SUNDAY GOLF.

Otaki Mail, 18 May 1923, Page 4

SUNDAY GOLF.

• ». „ ~ IT IS A PURE LUXURY." tA.\Oi"-'S LLXCXCIATfOX.

The ethics of Sunday golf w, ~- ,j t ill wnli by Canon Percival James in a sermon recently iji si. .Vniv' Catiiedral Auckland). The preach, r snki that in Xew Zealand the day of r..s! was being saeriiiecd to a craving j"oj "to deprive a fellow creature 01 I one .lay's rest in s; U .i: to miniver ;,, I and that can only be don- l.v ihe ~,, - -i-I ■-tit example of Christian" men em' ' women, J am afraid chuich people of. i.-« rail totalise the awful g, awl . v „, :; : ' —day que tiou. They do not make ii M matter of conscience. \ young man will » 1; k -j., j, ~ , iu „_, Luv( , a round of golt on Sundav.' I a2JI i, ; "ant of bodily recreation, i, j, :ili ' innocent recreation.' Xo. it i.. not 'i ' :; '- lh;a is •'»': mistake of l'hitri.-<-«j ; ';"' I'uniau; but the mar, w ho says this is generally a uealthv athletic young man. H- i, not in an office all ; 'he week. [I.. La- a half-holiday which : lie devote.- to playing games, and for I tic greater part of the year neurlv ev- r ry one in Auckland .-an lin.J sufficient ! '»'« '-very day ;,,,- bodily recreation.'': It i.- ludicrous ;o say that Sunday golf | - necessary to health. It is a pure I UN . j iry. It need not be therefore a sim. ! , ! be».-«nu- a si,, against him.-eh if the i

only (Sunday recreation he allows fiiaiself i.- physical, and lie forgets his real j self, the miud and -pirit. It i- u -hi j against Christ and Hi- Church if he | puts golf firs! and the primary ChristJ inn obligation of .Sunday, that of wox- | ship, second, to be performed now and , j again on a few .Sunday- of the year when he is not over-tired and if it does j not look as if it might rain. It is a siu against God'- people and especially the weaker brethren if he sots a con- I j sistemly pernicious example :<, others, i : ■- wday golf i- not in itself a -in. but \ I cannot regard the majority of Sun- j day golfer- as loyal to Christ and the | Church.- ' \ "Another man." continued Canon ■ James. "=nys. 'is it a sin to have a run j in my motor-car on Sunday afternoon?' Certainly not; it may be an excellent; ■ thiag. but have you been to God's] | House on Sunday morning; Are you J going in the evening? Do you refuse! I to let you r children come to Sunday j ; School because you want them with I ; you in a motor run. or temp- thern to { , come, though throughout the day you ' have never given them any religious j ot mora! lesson? My dear parcst, can' you doubt that in the eyes of God your i motor run i= a sir., a black sin." The t-rro things. Canon James said, which would determine whether or not the country should be kept Christian were religious training of children and the observance of Sunday. Christians had suffered a bad defeat over Sum-ay. . If they could not rescue Sunday, then . for generations to come Christianity would almost die out among us. It was j the supreme question, "is the Christian : j Sunday to go?'-' It rested wits tno.sewho "professed and ceiled therm-elves Christians."