DUNEDIN NOTES.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3714, 12 October 1926, Page 5

DUNEDIN NOTES.

From our own correaDondent. October 7. Dunedin lias just been In, the throes of its annual competitions festival. This iSi the t wenty-lilth since tlhei Society was organised. For a year or two there seemed to be a slacken.ingi in the interest of this yearly event hut that was only a passing l _ phase, and now the 'interest is as keen as ever. His Majesty (s Theatre' has been thronged at the evening' sessions with fond parents and admiring sisitens and cousimsi and aunts. There have bekm many views expressed as to the value of tire,so competitions. Some people express doubts regarding the permanent benefits to be obtained to music- anid elocution in the city and they further consider that the effect on the children, both in. character and health, as a result of the limelight and the strain involved, is not to their advantage. That, however, does not seem to' be the general opinion. In this connection it is interesting to hear what the judges have to say. They are men of much experience who may

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be expected, to take a broad outlook. Mr Sidney Williamson the judge of the vooa.l section, considers that competitions societies have done a great work in creating a lively public interest* in vocal and instrumental musltc. He thinks that the associatiiu-rj of the greatest musical namels at Homo with these festivals in various capacities is- a striking recognition of the value which they place upon them as a means of spreading the gospel of music. MV Williamson thought that on the whole the- standard of tihel work in Dunpdin was good, but he very properly pointed out many obvious defects, among which he stemedi to consider the lack of expression the most important. Mr Claude Hall, the judge- in the elocution section, was equally frank. He remarked that it might be thiouglrt fchal ho did not give much encouragement to the competitions, but ho considered that if was better to take advantage- of (ho opportunities at his .disposal for giving 1 friendly but useful criticism rather than fulsome- praise. ;Mr Bernard Page, who- judged the- instrumental music section was equally candid. Tills is the right spirit. The aim of those who founded the Society was to improve the musical and ©locutionary standia-rdis of the. city and it is right, that exacting 1 'tests should be applied! Nothing would be gained by leading adoring parents to MievK* that their offspring are prodigies, nut encouraging criticism such as that given at this festival should help in increasing Dunedin reputation as a city with high aims in music and elocution.

Triad© within the Empire. is a puna,":© now constantly heard. It is a good 'movement, which is long overdo©. The tolerance of the Britisher is a thing to marvel at and to applaud, but it tun be overdone whien it is permitted to infringe' with such deadly effect ou the fortunes of t’.ie people of Great Britain. The- war and the period that followed have aroused many persons to a realisation of the. fact that Engl and’is generosity and hospitality to aliens in the past have evoked no feeling of gratitude, and that our security lies in a. uaiifted Empire. Befo e 1914 Germany's tia !e with the Empire was enormous. By her rash act she lost that profitable' customer, and it is u,milady that she will ever regain he.r pre war trade. The British people have been very much to blame for an .atti'tu le. in the past that has been too con'llplateau,t. We had the spectacle of Britishers who considered theimsc,lve« intensely patriotic travelling about the world in ships flying' foreign flags when. British vessels wo © supplying an equally good service. This, misplaced i at:o'ia.g'e applied aid through the different industries. Now • a definite effort is 'being (made to get the people, of tho Empire to buy Empire- goods. Why, for instance, buy a motor car or machinery of foreign make when our own people can supply the goods? Mere: sentiment, however, cannot rule in this matter. In price and! quality (the articles mmJt compare, favourably with those obtainable elsowlie re." Thus there is an obligation on ( Hie manufacturer as well as on tire consumer. To achieve success 'determined efforts must be made. That explains the “Empiic Week” display throughout the Do ininion. The demonstration, in Dunedlim. opened on Monday and the. drapery establishments, boot shops, book - sellers premises, and purveyors' of fancy goods- have shown what the Empire, can do in the- imuiufactM.no

'of articles of the liigllueisit. class. There’ Vs i:n> nje-ed to be exclusive in our ‘international relations, but in vibw ■ol the past and the state of Britain, to-day with its army nf unemployed It is desirable to remember that '‘charity begins at home.

League football lias had some-siuc-cesis in. Duniodin this year, but ,it is Very doubtful if it will become a serious competitor to Rugby. At one time it. looked' as if the Association •game would "gro.w in, public favour, hut though Soccer has a. fair number of followers it is not in a stronger posiiition than it was some years ago. Indeed, if anything the game has ■gone. bark. Dunedin has always been a. Rugby strong hold, and it is not, likely bo fa’ll- before- the- League and 'Soccer assaults. The promoters of the League game have certainly been •very active- in fostering it, but the •good seed so far has fallen upon comparatively stony ground. Hopes were cent ret# in a. match played last Saturday of making a favorable impression. The. game was between, city (winners of the Otago League-’is El Ills Cup competition.) and Hornby (the Canterbury League's premiers. One tiling claimed' for the, League game is that it is spectacular. This did not prove to- be- so- on Saturday, how-cyer, The first spell was confined to the forwards and was anything but exhilarating. There we:e some bright patches in the second half, but taken all round the- match did. fto-t demonstrate the. probability of the League game, in tire- near future, sup-pil-anti-nig Rugby in the- affections of fo-otlba.il onthus'laists. The Dunedin team won by 20 points to 8. The- Baptist Church is not one of the strongest 'of the neiligio-us bodies of the Dominion, ’hut it lias a gOo-d following, including men, of notable intellectual abilities. In Dunedin the chief church of the- denomination iis in Hano-ver Street. It has not h-ad niany pastors since it was built, ip the sixties- or iisjeivieinitfi-eiS', but they*, have bee-n me-n of high character. Two- of the- best-known of these were the Rev. Alfred North and the Rev R. S Gray. The former, remembered for his misso-nary zeal, held the charge for many years (and took a- prominent pad in social affairs- in the- city. He- was a familiar figure at the- big cricket matches, in which he manifested the keenest interest. Mr North was succeeded by the Rev R. S. Gray, whose burning zeal in the temperance cause and dii-si ;o'r(atorical abilities made him well-known throughout the Dominion. Mr Gray in turn was followed by the Rev. Knowles Kemp-ton, whose years of work if not spectacular were ded-ttatl-ly successful. - Now a new pastor stands in the- pulpit at Hanover Street. This is the- Rev. E. S. Tuckwell, late of the. Kew Church, Melbourne, who took up- his work this week. He comets with a- -good record as a -scholar and a, pastor. During the interval between Mr Ke-mpto-a’s departuie and Mr Tuckwell’s arrival the work was carried on by the Rev. Charles Da-lilaiSitlon, who- has reached his jubilee as a pastor. In the Last few years there have been, many changes in the Dunedin charges of all dono-nti nations-, chiefly because of thei advanced age of the ministers. Two other ministers (Presbyterians) who have, also- just celebrated their jubilee arc the- -Rev Dr. Waddell and the Rev. A. M. Finlay sou. Aj remark-able whilst,ance of a hi lity to- carry on notwith-standiing' the weight of yeans is the- Very Rev. Dean Eitchet't, who- still ministers to the

people of All l Saints parish, tiro ugh rumours are current of liis imjieindf iug resignation, Next to the detail, the Rev. W. Saundieins, of the Moray Place Congregational Church is probably tjhe -minister in active service with the longest record. It was stated at a oompLimenitary function to Dr. Waddell and the Rev A. ML Einlayson that of the members of Dunedin Presbytery of fortyyears ago- but three remain. These are Mr Einlayson, Mr Duncan, Wright, and the Rev. R. R. Sutherland. AH Have passed their eightieth birthday, and they are enjoy!ng a weft-earned rest from their strenuous labours.

One modern development that is arousing comment is that of Sunday games. Presbyterians and some syi o Is- fulminate against this growing pmctice, but without much effect. Thei difficulty is to Ikr.o-w where to draw the line. A few years ago boating and- cycling were indulged in without much p-iotest, but the oomiog of the motor car and the habit of proceeding to the seaside- for the week-end have done much to- take away the. old) distinction of Sunday. On. Sunday mornings at opposite'eh Is of the Oval nii’d games of cricket and football- are indulged in by youths, and of course Sunday golf is a regular thing. Now it is rumoured that there- is ah acute division of opinion among the- members of a suburban howling and tennis- club. One section wants to be a’.-Lowed to play lawn tennis on Sundays, while the other faction is opposed to the idea, one objie-w , being that the courts are in. full view of people! passing on their way to church. Then there a-’.ei the Sunday trains, run under the direction of the Government. An argument used in favour of Latitude in the matter is that there is nothing to -stop motorists from having picnics on Sunday, and it is rot fair therefore that lesis fortunate people should be -debarred from reasonable v physical exercise. Certainly Sunday motor picnics are much in favour. On last Sunday afternoon, for instance, though it was not a particularly fine day at Least. fiif|fcyt motor cars were to be observed in the Whore Flat Gully in a very smallarea.

While the dome -of the Festival Half was iiti position people were reminded of the exhibition and its facilities for instruction and amusement. At lost the dome has gone?, an*i now. tihja events that absorbed so much of everyone's timjcl /ftiijd money are recediinig injto the limbo pP f-onlg.-'ldieiu things. The dome .was reduced tome re .timber on Tuesday by the application oT aj Little gelignite. On the road to Taieri Mouth the dome of the -previous exhibition may be seen on a farm building. The dome of the latest one- migiit have adorned the house of ,som(e rich man in. Dunedin with large ideas, but apparently no one had the courage or the ambition to embark on such an enterprise..