SUNDAY SACRED CONCERTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14281, 1 August 1908, Page 5

SUNDAY SACRED CONCERTS

PROTEST BY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES. THE MAYOR SPEAKS OUT. DECLINES TO VETO DECISION OF THE COUNCIL, A deputation, composed of momliors of the Council of Cinches wailed upwi his Worship 1.110 Mayo,- at the Town Hull yesterday afternoon for the purpose of en'tero-? a P l ' ol against the action of the City Council in granting permission to Iho hmkorai Band to hold Sunday evening sacred concerts. Those forming' tho deputation were lh e Revs. W. Ilav (president of the council), W. Hewitson, W. SkvJe. D. J. Murray, R. R. if. Sutherland. C. Dallasten, D. S. Mason. D. Borric. W. Laycock, W. Perrj-, I). Maelennan, G. Hcighwav, Jas. Chtsholni, W. OJreig, S. Biviiey. Messrs L. lioscvear, F. Cuming, H. 11. Driver, A. Vtilson, H. 0. Phillips, D. Wright; also the Prnnalo (Bishop Nevill). Tiie Rev. W. 'Hay, who was the first speaker, said he wished to thank the Mayor very sincerely for his courtesy in so readily consenting to receive the (deputation. The deputation hofore him was representativo of a. very large portion of tho community, and of a. very large proportion of public opinion. Many of thorn were startled on Thursday morning on opening their newspapers to ilnd that the' City Council had gjvcii permission at its meeting to the Kaikorai Band to hold a concert on Sunday evening. They were aware that this matter was before tho council two or three months ago, and many of them were grateful at that time to find that, the council was so conscious of tho highest and host interests of the community as to refuse permission to hold these concerts. But they were greatly astonished to find that the council had reversed its deoision without giving an opportunity for an expression of public opinion on this subject. It was folt bv the deputation that the decision of the council had sprung on the community a most serious change, and a change' which- had brought very deep regret and a feeling of pain to a groat many. Thoy felt that it was the duty of the Council of Churches to take immediate action in the matter. Hence the deputation. And as many as they possrbly could communicate with on the decision of the Council of Churches had identified themselves with the movement, as also had members of tho Otago Sunday School Union and tho Presbyterian Sundav School Union. Tho object for which tho Sunday evening concert was to he held was perfectly clear. The sole object, evidently', was tho purpose of making money m order that the Kaikorai Band might meet tho expenses of a. visit to Ballarat. The only argument that he (the speaker) could see was used was that the Sunday evening was the best evening for the purpose of making jnonoy. He could not see that any other rtrong or valid argument ■was adduced but that Sunday evening was tho best evening for achieving the object which the band had in view. It was in no narrow spirit that tho deputation was present. It was because there was a strong feeling that it was in tile highest and befit interests of tho community that these concerts should not be held, and that it was the thin end of conditions such as existed in America to-day. And lie was sure that no member of 'the City Council wished for those conditions. A vilo libel had been cast on tho city by the manager of tho British football team, and surely thoy woro not going to send the news abroad that they were going to throw open their theatres on Sunday evening for the purpose of making money. Tho majority by which the resolution was carried was a small one, and Jie would suggest that in tho meantime the Mayor should use his power as such to veto the decision of tho council and prevent any concert being held until tho matter had been reoonsidered by the whole council. The Rev. W, He-witeon tendered an apology for the unavoidable absence of the Rev. l)r Nisbet. Ho himself had joined the deputation with great cordiality. , Ho recognised that Sunday observance was a matter of very great importance, and a very difficult, one as to .where to draw the margin when it came to details. Men differed on certain details. Tho question was one of very great, importance to the community. Within modern times thoy had scon most wondorful reforms taking place in the interests of the community, and none was- of more vital concern than the ohscrvanoa of ono day ■ out of the seven as a day for religion and rest. It was especially important that that ono day should be observed in tho interests of religion. It was a gift to religion. It •was not the outcome of an ace of Parliament or of a municipal body, but it had come, direct from Christ, If the day were to perish, then roiigion would perish too. Its one definite object was that it should ,be used religiously. It was set aside to give the soul a chance and for what was higher and spiritual in a mans nature to speak out. And there were very considerable dangers threatening the observance of that day. The King had taken a stand for its better observance, and then they saw the agitation there was in Sydney over tho same thing. As to the innovation that had just taken place amongst them, it was perfectly clear that the reason why Sunday had been selected as the day for holding such a. concert was that it was the best way to yield a monetary return. It. was put boldly and clearly that an effort was to bo made to secure £120, and that iho best day on which to make that effort was Sunday. There were six other days in the week and one- half-holiday, any of which might easily have been used. It had been said that the object was not for personal gain. The object struck him as being a worthy one—namely, the cultivation ■ of music among the people. But tho direct object of the Sunday evening concert was that money might ho raised on that day. Now, he asked, who was a judge of sacred music? John Wesley said that tho devil was not to have, the best tunes. The distinction as to the kind of music that was to bo played was an absurd one. They could not say that simply because' certain notes were ranged in one order that they was sacred, and because they wero ranged in another order tliat thoy were secular. It was scarcely being frank with themselves that they should talk like that. ' They might .as well say that it was a concert and' bo done with it. If they gave permission for tho holding of that concert for a specific purpose, how were they going to shut out similar applications in aid of other objects. They wero making a gTeat. mistake in courting any movement in -.that direction. The religious community liad not been treated quite fairly when the .decision was como to. The Primate said he did not propose to enter into the question of the proper -observance of Sunday. It was a very wide question, with many differences of opinion. There would be, many differences of opinion, for instance, among his -own community on that subject. But he might say without any hesitation that he did not think that any members of the community he represented would for one moment like to see any part of the Sunday devoted to the pursuit of a mere money-making enterprise. He felt quite sure uriou that point.. He would remind them of the manner in which their Jewish brethren had always shown their respeot for the feelings of the community by tho way in which they observed Sundays. As to the question its to what music was sacred and what was not-, they could not acknowledge- in tho abstract, that ono set of tunes was more sacred than another. Distinction, however, was derivable from the language of ■association. We associated certain sentiments with certain classes of music. It might be said that in our churches we had 'a groat deal of music, and people might ask why could not wo have tho same music outside. But in the churches music was designed to give fuller expression to the sentiments which are expressed in utterances. Suitable music attached to these utterances excited our emotions to a higher degree. It- was a vehicle for the conduct of divine worship. Ho would strongly urge against such things as Sunday concerts being sot up in the aity for the making of money. If Sunday were to leso its sacrcdness and me made secular, the higher powers with which Nature had endowed us would assuredly degenerate. The Rev. W. Slade contended that the decision of the City Council on the matter had boon arrived at after inadequate consideration There was not one strong reason put forward for this new departure. The question was a vital one, and those who liad studied it as they (the ministers) had done knew that the' observance of Sunday was of the greatest benefit to mankind. Comparing the English Sabbath with tho Continental Sabbath, thoy had a groat deal to thank themselves for. Before this matter -was disposed of by the- council, citizens should have been given an opportunity of makimr themselves heard on it. A dangerous precedent liad been set up. Thoy had thrown open a door which it might, be very difficult to shut. Others would come along and say that they could not be denied the same privilege," The reasons given for the decision were inadequate. Surely tihere wero citizens in Dunedin who could give the required money. He would undertake himself to

gel- the money and save tho .Sabbath. J here wen any amount of opportunities afforded the people of hearing music without invading the Sabbath, if the council acted as i-he deputation asked, it would be acting in tho best interests of the working people. He would cry: "Hands off this day," and allow nothing to invade it and perhaps secularise it and lav it open for invasions of another kind. He joined in the earnest protest that the matter be suspended tor the time being, and give iho eitans an opportunity of making llieir voice heard. THE MAYOR'S REPLY. The Mayor, in replying to tho deputation, said he purposed behij perfectly frank with them and with every citizen in Dunedin. To him, Sunday' as one speaker remarked, was tho poor man's gift. He might not always attend a place of worship on that day, but ho alwave felt like thanking God for Sunday. Accordingly, he, congratulated them on speaking in the way they liad done for the protection of the Sunday. Tho holding of sacred concerts on Sunday evening' might he considered as a desecration of tho Sabbath and it might not be. It was a sacred concert, and it drew a largo number of people, and ho took it that the majority of those people were quite respectable citizens of Dunedin, and that after listening; to the music given try the band they went, home quite satisfied that they had heard a good musical programme. It might do good and it might do harm. _ There was no' doubt that they were playing for the purpose of making money in that they took up a collection by sending boxes round. Ho granted all that. But there was something more- than that which actuated him in his feelings on the subject. -Some years ago tho Churches asked that tho running of the tramways on Sunday should be discontinued. What was done by the council was to talio a half-wav I course, and it was decided that the care should not run on Sunday mornings, but on Sunday afternoons and evenings only. They woro all- perfectly well awaro that the majority of tho councillors wero essentially religious men and members of different churches. Now, those men had sanctioned tho playing of music by the city bands Sunday after Sunday at the Gardens, at St. Clair, and at St, Kilda. Hie council had given a grant to the different bands to play that music on Sundays. And they played there so that they would be an attraction'to the people, and because they would prove a source of revenue to the trams. That cell went un-' noticed, and-then they came and demanded that the council should put its foot down simply because it had given permission to a band to play sacred music in a hall on a Sunday night—(Dissension and "hoar hears.") Thoy had come to hitn and said that the City Council had permitted this band to give a sacred concert on one Sunday evening, and they asked him to use his powers to stop it. But ho did not feel that he would be doing justice in stopping it. They all had large congregations and they had a voice in tho pulpit, and if they liked to take this matter up ho was prepared to say that tho city would take a. plebiscite on the matter. But as Mayor of the city, unless he thought that something was being done that was calculated to do harm, lie would not uso his powers to bring about its suspension. The Rev. Mr Hay said they would have como before the council sooner if they liad had time. The Mayor: But this has been going on for 6ome time now. Everybody was not religious in the same way. 'and as Mayor of the city he had to considor these peonlo. He was disposed to think they had another motive, and that was that if tho band was allowed to play in those halls on a Sunday evening it would to some extent interfere with their congregations Voices: No, not a bit. Mr Howitson: I did not think so at at. ■, I thimc. though, that the Sunday schools are affected by tho bands playing m the Gardens. The Sunday Schools' Union had passed a. resolution affirming that fact. The Mayor said that pcoplo were walking about the streets in thousands between 7 and 8 o'clock, and if those people wero taken to a hall to hear sacred musio 'it might, and ho thought would, be of some benefit to them. 'He would instruct tho town clerk that tho Kaikorai Band was not to open at His Majesty's 1 Theatre on Sunday night until a quarter past eight, and they could start their programme at 25 minutes past 8. In the meantime, if they considered that ho was uot treating them as fairly as he should, thoy had the power of redress. They oould approach one of the councillors on the subject, and get him to give a notico of motion that tho Kaikorai Band be not allowed to play on Sunday evenings. If thoy wore in real earnest and sard that they strongly wishod a discontinuance of Sunday band playing, he was 'prepared to call a special meeting of tho counoil. or of tho citizens, to discuss the propositon. It was, he would say, a. sname that the Sunday schools should be intcrforrcd with. It was absurd to liken this soared band concert to a theatrical company. The Primate said it was news to him that tho bands playing on Sunday afternoons had been assisted by tho council in the way of grants. _a'nd that -they were placed there to play with tho express purpose of making money through the trams. It was a yery sad thing that it should/be so. Mr Hay said it had been decided to approach tho council in the very near future in regard to Sunday afternoon band playing. The Mayor said that, in regard to Sunday owning concerts, it was tho third or fourth concert tho Kaikorai Band had given du> ing thc ( present year. He liad always voted in favour, of this band giving a sacred concert on Sunday evening in His Majesty's Theatre, and he declined to veto tho present decision of tho council.