ORGANISED SPORT

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 141, 19 May 1925, Page 4

ORGANISED SPORT

ON GOOD FRIDAY. CONDEMNED BY COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS. A strong protest against the desecration of Good Friday by organised sport was voiced at last night’s meeting of tSie Council of Christian Congregations. “Last Good Friday, for the first time in tliis town,” said the chairman, Mr G. H. Bennett, in introducing the matter, “sports were held on the Showgrounds. I think that that was an insult to the people of Palmerston N., and I consider that we, as a council representing the whole of the churches in this town, should protest against it. It opens up a big question, but 1 am not concerned with people playing bawls or tennis on private greens; merely with those public sports at which charges are being made for admission.” The chairman then moved that sports bodies should be requested in future to refrain from holding anything in the nature of public sports on a day that was very sacred to the churches of tliis town. .

In seconding the resolution, Mr A. Skertaan stated that in previous years the bowling and cricket authorities had been waited on with a view to having Good Friday sport eliminated, but the requests had fallen oil deaf ears. He w-as pleased to support the resolution. Rev. C. W. Duncumb explained that, although liis Church did not consider the day in the same light as the other churches, the sacredness in which it was viewed by the latter institutions should be respected. If a protest was made against Association football on the Showgrounds, there should also be made a protest against bowling and golf tournaments and pictures. Rev. H. T. Peat expressed himself na strongly in favour of the motion, stating that the holding of all sports that tended to desecrate the day should be protested against. Rev. J. M. Stewart said that, if organised sport was allowed to creep in on Good Friday, the sacredness of the day would be lost, - _ . Mr 11. S. Robinson remarked that tho Anglican Church held the day very sacred.

The chairman said that the same argument could not be used against bowling and tennis as against sports for which admission iVas charged. Rev. Mr Peat: Out protest is simply against organised sport, and as such we have the right to voice it. Rev. Mr Duncumb suggested that the Borough Council should be approached with a request that the Sportsground he not allocated to any sports body on a Good Friday. Deputations could wait on the soccer, golf, cricket and bowling authorities and ally other bodies that contemplated the holding of organised, sport. Any one body should not be singled out, as that might lead to charges of partisanship being laid against the council. The Manawatu A. and P. Association, being in the nature of a private body, might not be influenced by the sending of a deputation to see whether the Showgrounds could be closed to sport on Good Fridays. Finally, after further discussion, the motion was amended and carried aS follows: “That the council protest against the holding of organised sport on Good Fridays.” A further resolution carried was: “That a deputation wait upon the Borough Council requesting that all public grounds be not usee! for organised sport on Good Fridays.” Rev. Mr Fancourt and Messrs Rodder, Bennett, Skerman and Anderson wore appointed the deputation.