SUNDAY CONCERTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 458, 25 May 1909, Page 2

SUNDAY CONCERTS.

On Sunday morning a vaudeville company made application to the Mayor to hold a sacred concert in the local Public Hall, on Sunday evening last. Previously, other companies have held socalled sacred concerts without so much as “by your leave” from the Council. The vaudeville company in question did make at least belated application. They also submitted the programme for his Worship’s or Council’s approval. We have secured a copy of same. It is as follows: Overture, “Ora Pro Nobis”; “Egypt,” general chorus ; song, “ Santa Claus am cornin’ in the mornin’ ” ; song, “Daddy dear, buy moon”; sacred coon song, “ Africa’s distant shores” ; song, “O Come my love”; song, “Paint me a picture of the old fireside”; song, “Angels take me, please”; song, “A Eoudon Waif”; song, “Just a bunch of Irish Shamrock ” ; and a pianoforte selection. Of the items, we leave our readers to judge whether they are sacred or not. The “Municipal Corporations Act, 1900,” section 363, states:

No concert or entertainment of any kind which is open to the public, whether by the purchase of tickets or otherwise, shall be held or given on any Sunday without the written consent of the Council, and then only subject to such conditions in every respect as the Council may impose. The Council may exercise this power either generally or in any particular case or class of cases, and may delegate such power to any of its members. The Borough by-law, 119, states that:

No performance shall be allowed on Sundays in any public building, permanent or temporary, other than that of a sacred nature, or a religious or instructive lecture, and no charge shall be allowed to be made to any such Sunday performance. The Mayor refused the request, we understand, on the ground that the programme submitted did not square with the by-law above referred to. Some people have a very hazy conception ot the nature of a sacred concert, but Mayor Stiles cannot be fooled in this respect. If professionals cannot make sufficient out of their calling on six days in the week without caricaturing a sacred concert on the Sabbath, for purely mercenary motives, then it’s about time they turned their attention to some other calling in life. We believe every fair-minded citizen will endorse the Mayor’s action.