The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, ŚEPTEMBER 24, 1924. SUNDAY GAMES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 5531, 24 September 1929, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, ŚEPTEMBER 24, 1924. SUNDAY GAMES.

The article on this subject in our last issue 'has called forth sorr«s comments' and some criticism) iby Rev. J. Mc'Caw. To the query "Is Sunday sport right? " we can only give our opinion that it is right as long" as it dees not interfere 1 with our duties and services 1 as- Christians. If the golf course, tennis courts and other sports grounds are going- to vie with the churches 1 and attract people away from their Sunday services then by all> means these sports are very harmful ; but in many cases those who play games are assiduous church goers. There is another aspect of the case and that' is the origin of the Sabbath observance. The la>w was laid down in the Ten Commandments and i'f anyone reads the Fourth 'Corr.mandment carefully ha will note that it is laid down t.r/ft on the Sabbath the righteous men shall "do no manner of work, th'-.u, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, thy maid servant, no:- the stranger within thy gates." To our mind the business man who gees down quietly to do some arrears of work on Sunday is breaking the Sabbath; 'but the man who has some outdoor game as' a recreation is not violating the law. If he neglects to cnltivathe that spiritual development which -Mr McCalw so rightly places above the development of physical powers the recreation in open air will not be the cause. The old Latin tag "Sana mens in sano corpora" is too hackneyed to be more than mentioned in passing and the sane mind is nearer spiritual progress than the unhealthy mind. In the years gone by the church festivals were looked upon as days of recreation' from work and the word holiday i.s merely a conversion

of "holy day." We should like to ask Mr M-dCaw if he objects to boating, cycling, motoring, etc., on Sunday. These appear to us to be right and health giving pastimes on Sunday and) if these are right why not golf, .tennis, etc. Recently it was noticeable that at one church more than half the congregation consisted of members--of the golf cluib. They had 1 spent their Sunday afternoon on the Golf course and had 1 come to church later, and the exercise on- the hillsides would not have caused spiritual stagnation any more than sitting in a drawing room discussing neighbours faults and omission or reading a modern novel. In conclusion .we cannot see how playing a game on Sunday is lowering our ideals. Harmless recreation after a week's work will not diwarf a man spiritually and if he fails to attend his church later it will not be the | game that has stopped him; but a I lack of his sense of duty towards His Maker. Our correspondent "Advance Akaroa" alludes to the [ fact that such man as the Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Canl terbury advocate Sunday games from ( the pulpit and their argument is that the healthy exercise and resultant happiness is more likely to advance the man' spiritually than moping about the streets smoking | and gossiping.