to their consideration , iirwt , whether the evils occasioned by the present law are " wholl y and solely" confined to the immediate ) suf-Wer , or whether they do not extend to children , relatives , dependents , and society in general . In tho latter case , both directly , as in the instance which called forth tho editorial article in your last ; and indirectly , inas"iuch its in tho degree in which any man ' s strength is wasted by individual and private auflbring , in that dogi'eo is . society a loser .

      The second point to be ascertained is , " whether tho < -vil referred to ho of such u nature that resistance can ° » 1 . V strengthen it . " ' ¦ 'hat this question , whothor put upon abstract ground ( historical , muni ; equally bo answered in tho ncgativo kwihh to ni 0 a thing Holf-ovidont . Not only does the opinio n that moral ovil cannot lio successfully resisted " mount virtually to atheism , but history and

      experience are lull of instances in which resistance // as succeeded . ] f if ; l )() borne in mind also Unit tho success hitherto attained is entirely due to individual exertion , "ii attempt having yet been mado to Ktrengtihon resist'")(•(! by iU 1 y piun of organized mutual , Support , I think We shall be convinced that , ho far from our task looklu hopeless , there needs but resolution and perHovor" »<•<) , to bring .. it in God ' s good time to a successful IHHIU > . I am , sir , yours respectfully , F . E . C . A "K » Hl 301 , 1 ! lf ) 53 .

      The Law As To Smltvants' "Characters." (...

      THE LAW AS TO SMltVANTS ' "CHARACTERS . " ( To tho Mlitor of tho ' . Loader . ) \ ji ^ i tn , 1 ; | m < . y w jjj M jjj ) r ( j U 1 O y , inoiuls of 'tyniij before tho public u cuso of oppreBuion for which

      the law , in its present state , affords no practical redress . A few days since a poor woman , in deep affliction , called upon me and desired my advice under the following circumstances : —She had been in service as cook and housekeeper in several fashionable families , and had left , twelve months ago , her last . situation , in which she had previously remained ten months . Since quitting it she had repeatedly applied for others , and had referred her intending employers to her last mistress for her character . The result was invariably refusal . Those

      who declined her services moreover , considering the communications from her last employer as confidential , refused to inform her of the reasons of her rejection , except that it was the character they had received from her reference . At length one , more candid than the rest , showed her the letter from her late mistress , falsely representing her as extravagant and uncleanly . Witnesses , the poor servant assured me , she could produce in abundance , to testify not only to her own aptness and capacity , but also to the general malevolence and vindictiveness of her oppressor .

      Under these circumstances I wrote and sent a letter of civil remonstrance to the lady . The result was a note referring me to her solicitors . Then , where lay the legal redress ? I might , it is true , have brought an action , and perhaps have recovered damages . But to effect this I , a party legally disinterested except as to costs , must have laid out a large sum on the hazard of the truth of the

      statement of my client and her witnesses , with the certainty of not receiving a penny if the action failed , or if the defendant , losing , absconded or became insolvent . I must , moreover , have braved an exposure in court and in the press as an attorney who brought a speculative action , and might possibly have been reminded by the learned judge that the man who brought suits into court for the mere purpose of costs was a disgrace to his profession .

      I could not advise proceeding in the County Court , for cases of slander and libel are expressly exempted from its jurisdiction . The magistrate was equally powerless . Therefore , sir , having the reputation of my profession at heart , and the fear of a learned judge before my eyes , I did all I could for this poor creature by sending her forth to starvation or crime , as circumstances might lead her . Sir , is this right , that one woman should thus possess tho power of utterly ruining a helpless dependent , by depriving her of tho means of honest labour ?

      Supposing even that she has committed an offence justifying her dismissal , is tho memory of it to cling to her through her life , in spite possibly of bitter repentance and atonement ? Even supposing the punishment to bo amply merited in somo instances , can that be an argument for a system under which the victim may sutler equally if innocent ? And are women , whether intellectual or half demented , liberal or spiteful , to be judges in their own causes , and pass sentence for lift ) upon their fellow creatures in a land where barristers aro plentiful ?

      One short act , sir , empowering a magistrato or a County Court to hear and determine cases involving the characters of domestic servants , would meet this evil , nnd I cannot but beliovo that were the attention of our legislators called to this subject mich an act would be speedily passed . I am , sir , yours , A Young Souorroit .

      Sunday In Glasgow. (To Tho Mlitor Of Tho...

      SUNDAY IN GLASGOW . ( To tho Mlitor of tho Loader . ) Glasgow , August 30 th , 1853 . Dkaii Srn , —Your Glasgow correspondent , of hint week , floemH highly indignant with " Ion"for writing a letter of truthful statements , respecting tho " Sunday boat . " " Jon" Hiiid truly that tho working-classes aro debarred from broathing tho invigorating air of tho coast on Sundays John Mncgregor nays , No 1— " a portion can leave Glasgow at eight o ' clock Saturday night , and bo back at woven on Monday morning , alter enjoying tho fresh air all Sunday . " Very truo ! A man with money may do this , but 1 deny that a mochanic with 15 * . or \ l . n-weok can avail himself of thoHo means . There in not an hm on the banks of tho Clyde where n ninglo man can be accommodated' with a bed for two nights and bin meals on Sunday , for less than ] . 0 . v ., which is half his weekly Hillary . Hut if ho taken Inn wife—( and where doo . su good husband liko to go without her P)—it is of course still more exponsivo : to on joy tho privilege of the return-tickets , froHh air , and tho consequent hearty iiiohIh , would cost him the wholo of hit ) hard-earned wagon . Now hoo tho difference by llio Emperor on SundayH : Uroakfast before ntnrting , HandwicliOH in n baiskot , n few biscuits , and tho trip c : o . st . s but Is . (\ d ., for which Hum tho passengers are taken ibrty or fifty nnku and back . And the ucuno day , thus

      avoiding the expense of sleeping at inns . This is ono of the great advantages to the working-man . With regard to the meeting at the City Hall , it was a packed affair , having been duly announced from the pulpits of all those churches where the Jewish Law takes tho precedence of Christ . I have been to many public meetings on exciting subjects , but never was in such a riotous and disgraceful assembly in my life . You may form an idea of the impartiality of the movers in the affair , when I tell you the speakers against tho " Sunday boat" were allowed to speak any length of time , while those who supported , the amendment wero confined to five minutes !

      Mr . Macgregor deprecates the interference of the English with Scotch affairs . I can assure you the more liberal in religion of the Scotch aro truly thankful for English influence , in support of which I take an extract from a letter by a " strickit minister" to one of the Glasgow papers : " I really believe that were it not for our union with England we might yet have to thank our clergy for a renewal of the ' thumb-screw ' and the ' boot , ' that they might screw us up in holes on Sunday , and kick us out of them at their divine pleasure on Monday . " I am sorry to say that the intolerance of the Scottish clergy leads one to such a belief . Yours truly , An Englishman .

      Sunday Ii Glasgow. (To The Editor Of The...

      SUNDAY II GLASGOW . ( To the Editor of the Leader . ) Sin , —Mr . Macgregor ' s letter is more remarkablo for telling us what "Ion" did not say than for refuting what he did say . Mr . Macgregor ' s application of the doctrine of noninterference is amusing , although it comes with a bad grace from one apparently identified with a class who endeavoured to rouse the working classes of Scotland to resist the opening of the Crystal Palace on Sunday . Union is strength , and it behoves 7 the English workman to help his Scotch brother . But I believe there is enough of the sturdy spirit of the Covenanters among us to fight our own battles , and resist , as they resisted , all forms of religious bigotry and intolerance . ~ The paradoxical impudence of these Sabbatarians is astonishing to all consistent men . You will hear them continually invoking the memory of the Covenanters—invoking the memories of men who laid down their lives for liberty of thought and action ! Mr . Macgregor points to the City Hall meeting as invalidating the statement of " Ion , " that " all classes of people of all religious persuasions approve of tho Emperor sailing on Sunday . " No ono who has studied the religious aspect of Scotland will deny that thoro is

      a section of the nation , a rapidly growing and influential section , comprising all opinions , who believe that the present fanatical observance of Sunday in Scotland is nt the root of a groat many of her social evils—such as drunkenness . And these people , putting aside their differences of religious belief , endeavour to provide somo healthy antidotes , of which tho Mmperor is the precursor . This is all , I believe , " Ion" means when he asserts that " all classes of people of all religious persuasions approve , " & c .

      Mr . Macgregor takes offence at " Ion for ascribing to Kirk influence the unseemly conduct of those who hoot and otherwise abuse the passengers of tho Emperor . Why , what other influence could mako eautioua Scotchmen so far forgot themselves ? Certainly not any secular influence . What is the worth of Mr . Mncgrcgor ' s wordy flourish about seven days' toil , & o ., when it is known that tho " hands" of tho . Emperor liavo a day in the middlo of tho week as a substitute for Sunday ? But why all thin talk about Sunday labour ? Even the Shorter Catechism iiIIowh " works of necessity and mercy" on Sunday , and certainly wholesome amusement conies under that , designation .

      1 have seen tho wholo argument of tho Sunday question briefly but ably stated in your journal . somo time ago . It will bear repetition . We require amusement on Sunday , and wo do not , require cotton fabrics and all the various productions of tho other nix dayH of the week . Hoping that Scotsmen will bear in mind tho honour anil dignity of their country , and act accordingly ; and an a Scotsman and a workman , thanking " Ion" and yourself for your valuiiblo aids , I ( subscribe myself yours vory respectfully , ' -

      Humouu.—Humour Is Ono Of Tho Elements Of...

      Humouu . —Humour is ono of tho elements of gonius , but if it predominates it becomes a nmko-Hhiffc . Humour accompanies tho doclino of < " ' » which it dcntroyn and annihilates . — l ' Yom Uoe . lhes Opinions . Con v lotion and J ' joKHrrAHroN " . —Few nro opon to conviction , but tho majority of men aro open to perwua * sioiu—1 'Voni Uoelfio ' s Omnioust

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 3, 1853, page 17, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_03091853/page/17/