The million-peopled city
Garwood, John
1853
From the Rev. J. T. Baylee's "' Statistics and Facts in reference to the Lord's-day."
The following are additional testimonies, as taken from by , Clerical Secretary of the Society for Promoting the Due Observance of the Lord's-day:- | |
"The number of these men was, in October, :- Drivers . . . . 1,907 Conductors . . .2,137 Watermen . . 350 Supernumeraries . . 2,000 Horse-keepers . . . 3,000 9,394 | |
"No. 1.- , coachman, examined. Commences work at 10 in the morning, finishes at 12 at night. Has 40 minutes allowed for meals. Has no other respite during the whole | |
217 | time, all week-days are alike, and Sunday also during the summer season. Runs one journey less on Sundays during the winter; this admits of a little time for rest, but not for attending a place of Divine worship." |
"No. 2.- - , conductor. Has been employed for 18 years as a conductor, during which period has not attended worship more than about 6 times. Has wished to go regularly, having been brought up to attend church." | |
"No. 3.- - , employed from to . Commences at 9 o'clock a.m., leaves off at about half-past 10 p.m. Has 40 minutes for meals. On Sunday commences at half-past 10 a.m., finishes at half-past 11 p.m. On this day has an hour for dinner, and the same for tea. Does not attend a place of worship oftener than once or twice a year. Believes it to be a common thing for persons to ride on Sundays to their places of worship." | |
"No. 4.-The proprietors do not allow a servant to rest unless he is exceedingly ill and cannot work; then he must pay a substitute to work for him. There is no proprietor in London who discontinues any portion of his business on the Sabbath in order to give his servants rest for religious or physical improvement: when any portion of their business is discontinued, it is owing to the weather or the scarcity of passengers. I think, since the first introduction of omni- buses, there never was known 50 omnibuses quiet on any Sabbath-day. The horse-keepers, some of them, commence work at 6 in the morning, and do not leave off until past midnight; having to labour the whole of tie time, Sundays and all days, cleaning, feeding, and attending to 10 dirty horses every day, also their harness: they never have any time set aside for their meals, generally taking them when they can, and then in the stables: in fact, some I have known to sleep in the stable upon the hay for months together, never caring for home, body, or soul, through the labour | |
218 | that has been imposed upon them. To be brief, the pro- prietors care nothing for their servants; but their horses are generally taken great care of, not working more than about 3 hours out of 24; but the men work 15 or 16. The masters say the horses come from the pocket,-the men cost nothing." [1] |
The last of these testimonies is most distressing. | |
Footnotes: [1] Pp. 78-81. |