NO DANCING.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18634, 8 March 1926, Page 11

NO DANCING.

IN CHURCH HALL. An interesting paragraph relating to church halls and dancing appears in this month's issue of the "Church News." A petition arising out of the recent legislation of General Synod, says the "Church News,*' by which it was enacted that the vicar of a parish shall have the keys of the parish hall, implying thereby control, with a right of appeal to the Standing Committee, was considered by the Chrißtchurch Standing Committee last month, and as this is.the first occasion of local action under the statute, it is of wider than parochial interest. The vicar in question has, ever since Mb taking charge of the cure, forbidden dancing in the parish hall, on conscientious grounds. Recently some strong feeling has been engendered on tho matter- by a section of the congregation which, disagreeing with the vicar, wished to have some dancing permitted at church socials. The vicar, oq being approached, stated that he could not go back on his long-established ruling. On the matter being referred by Standing Committee to the . vicar in question, the reply given was that it was a matter of conscientious objection to- dancing in the parish hall. Standing Committee decided to reply to the appellants that in its opinion the vicar must be allowed to exercise his own judgment in a- matter of this nature. The statute makes the Standing Committee's' decision final. The ruling is important, because 'the vicar in question is- not alone in his objection to dancing in the parish hall —quite apart from his opinion of dancing in itself, by. the way—for several parish priests, not all of the same "colour" doctrinally, have the same objection. Tlie object of the right of appeal is apparently that an independent judgment may be obtained, but in effect the position of the vicar appears altogether impregnable from the point of view of Church law.