concerts, of various degrees of excellence and expense, are increasing in number; they are given in the theatres and public halls and gardens. A drunken man is not often seen; a drunken woman scarcely ever. All taverns are closed on Sunday by law, but are none the less easily accessible by means of a side or back door. Most confectioners are open on Sunday, and Jewish shops are open part of the day. Skilled labour on Sunday is very rare; the American artisan can generally afford to do without Sunday labour. Daily newspapers number thirty-two, semi-weekly fourteen. Weekly newspapers and periodicals number more than two hundred, and monthlies and quarterlies twice that. The poorer classes read some of these very extensively.

Further inland, at Baltimore, no museum, an art-gallery and a library. A citizen has just given a million dollars to establish a free circulating library. The existing institution is closed on Sunday, and in the week is not at all attended by the poorer classes, the public parks being their usual place of recreation. Sunday trading or skilled labour is unknown; there is but little drunkenness, and less on Sundays. In cases of necessity the mayor will give permission for loading or discharging cargo on the Sunday. Newspapers are widely read by everybody.

The

Further inland still, at Cincinnati, a splendid free library of 36,000 volumes, freely lent and widely borrowed. No museum or artgallery, but 60,000l. given by one citizen, supplemented by 30,000l. collected to build one on land given by the city. It is proposed to charge a small admission fee to meet current expenses. library is open on Sunday in the forenoon, but books are taken home rather than read in the room. The chief Sunday recreations are visiting the hills and the theatres, and drinking lager beer and whisky. Drunkenness is very prevalent, and most so on Sunday. As most of the people can earn enough in five days, or less, for a week's living, Sunday labour and Sunday trading are rare.

Turning south to New Orleans, no museum or art-gallery, two poor libraries, closed on Sunday and never much used by the artisan class, who have no special means of recreation beyond the never-failing walking about.' Drunkenness is very prevalent, but not more on Sunday than on other days. Sunday trading is both prevalent and increasing, and skilled labour, though not yet prevalent, appears to be becoming so. Six newspapers, of poor tone, are not much used by the poorer people.

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Going to the Far West we have, at San Francisco, a public library, well supplied with books of all kinds, open on Sunday, and well attended. Rural rambles and walking about' the streets, together with church-going, fill up the Sunday with most people. Drunkenness is rare on any day, and Sunday trading is now stopped by law. There is little if any skilled labour. Abundance of newspapers have abundant readers.

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Returning to England we find 'walking about 'the one' recreation' on Sunday. At Birmingham are lectures, while at Scarborough rabbit-hunting and fence-breaking are spoken of as Sunday amusements. In Scotland' walking about' is the one reply given to all inquiries as to Sunday. In Ireland still walking' is the one means of getting through the day of rest. There are slight variations on the single theme: at Ashton-under-Lyne they go out in vehicles in summer, and stay at home in winter;' at Bath they saunter.' At Birmingham the parks are much frequented in summer, and in winter the Sunday lecture society gives lectures in public halls, board schools, &c. At Blackburn they ramble;' at Bradford the public-houses and principal thoroughfares are crowded on Sunday evenings; at Coventry they 'loaf.' In Dublin the National Gallery and Zoological Gardens are open on Sunday. At Dudley nothing particular,' at Derby none,' at Edinburgh walking about or reading' are the replies. At Dundee they do not go in for much recreation on Sunday, except an occasional walk in the park.' At Exeter 'summer excursions ;' at Glasgow the public parks.' In Gloucester they have none in particular,' and in Greenock 'recreation is not encouraged on the Sabbath.' In Huddersfield 'churches, chapels, Sunday-schools, and public parks' are the places of recreation; in Inverness' none,' at Kilkenny' walking,' at Kilmarnock walking about and church-going." At Liverpool the mayor and town clerk combined cannot tell me anything about the Sunday recreations of the town. At Manchester the free libraries are open on Sunday from two to nine, and largely attended. At Norwich 'excursions to the seaside, down the river, fishing and gardening.' At Nottingham 'gardening, walking in arboretum, boulevards, public walks and riverside, riding and skating ;' at Oxford such recreation as they can make for themselves;' at Paisley 'they have no recreations on Sunday, having as many as they want on week-days. On Sunday they seem glad of a rest.' At Peterborough 'they walk about with their families,' at Plymouth a considerable number are church and chapel goers, the rest? Reading accompanying the Salvation Army and country walks;' at Sunderland 'walking about till the public-houses are open;' at Swansea 'the large majority attend church and chapel, and when the public-houses are closed the number will probably be largely augmented.' In Waterford 'the seaside, country walks, and listening to the park band;' at Wexford 'walking, reading, and playing cards,' here are six reading-rooms open on Sunday to subscribers only. At Wolverhampton an offer of 5,000l. for a fine-art-gallery cannot be accepted because the Free Library Act allows only a penny rate, and this rate is already absorbed by the free library, so that nothing is left for the support of the art-gallery if it were set up! A subscription fund does not appear to have been thought of.

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Walking about' is not confined to the British Isles as the chief

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means of getting through Sunday; even where there are museums, art-galleries, and libraries, if the poorer classes have not reached a certain standard of education, they will not be able to use them. At Amsterdam there are libraries and art-galleries open free or by a small charge, but the poorer classes do not attend them, and here drunkenness is very prevalent with men, but a drunken woman is very rare. Sunday trading is decreasing, and the only skilled labour is done by Jews. At Antwerp the museum and art-gallery, not the library, are open on Sunday, but not much attended by artisans, who make excursions, visit estaminets, cafés, open-air concerts, and music halls. There is not much drunkenness, but Sunday is the worst day.

At Berlin we have a different picture. The public museums, artgalleries, and libraries are open on Sunday and are largely attended by poorer people, especially on Sunday. The climate allows of more open-air life than in Great Britain, good music is cheap and abundant; in winter cheap concerts and theatres form a powerful counter attraction to the public-houses; in summer country excursions or walks occupy Sunday morning, the evening being spent in a beer-garden, the modest supper enlivened by music, which if not good is also not bad. There is much drinking, but little drunkenness; the light beer does not intoxicate, unless taken in very large quantities.

At Bordeaux it is much the same. Museum, art-gallery, library, are open on Sunday and well attended by poor people, who also frequent theatres, operas, concerts, &c. Drunkenness is rare on any day.

At Brussels one sees a large number of artisans and peasant farmers at the museum, &c., on Sunday, and the artisans have a number of musical societies which meet on Sundays, and in summer these societies organise festival meetings. There are also many pigeon-clubs, of which the members are chiefly artisans, who arrange pigeon-races on Sunday. The artisan class chiefly live in the suburbs, and what little drunkenness there is (confined absolutely to men) is seen on Monday, which is a half-holiday.

Buda-Pesth has its public institutions, well attended by the artisans and country-people, especially on Sundays; there are also excursions and open-air bands of music. Sunday is the worst day for drink, but there is not much even then. Sunday trading is general.

In the quiet North, Christiania has several museums, &c. open on Sunday, from 12 to 2. Few poor people come on weekdays, more on Sunday, and the number on that day is increasing. Summer excursions, winter association meetings, and dancing halls of secondary reputation are other Sunday recreations. Drunkenness is prevalent, especially in the suburbs, but it is decreasing. Brandy may not be sold on Sundays or holidays, or after 5 P.M. on the day before. TradSkilled labour is ing on these days is also prohibited before 5 P.M. also prohibited under penalties, except to bakers and barbers in the early morning. Newspaper-reading is very general.

Turning south to Italy we have in Florence abundance of arttreasures open on Sundays free, the libraries being closed. The Sunday attendance of artisans is good, some of the better educated being evidently students as well as sight-seers. The streets, the cafés, and the theatres are all well-filled. The Tuscans are a sober race, and drunkenness is therefore rare, and what there is is partly due to the increased price of wine, owing to the long-continued grapedisease; the wine being in consequence more adulterated, and also partly replaced by spirits. It is also increased by the immigration into Florence of workmen from the northern provinces, since the unification of Italy. The feeling, common in Roman Catholic countries, that Sunday is a day of rest and innocent recreation, together with the dislike of Tuscans to any work that can be avoided, tends to prevent much labour on Sunday, and to keep Sunday-trading within narrow limits.

At Genoa Sunday is the only day on which the museum has its doors set open, and then it is crowded all day by artisans and poorer people. The library closes at 3 P.M., but is used chiefly by middleclass people. Sunday excursions by railway, tramcar, or on foot, are very popular with the Genoese, a sober, industrious, and saving people. Drunkenness is but little seen, chiefly on Saturday evening.

In Milan the museums and libraries are open from ten to four on Sundays. Work is general in the forenoon, and later the artisans resort, with or without their families, to the inns in the town or suburbs, and enjoy a better meal than is habitual at home. There is much more drinking on Sunday, but not much drunkenness at any time. The chief Sunday trading is in provision shops during the forenoon.

At Naples the museums, not the libraries, are open from nine to three, and well attended by artisans, &c., on that day only. Theatres and eating-houses are also well filled. Drunkenness is but small in extent. Trading and skilled labour are common in the forenoon. From Naples in the south to Turin in the north we pass from the southern to the northern customs. A large number of institutions are open on Sunday, and well attended by artisans and poorer people, who also listen to music in the public squares, and attend the theatres. Drunkenness is almost unknown. So far, north and south are alike, but in Turin Sunday trading is very limited, cafés, restaurants, and cigar shops chiefly, most others (except butchers and bakers in early morning) being invariably closed. Skilled labour is unknown on Sunday. Turin, however, is in some respects a model town, crime being very small indeed in proportion to the quarter of a million inhabitants.

At Venice many of the institutions are open on Sunday from 10 to 2; one library from 11 to 11, but the number of artisan visitors is small. Drunkenness and Sunday trading are both small in extent,

and skilled labour is unknown. Venice is brilliant and romantic to the visitor and tourist; but there are few towns which appear more sordid and melancholy below the surface of visitors and those who live on them. The visitors who walk about the town, and those who only hire gondolas, will have different ideas of Venice and the Venetians.

Having, however briefly and imperfectly, glanced over Europe on Sunday, it will be easier for us to ask what is to be said for and against the opening of museums, art-galleries, libraries, and public gardens on Sunday in Great Britain, and to understand the force of the arguments.

Why is it desired to open public institutions on Sunday?

1. Because there are many people who cannot go on other days, but who could and would go on Sundays.

2. Because it is good for people to visit such institutions at any time, even on Sunday.

3. Because, being national property, the people (who are the owners) should be able to enter at any time they desire to do so in any number.

4. Because it is self-evident that people who work long hours on week-days (and there are very many who do so) cannot go at all except on Sunday. This is especially true of shopkeepers, assistants, and labourers.

Why is it desired to keep them closed on Sundays?

Because to open them deprives, or would deprive, many of their day of rest, since the attendants, &c., would have to work. But many do work on Sunday in church, chapel, Sunday-school; and, perhaps, no work in the world is more useless than that of ringing a church bell for an hour or more every Sunday in a town where every one has abundant means of knowing the time. Domestic servants work nearly as much on Sunday as on other days. Policemen and soldiers are employed by the public. So that it is not Sunday work, but needless Sunday work: not Sunday work that is, but Sunday work that might be, that is objected to. But since it is right to employ policemen to protect property and preserve order, it might be as well to employ museum assistants in the work of education which tends to remove the need of policemen.