Since it’s Sunday, here’s a repeat of one of my “rogue kitty” Howard’s posts…

Duty calls

Yet I am here to tell you a bit about Victorian Sundays.

In 1851, a “religious census” revealed less than half of all the English attended any Church or chapel at all, much less the almighty Church of England.

This was often because the working man (and his wife!) had little respite.  The working man was at it from early Monday until late Friday.  Often he worked Saturday morning as well.  This left Sunday for all the necessities: a trip to the barber, repairs around his own house, and a feast with the family.  Not to mention the fact in Victorian times, a working man who appeared in Church in his regular everyday clothes was made to feel ashamed.  Couldn’t he locate some finery for the occasion?

Popery, or allegiance to the Church of Rome

Being a professed Roman Catholic made one a non-conformist.  Also all Baptists, all non-Church of England Protestants, and all Jews.  These folks were required to support the Church of England with their taxes.  Likewise, depending on the era, they paid additional fees as religious non-conformists.  Nice, eh, to be a minority, pay tribute to the majority, and also pay a fee for not agreeing to join the majority?  Talk about the courage of your convictions.  Frankly, most felines would fold.

Sundays


So what was Sabbatarianism?  Just what it sounds like — strict observance of the Sabbath as a day of rest.  This didn’t just restrict all labor, which for the working man was a wonderful thing.  It also prohibited many recreations, such as:

• reading novels
• reading newspapers
• reading non-religious stories in magazines
• romantic dates for young men and women
• play with regular toys for children, though a Noah’s Ark might be permitted

Sabbatarians pressed for NO pubs on Sundays, no trains, and no shops.  They were mostly successful.  On a Victorian English Sunday, most shops were closed. and pubs ran shorter hours.  Only the trains continue, unabated.

So did these Evangelical Sabbatarians do anything worthwhile?

They actually did.  One needs only to read the collected works of Charles Dickens to feel the real fire, religious and humanist, demanding reform.  Victorian religious reformers weren’t simply in the business of restricting the workman from his Sunday pint.  They wanted to change the world.  And in some ways they did.  These religious folk rethought Victorian prisons, asylums, and workhouses.  They campaigned against cruelty to animals and took up alms for orphans.  They even established religious refuges for fleeing prostitutes.  All in all, they sincerely tried to leave the world better than they found it.

And now … we  must sleep.  Good day to you!

Part of plotting the Past Lives trilogy was figuring out which steampunk inventions the Order created and used.  Fortunately I came up with a specific use for goggles first!

Can’t do steampunk without goggles

I tend to be skeptical of new technology, so it was hard to put myself in the place of Cassandra Masters’s uncle Harry Fullbright.  Harry, a very forward-thinking Victorian, has a home in Belgrave Square that’s filled with blueprints, inventions, and prototypes.  Writing about Harry made me wonder how the breakthrough inventions of the Victorian Era were viewed.  Here’s some of what I found:

• “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication.  The device is inherently of no value to us.” — Western Union internal memo, 1876.

• “Drill for oil?  You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil?  You’re crazy.”  — Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.

•  ”Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.” — Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872.

• “The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon.” – Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appoint Surgeon-Extraordinare to Queen Victoria, 1873.

•  ”X-rays will prove to be a hoax.” — William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, 1899.

• “Everyone acquainted with the subject will recognize it as a conspicuous failure.” — Henry Morton, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, on Edison’s light bulb, 1880.

• “Rail travel at high speed is not possible, because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.” — Dr. Dionysys Larder (1793-1859), professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, University College, London

• “Fooling around with alternating current is just a waste of time.  Nobody will use it, ever.” — Thomas Edison. American inventer, 1889 

In the course of compiling these quotes, I discovered a rather well-known story about Queen Victoria refusing to believe in lesbians (“Such creatures do not exist”) is a complete fabrication.  Many of my older reference books list it as fact.  But click here for the real scoop.

More tomorrow.  In the meantime, hump-day is over and the weekend is in sight!