CHRISTIANITY AND SPORT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21733, 16 March 1936, Page 10

CHRISTIANITY AND SPORT

MANY QUALITIES COMMON TO BOTH , | .. r ‘ . , yaiMk > ' bd| The qualities of good sportsman- < || ship were the same as many of the « qualities of Christianity, said the 1 Rev. H. F. Ault, of Oxford, in address,- “Christianity, and Spo#/’:, |fj which he gave at . Oxford & last night. He gave of ‘ players famous in —C. T. Stndd snd I.'/B. Hobbs cricket, Abrahams in athletics, v Miss Dorothy Hound in tennis, and manx:';;-Ss| others in other . sports—who he . & said were also actively with Church and Bible class work, ;J| and said that there were many Biblical instances—both in the Testament and the. New—which-; showed the connexion qualities displayed in good manship, and those otj true 'tianity. - His sermon was illustrated with" » many anecdotes of sport. Amongst them was one of a medical studenfr v s|| —an interne of a hospital—-who one year had a chance of winning ah?|||| all-England championship. -SI The student was only eligible for the championship for the one year, A# but he put in months of exhaustive . .-j training. Then, the day before the race, in the hospital race, there was \*g. a case in which an urgent blood, " M transfusion was required. The stu,- s||| dent gave the transfusion, did not ■ start in the race, for which he had ; J| trained so long, and told no one of iM the reason for his absence from it. That .story, which, bad been told by •?;« Lord Burghley, illustrated a truly . Christian quality. Christ had_ saved others but would not save Himself; A sense of fair play and the spirit <j.'g of generosity were attributes which sportsmanship and Christianity had . in common. The quality of taking defeat with a smile, the enthusiasm and keenness of good sports, and x the spirit Of never “giving in” common both to sport and Christianity, he said.