The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-09 00:00:00

GLOUCESTER MUSICAL FESTIVAL.'

A letter from Gloucester on Tuesday says: "The
disagreeable controversy as to the use of the cathedral for
musical purposes has been strongly revived. The known
Objections of the bishop and of the dean and chapter
generally have been prominently set forth by their absence.
The lady of the bishop (Mrs. Ellicott), who is a dis-
tinguished amateur and a strong Schachnerite, it is true is
here, and Lord Ellenborough, a staunch supporter of these
meetings, is doing the honours of the deanery, but the canons
and other great guns of the cathedral have been con-
spicuous by their absence. Canon Murray Browne sticks
to the festival flag, and so does Canon Richard Harvey.
The son of the latter, the Rev. C. M. Harvey, curate of
Hampstead, who is one of the stewards, chanted
the service this morning, in the absence of the minor
canon in residence. It seemed significant that an
amateur from London should thus be selected. There
was some idle rumour, indeed, of the surplices having
been locked up to diminish the imposing aspect
of the choralists ; but if the intention existed it was
not carried out, or had been frustrated. Owing to the
closing of the cathedral doors when the choir was filled,
an angry feeling was created, and one indignant English.
man openly harangued the mobocracy gathered near the
post-office as to the iniquity of such exclusion, but the
effective exhortation of a Gloucester policeman put a stop
to what might have been intended as a demonstration of the
Beales Charing-cross school. It is, however, impossible to
disguise the fact, that the anti-festival movement is
assuming disagreeable proportions, but whether a
bishop or a dean, or both, can contend suscess-
fully against public feeling may reasonably be
doubted. Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen
and their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Wales patronise the meeting. The president is the
Duke ssf Beaufort ; the vice-presidents are the lord-lieu-
tenants of the three counties, and the right revs. the
lord bishops of the three dioceses; and the stewards are
the 106 noblemen and gentlemen whose names were pub-
lished on Monday. Surely against such an array of
patrons and officials the -opposition of a small section of
the clergy cannot avail. The influx of visitors, it may be _
added, has been unusually large, and the demand
for places unprecedentedly great even for what are
regarded as the off days, such as Tuesday and Thurs-
day, when the schemes are of the `omnibus rebus' class."
Theriwas morning service onTuesday, when the sermon
was preached by the Rev. Canon Lysons, who protested
urgently against the term of " ungodly " being applied to
those who considered that the musical meetings best pro-
moted the objects they all had in view, to assist the dis-
tressed survivors of the hard-working pastor. The festival,
performance at half-past one o'clock commenced with,
selections from .Haydn's "Creation," in which Mille:
Titiens and Messrs. Sims Reeves and Santley took the
solos. An " Intermezzo Religioso " was then per-
formed by the orchestra, and Wesley's "Confitebor"
followed. Then Beethoven's Mass in C was given, and
Mendelssohn's 42nd Psalm. Besides the afore-mentioned
singers, Miss Edith Wynne, Madame Sainton-Dolby, Mr.
Vernon Rigby, and Mr. Lewis Thomas took part in the
programme. The collections at the service and the per-
formance amounted to £167 10s. In the evening there
was a concert in the Shire Hall. Some of the festival
arrangements are pretty freely criticised.