Days of future past
The merits of the National Anthem have been in the news of late. It is far from a new debate.
In Hamilton, in 1935, cinema patrons had issues if not with the song itself, then at least with the circumstances of its playing. Mr Sid Dowe wrote to the
detailing what he considered ‘‘impatient’’ behaviour. Hamiltonians, Dowe argued, had a tendency to exit prematurely: ‘‘as soon as the film begins to draw to a close many patrons hurriedly leave their seats and make a dash for the doors, much to the annoyance of those who remain seated’’. The motivation for this behaviour was the desire to avoid the National Anthem, then ‘‘God Save the King’’, which was played at the end of each screening. Formality demanded that one stand at attention, if not actually sing along with the pre-recorded music. If you could get out of the theatre before the song commenced, you were free of the responsibility.
Dowe was outraged that ‘‘ . . . people do not have enough time (or decency) to pay respect to the sovereign of the British Empire’’. He suggested that theatre managers lock patrons in, thereby making observance of the anthem mandatory.
The letter had a swift response. A correspondent who adopted the ironic pen name of ‘‘Colonial’’ audaciously questioned the merits of patriotism itself, noting that ‘‘in lots of countries such a host of things have been done in the name of God and their kings that have brought misery and trouble to their people’’. Colonial’s solution was to adopt a practice current in other parts of the Empire: ‘‘If the National Anthem is to be enforced in picture theatres then I suggest it be played at the rise of the curtain, and not at the end of the performance, when stickers to form and old-fashioned customs will not be annoyed by other fossils who walk out to the dying strains of a worn-out dirge’’.
Dowe replied with a second letter, stating that when the National Anthem was played before the commencement of screenings, Hamiltonians had the sense to enter theatres late, avoiding the onerous task of having to sing it.