A description of a city irredeemably debased by its citizens’ immorality appeared in this newspaper in 1851. It lamented Sunday mornings between 7 and 10 when the writer claimed Dundee’s streets and closes swarmed with pestilent iniquities.
The writer did, however, have an axe to grind. He was a Parisian who was responding to an unflattering account of a Sunday visit to Paris which appeared in the Dundee press the week before.
Our Frenchman, who remained anonymous, began his letter in a measured way but soon went for the jugular. Perhaps his rage was justified.
The travel article described Parisians as a “volatile and unreflecting people” who engaged in “ruinous immorality” on the Lord’s Day. We don’t learn a lot about our Frenchman but he does state he had been living in Dundee for some years, was obviously integrated into society and had a perfect grasp of the language.
He stated he had seen vices in Dundee more abominable than the most outrageous of the legion sins exhibited in Paris.
This was in response to a line by the Scottish writer who described looking the monster of the Paris Sabbath in the face.
He wrote: “We could not fail to contrast the open profligacy everywhere abounding in Paris with the Christian-like observance of the Sabbath in Auld Scotia.”
It is fair to say, this newspaper gave the Frenchman a more than adequate opportunity to reply and he wasted not a word of it.
Here are a couple a lines of quotes from him: “…in proportion to the size of the place, there is in Dundee every Sabbath conduct unbecoming accountable human beings and degrading to humanity.
“There is this great difference, that in Paris, the vice is open whilst here it is to a great extend concealed.
“Nothing is seen in Paris as odious and disgusting as may be seen between 7am and 10am every Sunday morning. I have seen more drunk men and women in the streets of Dundee on a single Sunday morning than I have seen in Paris in a year…there are beastly drunks displaying loathsome and repulsive behaviour.”