SUNDAY AMUSEMENTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2849, 21 October 1908, Page 63

SUNDAY AMUSEMENTS.

A CLERGYMAN'S PROTEST.

NAPIER, October 6.The Rer. J. E. Hill, in a speech af th© meeting of the Hawke's Bay Presbytery to-day, Eaid he had been for neany) nine months stationed in the new charge of Taradale and Clive. He had kept his eyes and ears open, and had taken a keen observation "of what' went on all over his district. In Taradale there were thre^tf tea gardecs, and two ? were within hall a mile of the church and manse, while one; was within ,» few* yards of the churco^ In thes.3 a great trade was done on 'the? Lord's day, atd when the grapes were* ripe there was a constant stream ofpeoplei going to and from the gardens. He leftt it to the members of the Presbytery to' see now trying it was in a new charge, when the church bella were ringing fo:* evening service, to have this stream of! people passing. The children, who were, very keen sighted, noticed- these thing; ., Then there was the Greenmeadows Bowl* ing Club's Green, where playing waai carried on on the Lord's day. It was altogether beside the mark for the officially to cay that they did not recognise thtij play or countenance play on the Lord'e» Day. The play was engaged in. Ha would himself like to be a bowler, and* to indulge fn the pastime as any youngf man would, but he declined absolutely, to have anything to do with a bowling) ! club which openly opened its green on the) I Lord's Day. The Waiohiki Golf Links were roughly some two miles away fromi the Taradale Church, and they were' largely ueed on the Sabbath, much more largely than on other (days in the week. . In Clive there was something of tho same state of affairs. There, close to the church, was one of the most beautifuß parks in Hawke's Bay. When he passed! it going to services on the Sabbath it; was generally black with men and youths engaged in pastimes of all kinds.' Then, in addition to public play, they had ar great amount of' play on private land., They found people playing teniis, " croquet, football, and cricket in adjoining paddocks, and it seemed that Sunday wa? the day of amusement in the district. It was resolved that 'IThis Presbytery' deplores the widespread Sabbath desecra- _ tion within ' its bounds, urges the people - of the various congregations to use their influence in the direction of Sabbath obi servance, and recommends that minister/ preach on the Sabbath law on some suit able date."