CORRESPONDENCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 579, 20 March 1909, Page 1

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor)

Sir,—On perusing your issue of took y 'l was very much pained to stv a 'paragraph referring to an error in singing in one of the G-eraldme churches last Sunday evening. I was present at the service referred to, and. had the hymn book before ,mo at the 1 time, and can, ;quite see that the suig- ! ers mifht easily make the error, as the first "part of a very long hymn ! was at the bottom of one page, and the remainder at the top of the next. What induces me, however, to reply to the paragraph', is the fact that, on making enquiries I learn that the singcr~\vho made the error is, and has be»n, for a number of years a tower of strength in the choir to which she belongs, and has always given her time and talents voluntarily to the church, and to any other deserving •bject that called for assistance, and 1 think that it is, to say the least, in verv bad taste to drag before the public for vulgar criticism and comment an error that might at any time occur, even with the writer - of thio piece of news referred to. If the singers received anything for their services, then their performances might be open to such petty criticism, but as things are I think your correspondent might find something better to report for public news than matters of thia kind- People who live vn glass houses should not throw stones. I am only a visitor to the district! and have not spoken at any time to the youn"- lady referred to, but I personally enjoyed the singing at the church ami do not c a re to pass over what 1 consider an injustice done, without doing my little best to stand up for tno individual whom I .think injured.—l am, etc., „ i VISITOR. March 18th, 1909.

(While we thoroughly appreciate the motive of our correspondent, we think he is making far too much of the paragraph he complains of. Criticism was neither intended nor indullged in : it was simply mentioned that the incident had occurred, and the cause for the mistake was explained. Such mistakes have occurred before and will again. However, we arc sorry that our correspondent was pained, awl can assure him that there was no intention to wound the feelings of anyone. -The Ed.').