CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 12, 13 June 1874, Page 2

CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

OPENING THE MUSEUM. A mooting of the Board of'Governors, to consider the quest ion of opening the Museum on Sunday, was held yesterday afternoon, at the Public Library. Present—Mr .f. H. Williams (president). Revs W. W. Willock, Bnller, C. Eraser, Dr Tnrnbull, his Honor the Superintendent, his Honor the Judge, Messrs Gould, Htudholmc, A. C Knight, Potts, Webb, Enys. luglie, Tancred, Keuaaway, Montgomery, and 0. C. Bowen. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. The Chairman reported that the necessary steps had been taken to obtain, the transfer yf the trust of the Museum and Library to

the Governors of the College, ami the old trustees had signed the del of release, which was laid on the ta'-'e. I" cur.se quence, the management of tli • Museum had vested in the governing body < i the I'initorbury College. He (the chairman) had received a letter from his Horo'' the Superintendent, enclosing a cfinmnnicalion from the Speaker of the Pro* vineial Council covering a res'-lution of that body affirming the necessity of oj.cn ing the Museum on the first day of i lio *>•■ V. The only other correspondence was a Utter from Mr S. C. Farr, President of the Sunday School Union, which would be read by the secretary. The.letter was read by the secretary as follows : ,l Christchurch, June 11. Dear Sir,—Permit me, through yon, in reference to the opening of the Museum on the " first day of the week," to call the attention of the Governors to the following facts : " When the question of opening that institution on the Lord's Day was before them on a previous occasion for consideration, a memorial afiainst it, signed by upwards of three thousand persons, was forwarded to them, the signatures to which were obtained without any organised effort, and in less than a week. "This should leave no doubt about the feelings of the public in the matter, and had the opportunity been allowed for an expression of opinion on a movement so momentous, I believe the late decision of the Provincial Council would have been totally ignored. " It may be held that they are representatives of the people—granted ; but arc they not fleeted to do that which is right, and prevent that which is wrong? are they not especially sent up by their constituents to decide, control, and allocate public works and monies in the respective districts returning them. "I should say that * 4 the introduction of condemned Continental customs ought to be quite out of the jurisdiction of the Council, although it may have the power to withold a public grant in aid of the institution. " For many years the infidel and rationalist endeavored to get the British Museum opened on the Sabbath, and but recently the "Ritualists have joined their ranks in the attempt, ar.d have been signally frustrated by the decision of the powers that be ; and shall it be that the scions of that land of liberty in this province agree to decide otherwise, and thus establish a precedent so wisely avoided in dear old England 1 I trust not.

" Can the profanation of the day of holy rest be mooted, and we, a people who have received such signal blessings from llim who ordained it, keep silence? I would say, in all reverence, God forbid ! And on behalf of the young in Canterbury, I would urge the governors to well consider the effect it will have upon that portion of our community ere they decide. " I know I am appealing to a body of gentlemen judiciously and wisely chosen for the very responsible office they hold, many of whom have been set apart to teach the people, among other sacred duties, to observe the sanctity, and enjoy the privileges of that Divine institution. Others, by their example, have long decided in favor of a close observance of the rites of that holy day. Therefore, without fear, I ask them to give the question the most serious and earnest deliberation, inasmuch that I believe the effect upon our youth (if opened) will ere long prove most disastrous, and seriously militate against the efforts of those institutions endeavoring to lead them in the study of the highest of all attainments, viz, their duty to God, their neighbor, and themselves. " The Sabbath is especially set apart for this important object, and I sincerely hope, nothing will be introduced to avert the sacred command, ' Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.' ' The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.' Shall man desecrate, and bring a curse upon it 1 May God avert so great an evil ? ' Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.' " In conclusion, I may state, that nothing but a sincere desire for the well-being and doing of our young people has prompted me thus to address you, and I do trust that the wisdom, and counsel, which can truly guide, may be vouchsafed to assist in the decision ! "I am, dear sir, " Yours most sincerely, " S. C. FAim, " President of the Canterbury " Sunday School Union. "J. S. Williams, Esq., "Chairman of Governors for " College, Museum, &c." Mr 11. R. Webb said he would like to get the opinion of the board of governors as to the relative positions of the board and the Provincial Council, that was whether they were to be ruled by any resolution which might be passed by the Provincial Council. [Hear, hear] He knew very well that they were created by the vote of the Council, which of course could appoint another trust, but he held th .t it wps necessary to know the position in which they stood. He wished to know this, because if the board of governors passed a vote to day it be over-ridden by a vote of the Provincial Council. [Hear, hear.] He need not ,Fay that be was opposed to the opening of the Museum on Sundays, but he would like to get an expression of opinion on the point he had raised, und arrive at something like a definition of their position. [Hear, hear.] The Rev C. Frascr said that he tl ought that they were called into being as a Trust not so much to carry out their own views and theories, but as it appeared to him to carry out the wishes of public opinion as expressed through their representatives. [Hear, hear ] Of course it was open to any member to resign his seat if the opinions he held would not allow him to retain his scat under such circumstances. It seemed to him that it would be better to submit to this rather than to inaugurate what might be a very bitter religious discussion, from which they had in this province hitherto been happily free. Therefore it was his opinion that they ought to give way to the resolution of the Provincial Council. It was not intended to open other institutions, to run railway train", or to allow of houses of refreshment to bo opened, therefore he thought they should allow the resolution of the Provincial Council to be carried out. If this was but the thiu end of the wedge he felt that those who were opposed to the opening of the Mus'um and the desecration of the Sabbath would be justified in using every constitutional means to prevent it. Looking at the fact that the experiment had not been tried, and that the representatives of the people had agreed to the motion by a

large majo>'ty, ho begged to move the following 1 resolution :—" The Board of Governors of (ho Canterbury College having received ii resolution requiring that the Museum bo opened on the first day of the week ihronghnut the year, resolve to record their regret at the introduction of a pncl ; «-e which has not hitheito been followed in the Ibitish Dominions, which is offensive lo a 1 n"e portion of the relig : ous com it) unity, find remit the said resolution to the Mn-eiim Rub-committee, with instructions to carry il into effect." Dr Turnbull seconded the motion pro forma. Mr Enys pointed out that the Melbourne Museum was open on Sunday, so it was not the fact that elsewhere the museums were not opened on Sunday, lie would move that the resolution be altered so as to omit any reference to other places. Mr Potts moved as an amendment that all the words after "year " to the word "community " bo omitted. lie could not draiy any distinction between the public being admitted to the Domain and Acclimatisation Gardens on Sunday and the Museum. If one was wrong so was the other. [Hear, hear.") Mr A. 0. Knight thought that the resolution of the Provincial Council was only recommendatory, and not at all in a spirit of coercion. He moved that the word " requiring " should be struck out and the word "recommending" inserted.

Dr Turnbull said that he quite disagreed with Mr Knight. He asserted fearlessly that the greatest amount of coercion had been exercised by the Government towards the governors of the Canterbury College on every occasion when this Muscm question came up. The hon member at the head of the Government had plainly told them that unless they carried out this resolution the supplies would bo stopped. (Mr Montgomery, " No, no.") Despite the denial of the hon President of the Executive, he repeated that the very greatest coercion hr.d been used towards them. (Hear, hear.) It had been said it was a recommendation, but he denied it. The fact was, it was the commands of a master—and a taskmaster of the very harshest type. Ho felt as a governor that the pressure brought to bear upon him was offensive to him, and he again repeated that a great amount of coercion had been used towards tiiem. (Hear, hear.) Mr Montgomery said that Dr Turnbull had been rather mistaken in the reference he had made to the remarks of the head of the Government. What he (Mr Montgomery) said was this. lie was asked—or rather the Government was asked —in what way the resolution of the Council could be ensured to be carried out, and he had stated that if hon members wished to do so, they could when the estimates came under discussion do as they thought proper under the circumstances, and it was for them to decide what course they should take. As the head of the Government and a member of the Council, he should always do his best to sei the resolutions of the House enrritd out. Tf the Museum were under a trust, and the funds for its support obtained therefrom, the matter would stand very differently ; but when they came for their annual grant to the public purse, the representatives of the people had a right to express their opinion as to the way in which the institution was to be conducted. He, however,-beeged to disclaim most emphatically that he had in any way attempted to coerce the Board of Governors, or indeed that his remarks could be construed in any way to mean this. Speaking now, as a governor of the College, on the question of opening the Museum, he must say he was in favour of it ; and in so doing he felt that he was not voting for anything that would tend to injure the morality or religious feeling of the community ; if he thought he was doing that he would oppose it most strongly, but he did not, and therefore he gave the opening of the Museum his support. [Flear, hear.] Mr Inglis said he thought, as the resolution of-the Council had been passed after due deliberation, the Board of Governors should c.trry out the resolution. He wished the Rev. C. BYaser would withdraw his motion, and add that the Museum should be open on Christmas Day and Good Friday ; then he would be willing to support it. The Rev Mr Willock strongly deprecated the opening of the Museum on Good Friday and Christmas Day. What he should like to see was the opening of the Museum on holidays when cheap trains ran. Mr Kennaway said he looked upon it that they were merely the Executive of the Provincial Council in the management of the museum, and therefore he was prepared to acquiesce in the resolution passed by them. It was not tor them to go irito the controversial portion of the question. [Hear, hear] It was much better to leave this altogether out of the discussion. [Hear, hear.] He did not think that there had been coercion. [ Dr Turnbull : " I repeat my assertion."] The Provincial Council, of which 'body they were, he thought, merely the Executive, had expressed their opinion on a fundamental point in the working of the institution, and they should carry it out. [Hear, hear.] He would, therefore, be prepared to support the opening of the Museum on Sunday. Mr Knight's amendment for the substitution of the words " recommending" for " requiring" was agrerd to, Mr Potts' amendment was then put and agreed to. The Rev J. Bullcr could not give a silent vote on the subject. He held that they were more than an Executive of the Provincial Council, as had been said by Mr Kennaway. (Hear, hear.) If this was not the case, they would occupy a very undignified position indeed, and one which he was not prepared to accept. He was not prepared to stand up thete and conteud that the opening of the Museum on Sunday in itself was bad, but it was only the thin end of the wedge, and he, as one of the Governors, disclaimed any responsibility for the result which would follow upon it. With all due respect to the Provincial Council as a constituted authority, hedenied that therehad been any public request to them to open the Museum on Sunday. Indeed thedemoustration of public opinion had been all the other way. The protest of a large section of the community had been entered against it, and he contended that their protest and their feelings had a right to be considered. After some further remarks from Dr Turnbull and Rev C. Fraser, in which the former reiterated his statement of coercion on the part of the Government, the resolution was then put and carried on the voices, only the voice of the Rev J. Buller being heard in the negative.

Mr Inglis moved " That the Museum be opened on Christmas Fay and Good Friday for three houis."

The Uev J, B. Her seconded the motion.

The chairman pointed out that under the standing orders of the Board notice would have to be given of the motion. Mr loglis then gave notice of motion f; the effect for next meeting.

At the conclusion of the meeting the subcommittee of the Museum "met, Mr J. S. Williams presiding, it was decided that the Museum should be opened from and after Sunday next (to-morrow) to the public on the first dny in the week, between the hours of 1.30 and 4.30 p.m. for the winter months. The sub-committee then adjourned.