YOUTH AND THE SABBATH

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 381, 16 November 1932, Page 4

YOUTH AND THE SABBATH

The Vicar of Invercargill, Rev.. K. D. Andrews-Baxter, has giveh a lead somewhat at variance with the attitude of some others of his brethren towards the

growing popularity .of Sunday excursions. Concerh has recehtly been expressed in some clerical quarters at the introduction of "mystery trains" and the ihducement which they alford young people to spend their Sundays "hiking" and away from j the churehes. There is in this | attitude a presumption that the young man or y'oung woman, I who "hikes," plays tennis or indulges in any other outdoor recreation on the Sabbath, is d'oing so at the expense of .the ; j church and his - or her spiritual | welf are. The Rev. Mr. Andrewsj Baxter, however, took a contrary ! view. He found nothing at which to cavil, in the.desire of healthy young people to spend their Sabbath outdoors, but held that the church could best fulfil its purpose in taking its services to the excursionists. With this end in view a service was held on the railway stations prior to the departure of the train and in this service the excursionists joined. Explaining his reasons for this , step the vicar expressed the I opinion that if Christ were on j earth to-day He would enter into sport. He would play like a true man, but He would not omit to go into the Inner Court. Man was not made for the Sabbath, but J the Sabbath for the man. Some j spent the Sundays driving about ! in their cars, others in reading, j walking, or taking part in sport. t So long as their consciehce was right no harm was done. This is a view which has increasingly i been propounded by clergy who have striven to adjust themj selves to modern ideas and modern tendencies. The vicar of Invercargill has attacked a grea-; problem in his attitude t, oware youth and the Sabbath. He has pointed out that while the Sabbath has certain duties for the professing Christian, Christ, upon whose teachings rests the church's one foundation, taught tolerance and abhorred repression. "So long as their conscience is right, no harm is done," saic the vicar and that is the fina test. Mere Sabbath obs'ervance

does not make a Christian any more than Sunday picnics necessarily make a sinner. It is no of-» fence to any creed to plead that tolerance will strengthen the hand of the Church ih a battie which is waged as fiercely today as when Christ first faced scorn and derision upon earth.