The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-02
ATHLETIC CHRISTIANITY.
Good in It's Way, but Not Equal to
All Demands.

mn
New York Evening Post.
One of the most striking tributes that
we have seen to the supremacy of athletic
Christianity, we discover in the last an
nual report of the president Of Williams
the institution, and particularly to the
vacancy in the college pastorate. President
Il have sometimes thought that a young
graduate with enough theological train
ing to give biblical instruction, put in
charge of the work Of the Young Men
Christian Association, especially If he
were a good athlete and had the enthusi-
asm and personal magnetism which we
naturally associate with the combination
of athletic ability and Christian faith.
would help the college more than a pas
tor"
This is said. of course. in perfect good
faith. and the old graduates who may be
set gasping and staring by it have only
to be told that they have not kept up
with the procession. The presidents idea
would no doubt be snthpsiastically and
students. Nowhere is the combination
of athletic ability and Christian faith
more popular than In college. and If both
provided 1t is the first one. Religion
sandwiched in between bicycle runs,
brought in as a gentle and harmless
walls of the more serious athletic business
Of life, is one of the greatest phenomena OF
the age: and its study and practice can
liOt bc " CulfltCtly illSlolCu upOA IA Jul
institutions of higher learning.
There are sorVe old-fashioned people,
however, who are as ready as the next to
admit the good wrought in all modern
life. and SO in modern religion. by the
introduction and vogue of athletics, but
who nevertheless see, or think they see,
some serious dangers in athletic Chris
tianity. One. of them is that Christianity
will, so to speak, get lost in the shuttle.
The threatened evolution seems to be:
athletic Christianity; Christian athletics;
closely scanned the working of the school
boy and undergraduate mind on this SUBJ
ject think they detect a tendency. to ana.
and 70 bestow much more honor upon
the element of athletic ability than upon
that of Christian faith" This may be
roughly illustrated by the verse that used
TO be loosely suns about Yale's famous
praying pitcher. 1t went to show the un-
dergraduate surprise that, in this case.
C,istian faith had not more clearly i'm
paired athletic ability:
"Oh, Stagg is a wonderful pitcher,
He pitches n wonderful game;
He always prays before he plays.
But he gets there just the same"
And when all is said. athletic Chris
tianity viii also pass. Christianity owes
a good part of its wonderful vitality TO its
Elasticity before the form and pressure OF
each age thus Winning the appearances OF
of each age. But unless 1T is to prove the
veriest bubble. ever breaking and re-
forming IL must preserve its ancient SUBJ
stance. What that is the poets and the
seers have told us. 1t is mystery-the
mystery of sorrow and suffering, the
mystery OF comfort and healing, That
mystery cannot be permanently inter
preted for the human race by men in
sweaters, who have broken the record
for jumping or running. Spiritual mes
sages have their greatest carrying power
when given by mortals in whom the spir-
itual triumphs over the physical. To
messengers consumed with inward fire.
coming from midnight viglis where they
have seen a light that never was on sea
or land. the world has always listened,
and will listen again. as its chosen reli-
gious teachers; and in the presence OF
one such spiritual genius even now ath-
letic Christianity looks the poor and pass
ing thing il is.