A SACRILEGE.

Thames Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 8221, 9 December 1895, Page 2

A SACRILEGE.

Tub Thames public have seen a good many Bacmi concerts from time to time, but the performance given by the Faust family yesterday evening c n lay claim to a position quite unique and unsurpassable. In our Saturday's issue the family advertised a " rational Sunday evening and sacred concert," further defining the entertainment as " a rational manner of spending Sunday evening.?' In the words of the notice, they otfired a "grand programme" of " classic, sacreJ, and and popular melodies," with the usuil colleo'ion, the management reserving the right to refuse admissiou to anyone. Now, what form did this "classic andwred" piogramme take? The programme as far as we can remember was very little diferent to the company.-* regular performances, and ihe bell-ringers' selection, ''The Blue Bells of Scotland," was the nearest approich to" sacrel" of all; the items presented, The remainder consisted chiefly of music hull and comic songs about ca morally eVevatiig as barrpitf 4itties, while Mr Hag an favored his SjWHth audience with the profoundly fatittecttial recitation?, " Murphy shall not jdjfi|yto-nigbt," and "The little shell." $ft<o inhabitants of the pit, and, indeed, 'ill over the house, took their cue from the nature of the performance, and accompanied the inspiriting s~rains of %l Mollie Kielly" by stamping on the floor, and when Miss Fraser with awful sarcasm called for "canaries," the gods roared forth the chorus like one man, givii g the arti ts a teritable music ball ovation In the midst of it a numV r of the frjnt seats audience, possessed of proper decency, arose and departed, amidst ironical applause from behind. Altogether, the concert was a most contemptible exhibition on the part of both the company and the public-^the former being primarily to blame since tbe sacrilegious nature of the programme was a deliberate encouragement to the pit to defy the Sabbath. It is impossible to be too ha^h in condemning performances of this kind. If the Faust family are unable to give a j-acred con crt, they should not attempt to do so, as they are simply attracting tbe public by false pretences, and prompting 1 them to sit at naught the fourth commandment.