Free Opinions, Freely Expressed on Certain Phases of Modern Social Life and ConductCorelli, Marie
Religion
Free Opinions, Freely Expressed on Certain Phases of Modern Social Life and Conduct
Corelli, Marie
English essays -- 20th century; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 20th century
When not playing bridge, Society’s “Sunday observance” is motoring.
Flashing and fizzling all over the place, it rushes here, there, and
everywhere, creating infinite dust, smelling abominably, and looking
uglier than the worst demons in Dante’s “Inferno.” Beauty certainly
goes to the wall in a motor. The hideous masks, goggles, and caps
which help to make up the woman motorist’s driving gear, are enough
to scare the staunchest believer in the eternal attractiveness of the
fair sex, while the general get-up of the men is on a par with that of
the professional stoker or engine-driver. Nevertheless, no reasonable
woman ought to mind other women looking ugly if they like; while men,
of course, are always men, and “masters of the planet,” whether dirty
or clean. And no one should really object to the “motor craze,” seeing
that it takes so many useless people out of one’s immediate horizon
and scatters them far and wide over the surface of the earth. Society
uses Sunday as a special day for this “scattering,” and perhaps it
is doing itself no very great harm. It is getting fresh air, which
it needs; it is “going the pace,” which, in its fevered condition of
living fast, so as to die more quickly, is natural to it; and it is
seeing persons and places it never saw before in the way of country
nooks and old-fashioned roadside inns, and rustic people, who stare at
it with unfeigned amusement, and wonder “what the world’s a’-comin’
to!” Possibly it learns more in a motor drive through the heart of
rural England than many sermons in church could teach it. The only
thing one would venture to suggest is that in passing its Sundays in
this fashion, Society should respect the Sundays of those who still
elect to keep the seventh day as a day of rest. Fashionable motorists
might avoid dashing recklessly through groups of country people who
are peacefully wending their way to and from church. They might “slow
down.” They might take thoughtful heed of the little children who play
unguardedly about in many a village street. They might have some little
consideration for the uncertain steps of feeble and old persons who
are perchance blind or deaf, and who neither see the “motor” nor hear
the warning blast of its discordant horn. In brief, it would not hurt
Society to spend its Sundays with more thought for others than Itself.
For the bulk and mass of the British people--the people who _are_
Great Britain--still adhere to the sacred and blessed institution of a
“day of rest,” even if it be not a day of sermons. To thousands upon
thousands of toiling men and women, Sunday is still a veritable God’s
day, and we may thank God for it! Nay, more; we should do our very
best to keep it as “holy” as we can, if not by listening to sermons,
at least by a pause in our worldly concerns, wherein we may put a stop
on the wheels of work and consider within ourselves as to how and why
we are working. Sunday is a day when we should ask Nature to speak to
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account