DANCING IN PARISH HALLS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3018, 1 April 1926, Page 3

DANCING IN PARISH HALLS.

POWERS OF THE VICAR

DECISION IN CHRISTCHURCH.

A petition arising out of the recent legislation of the General Synod by which it was enacted that the vicar of a parish shall have the keys of the parish hall, implying thereby control, with a right of appeal to the Standing Committee, was considered by the Christchurch Standing Committee last month, and as this is the first occasion of local action under the statute, it of wider than parochial interest. The vicar in question has, ever since his taking charge of the cure, forbidden dancing in the parish hall, on conscientious grounds. Recently some strong feeling has been engendered on the matter by a section of the congregation, which, disagreeing with the vicar, wished to have some dancing permitted at church socials. The vicar, on being approached, stated that he could not go back on his long-established ruling. On the matter being referred by the Standing Committee to the vicar in question, the reply given was that it was a matter of conscientious objection to dancing in the parish hall. The Standing Committee decided to reply to the appellants that in its opinion the vicar must be allowed to exercise his own judgment in a matter of this nature. The statute makes the Standing Committee’s decision final.