SUNDAY OBSERVANCE IN SCOTLAND.

Western Star, Issue 429, 23 March 1881, Page 3

SUNDAY OBSERVANCE IN SCOTLAND.

At a conference held in Edinburgh P recently to consider the desirability of 5 opening museums, picture galleries, and public gardens ou Sundays, the 1 Eev. A. "Webster made the following 1 sensible remarks: —“It used to be imagined,” he said, “ that Sunday cou ! not be kept unless the whole of it was , spent in church, hearing sermons, and then in the. house poring over the ’ ‘ Afflicted Man’s Companion,’ or some 1 book about the end of the world in a 1 darkened room, with the blinds down, and everything made as gloomy as possible.—(Laughter.) Nowtheycould L not but rejoice that within the past ! quarter of a century a considerable 1 change had taken place in this respect 5 One valuable contribution to this change of opinion was made by the ’ late Dr Norman MacLeod on the fight : over Sabbatarianism in Glasgow. — 1 (Applause.) A great many of the 1 Scotch clergy, and a still greater number of the laity,werenow thinkingon the Sunday question in the same direction as the late Dr MacLeod. Mr Webster went on to speak about the changes which had recently taken place in the Church of Scotland by the introduction of organs, stained glass windows, and handsome internal, decorations, to the opening of the Princes street Gardens, arid asked was it a great step in advance to try and also get the Botanic Hardens opened ? He wished it to be understood that be had no desire of importing info Scotland'the-kind of Sunday observance -which prevailed rri the Continent, nor Aid be believe that was very likely.to happen.—(Applause.) People therefore mus tnot be, frightened by the everlasting cry about the thin , end;of the wedge. Personally, he felt inclined riot toigo further iri the reso- . luticfti than risMng that the I Botanic Hardens shoilldbri Opened. He alluded to the growing feeling for a change in’ the hours of public worship'fin’Shetland, (.and; expressed the hope that’if there was to be an evening instead of an afternoon sirmon, clergymen might be allowed a larger margin for their choice of subjects than they possessed at present. —(Hear, hear.; He would suggest that in,the eyenirig they should ■be a little less theological and a little ■ iriore human—aditfle less controversial q,nd a little ..more concerned about [ those practical matters which- consisted ip righteousness,-peace, and spiritual jfay—(Applause).”