lIo" .... mbtN"8 oa" obtal" thl. publloatlo" from the Hon. Seoretary, po.t tr.. 2/· per ... nUII!

MARCH, 1928.

Cb~ montblp R~cord of

Soutb plaCt €tbical SOCittpt 35, Bloomsbury Square, w.e.L

(TEMPORARY OFFICE).

Cblect er lbe Society, .. The Object of the Society is the cultivation of a rational religious sentiment, the study of ethical principles, and the promotion of human welfare, in harmony with advancing knowledge."

SUNDAY MORNING SERVICES ore held In

THE LONDON INSTITUTION THEATRE, South Place, Moorgate, E.C.2.

The following DISCOURSES will be delivered the Services beginning. at ELEVEN O·CLOCK •

.Februa.ry 26.-C. DELISLE BURNS, M.A.. D.Llt.-British Responslb1l1t1es In Africa. Ba.ss Sololl-

J eru8&lem ... ... • .. Ethiopia. 80.Iutlng the Oolou11II

MT. G. O. DOWJuw. {

No. 207. Men I whose botL8t it ia that Y"'. No. 136. That mnn is great, and he o.lone.

B. Parry O. lVood

March 4.-C. DELISLE BURNS. M.A.. D.Lit.-The United States and Peace. Bass 01011-

Eldorn<lo The Pilgrnn's Song

Mr. G. O. DowlI~·Ji.. HYIDlIS No. 100. Whn.t i. it tho.t th .. crowd r"'ln ite.

No. 76. These things aho.n be t 0. loftier ro.oc.

lVolthclD Tohail:ovsl-II

March ll.-C. DELISLE BURNS. M.A.. D.L!t.-The Capacities of the Average Man. :'cllUl.t.ino. in A minor. Op. 137. No. 2. for Pill.Ilofnrte n.nd Violin ... ...S.hld/ert

I-.illegro moderato. ll-A ndo.nte. Ill-M. nuctto a.nd 'Trio; AUegro. IV-Allegro. Miss Etu IVTlIEY o.nd Mi& MARIB WIL8oJ<.

B'1mu {No. 141. 0 star of Btrengtb I I seo thee .tand. No. 49. A 11 around UI, fn.ir witb flowers.

March IS.-F. J. GOULD.-The Human Church. Bals Sa10-

The Valley

Duet-o Source Divine

Mrl. G. J~'iIB8 ,;;':'d M~. G."O. DowlIAl<. H'1ID. ... {

No. 50. Do not crouch to· day n.nd worship. No. 226. Tbe ptaoo of worabip i.a not bound.

Gounod

Oarl Goetz

March 25.-C. DELISLE BURNS, M.A.. D.Lit.-Ibsen and Modern Drama.. Soprano 901011-

With Verdure Clad ... BOlldn Gmo

::: rangl/a" lVilliot/lS Sol"olg'. Song Orpheus with hi. Lute

M 188 HEDO 8;·lIP80';':. Nil. liS. Happy be whOle epirit oo.r. No. 25. 0 brother maD, fold to thy heart thy brother I

The Committee reql1est the o.udlence to rrjratn front applau8e. Any", .. Praof;.e, to ,o/doh all pl'rRons dc.iro", .. of improving tile /II/mn ~ing;ng are

'/lvited. i. IIcld at tI" .10 •• of 6ao/, Servi.~. Piani, t : H. SIIJTU WEIISTEn, 59, Lornine Road, N.7.

A Col/ection ;. made at each Scrv;to, t~ enable tho •• preBent to oont"ibutt to a/r expense, of th. Soci,t1/.

'" BMB B RSIIIV. ,Iny perlon in syr"1lnthy with tile Object of the Soei<,ty i.s oordially invit",] to brCOM('

0. MEMoon. The n.mount of 8ubsoription is optional, with " minimum of 2.. 6d. prr ql~arter, or 10. . per .. nnnm. ~ny pru'80n interested in the Society's work , but not WIshing to become " mmnber. m,,;!, ioin ns IIn AssOCIATP.. the mmfmnln Pllhgeription h"mg 5s. per annum. FtlTther pnrtwulo.rR may be obtnined before Rnd .ft .. th e SlIndaT ·rr.i<~ •• or on application to the Hon . Jkgi./ttrar, Misl R. BA,.Ls, 35, Bloom bur" "qllarc. W.O.1. .

I

Lending Library. A temporary Lending Libra.ry will be ope<ll free to MruJ!bcrs of the Sooiety at 35,

Bloom.sbury Square, W.O.l. Hon. Troasuror and Librarian, E. J'''&5, 302, Dnlston LnlloO, Hnokney, E.B. Hon. Seoretary and Librarian, Mi .... V. A. ALEXANDElt, 6, Hopellcld Avenue, Brond",,·

bury Park, N.W.6.

Hamble •• Saturday, March a.-Science Section, Victoria and Albert Museum. Oonducted

by OFFICIAL LEc'rlTJl1m. Meet oUlside 2.;)0 p.m. Saturday, March 10 -Epsom, Burgh Heath and Chipstead. Conducted by Mr.

F. M. OVERY. Train, London llrlrtge (Brightou Section) 2.20 p.m. ,(Take Cheap return Epsom Town. 1'7).

Saturday, March 17. Visit to the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace a.nd Royal Hospital. Chelsea.. Leader. R. SALMUN. Mcet at Victoria Memorial Statuo. Buckingham Palace, 2.30 IJ·m.

Saturday, March 24.-0ver ·London Bridge. Conducted by Mr. E. SNELLING. Meet at Southwark Uathedrnl. ~,30 p rn.

Sunday, Apri11.-Daffodll Sunday at Kew. Conduoted by Mr. E. NELMJIS. Bring [,uncb. TrIL;n. 12.50 Broad Street. (Cheap return Kew Gardens.)

Saturday March 24.-Special attention is called to a perfonn.n.nOO of Bornn.rd Sbaw's " Pygmalioo·1 at 'l'olmer's Hl>II, Drnmmond Street, Euston, N.W.1, at 7.90 p.m., on Marob 24, in aid of the funds of the Federation of RAn:.hling OJubs. Tickets, Is. M. OI1oh, may be obtnined from M·r. F. M. Ovary.

B S ta ' . {Mrs. J "'MRS. 302. Dalston Lane. Fl.8. on. ecre nu. D. O. W .. nwICK. 134. Hlghbury Hm. N.5.

37tb BasteI' eo-operative Holiday at Hyde, Isle of Wlgbt. From Thursday. April 6th, to Tuesday, A.pril lOth.-Men:.bers desiring to join thios

rurty should &end no.mes to Mr. "'nd Mrs. eLE"ENTS, 8. Finc>hley Way. N .3. as soon ... po .... ilble. "nd not wait till Mn.rch 21, the latost availlable date, 416 it is di:fIl.onlt to get o.coommodatWn. Nnmes will not be received after March 21st. when .. meeting will be held at 6.30 at 96, Bloomsbury Sq1.Ul.re. and" doposit of 12s. 6d. will be N!<!eivro by Mr. F. A. H'WXII'IS. 19, Thnrlow Pnrk Road. Dulwioh, S.E.21. Hou&e Parties defray their own expen.p.s. It is e&timated tbat the total eO<l't of the holiday, including ~<c>uJ'sion fare to Ryde Esplanade, will not exceed .e2 15.. Hen<lqwntc"". % Mrs. (1Q11; .... I, Marino Terrn.ce, Oastle Street, Ryde, 1.0.W.

Members' Party. An evening party for ""'mbers and friends will be held at Eustnoo Mile.s Restaurant.

Ob.aring Or()8S, on Friday. :March 16th. from 7 to 11 p.m. Dramabio reading. and other 'tom. by members. Danoing. Tickets 99.. incl",ding ""pper, mu.t be puroh.Med before Marob 13th frolD the Registrar. or from Mrs. W'TSON, .. Cbcriton." AldeT.brook R<Jad, E.12.

Montbly Play-Heading. The Play.Rending OiTole will meet ()1l Thursrt .. y. Maroh 22nd, in bho Sooiety's

Rooon at 95, Bloomsbury SqutlJ'e (thst tloor). when lh,on's .. Roomersholm" win be read. As this will be the loat Play· Reading of the present ..... on, it lis hoped that " l&rgo nu.mber will be present.

Montbly Dance. On Frid .. y, March 30th. a danoo will bo held at tbe EustrLce Miles Restaurant.

Oho.nd08 Street, OhAring Or""". trom 7 to 11 p . m. Tiokets 9s.. inoluding refr""hments,. may be .pbtained from the Reg •• trar on gunday ICornings, or from Mr.. J ,,,.s, 302, n&lston UnA>, E.B.

Dlscu.slons. The DhculSI"n CIrcle "Ill meet at the Society', Room. 35. Bloomsbury Square (tlrst

1I00r). on Monday nenlng. at 6.45 p.m. lI.aroh 5.-Mr. ALAN PORTEl!., .. Individual Psychology from an Ethical Aspeot." lI .. roh 12.-Previous Sunday'~ Discourse. lI.0.r0h 19.-Mr. J. A. HOBSON'S Article, .. The Two Pence Movements." in TI,e

Standard (American Ethical Journal). will be read and di.ouRsed. Maroh 26.-Previous Sunday'6 Di&oonrse.

Soutb Place f)rcbelltra. Conduc\or: RICHARD H. WALTllEW.

During the period necessary for' the COIIstructlon of our new builitlng In Red Lion Square the pro.ctlces will be held In ST. PAUL'S SOHOOL. BANN1<n STREET. BUNmLL How RC. These premises are only two minutes' walk from O1it St,reet Tube Station. Passing w~stwnrd along O1it Street.. thesccoud turnIng on the left Is Dunbl11 Row out of whIch BRnner Street Is tbe first turning on the right. Tue scboolls situate "bout fifty yRrds itown on tbe left.

The second half season will commence on January 6tb.J~28. and finish with a concert on Sunday. April 1. which will he given at.. the City of London Sebool. Victoria Embankment (lacing Blnckfrlsl'8 BrIdge) PractIce. Wlll be belit at Banner Street every Friday from 7 to 9 p,m. from Jan. 6 to March 30t.h. 1928. Subscrlpt.lon-10/- for each balf season.

Further pu1ionlar. m .. , be had from the BD,.. 8eefttary. 1'. W. OAnI.e, 13, 'l:inrahalJ &ad. BeotenhaIB.

J R. V.R. Tuesday Evening Lectures.

To be delivered In tbe Library of tbe R.P.A .• 4. (; and 6. Job noon'. Oourt. Fle.t Stre.t. at 7.30 p.m. Entrance Free.

MArch 6.-{l. D&LtBLB B1lR1<B: .. Ra.tionali.m and the Arts." MArch 1S.-O. E. M. JO~D: .. A Theory of EvolutIonary Progreas." Mllrch OO.-W. KENT : .. Dr. Johnson and RtligioD." Maroh 27-S. K. lUTCLlFl1I: .. American FundamentaJiam : Its 0&""e8 o.nd Cure,"

Sunday Vopular eoncerts (ehamber Music). The FORTY-Sl!JCOND SEASON is being held in the GREA.T HALL at the CITY OF

I .. ON DON SCHOOL. Viotorin Err.bn.nkment (olC>8o to BlMkfrin.r. Bridge). and will be oontinued until April 29 (exoopt Enster Sundll.y, April 8).

Februllry 26.-Violin: Orren. Pcu-nel. Piano: Lily Henk.I. Tu BRITIBD VOC"'. QUARTm': Dorothy Bcnnett, E.ther 0010=, Eric GreeD<>, DaJo Smith. At tho Pial1{} .\ rnold Perry. Cello: John Snowden. Brn.luns· onate. in A. Op. 100. nnd lIosa.rt's SOUllta. in B f1o.t, K.454 far Piano a.nd Violin; Stanford's Songs from "Th ... Princeas," aDd Walford Davies' NUM6ry Rhymes, fOT VooaJ Quartet and Pio.no.

Ml1rch 4.-'rHE SNOW StRINO QUARTET: Joasie Sn.ow, Jobn Sealey. Ern.ost Toml:inson , 'rbclma nei>ls·Smith. Ra.vel·" Qua.rtet; Volkm.amn·s Quartet in E minor. Op. SS.

Marcb 11.- } See a.nnonncements on Programmes.. MArob 18.-lllarch 25.-TlfE MAltIE WILBON STuING QUAltn:r: MJl\lrie WiJ""n. DOl'othy Evwitt

.\.Dne WoUe, Phylli. .. Ha.sluck. Solo Piano : Solumon Mo,m'B Quo.rtet in 0, K .465; Amald Bn,x's Quartet iD G; Sohumann·. Etudes ymphoDiqu ..... aDd Solos by Chopin, tar PmIl,ll

Doors open at 6.10 p.m. Concerts at 6.30 . . AdmisBion free. with Silver Collection. Tr<lJlsfernble Reserved Sent Tickets Ss. ooc.b. Progrrunmo subscription, 20. Gd.

extra.. Tickets at tbe Concert or from the Hon. Tr .... ur.r. FRANx A. HAWKINB, 18. Tburlo.. Park Rond. S.E.21. aooompa.nicd by r~mlttsnce and "tamped e.ddrCIBBpd envelop"-

.. THE STORY OF A THOUSAND CONOERTS," by W. S. Moodmoro. tog~ther with a List at Works, Number of Perlwmn.uoes, Nunes of Artist .. ete. Onc ab.illwg n et. DeBt fr e 1/2. tram tbe Hon. Treaa.

Hon. 'J'rea, . .' FUANX A. HAWltJNS, IS, Tburlow Pork Road, S.E.21. Hon. Se •. : ALFRSD J. OLE.IBNTB, 8. Finchley Way, N.S. H AB t Set) . { Mrs. D. M. OLEM.:NTS, 8, Fincbley Way, N.S.

on. B • B.. W. S. MEAD>lOTU<. S. Bclsizo Square. N.W.S.

eonway Memorial Lectures. The Oonway Memori&! Lecture.. ... bich are dellnred annually in Maroh . .. e.... inAU~U '

rated in 1908, a ... Me.moriaJ to Dr. MoneDr. D. Con .. ay. The Committee la not ;r~t U. posseosion at the neoe8oary capital tor the -""rmanent endo .. ment of the Lectur •• hlp, and In tb~ meantime it makes .. n &Il.rnelt appeal to all r.ade .. of tIle MONT'/I y RICORD eith ... for anbscription. or donations, to ensure the aontinuanoe of tl,. lectnre.. Theae should be ..,nt to th. Hon. Tftuurer, Mra. OocxnUlllf. PeTfldeniya. 18, Northampton Road. Oroydon.

Eigbteen lootnres h .... e been ghen. and oopi.e. of the.. oan be purch .... d a4 the book at&11.

Ho" Secreto' {ERn,.. OAR., .. Lyndall," Eo .. ndon Ro.cl. Sanders tend. !kIrrey. . re., Mr •. O. FLm'CBltR SKIT11. Sunny Dene, Suuberie Avenue. Letchwarth.

~'ho GRNERAL Oo.UftTTE" wili moet on WedneE<l"y, IIfn.rob 7. Correspondence dNlling .. itb mattero for oonoideration should be for .... rdod to F . .H. OVlRr, Hon. Seo .• sa, Onterham Roo.d, LewishAm. S.B.1S. at the earli •• t poutblD moment. All m .. ttora relatlnr to tJlUUlCO .hould be &ddreaood to the Treunr ...

Seoreteri ... of lub·oommitteeo .. re reque.ted to note that any m .. tter .. blob tbey .. u.h te inoort in the MORTnLr RacORD sbould be in the hand. of Hr. Y. W. RaAD not l.ter than 15th of the n:onth. All liter .. ,..,. matter .lIould be forwardod to the Uiter. Hr. C. J. POLURD. &I ...... Iy lA the month •• po .. lbI ••

CONW A Y HALL APPEAL FUND. We have a most welcome announcement to make this month. Mr.

J ulian Roney has come forward as the fifth donor of £200 in response to Mrs. Conway-Sawyer's offer to subscribe one thousand dollars if five others promised a similar amount. The Appeal Fund thus benefits to the extent of £1,200 by the generous action of Mrs. Conway-Sawyer and the fiv other donors, Mrs. C. Fletcher Smith, Mr. F. A. Hawkins, J.<r. Edward Pollard, Mrs. Edward Pollard and Mr. Julian Roney. The last-named was once an active member of the Society, and, although he resigned his membership some years ago, he has, to the personal knowledge of the present writer, continuously kept up a very sympathetic interest in the

• Society's welfare. This sympathy he h.as exhipited in various ways, and his present donation to the Appeal Fund notably confirms ,it. In making this gift Mr. Roney expresses his great r~gr¥ that the Society has de· termined upon the smaller scheme. He holds strongly to the opinion that the larger building would have been more in ,,"ccordance with the history and standing of the Society and would also have evoked a greater measure

of support. Readers will be pleased to see from the appended list that the flow of

subscriptions continues, and when the new building shows itself on the site, as in course of erection, we look forward to a stronger current again setting in. In the meantime we have reason. to think that there are many good friends of the Society who desire to subscribe, but are withheld by tbe fact lilat the sum they can reasonably afford to give is small. It is unneces­sary to state that the Society's gratitude is every' bit as warm for the snrt<ll as for the large amount. The feeling underlying the subscription is the thing of moment. It will perhaps facilitate the donation of small amounts if they are given to one of the officers of t.\le Society on the Sunday morning, or sent to Mr. N. Lidstone, on the understanding that these amounts will be grouped together in the list published in the RECORD without names, simply under the heading" Collected."

The following contributions have been received since the list published in the February RECORD:­

Brought Forward F. S. Marvin ... Miss M. Rawlings H. D. Irwin, Opotiki,

New Zealand Mr. and Mrs. S. G.

Green J. Hayward, Sydney,

Australia W. J. Savage, Detroit,

Michigan, U.S .A .... E. H. Keen, S. Canter­

bury, New Zealand F. J. Mars, Broken Hill,

Australia .. T n Memory of the late

Mr. and Mrs. F. Westbury"

£ 2159

1 2

s. d. 8 8 1 0 o 0

o 0

200

050

042

100

1 1 0

60 0 0

Dr. Annie Besant, Theo­sophical Society, Ad­yar, Madras, S. India .. .

Mrs. G. Gibbs .. , Dr. W. M. Hewetson,

Salisbury, Rhodesia, S. Africa

F. E. Walshe ... Robert D. Kohn, New

York City, U.S.A .... Q. Bardill ... .. , J ames E. Wilson, Phila-

delphia, U .S.A. Josep1:I T. Whitehead ... Miss Bills, Letchworth J ulian Roney

EDITORIAL.

500 o 10 0

o 10 0 o fO 0

to 0 0 1 0 0

5 1 0 0 5 0 0 5 0

200 0 0

£2441 o 10

MEMBERS' PARTY.-The attention of members is drawn to the fact that the evening party announced to take place on Frid<\3, March 16, will be the last social meeting for this season. As the accommodation at the Eustace Miles Restaurant is limited, members, and especially those who wish to bring friends, are urgently asked to let Mrs. Watson know as soon as possible how many tickets they will require, and to note that names cannot be received after March 13.

• • • • ROOMS FOR MRS. NELSON.-Owing to the building operations shortly

to take place on the Red Lion Square site Mrs. Nelson will have to give up the rooms which she occupies at 49, Theobalds Road. Will any member or friend, knowing of suitable accommodation (two unfurnished rooms), kindly communicate with her at that address.

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MR. TOMS' " REJECTION OF PRAYER BOOK."-We much regre~. that I;>wing to exigencies of space we are compelled to hold over until the April , issue the conclusion of Mr. Toms' article, " The Rejection of the Prayer Book."

THOMAS HARDY. The interment of the remains of Thomas Hardy in Westminster Abbey

gives rise to a number of reflections. In view of the extreme modesty of his character it is improbable that the posthumous honour should have been contemplated by him, but it is equally unHkely that some of his friends should not have suggested the idea to him. His instructions, therefore, that his body was to rest in the churchyard at Stinsford may be regarded as a definite expression of a considered decision, and the ordinary man will think that it ought to have been obeyed. Obviously it was also the wish of some of the members of his family and his neighbours. The attempt to conciliate this sentiment after the acceptance of the offer of an Abbey burial was, no doubt, well meant, but it is not pleasant to contemplate the removal of the heart from the body, then the cremation of the remains, followed by two separate religious services over tv.o urns, concluding in the Abbey with the incongrous ceremony of the casting of a handful of

-Dorset earth into the grave during the repetition of the formula which was framed when men thought that the actual body was revivified at the last day. It is presumably for sanitary reasons that the cremation of a body before interment in the Abbey has latterly been instituted, though reasons of space are not absent. If men were logical, the practice of cremation, involving as it does an entire severance from the historical sentiment which dictated the interment of the past generations in the Abbey, would be held to make an Abbey burial a quite incongru us pro. ceeding. The original idea of the Abbey as a royal and aristocratic mortuary having been replaced by that of a Pantheon of the nation's great men, the proper realisation of the latter thought would seem to be primarily in commemoration rather than in burial. There are obvious advantages, too, in the adoption of a scheme of national commemoration of great men and women. The decision on the question of interment has to be made hastily; it depends on immediate rather than on ultimate considerations, and, in form, at any rate, it depends on individual caprice.

In the present conditions, it is almost impossible for ordinary persons to know why the portals of the Abbey are opened or closed in a given case. Much surprise was felt in the freethought world when Darwin was buried there in 1882. The onJy sentiment that would be felt now would have reference to the freethought attitude of 1882, not to the interment. But in 1880, that most liberal-minded Dean, Stanley, refused to permit the burial of George Eliot there. During her lifetime she was a more famous person than Meredith and Hardy have been in their days. Her fame is said to have suffered some eclipse in the last generation, but the present writer hazards the judgment that, as a novelist, George Eliot, at her best, is superior to both Meredith and Hardy. She was also a poet of some dis­tinction, as were they. All three suffered in varying degrees and from different causes, from an inability to sing; a defect which will have con­siderable influence on the readers of the future. All of them were in the broad sense of the word freethinkers, and not Christians. In George Eliot's case, however, it is to be noted th,at in her books the Christian ethic is presented in singularly beautiful and moving form; all who think of a presentation of Christianity in imaginative sbape turn instinctively to her noble women. Her dissent from orthodoxy was well known, but it could hardly have given offence even in the religious world. She had we know, seriously outraged that Victorian goddess, Mrs. Grundy, by

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her irregular .. union" with George Henry Lewes, and even Stanley could not overlook this when Victoria, the widow of Albert the Good, was alive. We may safely say that she would have been buried in the Abbey if the Divorce Act had been passed a little earlier.

The reader of Meredith's novels would not know that he was a free­thinker, and he never made any public attack on Christianity; if some of his letters (published after his death) indicate his unbelief, others evince a sympathy towards religion. In general terms his novels may be said to ignore religion. The diligent reader of his poetry will discover his disbelief in the Christian religion, but the operation involves a strenuous mental effort, and the result is not calculated to cause any great shock. It is not unlikely that Meredith was refused the distinction of Abbey burial because of his relatively limited appeal. In the world of letters he was a very distinguished, perhaps a great name, but his fame was, and is, that of a literary craftsman rather than of a writer for an imperfectly literate public.

The intelligent reader of Hardy's books does not need to be told that he was not a Christian. Many readers are probably unaware of the fact, because it was almost entirely implicit, and the explicit is the only form of utterance which is apt to be retained by ordinary minds. The Dean of Canterbury has called attention to the apologia in his Late Lyrics and Earlier, where he asks-what other organisation than the Church of Eng­land can keep the shreds of morality together? Adverting to this point, Mr. J. H. Morgan relates a conversation with Hardy in 1922, in which he said something of the same sort, adding some praise of the liturgy, along with a commendation of Tate and Brady's Psalms. The praise of Tate and Brady sounds rather odd from a literary artist; it seems like an old hoyhood memory such as we find embodied in Under the Greenwood Tree. All that is said of the Church and religion involves the implication that the speaker was outside the fold; his attitude was that of a sociological moralist. He affirms that religion is necessary for the mass of men; a conclusion which is shared by more freethinkers than they who trouble to give themselves the name.

It is often urged that the tone of Hardy's writing is pessimistic, which is accounted a serious charge against a writer who is concerned with any art c01pmonly associated with amusement. Usually the criticism really means that his genius mainly worked in tragic veins. The charge of pessimism has real validity, in the sense that the novelist was sometimes more pessimistic than the facts of things warrant. It may be granted that nature and the world are often hostile to the individual, but Hardy exhibits the sum total of things as a malignant, anti.human, anti· moral, force. There has been some speculation as to the cause of this root attitude. Was it a form of artistic presentation, or had it some per­sonal significance? There are indications that we may hear somethin~ on the latter point shortly. In the meantime, Hardy has defended his artistic presentation of a world philosophy as having an affinity with the old theological doctrine of predestination, though he held it as the operation of an immanent will, and not of a revealed deity.

Religions and philosophies are shaped and re-shaped by the eternal flux of thought and emotion. Hardy's claim to a niche in the temple of fame will not be as a thinker, but as an artist. He lived to see that old England of ours, with its rural life and atmosphere which had remained static for so many generations, passing away before the oncoming of in­dustrialism like the motion of a weaver's shuttle. In no distant time it will, to living men and women, be only a memory. When those who come after wish to see a picture of the old nesting home of the race before it was submerged by the tide of urban desolation, they will turn to the Mayor of Casterbridf{e, Far From the Maddin.1{ Crowd, The Return of the Native, The Woodla..ders, those novels of Hardy's prime, in which men and women are seen living, working, and loving, much the same as their forefathers, and submissive to the same natural inspiration, as in those far-off days when Chaucer and Shakespeare were young, and danced and .. laughed in the hawthorn's shade." A. S. TOMS.

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SUNDAY POPULAR CONCERTS. After an enforced and quite unusual interval of six weeks the second

half of the season began on January 22, when the Spencer Dyke Quartet played Frank Bridge's Quartet in E minor and Brahms in A minor. After a great number of years two changes have been made in the personnel of this combination, Mr. Tate Gilder now taking the place of Mr. Edwin Quaife as second violin, and Mr. Bernard Shore now playing viola instead of Mr. Ernest Tomlinson, and it is high praise to say that the Quartet's well-known standard of ensemble was well maintained. Mr. Reginald Paul's fine command of nuance found ample opportunity in Cesar Franck's always welcome Prelude, Ania and Finale, and showed his artistic versa­tility in the accompaniments to two groups of songs delightfully sung by Miss Eveline Stevenson, a young soprano from Birmingham, whose voice has a fresh and pleasing quality.

Mr. Walthew, ·Mr. Charles Wood house, Mr. Ernest Yonge and Mr. Charles Crabbe, opened the concert the next week with Mr. Walthew's Piano Quartet in G minor. Owing to Miss Harriet Cohen's indisposition Mr. Walthew took her place as soloist. He played Haydn's seventh sonata with all the insight and lightness of touch which he brings to bear when interpreting the old masters. Mr. Franklyn Kelsey, who has a fine voice, sang, and was very adequately accompanied by Mrs. Carda Kelsey.

With February 5 came Tscbaikowsky's Trio, which had not been in­cluded in a South Place Concert for eleven years. This long and very remarkable and individual work makes one wonder why the composer wrote so little chamber music-three Quartets and a Sextet for Strings and the Trio are all he left. The performance of the last named, by Miss Ethel Bartlett, Miss Winifred Small, and Mr. E. J. Robinson, was enjoyed so much that we must hope for an early repetition. In strong contrast was Hurlstone's bright, breezy Trio, which wound up the evening in the most delightful way and made one realise afresh the great loss to British music which came with his early death. Miss Bartlett's solos were Bach's Toccata in A minor and Brahms' Rhapsody in G minor, her renderings of which were so musical that the audience would fain have had more. Miss Ethel Fenton well maintained the artistic level of the programme by singing Brahms' Eight Gipsy Songs and a group of old English airs.

On February 19 Mr. Isidore Schwiller and his colleagues kept up the reputation of "South Place" for the performance of rarely heard works by playing Mozart's String Quintet in E flat and Mendelssohn's in A. If Mr. Schwiller's playing is not of the robust order it is always a pleasure to listen to, and he invariably secures excellent co.operation from his fellow artists. In common with many players nowadays they omitted some repeats it would have been better to include, especially in the lovely Andante of the Mozart, which came to an end all too soon. Mr. William Bnsch made a first appearance at these Concerts and gave Brahms' fine "Variations on an Original Theme" and pieces by Ireland and Bax. With the necessary experience and the overcoming of natural nervousness his excellent playing will make a stronger appeal than it did on this occasion. Tbe most remarkable feature of the evening was Vaughan WiJjiams' Song Cycle, "On W'enlock Edge," a setting of six poems from A. E. Housman's "A Shropshire Lad," for Tenor Voice, String Quartet and Pianoforte. This is one of the most dramatic and moving of modern compositions and one of which all who care for English music cannot but be proud. The technique of the writing is extraordinary, and one wonders how it is possible to get such results from four stringed instruments and a piano, but there is nothing done for mere effect; all is subservient to the end in view-the setting and "atmosphere" of the beautiful words. It was very finely sung by Mr. Steuart Wilson, who never failed in the great demands it makes upon the artist, and he was most admirably Supported by the Schwiller Quartet and by Miss Phyllis Arnott at the Piano.

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• HeNc!)RaRY epPH~BRS.

_ C. B. LISTER, 17, Cburston MansIons, W.C.I.

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MRS. C. FLE"I"CKER SMITK. Sunny Dene, Souberle Avenue, M' Let.cbwortb .

F. M. OVER • • 36, C&tcrhnm noad, Lewlobam, S.B.13 . ... ndoll c,tetu.e 8te.et.TI/ F W RUD. 65. H orl... Road. Harleodell. N.W .10. Ilinute. SeeretaTl/.. ., MISIJ TOKs. 143, HighbQfJ HID. N.J.

It.""tr.r of JJ.mb .... • nd} M ' 4,,00iat.. ISS R. H.lLLS. 35, Bloomsbury Square, W.C.I.

lIditor of MOJlT1lLr IUCOIlD O. J. POLLiIlD, .. SbaakllD," T'h. A nane. Ohmrford, "It .•

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F. JAKBS. 902. D&htoll Lalle. Hao!rDey, B.S. Lit ..... ,.. . .. MiN V. A. AL .. "l<J)n, 6. Hopellold Aunllo. Brolldeabon

P .. rk, N.W.'.

Ooncert

Seer_tarte. of Sub_eommIUee •. ALrRllD J. Ot.K&InS, 8, Finebl., Way, P'inohJey, 1(.'. B. OAlIll, e, E .. "ndon Ro .. d. S .. nderat .. d , Su""". Conway Memorial

Discussions Music Publication.

J. A. GRARUI. 26, Turpington Lnne, Bromley Common, Kent. MI •• F. J . 81>10118, 1\6, GlllSslyn Ronc1 . Crouch Enrt, N. 11: . S""LLJ"G, 8. Amberley Ro .. d, Leyton, 11: 10.

Ram Dies Social

{Mu. J A"IIS, 902, DD Iston Lone, E .8. B. O. WARWIOII, 194, HigbbufJ Hill , N.I.

MRS. A.. B. WATIIOK, QbMiton. Alderabroolt Road, B.12.

C!C!)MMITTBB. It. E. SNlII,LTKe .

Miss El. Bn.n. A. ,J . CLI"IUC'fB. E. CuNll'INGRUI. &. F. ERnUIG'tOK. W. FIBB.

F. June. Mr •. LIDSTon. Mrs. LI8T.B.

Mrs. B . E . S~.vms. Mr.. STUTrtG. F . STtrrno. C . J . POLLAIlD.

Mrs. RICMRDS. Mrs . SUTCu,n.

• T. A.. ORUUM. F . A. RICBARD8. Mi.s F. J. SIKOKI.

J. E . SnTOLIIn .

Mrs. F. M. HnrIIn. A. S. TOKs.

New Members: :M is. E. E . KEYTB, 191, A.Jn esbmy A .. cnue, Streatba.m Hill , S.W.I!. Miss W. PROCTOR, 13, Brunswick Square, W.C.1. Miss E . PAl.lICR, 57 , OIA .. lyn Road, Oroucb End, N.S.

New Associates: Mrs . N. M OANTZ, 25, OhAoyne Row, S.W.3. Mr. O. M Sew ELL, Tbe Fellow8hip Club, 51/2, L ancaster o ate, W .II. Mr. H. F WII,BINS, Pc>1It Offioo, Wytho.ll, BirminghA~.

Change of \ddress: Mr. D. FOSTER ADA ... ON, St. AdTiane, Oving, Aylesbury.

DiaRY peR MaRC!H. Ramble: Mews,

3 Ramble: Victoria and Albert Museum (see p. 2)

17 Royal Buckingham Palace, elc.

4 Service .. , 11.0 a.m . (. ee page 2)

4 Concert ... 6·30 p.m. 18 Service ..• It.O a.m. 18 Concert ..• 630 p.m.

5 Discussion ... 6-45 p.m. J9 Discussion ... 6-45 r·lll · 7 General Committee ... 6.30 p.m. 22 Play Reading ... ... 6·30 pm.

10 Ramble: Chipstead (see 24 Ramble: Over London Bridge

page 21 (see pa~e 2)

11 Service 11.0 a.m. 25 Service ... ... 11.0 a.m.

11 Concert ... 6.30 p.m. 25 Concert • .. 6.30 p.m.

12 Discussion ... 6-45 pm. 26 Discussion • .. 6.4S ,p·m.

16 Members' Party ... 70 p.m. 30 Dance ... . .. 7.0 P m .

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