6 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



threatened opposition melted away and the 

 resolution was carried unanimously. 



It was in the following terms : " That in the 

 opinion of this House, the excessive and un- 

 necessarily long hours of labour in shops are 

 injurious to the comfort, health, and well-being 

 of all concerned ; and that it is desirable to give 

 to local authorities such powers as may be 

 necessary to enable them to carry out the general 

 wishes of the shopkeeping community with refer- 

 ence to the hours of closing." 



On March 25 of this year Sir John gave an 

 address, under the title of " Personal and Political 

 Reminiscences," to the Working Men's College in 

 Great Ormond Street. His stories greatly amused 

 his audience and those who read the reports of 

 the address at the time, and a few may bear 

 repetition. 



" Of course," he said, " candidates must ex- 

 pect much criticism and some condemnation ; 

 still, our newspapers are on the whole very fair, 

 and if occasionally the blame is rather severe, it 

 still oftener happens that one receives much more 

 credit than one deserves. Moreover, it is pleasant 

 to find that one has more good qualities than one 

 had supposed, and one feels that there may be 

 something in the praise — ^for of course the news- 

 papers on one's own side are most ably conducted 

 — whereas the condemnation is evidently the 

 result of political prejudice. 



" One of the worst attacks on me, I think, has 

 been in connection with the Early Closing Bill ; 

 one champion of late hours and the liberty to 

 overwork other people, for instance, saying : 



