SUNDAY ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1107, 21 April 1911, Page 4

SUNDAY ENTERTAINMENTS.

0 VIEWS OF COUNCIL CANDIDATES. It was announced yesterday that the Ministers' Association is questioning the various City Council candidates in regard to their attitude towards Sunday entertainments. Some of the candidates appear to find the question a bit of a poser, not so much because they are in any real doubt as tor the reason that, apart from general principles, it is a matter of some difficulty to draw the line between Sunday entertainments that are permissible and those that are not. Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, questioned yesterday, expressed a view that appears to be pretty generally held among his fellowcnudidates: "I am quite prepared," he said, "to maintain the status quo. Ido not believe in the 'Continental Sunday' at all. I do not wish to impose any further restrictions, but I desire to preserve those that are imposed at present. In this matter I am a conservative." "I object to anything tending to destroy the Sabbath as a day of rest," said Mr. Jns. Godber, another candidate. "I take this stand not only on religious, but on general principles. 1 don't think," Sir. Godber added, "that we should permit on Sunday forms of entertainment that could better be carried on at week-night meetings. For this reason, even Sunday entertainments that are in themselves unobjectionable should be looked upon with ii certain amount of suspicion." The Sunday concerts now permitted Mr. Godber considers unobjectionable, provided they do not conflict with church hours, but ho is of opinion (hat ordinary secular concerts should be absolutely prohibited on Sunday. "Make people' Work for other people's pleasure on Sunday," concluded Mr.- Godber, "and soon you will have people working for other* people's profit." Mr. Len. M'Kenzie gave it as his opinion that the Sabbath should Ik- kept, clean, quiet, and decorous. Personally lie would endeavour, if elected, to maintain the present custom of the city in regard to entertainmeuls. A similar view was expressed by Mr. G. Frost, a member of the present council. and a candidate for re-election. The Labour party, it was sfntwl by Mr. G. F. Keyling, one of "the Labour eight." declines as a party to answer any such communication as that from the' Ministers' Association if it deals with religions or semi-religious questions. Labour candidates individually do not reply to communications of the kind at all.