The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-09
That Enni-RaIl Debate

Editor Times: The personal eApldii" 'io'
of Rev r. H. Bennett IN your Issue -. VI
to-day. written I'm a kindly spirit bNeS nv
eratifvino, assurance that ne did not write
r. ,aragranh quoted and criticised
lie tells me that It was the work Oh tne
Associated Press reporter. and must
suppose was written without his Know
ledge or approval. As. Bro. Benhett "de
the special correspondent OF me lHIes
1 could but think him the author OF inc
leading paragraph in the report OF the
last DAYS proceedings Of the Conferences
but / am more than pleased TO hear that
was mistaken. and | sincerely regret
to have given him moment pam
Appreciating very highly the generous
and elevated tone of his personal letter.
I am quite surprised that he thought II
necessary TO say: IL am compelled 10
think stll. that the sports Of college boys
on the green is a very small matter Tor a
great church to be discussing Now,
will Bro. Bennett kindly tell US what
church, great or small, ever thought
OF discussing the sports OF college Dogs
on the green2" Perhaps after all ne may
be the Sancho Panza OF that iOot-Dail
debate; and the doctrine ne would demOl-
ish by the arrows of ridicule, may be
nothing more than a windmill OF his own
making.
W UNCUT dllTlDulllS ~ thS -Ao"'Ni"N~'
Press reporter any harmful motive. 4
must call attention to the fact, that he
misrepresents. i'm toto, the action Of the
Conference when, at the close OF the
paragraph which Bro. Bennett says he
wrote, the readers Of The Times are told
that Judge Kelly's resolution, which was
adopted by the Conference with singular
unammity, merely expressed disapproval
of the evil tendencies Of football" That
is very far from what the Conference did,
and is positively misleading. That the read
er may know exactly what was done, and
have a perfect understanding OF the posi-
ton taken by that large and influential
ecclesiastical body. / would ask attention
TO the following extract from the official
journal OF procetdings, which says "A
G.. Brown Offered paper coudemning
the abuses Of certain games now prac-
ticed i'm the intercollegiate contests OF our
colleges and schools. which was read and
amended. II. NJ. Hope moved to lay the
whole subject on the table, which was
lost w. j. Kelly offered the following |
substitute for the whole, which was |
adopted: Resolved, that while not oppOs- |
ing innocent games, properly played, but |
heartily commencing the same, we sincere |
ly regret and earnestly oppose the ex- |
cesses into which the games Of football |
and baseball have run; and that we res |
pectfully and earnestly request the trus- |
tees and faculties Of our institutions Of !
learning TO repress the same"
/. This official record Of proceedings |
proves that the Conference did not oppose. |
but heartily approved and commended in |
nocent games properly played whether |
on the college green or elsewhere.
2. IL is equally true that the Conference |
did not condemn football or baseball |
MOI oar nIgGF0.
as Of old time. would afford exhilarating |
sport and healthful exercise TO limb and
lungs, and seldom indeed would any play |
er be seriously hurt.
g. Nor did the Conference merely ex- |
press disapproval OF the evil tendencies
of these strangely popular games, as |
played Of late years. Undoubtedly these |
tendencies are evil-alarmingly evil-and |
for that reason, If for no other, those who |
profess and call themselves Christians |
should touch them not. but come out |
from among them and be separate from |
them. But the action Of the Conference |
against these games was taken for much |
stronger and more weighty reason
4. The reason was this: that football |
and baseball have run into eNcesses
many and alarming; and that fact makes |
a strong case against them; for. accord
ing 10 Webster, the word 'excesses'
means Violations or the law OF IlDIdiitSs |
prudence, and good taste. That this Is a |
true bin against football and baseball |
as commonly played Of late, goes without |
the saying Hence the Conference con-
demned them as unbecoming in Christian |
people, and respectfully and earnestly re-
duested the trustees and faculties of our |
church colleges and schools 10 suppress |
them. "Repress' is strong word |
synonymous with subdue. overpower, |
quell, restrain. crush; and this, ii has |
been said, will give the colleges and
schools a hard job 10 do. But who will /
say that they cannot or should not do |
II? And if not, are they worthy institu-
tons of our Church? Should Christian |
parents commit their sons TO the care OF |
Of learning that confess them
selves unable or unwilling 10 maintain /
wholesome discipline, and RESTRAIN their /
students from shameless excuses that
corrupt their morals. waste their time
and money. imperil their limbs and lives,
and instead of developing their intellectual |
storing their minds with useful
knowledge. refining and elevating their
taste, and forming their characters on the
noble models OF Christian manhood, in
1ulge them in "excesses" that defeat the
work of Christian education. and put
them on the incline to the lowest deep OF
5epravity, brutality, and barbarlsm2
ALEXANDER c. BROWN.