§ MR. HOLMSasked the Vice President of the Council, Whether leave has been given to any visitors to enter the Bethnal Green Museum on Sundays; and, whether he is aware that there were any visitors at the Museum last Sunday?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERThe facts with regard to the visitors to Bethnal Green Museum on Sundays were as follows:—I was informed, about the middle of last week—by a Member of this House, I believe—that there had been some visitors to the Bethnal Green Museum on the previous Sunday. That was the first information that I had received of the fact, and the first notion I had that the Museum was at all open on Sunday. I brought the matter before the first Board we held at South Kensington—namely, on Friday morning, when I learnt that Mr. Cole had agreed, on his own responsibility, in accordance with previous custom, to issue, chiefly to Peers and Members of the House of Commons, tickets of admission to the Museum available for Sunday afternoon after 2 o'clock. I do not at all consider that Mr. Cole was to blame, because he was acting in accordance with precedent; but Lord Ripon and myself both thought that it would be most desirable that it should not be allowed in future. Whatever might be our own personal opinions in regard to the general policy of opening museums on Sundays, there can be little difference of opinion that the Bethnel Green Museum should not be opened for the rich and closed to the poor on that day. We therefore passed a Minute that the police were to be instructed to take from the visitors on Sunday their 948 tickets of admission when they were presented, and that no more of them were to be issued. We felt that we could hardly turn back the ladies and gentlemen who might come on Sunday, with the tickets which had been granted them; but the arrangement that I have described will soon have the effect of calling in the tickets, and I do not imagine that there will be many more visitors to the Museum on Sundays. I may add that we felt that we could not take from Sir Richard Wallace the power of inspecting his own pictures on Sunday, and consequently we gave him an ivory ticket, admitting himself or anyone who had that ticket, at any time he liked, but not specially on Sundays. The reply that he sent us was only consistent with the previous munificence of his conduct. He wrote to say that he was obliged for the pass that had been sent him for himself and his friends; but as the Lords of the Committee of Council had wisely determined that no Sunday passes were to be granted, he felt that he must decline to make use of his ivory ticket on Sunday, except, of course, when he had to pay the Museum a visit on business; for he had no doubt that it would create a bad impression on the inhabitants of Bethnal Green if the Museum was only open to a privileged few on Sundays. Sir Richard Wallace, however, also expresses his opinion that it would be advantageous to the public if all the Museums were open on Sundays for certain hours, and under proper restrictions. I trust that the House will think that we have really done what we could to prevent any privilege being given to one person over another, and I hope that the gentlemen whose tickets are to be called in will not, under the circumstances, complain, or feel themselves aggrieved at losing the privilege for the future.