A Fixed Easter ?
In stating the Government's attitude in regard to a fixed Easter (discussed in an article in The Spectator last week) in the course of the adjournment debate in the House of Commons last week the Home Secretary went as far as could reasonably be expected at the moment. It is unfortunate that since the Act of 1928, enacting that Easter Day should be on a fixed day in April every year, but leaving the Act to be brought into operation by an Order in Council, was passed, public interest in a reform which both Houses whole- heartedly approved has been allowed to flag. Mr. Ede, admitting .that a good case for fixing Easter had been made out, emphasised the fact that the Act itself stipulated that before an Order bringing it into force was made regard should be had to any opinion officially expressed by any Church or other Christian body ; while he himself saw great advantages in fixing Easter, he had to pay due deference to ecclesiastical opinion, though he would not go so far as to regard the opposition of a single Church as necessarily barring Government action. Twenty years ago the volume of support for the proposal to stabilise Easter was impressive, and there is no reason to think that the various organisations—educational, commercial, railways and others—have changed their views, or that the present Archbishop of Canterbury (who has practical knowledge of the inconvenience a movable Easter causes in the educational world) would be less favourable than his predecessor, Archbishop Davidson. It would be very useful if representative bodies like the Headmasters' Con- ference and the Association of British Chambers of Commerce made their views known to the Government.
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