A HOLY DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 88, 15 April 1931, Page 9

A HOLY DAY.

SPORTS ON GOOD FRIDAY. RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE URGED. PRESBYTERY'S VIEWPOINT. It was freely expressed by members of the Auckland Presbytery at a meeting last evening that Good Friday should be more carefully observed throughout the Presbyterian Church, and it was agreed to ask tho General Assembly to make a recommendation of this kind. Mr. F. W. Matthews brought forward an overture addressed to the jicxt meeting of the General Assembly. It read: —

"It is hereby overtured by the Presbytery of Auckland to tho General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, appointed to meet at Wellington oh June 2 next, that, wlier6as the observance of. Easter is recognised both by law- and general custom, and whereas the season is related :to the most sacred events connected with the Christian religion, and' there is a feeling amongst many of cur people that it should not be turned into a, 'common holiday,' and that its religious observance would not tend to superstitious beliefs or practices, the General Assembly is hereby overtured' to take these premises into consideration and to recommend the observance of Goo'd Friday as commemorative of the divine sacrifice and the holduig of services in our churches on that day, or- to determine otherwise as to its wisdom shall seem best." No Special Observance. "Some three or four of our Presbyterian Churches in Auckland have in the past held services on Good Friday, but as«a Church in Auckland Ave have made no special observance of the day," fiaid Mr. Matthew. "The one day of the year upon which our Christian faith depends. It seems to me that our Church should bring under the notice of its numbers and adherents the significance of the event and what the day means for u«. Anzac Day is, observed throughout the Dominion as. a national day of prayer, no sports of any kind are permitted, neither does there appear a desire oft the part of the people to participate ih 6ueh. The memory, of the sacrifice made by our men in the Great War is held in reverence. This is as it should be. "Now, what do we find on Good Friday ?—advertisements appearing in our newspapers advertising bowling, tennis, croquet and cricket tournaments, with special excursions both by sea and. by land. These on the day-set aside for the commemoration of the Divine sacrifice. There are, members of our Church who, as members of the various sports clubs, would resign their membership if Sunday play was permitted; there are members who are opposed to having picture theatres opened on Sunday; the running of excursion trains on Sunday, and yet many of these well-meaning people will be found taking part in some form- of sport on Good Friday. Is this as it should be? '.'lt seems to me that as a Church we need to ask ourselves what does Good Friday mean to the Christian faitlij and how should it__be observed V' Church Losing Something. The Rev. I. E. Bertram, in the ? motipri, said that their Church was losing something by its failure to observe the day, and that it would be a good thing for* them if appropriate services were held in all churches on Good Friday. ' ' The Rev. T. Cuttle drew attention to the young people's Easter camps. He did not consider it fair to place it on the consciences of their young people that the day was a holy one. The Rev. W. March, in commenting on Mr. Cuttle's views, said that Good Friday, Christmas Day arid Sundays were recognised by the Government as hoty days. For his own .part, lie never omitted to hold Good Friday services which, he found, were not only greatly appreciated, but were also of great value to the congregation and to himself. Dr. A. Boyd Scott, of Lansdown Church, Glasgow, had recently published , a volume in which he gave his life's experience as a preacher. In the book he wrote of the incalculable value of the Church Year. The motion was passed with one dissentient.