The evening world., 1911-05-15
STREET SINGING T"
MAY CAUSE STRIKE.
OF CHURCH CHOIR
Indignant at Being Required to
Furnish Music Outdoors
at Calvary.
PLAN OF THE G T
He Hopes to Draw People
From Throngs in Twenty
third St. and Fourth Ave.
PLAN OF THE c T

There were Informal conferences and
heated arguments to-day among mem.
oers OF the vested choir OF Calvary
Protestant Episcopal Church a, Fourth
avenue and Twenty-second street. The
'hreat OF the choir to strike rather than
participate In what one irreverent has,
called "A holy ballyhoo' in the stree,
oerore services may take effective form
we next time the choir is gathered for
rehearsal which, unless plans are
changed. will be tomorrow night.
rae rector OF the church, the Rev
theodore Sedgwick. a keen-eyed. dire,
person with a humorous but firm mouth
ana a very direct eye, does not regard
inc grumblinss and mutterings OF re.
volt with visible fear.
Never having confronted A strike in
the course OF roy calling" he said with
suspicion o. a grin when word OF III.
rebellion among his singers was taken
70 MIN. Il cannot At once outline how
should meet such IN emergency.
0oesn't Think ThererI Be q Strike.
But I think there will be no s,r,k.
singers are not usually averse 10 that
"hich ma IN 1t a touch Of the dramatic
or which tends to multiply the numbers
OK tnose who listen to their singing. As
for the informslity or novelty of tho
new plan. II the clergy and the secular
governors OF the parish feel that the
church oan stand II / think that the
singers az individuals need not feel that
their d!snities have been outraged.
The choir peoples nrst notice OF the
new plan for Increasing attendance nj
the sunday evening services came right
AFTER the morning service yesterday
when they were taking off the vest
nents in the robing room.
Mr.. sedgwick appeared among them.
raped with his knuckies on a desk for
attention. and said that he would ask
the members Of the choir and the or
eanist to appear at the church ten min.
utes earlier than h usual hour for as
sembling on Sunday evening. As the
singers gathered around him with some
curiosity he went on and smilingly re-
marked that II had been decided In
view OF the isct that business buildings
had driven away nearly all the popuia-
ton from which the church formerly
drew It's evening congregations there
arawtro '."ou
Word.
Would Sing Outdoors
Therefore. ten minutes before the
usual professional hymn, the rector
said, the choir would march ont of thu
church singing and take station on the
steps and In the courtyard between the
80 - u '"e''
gus Ut" 'o"ss a. "ouiu ara" atteh-
w" w 'ne act tna' sacred services
were apou. 10 DC heid inside mat was
all. said the rector, and returned to
MS study.
TX john Bland the choirmaster. had
been warned OF what was coming. he
did not say anything. To the other
much surprised az they. Nothing much
wal said in the robing room, but once
on the street the buzz OF wrath was
heard.
III ia wanted 10 make a show Of NV.
self" said one, Il would have iolned
Il, salvation Army long ago"
"will there be a drum and corne,
band % asked another. "Why NOT erect
a platform and employ a Coney Island
barker 10 lecture to the pa ss,ny SUNDAY
evening promenader and his girl. Civ.
ing descriptions Of the musical service
10 be expected inside, showing the rector
in his robes for a moment and illustrate
ing with a few bars each from the
s~oloists. Oh, SCAT.'
Several declared that they would not
appear until the usual time. But they