“Sunday” Theatres.
The agitators of the opening of theatres on the Lord’s Day are not getting every thing their own way. The ranks of the theatrical profession are divided and the hypocritical cant of actors is exposing them in certain quarters to well-deserved ridicule. The Lord’s Day Observance Society, London, under its energetic Secretary, Mr. H. H. Martin, has done excellent work in enlighting public opinion.
Cunning New Move to open Theatres on the Sabbath.
An attempt is to be made to come to some agreement among the theatrical profession who are divided on this question. “For this purpose,” says the London Political Correspondent of the Glasgow Herald, “a new resolution has been framed for consideration which, if it meets with substantial agreement among actors and actresses, will be placed on the Order Paper of the House. This resolution seeks to meet the objection made to the opening of theatres for private gain by stipulating that all surplus receipts, after the payment of reasonable expenses, shall be devoted to charity. The permission of the local authority is to be necessary before performances can be given, a notable concession to some opponents of the proposal. Although the main purpose of the promoters of the resolution is to provide entertainment for the troops and war workers, it is not suggested that the general public should be excluded.”
Moving with the times.
A proposal that Sabbath evening worship should take the form of a cinema service once a month according to a Glasgow Herald report, met with strong criticism when it was suggested by the Rev. R. W. A. Begg to the congregation of Tain Parish Church at the annual business meeting. Mr. Begg who was elected minister of Tain six months ago, stated that he had already been subjected to criticism on account of other innovations, and urged the congregation to move with the times. Pastorial visitation during his stay in Tain, he said, had revealed that two-fifths of the population professed no allegiance to any Church. If modern methods could bring them within the Church they should be tried. It was decided not to adopt the proposal for the present. It was in the parish church of Tain that the saintly ministers, Dr. Angus Mackintosh and his son and successor, Dr. C. C. Mackintosh preached. Their labours as ministers of Christ were greatly blessed. What a change has come over the parish church of Tain!
Slavery Abolished in Ethiopia.
“The Anti-Slavery Reporter and Aborigines’ Friend” expresses gratification that the status of slavery has now been abolished by the Ethiopian Government, and in giving a historical résumé of the matter, states that: “In 1924 a decree was issued which provided that everyone born after the date of the decree should be born free, and it prohibited the sale or gift of slaves. In 1931 it was further provided that all slaves should be emancipated within a year of the death of their masters. But Ethiopia did not ratify the International Slavery Convention of 1926, and until August 26th last, did not abolish the status of slavery in Ethiopia in the case of slaves who did not come within the scope of the decrees of 1924 and 1931. These Proclamations mark another step on the road of reform, on which the Government of Ethiopia is to be congratulated. But an institution of so long standing as slavery has been in Ethiopia is not so easily terminated by Proclamations and Decrees alone, and it will require vigilance by the Ethiopian Slavery Suppression Service to stamp out slavery in that country.”