SUNDAY "KILL-JOY."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 149, 25 June 1936, Page 16

SUNDAY "KILL-JOY."

BRITAIN'S CHAMPION. WHAT HE WANTS. NO MOTORING, SWIMMING OR DANCING. (Special.—By Air Mail.) LONDON, May 30. Mr. H. H. Martin is known to the amusement world as "Britain's Champion Kill-jov." He spends his life and thousands of pounds on fighting every proposal for "Brighter Sundays." He objects (often in court) to Sunday cinemas, Sunday drinking, Sunday motoring, Sunday swimming, even Sunday hiking. He is secretary of the Lord's Day Observance Society, that body of 20,000 members which exists to battle tooth and nail for the preservation of Sunday as a day of rest and worship. Last year the society spent £10,000 on this uphill task. Tliey succeeded, however, in preventing nine cinemas from being, opened, defeating 10 attempts to inaugurate Sunday games in public parks, and 4 attempts to organise recreation in 43 places up and down the country. And they're proud of it. Delighted. Mr. Martin was asked: "What is your idea of the perfect Sunday?" "The morning," said Mr. Martin, "should he spent in worship. The afternoon in Christian service, suoli as Bible class, the distribution of tracts, preaching, or Good Saniaritnnism, such as visiting the sick and needy. There should be no swimming, no jazz music, no motoring, no cinema shows, no dancing, no drinking of alcohol, no theatrical performances. The evening should be spent at divine service, followed, perhaps, by meditation or uplifting reading. From a health and athletic po'int of view Sunday must be kept as a' day of rest.

"Some of our best supporters are leading lights in the athletic and sportin"- world. They are, to number only a °few, Jack Hobbs, Dorothy Round, .Tames Jackson, Gibbs, of Rugby fame, Jack Hatfield, swimming champion. Unless England reserves Sunday as a day of rest and abstinence from worldly things, complete physical and nervous collapse will follow." The eocietv, which distributes over three million leaflets and publications a year, is hot on the trail of Sunday pleasure-seekers this summer. Campaigns against Sunday amusement are in progress all over the country. In Broadstairs and Watford it has just succeeded in its opposition to suggested opening of, cinemas. It is fighting similar attempts in Slough and Newcastle. At Biggin Hill, Kent, a campaign is in progress against auto cycle racing on grass.