CHURCH AND STAGE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7203, 11 August 1910, Page 5

CHURCH AND STAGE

"THE GI.KL PKOM HECTOR'S." (To tllo Editor "N.Z. Times.") Sir,—For generations there has "been a curonic ds. "'ueuce bativeen clerical and lay opinion. regarding literature and art, j aud wnila it would be'ludierous to apply I eitner oi these terms to " The Girl from , itoctor's," lu=loiy is only rtpeut-i-g itso.f .when clci-syjiiou are fauna | d-'r.ounc.ng a play ill which tne average \ ju.iU ancr seen porruvt-iy r.one of I the Djjccuoiuibie icanues upoiiuii ox dur- j ins t.n' 1..hl lew uays. To .s y that this p-.-y, if it can to called one, '• gioriiics . Hardily," s-vcs. ri.e u> ■•unclean mer- | liiient, ' '" h'jids oa.isnty up to r-ai-cjU, " js sui.ly the lan?jii-ae oi cttrava-| y.u.e.', and nuiot d.ita the pai-jx::;e the I bi.-r*:!a:.:oj w.:o u.-,e the Lcruis Have in . v.f-,7. "The Gill i'-'Oin itecw-r's " does: n.t ik thtsj thing:!'. The chains are wildly 4i.ljs.ard. 'i'l.e pjiilt, hiYWeveT, is J not wimtner Mr -North ..ad Dr. bibb are : vr.ii;!; .11 th.s particular u .se-~io;- Uey , aro i..j:>.'l.v..Jr 111 orrJi—but tiij' nium'n;.,i. .j.i this Ueuuiiei-tioii affords of t-.L.r re;aper..'.'.u;i'.ai rieiects. If ivi cl - ] su.nc ui-'.e v.v.» a C;:.=,iir cf tha bLage i in iVusv lieaiuuJ, is it not ik-w easy to ! imrgino tise.k.nd c. J.ie lie would lead? j Lo.u (Jlaionuou dcuc-ribrd tlio cieigyas " persons iriio uimoisUiiid the lease and take the'w-r.r:-t kc-siuo of Human affairs of all mankind that can read and write." , Likj all general ti-o, this deliverance is mistaking, let in 1,0.110 ways it is perleetly 'true. So far as the drama is concerned it is mipcsaibie to eoncc-ive I any bedy of iupn wno as a class would ' be leas fitted to pronounce on the quality lot' 1111 aster's or an author's | -work. ' The playw.'ixJit deals with ; the realities ot Lie. Tne ch'ruy--1 man only- does so. " rue Girl from Rector's" is not dramatic literature, of course, but the "lends on which it may rightfully be condemned aro not 'thoio cliokeci by Br. Gibb and Mr North. It would be wildly absurd to place the thing "under a ban" because tif its' morals or want of them. It might be censored because of its banality, but that is quite another matter. So far as the posters go, there can bo no two opinions. They are crude vulgarisms. If Mr North and Dr. Gibb had confined themselves to these and bad employed the language of decorum, they might have achieved something. As it is, they have talked about the play in terms which find no support from anyone I am acquainted with who has seen it, and they have again shown us that when a cleric springs into the aTena of controversy on public morals ho chooses the moment without caro and the occasion without foresight. It would be an evil day if impropriety on the stage passed without censure frcah the church, but it is also rather deplorable that such wholesale censure should be forthcoming about something that is perfectly harmless. It is no. argument to say that the play was immoral as presonted in America. There are different editions of most things. Dr. Gibh, for instance, would not mind going to an entertainment at which Maoris danced a, haka, even though, like most people,

ho knows that presented in its native i 'state the haka would clear the .largest ' building in ten seconds.—l am, etc., ' M.TJJIK. August 10th. ■ (To the Editor "N.Z. Times.") Sir,—As an upholder of right, I admire the man or woman who has the courage of lis or her opinion, but surely I j tho community of this or any other city I" J or town is not to be dictated to as to whother it may or may not attend any particular form of theatrical amusement. I i would suggest the old and well-recog- ! uisod motto, •' Evil be to those who evil i think." -Do theatrical managers ask I paople who are adverse to theatre-going I to attend their performances, or even to I i bring their sons and daughters; or do I ! peopie attend on their own responsibility, or because they realise that "All.work I makes Jack a dull boy"? As to the ! hoardings so bitterly complained of by ! seme correspondents, surely those who ! have bsen so completely overcome by 1 their alleged wickedness and- immorality I must have studied them so very cai-e- ---■ fully that they havo surmised a side of i the question that tho average person | would never have thought of. In conclusion, I may say that through i gross exaggeration and misconception 1 ; much has been made of little, and while 1 ) strongly admiring those who endeavour to do what is right, I subscribe myself MODERATION IN ALL THINGS. - August 9th. - i (To tne Editor, -'ST.Z. Times.") Sir,— According to tha long roport in ' the papers tho Presbytery have held a mestii-'r. At the commencement the. meeting showed some appearance of chaos, "' until the predominating Dr. Gibb, with 1 tragic oratory, calmed the turbulent • gathering and his audience i'oll into line 1 onco more towards a further ; move against the, rights and liberI tics of the people. These reverend genI I tlenien a.re carried away in the. belief L that they aro the only ones wiio are 1 against immoral plays. I, myself, and ■ the great majority of the community, • are also against such plays, and will ■ strive to prevent the performance of such • in this city, and that is why the people > aro so indignant at the utterances of ■ these clergymen against this' " Girl from > Hector's," which the general public enl thusiastically approve of, proving it by > the thousands that go to see it. It is 5 not enough that these-geneltnien should r discountenance this play, but one mffln--1 ber of the Presbytery has gone further 5 and has maligned and minimised the 5 generous support many of the public i havo coiitriouted, and purpose contri- > buting, to th'ht much-needed fund —the 1 Children's Hospital Fund. Is it not a t . slight upon us citizens that one generous i i benefactor .of tne fund, a stranger' in i our midst, should be so grossly insulted -'. V our clergymen? Then, again, the i Viewers, .distillers, etc., are accused of 3 subscribing liberally of sinister motives. t . I should like to know who subscribes 3 the most on these occasions, the clergy- - ' men and fanatics and prohibitionists on , , the one hand, or the brewers and distillers a' on the other? It is time these, brewers I ( and distillers took the hint and left , the onus of these charities to those who

should subscribe liberally, but do not, even though nwrny at least receive substantial stipends. It is time we citizens r«ou«niscd the objects of tlio men that are soliciting- our votes for social reform, as for instance, prohibition. I, at:any rate, shall not allow myself to be gulled in the future. —I ajn, etc., ■ MODERATION. August 10th.' ' At a meeting of Methodist ministers of all the city and suburban churches, held a.t l J etono on Tuesday, a. resolution was unanimously passed strongly endorsing tno protest of the Jto'S. Dr. Gibb and J. Jnorth in reference to the abovo play. The opinion was emphatically expressed that tlie play had bion considerably toned down and altered since its production in Auckland. 'i'he posters exhibited, on the city hoardings ware referred to as peoig of a highly objectionable character. , the meeting was unanimously of tlie opinion I that all the effortß to whitewash" " fhe Girl irom K-eotor's" had signally tailed. The much-talked-of "Girl from Itector s . 1 was dealt with by the Wellington Ministers' Association yesterday, the Eev. .1., K. Blliott presiding, when the following resolution was. unanimously passed: "That this meeting of the Ministers Association cordially endorses the action taken by the Revs. Dr. Gibb and J._JWorth in condemnation of tlia play. The Girl from Kector's.' —lt expresses its conviction that Mr H. Ward has failed to refute the charges made as to the character of tho play. It further expresses the earnest hopo that tho newspapers of the city will not fail to'plainly protest agaenst any play whioh holds up to laughter Vaa sanctity of tho marriage tie and the purity -of woman. , and it hopes that the law will be speedily altered to secure an efficient censorship of all public performances.'" , __ . Tno following resolution was passed unanimously at a special meeting o£ the Taranaki street Methodist Quarter Board:— •xiiat a letter of appreciation be sent to Dr Gibb and Itev. J. J. North for their outspoken and fearless criticism of the play recently produced hy the Hugh J. Ward Company in this city, and that Uiie Circuit Quarter Board, .representing the Methodists of Wellington aud > suburbs, thoroughly endorse their action.