The society has long suffered from an insufficiency of active members, but the numerical strength of the chorus which played a very important part in the society's first concert this season, given last evening in the Garrison Hall, came by way of a very agreeable surprise.
It is to be hoped that this is a reliable augury for a permanently increased general interest in the society's doings and its admirable efforts to place one of the highest forms of musical composition before the public.
Last evening's concert attracted a large audience and proved very successful both in quality and in affording pleasure to those present.
The oratorio chosen for production, Sir Michael Costa's "Naaman," though not so familiar or popular as some other works of its class, has great intrinsic merits, and has been previously given with success by the Choral Society. Its presentation last evening was decidedly welcome.
The work makes large demands on the performers if the production is to be something more than indifferent, but last evening's audience had no reason to judge otherwise than that Mr James Coombs, who is again back in his old position as conductor of the society, had achieved excellent results in training the choir, whose singing gave evidence of diligent rehearsal.
There is some fine music for the chorus in "Naaman," and the manner in which some of the choruses were rendered last evening was a feature of the production.
• Lancashire medical officers are calling attention to the dangers of weavers in the cotton mills contracting infectious diseases from the practice known as "shuttle-kissing" - sucking the weft through the eye of the shuttle.
Diphtheria, consumption, and many other diseases are spread by this custom.
• The aborigines are rapidly dying out in Victoria. There are now only 250 natives, compared with 270 in the last financial year.
These natives hitherto have had reservations of land made for them to the extent of 11,899 acres, but a number of reservations are to be returned to the Lands Department, reducing the area to 6888 acres. - ODT, 15.6.1908.
