The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-10-31
Il OF PLEASURE.
Scudder Proposes to
muse Himself in This
World and the Next.
/ DOOR SPORTS AND VIRTUE
.mericans Play to Little
Religion Under the Mi
croscope--Hard Knocks
for Ascetics.
/ DOOR SPORTS AND VIRTUE

-
The Rev. John Z. scudder. in the First
Conversations Church, Bergen ana
Boyd venues last night, preached me
first OF. a series of sermons he proposes 70
deliver on ~sanctifying Amusemenfs
; He will devote one of the sermons to the
/ considerations of the attacks when nave
been made upon him because Of the dane
4 ing class he started in connection with
The Peoples Palace. His subject last
night was athletic Religion" he saia:-
4.Serve the Lord with gladness-
..From such a good natured command as
this and sofhers of similar import IN the
Word Of God, We infer that our Father
IN Heaven wishes all His earthly children
to be happy. If God is a loving Fatner
and not the ~tyrannical taskmaker Whlcn
medieval theology has represented HIM
TO be. and if we are to interpret His char-
acter by the best types of earthly priest
hood. then we are forced to the concln-
sion that, as long as we are good anu
obedient children. He must take delight
IN us and our pleasures.
IAN earthly father takes a keen reilsn
in the sports of his children and fayors all
manner of harmless and healthful recrea-
ton. Those of US who are parents Know
this from experience. 1t pleases us IN the
GUNNER time to see our children raee
their bicycles, row OF swim or play bali,
and in the winter we watch them com
placently as they skate upon the ice or
coast upon the hillside amid the shouts
and laughter of their lght-hearted COM
panions. I confess to being drawn 10
such a crowd of rollicking youngsters,
and if they ask me, to join them IN thelr
fun I seldom wait for a second invitation.
.sNow this is the way a father feels
about the sports of his children and | do
not hesitate to affirm that as long as we
children of mature years confine our
selves to strictly honest amusements,
the great Father of all takes positive de-
light in us and our recreations. we nave
His favor and smile, and this very
thought adds a new charm to our diver
sion, and puts new zest into our play
Al broad study of life will show that TINS
element of amusement has been deeply
laid in human nature by the hand of the
Creator Himself. Place a drop of water
beneath the microscope and you will be
amused to see the animalcules playing
tag. and engaging in many other kinds
of infusorial games. These little atoms,
invisible to the naked eye. are quite jolly
in their way and indicate to us hat there
are forms of amusement at the very bot
tom of creation.
"And all the way up from the dewdrop
to the mighty ocean you will find these
sporty exhibitions. 1t would take a long
discourse to enumerate the sports of all
the denizens of the deep, and a longer
- - 1oo1r;t1 tboco in which o11r land
animals indulge. The kitten is the em-
bodiment of good humored mischief; the
kid is notorious for his inclination to
frisk, and monkeys are always fun OF
their fun. Dogs entertain themselves for
hours in mock battles; in fact, all ami
mails relieve the monotony of life by en-
gaging in these sham fights. The mule,
the most sober minded quadruped, if we'll
fed and not oyer-worked, will now and
then attest his love of play by snorting
vociferously and tossing his heels in mid
air. And centuries before our Canadian
friends thought of tobogganing the offers
spent their leisure moments in sliding
down the snow banks in winter and mud
banks in summer. Thus you see the
world is full of this element of play and
SO is man.
GOO mas put II INTO MIN, ana indulgence
therein IS poth normal ana iegltllnate. II
= an element OF heaith ana soou spiiies.
Inc man VINO mas no iui II MN - ohis d
part man; there is something wrong
ABOUT MIN somewhere. tie IS elthef d
physical wreck or an lhlelectual mon
stroslty' ne is either constltutiohail
morose, lndustriously overworked or re-
iigiousiy gone to sea. But those are All
abnormal and reprehenslbie conditions OF
being. The average individual is fond or
amusement and must nave 1t; Tor With 1t
life is more erldurable and work becomes
a pleasure Tonight l shall speak upon
the general relation OF religion TO TINS
play-element which God has implanted
within us. and more particularly in refer
ence TO athletics.
THE object of religion, | take it, is to
perfect man In every department. of his
being; in body, mind and heart; and
thus to make him sound and happy. If
this is a true conception Of religion, it is
manifest that the Church must take a
deep interest In the body of man, as well
as in his soul; for no one can be called
perfect who has a weak and sickly body;
neither in invalidism or standardization
e~ontributive to happiness nor provocative
Of good works. The duty of the Church,
then. is not only TO endorse all manner of
athletic recreation; it should stimulate