The Merry Past 



Puritanism in England has occurred within the last 

 sixty or seventy years. As long ago as 1824 its un- 

 reasoning forces were gathering strength. 



A writer of that day, commenting upon this, said : 

 " It requires no vote of the House of Commons to 

 tell us that the power of cant has increased, is still 

 increasing, and ought to be put down. The modern 

 Pharisee, not content with his Bible, tract, and 

 missionary societies, is never happy unless he inter- 

 feres with the pleasures and amusements of others : 

 if he does make an exception, it is in favour of the 

 rich, not the poor. 



* Raise not your scythes, suppressors of our vice — 

 Reforming Saints, too delicately nice ! 

 By whose decree, our sinful souls to save. 

 No Sunday tankards foam, no barbers shave. 

 And beer undrawn, and beard unmown, display 

 Tour holy reverence for the Sabbath day ! ' 



'' Such is their zeal nowadays that the Londoner, in 

 his Sunday's walk, dares no longer munch an apple or 

 crack a nut. The whole stock of a wretched old 

 woman was lately seized on a Sunday by some of 

 these Pharisees, when they knew it was not during 

 Divine service, and were depriving the poor woman 

 of putting a bit of bread in her own and her children's 

 mouths." 



As an American writer * has very happily said, in all 

 probability the nearest approach to the Puritan hell 



* Mr. Price Collier in his admirable book, " England and the 

 English." 



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