CHURCH AND STAGE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 890, 9 August 1910, Page 6

CHURCH AND STAGE.

i -. . - M : MR, HUGH J. WARD \N REPLY. A REFERENCE TO REV. DR. ,GIBB'S "RED HERRING.". ■ "I am really beginning to wonder why I am permitted to live," said Mr. Hugh J. Ward in reference to the second broadside from the pulpits of tho Revs. J. J. North and Dr. Gibb on Sunday evening last. "I arrive in your town to give you a bright, jolly entertainment, which has been well received everywhere and has not been referred to as anything but a legitimate show by any,' save ono. critic in Auckland, and hero. I andniy company are thundered against from the pulpit Sunday after Sunday. Here is the position in brief—l present a farcical comedy to a public- carefully primed as to its alleged character and warned about its (also alleged) immorality. If it is as the two ministers say—why am I not hounded out of the place? Why do the public flock to see this filthy, debasing, degrading exhibition? Surely one may have a laugh at a joke in a comic paper without going and acting that joke, .or basing their conduct on that of the joker's? Why should the. Hev. Gibb preach that because a lot of merry people got comically complicated, as is the case in 'The Girl From Rector's,' that other people should do likewise—and something else that is not in.'The Girl l'l'qm Hector's,' but something which tho rev. gentlemen in question aro reading into it. "I know all about it now. The idea came to me to-day like a bolt from the blue. Every - business needs a''boost' at times, and , , these, gentlemen have evidently'' conspired to use me —andniy play as an advertisement. Yes, I Eay.it with:conviction. They say.here is' something that will' crowd - ourchurches—have at him and his play! with what result? Well, I heard to-day that-their so crowded on Sunday evening '■ that many could not gain admission. I'naturally conclude that the collection was in proportion to the crowd, and have, in consequence been looking out for donations to the Children's Hospital fund from the Revs! Gibb and North all day. They did not arrive. I- v maintain , that anythingover and above ,tho' ordinary collection is , .directly due to,-,the adver-. tisoraent they are making out of myselfs and play, and is illegitimate for any purpose, save the : ' Children's - Hospital. .That is a fair thing surely! '. "But seriously I am shocked at the attitude' these gentlemen have taken, and at: the language they have used. Shocked, too, to find that tho Christian Chnrch, which deep down in my heart 1 respect and reverence, should be made the means of such a lowering display; that the pulpits should-be-spattered with such "bitter, unjust, and intemperate iriyective; and that its "innate dignity should be ' dragged" in the mire'over a 'far'cioa] comedy,' which' the public and press of' Wellington have voted harmless and amusing. Among' my friends 1 in America : and ; elsewhere' '.Me prominent churchmen and good chapel-going women; and, personally, I was brought up tc reverence the Church and its leaders in amanner more'strict than I am.led to believe :s the case in.this country. That love and veneration for the Christian Church'l have'and 'hold, and not even the behaviour of; the Rev. Dr. Gibb .can shift it, but I must confess in all honesty that the plain-speaking he makes a boast of is unspeakably, revolting to me. I don't-'think I could send my children to hear in the pulpit what I would, never dare to say in the home circle; "I would just like to whisper my as- : tonishment at a certain allusion to a very foul subject made by the Rev. Dr. Gibb. A most shuddersome subject—ono for Parliament or the laboratory, but ■surely, not for,the pulpit. I, fortunately perhaps, know little' about it. , . It is too horrible, too revolting—and yet Dr. Gibb •referred to. it before all the decent, pureminded, young, girls, in his floek... What is more calculated to. plant the seed of morbid curiosity? . . . How much finer, how much' nobler are they who from their pulpita direct the gaze of ' their people to the fleecy clouds and the blue vault of heaven rather than to the 6CWCI'? • . "Dr. Gibb really, must be a kind, generous ,man. He refers to my little effort to raise funds for the Children's Hospital as a 'red herring.' It is so clever, so intensely elevating and reSned to see this, vagrant .thought of mine- so fishily, classified. Nothing so nice was eaid of me when I assisted in raising ■ funds for the Children's Hospital in Perth. Nothing half,' so brave ■ and generous was said-when Mrs. Ward andmyself, visited the leper station at Molokai and my wife sang to the. afflicted off and on for-three hours; and I have no recollection of herrings being mentioned iVhen we visited the good Sisters at the hospital in Hong-Kong, filled with quaint little Chinese babies, and bought lace and trinkets in plenty to assist tho great work.I do not seek thanks for what I do, and I hate to repeat theso things t but I cannot allow the imputation made by this bitter■tongued man to go altogether unchaU. lenged. ■ ; ; "As he is bent on making as much as he. can out of 'The Girl from Rector's,' and will continue to nso 'me as au advertisement as long as I am around; perhaps I should not be too hard. I will meet him. On Sunday evening next they will doubtless work themselves into a white heat, for the third time. Good! But . why not. do it in style. ' I will willingly loan them iny limelight plant and staff, so ■ that, • aided by a darkened church, they will be able to pose with even finer theatrical effect than has been the case before. I will do this— we rest as a rule on Sundays'—if- they; on their part, will guarantee me, say, 25 nor cent, of' tho collection for the Children's Hospital, To this must be added a personal subscription, however small, for among the names of those who have already subScribed are scattered most of the good men and 'triio'i of your town. ' If they do not do this—what a chance to play tho superbly magnanimous!—l will have -reluctantly to subscribe Something , in their names,, as. the list must contain tho names of all prominent people before we are through- this week...- .-' HUGH WARD'S DREAM. "I had a dream last night. I dreamt that I was away-out-back, and during a violent storm, with tho lightning rendins the forest trees and the thunder reverberating in the' mountains,- I lost my way. The night came on,-and, becoming afraid of what. exposure might do,' I squeezed myself through ,a narrow aperture into tho hollow -trunk of a tree. There I.fell asleep. On awaking I tried to get out into.- the open, but, to my great horror and dismay, the rain had so acted'on the trunk (hat the nperture had shrunk so that I could not squeeze through. In an agony of fear I shrieked for help, though I knew no one could be near enough to aid mo. As I grew hungry I bit at the tree with my teeth until my mouth- streamed with-blood, and I tore the flash from my tre'ihbliug fingers in a wild -endeavorir t0...g0t out. . . , Oh,, the horror of it all! Then in a calmer spell I thought of ways and means to extricate myself from the death-trap. I had long since discovered that I had no knife; I tliought:;to burn,down the tree, but could find no matches. . .. . What was to bo donp? . ... At last I had it —I remembered th.it I .had contiibutal nothing to tho Children's Hospital. At the thought I actually fell out, so small did I feel!" In proof that Mr. Ward's generous act in Wellington is not a "red herring," and that he has spontaneously performed similar good acts for charity in other parts, the following, clipped from the "West Australian"- of June 14, 1909, speaks for itself:— "After.the performance.the curtain was raised to' allow Mr. Rust, a member of the Children's Hospital Committee, to come forward and publicly tender the sinccrest thanks of his fellow-workers to Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Ward and the members of their company for the evening's effort. Tho entertainment had. ho said, been prepared in the midst of a busy week,' entailing not only a heavy sacrifice of time, but the rest and recreation to winch the members of the company might reasonably look forward on Sunday. These considerations had, however, not weighed for a moment with Mr. Ward —lip had cheerfully given his best eflurfs to -the: cause, aud, as a reward, his mem-

pry, would be perpetuated by the endowment of a Hugh Ward cot at the Children's Hospital." A GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Mr. Hugh Ward has received tho following ' letter from the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board:— "August 0, 11)10. "Sir,—l have much pleasure in acknowledging your letter of the 4th inst., confirming your ..proposal to assist in the raising of funds for .the erection of a Children's Hospital for Wellington ns outlined in The Dominion ot that same date, aud I have been directed to convey to you the board's appreciation of such a magnificent offer from you, and to state that all the assistance possible is offored you in the carrying out of your ideas. "I have the honour to bo, sir, "Your obedient servant, "GEOEGB'WILLIS, .■ ' "Secretary."