DEMONSTRATIONS were held under the auspices of the Lord’s Day Observance Society, London, at Inverness, Dingwall, Cromarty, Invergordon, and Tain during February to give opportunity for the expression of popular protests against the rapidly-increasing Sabbath desecration in the Highlands. At the same time, in order to disclose more fully the opposition of the people to the Sabbath excursion policy of the L.M.S. Railway there was launched for signature a monster Petition appealing to that Company “not to arrange any further excursion trips, either by rail, steamer or motor into the Highlands on the Sabbath Day.” The Petition was circulated in the districts already affected or immediately threatened by that policy. These are:—1. Inverness district—which is chiefly affected. 2. The shores of the Cromarty Firth on account of the Fleet opening and Sabbath excursions run in connection therewith. 2. Loch Ness side in anticipation of proposed Sabbath excursion steamer. 4. Skye with its ferry connections because of threatened invasion of Sabbath touring. 5. The circular route Loch Maree-Loch Broom. 6. The northern districts of Caithness and Sutherland. These districts lie to the north of a line drawn from Ardersier through Kingussie to Fort-Augustus; thence by way of Kiltarlity to Garve, and following the Railway to Kyle, turning southward to embrace the shore belt to Glenelg for the Skye ferries. Reference to the map shows that only the north-eastern half of Inverness-shire, Glenelg, and Skye come within this line. From Ross-shire Lewis is excluded—no part of the Western Isles has been canvassed as not being immediately threatened—and a few of the more remote localities of Sutherland-shire have scarcely been touched.
When an area is canvassed for signatures on such an issue as this, it is found that the expressed attitude of the people divides them in the first instance into more than two classes. After eliminating those who, owing to employment, etc., are from home when called on, there are:—1. Those averse to signing anything, most of whom plead neutrality, though there can be no neutrality in matters moral. 2. Those who are sympathetic but who fear victimisation. 3. Those opposed to the scriptural observance of the Lord’s Day. 4. Those who sign. The area canvassed is computed to contain a population of about 90,000 persons over 18 years of age—the Petition limit. The first two classes above mentioned vary greatly in the different districts according to their different circumstances, and mount to a higher figure than many imagine. This brings down the above total very much before we arrive at the definite “for” and “against.” Bearing this in mind and also the lack of organisation, the short time given for canvassing and the difficult conditions under which, in some districts, the canvass has been carried out, it is very gratifying to find that 34,000 persons have signed the Petition.
This total is divided among the Parliamentary constituencies as follows:—Caithness and Sutherland, 8100; Ross and Cromarty, 11,815; Inverness-shire, 13,630; Moray and Nairn (friends across the borderline). 460; total, 34,005.
The L.M.S. Railway were approached to state a date when they would receive a deputation to present the Petition. They replied by their secretary giving a polite refusal for two reasons. 1. They assume that it is beyond their power to grant the prayer of the Petition, they being but servants of the Public, their words—“even were it possible to comply”—and they buttress their assumption with the statement, “the railway companies are under statutory obligation to meet the demands of the travelling public on all days of the week.” 2. They assume, and would have us believe, that the demand for Sabbath excursions to the Highlands is so very great that if they desist from running their trains, these determined excursionists will travel to the Highlands on the Lord’s Day by motor cars; but until they have proved their assumption by ceasing to run their Sabbath excursion trains, no unbiased person conversant with the facts can accept such a view. There was never a word of Sabbath excursions to the Highlands until they began them. They are the great transgressors.
With regard to the first reason given, why are they so averse to hear the Petition of the people? Is this not the act of an overbearing master rather than of a reasonable servant? And when was it made statutory for railway companies in Scotland to break the Sabbath law by meeting the demands of the travelling public on “all” days of the week?
Despite the high-handed action of the L.M.S. Railway (though the matter is not to be left thus, but is to be pushed and redress demanded) benefits have already begun to flow from this Petition signing. The proposed Sabbath excursion steamer on Loch Ness in connection with the L.M.S. excursion trains from the south is not to ply. Further the L.M.S. are balked in their attempts at finding a half-way house in their efforts at landing tourists in Skye on the Lord’s Day. They sought to run a train of Sabbath excursionists to Kyle of Lochalsh to connect with a cruise on Loch Duich, but this steamer also is not to ply, consequently, for the present at least, the train to Kyle will not run.
Who can tell the incalculable moral gain to the people of the Highlands accruing from the defeat, even in part, of that policy which aims at driving the Lord’s Day with its manifold blessings from the land? It is to be hoped that more and greater benefits may yet flow from this effort at Sabbath defence. Never was there greater need for prayer and action on the part of lovers of the Lord’s Day, than now.—Finlay Beaton.