SEEING FOR HIMSELF.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15187, 25 March 1922, Page 5

SEEING FOR HIMSELF.

CLERGYMAN AT STADIUM.

DISGUISED TO OBSERVE, j BATHURST, March 13. v To their great astonishment, the congregation, at the William-street Methodist Church last night were told the story of a visit by their clergyman, 'the Rev. Wallace Deane M.A., in disguise, to the Sydney Stadium. v “I went to a boxing contest, . ..confessed the rev. gentleman. “I wanted to know these things firsthand. I got a 30s seat. 1 jmt on my old brown hat so that I would not be recognised. I went for your sakes —that is to say, I wanted to speak first-hand on these, matters, .as we ministers sometimes speak ,pf things we know nothing about. “I found in the stadium about 1500 men and one woman. And as ■I sat there, unknown and unrecognised, I could not feel that I was in the presence of the manhood of the State. Australia’s ' future cannot come from those men, or be perusaded tp look to them for the ideals of the future. Far from it. “I cannot tell you that the King- ■ dom of Christ was there; but the name of Christ was there, from mouth to mouth. While the business proceeded the name of the Xord Jesus Christ was everywhere; and if they wanted to emphasise an admonition of a boxer, they continued to use the name of our Blessed * Master. NOT THE NOBLE ART. ■f‘ l saw a fat man urging the boys, trained to a state of thinness, trained to fight until one or 1 other of them was knocked into unconsciousness. As a matter of fact, I saw one man knocked into unconsciousness. While this was going on, 1500 men' shot up their hands and yelled. ' _ . ■ “Don’t you tell me this is the -noble art of self-defence, ilt is -nothing of the kind. The art of selfdefence is a noble thing,, and I think everybody ought to be taught •to fight. But for two boys to fight there for such, an abomination is not pleasure to me.. There is no courage in it. My mother made 50 of these men run one night by calling out ‘,Police!” They left the fight and ran. There was no courage in that. OhJ it seems to me this is a blot on our name, my friends. Whenever you get a chance stop that business. I cannot understand why we allow our young boys to go in to .see such brutality. We go for prohibition of the drinktrade, which is an allied evil of prize-fighting. I never saw such passion, such viciousness, as those boys fought one another, and there were those men endeavouring to bring on or other of those boys •to unconsciousness. They shook hands at the beginning. What hy~ s -poctisy. They were endeavouring I to bring each other into unconscious, perhaps death. I make an appeal to you to-night, young men. ’Christ wants you to be governed by spirituality. Will -you bo 'governed f'