Preaching Disliked in Hospital Wards

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1055, 20 August 1930, Page 8

Preaching Disliked in Hospital Wards

RESENTMENT EXPRESSED BOARD SUPPORTS PROTEST A patient in the Auckland Ho*, pital has expressed strong resentment, in a letter to the Hospital Board, at the way in which religious organisations go to the institution on Sundays and preach sing hymns, and distribute tract* in the wards. At. Its meeting yesterday the board sympathising with the protest, in! structed the House Committee to draft regulations governing what religious organisations might do in tb. wards. The opening item of the discussion was this letter from Mr. Herbert Ingram:— “DISMAL HYMNS” “On Saturday, August 2, a party of men and women came into the ward and planked down a harmonium and commenced to chant a dismal hymn that sounded more like a dirge. Having cleared their throats with this effort they waited a few seconds before inflicting another melancholy hymn on us. Being in bed I could not ge; away from the dismal proceedings, so as an organ (either barrel or church) is always associated in my mind witi a collection, I thought I might precipitate matters by there and then by offering to contribute to the collection if they would adjourn to the net: ward. My offer was received with cynical grins and scowls of contempt About ten minutes more of hymns wa, inflicted upon us, and then one mar stepped out and proceeded to preach a sermon, which was far from being a: intellectual discourse. Being near to the group. I asked this man to cut short his oration because I was due for my treatment in a few minutes. JJ; request was ignored, and even wher the nurse was putting a screen roma my bed, these inconsiderate folks car t ied on their discourse. Perhaps it wa= because they heard my gasps and splutterings during the treatment thai they desisted from their preaching, anc distributed tracts around the ward. 1 did not get a tract, but one patisr. who died on Monday received one (fortunately, he was unable to read it). It was headed: ‘ls there a Hell?’ Some of the other tracts had equally fascinating titles for sick people in hospital A protest was also received frotr the Rationalist Association concerning the distribution of a large number of tracts by ill-advised visitors. These pamphlets were of a nature consid ered to be disturbing to the patients. The Rationalist Association made it clear that its criticism was no: directed against ministers of religioo or visiting members of their own denominations, nor against other persons, religious or otherwise, who distributed comforts to the patients. RATIONALIST PROTEST “Our complaint,” the latter stated, “is directed against those fanatics who use the hospital and trade upon the defencelessness of the patients as a means of disseminating their particular views to gain converts to their sects.” The association asked the board to take effective steps to exclude such “fanatics” from the hospital or to refuse permission in future to hold religious services in the wards. “It is time the board took some stand and decided that no persons should be allowed to hold services in the wards except by’ permission of the medical superintended.” stated the chairman. Mr. W. Wallace. “We don't know whether the letter is right or wrong,” declared Mr. E. H. Potter. “We get a lot of letters from extreme people.” Expressing sympathy with thoss patients who objected to the indiscriminate distribution of tracts by ill-advised visitors, Mr. W. Wood confessed he was surprised to find that any group of persons ! was allowed to hold services :in the wards. “It must be very die : tressing to people who are weak ana jin pain,” he continued. “It cannot be j called a religious service: it is rather !an inconsiderate affliction.” He con- ! tended that any religious ceremony in ! the wards should be conducted in subdued tones that would not distress ! those in neighbouring beds. He as- ! serted that the board should shouldei the responsibility of deciding wbn should hold religious services in the wards, and should draft regulations ; governing them. The present practice was very objectionable and should not i be tolerated or allowed to continue. | Dr. C. E. Maguire, medical superini tendent, stated that the religious sect I concerned had been visiting the hospital for many years. When he hao granted permission to hold services he , was informed there was no intention to expound the Scriptures, only to sing t hymns, but apparently they had taken i a little more licence. He had not rej ceived any’ personal complaints. Every Christmas the organisation made hamsome gifts of strawberries and chocolates to the patients and nurses.