AMUSEMENTS MEETINGS, ETC

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10521, 18 December 1901, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS MEETINGS, ETC

The following are the bookings for the Municipal Opera House to date:— • December 18. — Orchestral Club. December 19. — Convent School Pupils. December 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, and Janu-

ary I—E.1 — E. D. Haygarth's Comedy Company. January 9, 10, 11, 13, 14 — Hawtrey's Comedy Company ("Message from Mars.") Jan. 17 and 18. — Brough Comedy Coy. (Pencil). Jan. 22 — Caledonian Corcert. July 21, 22, and 23. — Willoughby and Geach. (Pencil).

A Christmas tree and- sale of work will be held in the Dublin Street Methodist Church to-morrow, at 3 and 7 p.m., when a number of useful and fancy articles will be on sale. Admission will be free.

The third grand concert of the season in connection with the Wanganui Orchestral Club .takes "place .in^'the Opera House this evening, and judging by the rehearsals promises to be the most successful yet held.

At the Princess' Theatre, Dunedin, the Hawtrey Comedy Company have been producing with considerable success "A Message from Mara" — the play of the century, and which is to be one of ttjE pieces in the repertoire for the company's season in Wanganni, commencing at the Opera House on 9th January next.

Mr Crosbie Ward — who took over the management of the Adclphi Dramatic Company when Messrs Hodge and Harpur went to Sydney about six weeks ago — intends, if satisfactory arrangements can be made for a theatre, to open a stock season of drama in Wanganui early next year. The season will be run on similar lines to that played here by the same company last year—^iz., a new drama every, week. Mr Ward has been playing in Napier with remarkable success for the past six weeks, and during that time has produced some entirely newpieces, which he will introduce to a Wanganui audience for the first time. The opening production will in all probability be Dion Boucicaulfs masterpiece, "The Shaugraun."

Yesterday morning, by request, his Lordship the Bishop of Wellington met the members* of the Wanganui Ministers' Association at the residence of the Rev. T. B. Maclean, and discussed with them tho question of Bible reading' in schools. There were present — The Revs. Maclean, Spencer, Dewsbury, Dewdney, Mawson, Tucker/ and Cocker. Bishop Wallis reported the result of the recent conferences held afc Auckland and Wellington, at which the ministers of the various Protestant churches had agreed to a . programme which included the Bible-reading in schools and Scripture lessons, the portions of Scripture and the notes for the lessons to be selected at a conference of ministers of the different denominations. After a discussion lasting- over an hour, the ministers present expressed themselves favourable tp the reading of the Bible in the publio schools, and it was decided to further "discuss the matter at the next meeting of the Ministers' Association, and that in the interim the Wellington committee be communicated with.