The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-04
GOOD BODIES.
Muscular and Healthy
Christianity.
The Relation of Athletics and
Religion.
Address by Pastor OF Union Congre-
gati0nal Church.

Rev. Wallace Nutting's address Sunday
had .or it's theme the "Relation OF Ath-
letics and Religion" The text was from
I Cor. 9:19-27. The address in part was
as follows
The recent death OF Thomas Hughes,
who gave us Tom Brown. and did much
to make good men strong and strong men
good suggests the relations of the body to
religion. He did an excellent work, when
students were running all to brain. But
be did not do the last work on this sub
ject. There is ssomething even better
than muscular Christianity--that is q
healthy Christianity that needs no Hercu-
lean frame but has passed beyond that TO
q reposeful strength, which viii mark
the ultimate MANA strength that Will
combine beauty. need no knotted mus
cles, but will, reigning In a purified
body direct, under God, the great natural
forces of the world.
For to control the worlds energy rather
than depend on muscular power Is the
higher destiny of man. We have passed
beyond the days of the knight, his heavy
frame. armour and great horse, and des-
pite the mounting OF policemen on bicy.
cles we can not bring back the ace of
chivalry by means of machine. The
artist who pictured the angel Michael
overcoming Satan, in which picture he
showed the thews and biceps OF the angel
with large development made a mistake.
The power that will overcome the devil,
remove mountains, rase wicked cities
and prepare a highway OF the Lord will
not belitlte mankind by doing the work
through muscle. That would do for the
age OF Rameses who built the pyramids, of
hail utf ..f Nj.
/ would not be found speaking against
the revival OF outdoor life and exercise
for women. They need II, and must have
it to be beautiful or healthy.
But here let us make distinction.
The athletic life as profession cannot be
elevating.
So far as 1t becomes the dominant in
fiuence in anybody 1t will be disap-
pointing factor in education. It's use is
not a vocation, but an evocatioD.
To earn living through a display of
physical power is somewhat contempti-
BILE. The thing which is little more
contemrtible is the life of a hacker. a iol-
lower, a professional admirer OF profes-
sional athletes.
IL to be horseman, and nothing more,
degrades man, much moreso does
1t degrade him to be an
AUTHORITY ON HUMAN BODIES.
The nobler the animal in question the
more ignoble IL the degradation of il TO
purely physical use.
There is need OF fine distinctions here.
The student, the clerk, the young work
man or young man in profession needs
to get a degree of outside exhileration.
1t IL not only natural, but proper aud
morally tonic to enter into an outdoor
game, to ride, to wheel, II you Will allow
this new verb, TO become interested in
golhng. We only ask the question--Wb
is subordinate? Is the body trained
and kept under TO be n healthy home OF
the soul, and Is the body tho ruling factor
cnly happy in Its own peculiar pleasures
and exercises. What we want Is a large
manhood.
Jesus Christ could walk in couple
of days perhaps from Galilee to Jerusa-
lem, anu doubtless he enjoyed the fresh
air and flowers and foliage. He saw
them, depend on that. His eyes were not
bent on the ground. He was always saw
ing. Behold Az he pointed HIS disciples
10 the landscape. He extracted, in other
words, the good from the country. But
lie did not live to make the journey,
outgoing all previous walkers. he
walked as n means.
Golfers, bicyclers. football men need 10
Der this AS soon as an institu.
tion of learning becomes a cloak tor an
athletic lie, such that for academy,
college and professional school eleven
years. the prizes of bodily prowess gre
the principal aim the result Is that we
turn out clerk or professional man
whose businoss-if he succeeds in sccur-
ing eny-is only mskcshiit 10 live,
while his reading, his leisure and his love
are games, sports aud outings, no longer
a participant bat dreaming, function
less spectator II IL worse 60 be a spec
tstor than participant, for TO look on Is
to do no good TO ones body or mine.
1. Those sports are good which do not
absorb the lifo-or n great part of u. A
Feasor--irom opening srring TO autumn,
devoted to hunting clubs, that detesIahle
un-Amcrican fox hunt, the fascinating
tennis, golf. or whatever happens TO b.
in fsshion, finds no excuse in tho needs
OF ne body or tho voice of the soul.
The effects Of a diiitRnte life on the
workman who sees II are vicious
WEALTH Is NEvER so DANGEROUS
as when men take advantage OF 1t to