LECTURE ON "RECREATION."

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 59, 10 January 1883, Page 3

LECTURE ON "RECREATION."

According to advertisement, the Rev. 31. M. Murray lectured on Sunday evening last in tke Presbyterian Church, the being "Recreation." The text was taken from 1 Cor. 10, 31— ■" Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of sGod. " The lecturer said Lis intention was to deal with the subject in its moral bearings. The subject •deserved the attention of all who desired rthe welfare of .their fellow-creatures. 'The great-doctrine of the text was that «God was to be glorified in all that -we do. Christian, whatever he did, was to be -consistent. He was to act in everything •for God's glory and the general good of :his :fellow-men. Recreation was a natural ?medicine provided by the great author of mature for the physical, intellectual, and -.moral constitutions. Recreation was .therefore natural, and if taken in the proper meaning of the word there would Ibe little use of any other medicine. There ■were recreations for the body as well as ithe mind. Recreation was, however, only a relative term. Only those that worked hard could be said to recreate .themselves, seeing there was no place for it without previous exercise. Recreation, }bowever,.must not be carried to excess. Many persons made recreation a business. 'This was a great error. The converse of -4.be old proverb of "all work and no jplay, &c," deserved attention, as all pl.-iy .and no work was a still greater eul. Athletic sports in some of the higher schools had been carried to great excess. 'They had been studied and practUe! to rthe great detriment of the intellectual .developement of the pupils. The race- ■ course, theatre, and ball-room were not ..genera ly conducive to much good. The was not whether there was any jgood at all in the theatre, or whether -mimic representations on the stage were •scriptually lawful, but whether the theatre -on the whole was a good moral institution. That such was the ease could •scarcely be said. The same might be t said of horse racing, which led to great gambling, and dishonesty. .No < doubt many good persons attended races ■without receiving much harm, but this vwas no proof of their harmlcssness. At jthe time of the Puritans all amusements -.were condemned. The Christian Church -now could scarcely be said to pay no regard to. the recreative wants of the people } ; as witness the lecture halls, concert .rooms, and numerous other provisions for innocent amusement. Many of these together with the institution of public Iholidays, and other means for the leisure .and pastime of all classes, had originated with men of high moral and religious .principle. While condemning some irecreations, the lecturer commended -others, such as cricket, croquet, lawn •.tennis, -and many other social and out - -door games, and also chess, draughts, ; and various other amusements for indoors 'The great thing was to have regard to iiaoral and.Christian principle rather th in ito contend as to whether this or that • amusement was in itself right or wrong. '".The lecture contained much good sound was characterised by great liber-.-ality of sentiment, and was listened to >most attentively by a very appreciative < congregation. Indeed tho discourse was :a "recreation" in itself, and was most and instructive.