The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Oxford both
spoke against the resolution, the Archbishop taking the curious view that it is wise to open country places and gardens (like those of Hampton Court) for the Sunday, in spite of the official Sunday labour which it involves, but unwise, or, at all events, less certainly wise, to open libraries and museums, the Archbishop not apparently considering that probably one-half of the Sundays in every year are very ill adapted for open-air recreations, and that if you consider the labour involved in the use of the railway system, open-air recreations probably involve more Sunday labour than indoor recreations. The Bishop of Oxford spoke more strongly against the resolution, being appar- ently deeply convinced that the dismal Sunday of England is good for the English people, and that any other would lower the grade of their spiritual earnestness. The resolution was re- jected by 46 votes to 38—majority, 8, 10 Bishops voting in the negative. Had the Bishops been absent, the resolution would have been carried.
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