Occasional Notes.

Clutha Leader, Volume 1, Issue 52, 8 July 1875, Page 4

Occasional Notes.

, ; THE ATHEIWEUM. '' "''' '"" The! question -of opening Athenaeums on 'Suhday seems to be continually cpntinjially cropping up. ' The members of the Balclutha.' Athena^hm' seem to have settled the question in a tolerably off-hand and expeditious ;mariner-~thft vote in favor of opening the .institution for a few hours on Sunday 'having been carried by a large majority .of such of the subscribers' as, were, present at a' • meeting, called for the purpose '..of passing bye-laws. Well, Ido not apprehend' that the course adopted is likely .to have any prejudicial effect upon the inhabitants of Balclutha and the neighborhood'; in fact, I am somewhat disposed to think that the opening for a few hours on Sunday will be rather; beneficial than otherwise to. the community, notwithstanding the objections and warnings of the stricter disciplinarians,- It is not very easy to comprehend .why the giving .people access to,, a reading' room^on Sunday must, as>some people tell jus it is, likely to or must inevitably ,do,TCSult in having . horse-racing* on that: day, and the opening of theatres, concert rooms, singing saloons, and shops and stores. Surely it is possible to draw a line and not go beyond it. Ido not well see that a young man can employ his leisure time in a much better way' than in the exercise" of his intellect,, and improvement of his mind. Even reading works of .fiction on Sunday is preferable to boozing secretly in a hotel. All sensible people recognise the importance of studying or being instructed in the gospel ; that g-ospel truth is the only foundation upon which a superstructure of knowledge can safely be erected ; but the gospel — the best nourishment of the soul — should be offered in a careful and judicious manner, and to force too much of it on the mind at once will be rather apt to produce feelings of dislike and revulsion than a proper appreciation of the excellence of religion. Now-a-days it is preposterous to suppose that the generality of people will pass the Sabbath-day as some others tell them it ought to be passed — that is, attending a place of worship once or twice a day if possible, and in the intervening hours doing nothing but twirl thumbs, sleep, or read only very good books. The human mind naturally revolts at such treatment. It is quite certain the amount of religious exercise some people insist upon as indispensible the generality of people will not take ; and that all endeavors to force or induce them to take it are likely to prove futile,, as regards many of thoee who are no longer children. There are people who if denied the opportunity of passing many leisure hours of a day in any other manner bufc'.;in religious exercise, will probably pass a portion of time in a manner a great deal more objection able than in reading and the cultivation of the intellect. Because people are afforded access to a collection of books, magazines, and newspapers on the Sunday, it by no means follows as a necessity that religious exercise should be neglected on that day. There is abundance of time for both the indulgence in intellectual pleasure ana attention to and the performance of religious duties.