SUNDAY OBSERVANCE

Grey River Argus, 17 February 1945, Page 8

SUNDAY OBSERVANCE

BOROUGH COUNCIL HEARS DEPUTATION A plea for the keeping of Sunday concerts free from anything of a' secular nature was made by a deputation from the Grey Council of Christian Congregations which waited on the Greymouth Borough Council on Thursday evening. The deputation was introduced by Rev. T. R. Page and its spokesman was Rev. E. S’. Hoddinott. Mr. Hoddinott said that members of the Council of Christian Congregations did not wish to act as moral policemen to the community, but they did represent the protestant denominations in the town, and while they had neither the will nor the intention to create a controversy they felt that it was specially necessary in these times to pav heed to Christian traditions, one of which was the observance of the Christian Sunday. They felt that Sunday entertainments should be kept free from anything of ? secular nature. They did not want to curtail any,one’s enjoyment, but there were six days of the week open for secular entertainment, and the use of Sunday for this purpose reduced it to the level of other days of the week. If Sunday meant anything at all it was for the recreation of spiritual things. There was unfortunately a tendency for Sunday concerts to out-secularise those of the rest of the week. If there was a demand for that sort of thing there was a duty to the community to discourage any demand which was in th e direction of taking away form the Christian nature of Sunday. They asked that Sunday entertainment be of a sacred nature. They felt that anything that helped towards the quiet of th e day and the maintaining of a period of calm was a blessing and a boon to the community.

The Mayor said that the matter was one of the greatest difficulty as to where exactly the line was to be drawn. Some 25 years ago the people of Greymouth had voted in favour of Sunday pictures, to which the deputation had not referred. He thought that if the matter were put by a sufficient body of citizens it might be possible to take another vote at a suitable time. Sunday night concerts seemed almost a minor aspect of Sunday observance. There was football, tennis, cricket, bowling and the like all played on a Sunday, and it was almost beyond earthly wisdom to say which should b e permitted and which not. He had been informed by a police officer many years ago, that Sunday picture screenings were a boon to people in that, whether they were a good occupation or not, they did give people some place to go instead of perambulating about the streets and probably getting into trouble. This might seem a material and secular view to take, but in matters of human conduct one often had to adopt a secular view. It was possible also that representations might be made to the broadcasting authorities. about Sunday _ programmes. He did not think it desirable that private or semi-public concerns should augment their funds on Sunday, but where there was a philanthropic or benevolent basis of some sort concerts were all right, He was opposed to organised sport on Sundays, though there was no harm in a game of tennis or bowls; but he was afraid the views of one or two or a few were unable to stop organised sport. However, matters of that sort co jd be decided by the views of the majority. He assured the deputation that‘their representations had been noted and that due consideration would be paid to them when considering any future applications that came up.