Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-07
UNION NEE TIN GS.
DR.. CRAIG breaches AT FIRST
OF SERIES.

SUBJECT "NEED OF RECREATION'
Union Services to be Held Each Sun
day neutrality-suspicious. of City Will
Take Turns in Conducting Services
AT First Baptist Last Evening.
AT the Firts Baptist church last
evening, DR.. Craig, pastor of the First
Methodist Episcopal church delivered
the sermon at the first of a series OF
union meetings, which will continue
each evening until September 1. The
services will be held alternately in the
various churches and the sermons will
be delivered by the ministers who COM
pose the Ministerial association of the
city. The next two months will be va
cation time for the ministers and the
union services on Sunday evenings
will be conducted in turn by the minis.
eNts "Ao AoPpeH W Ue III Tie CITY.
Next Sunday Evening.
The services next Sunday evening
will be held in the First Presbyterian
church and the sermon will be deliver
ed by Rev. ]. w. Potter, pastor of the
Methodist Episcopal church at Bloom.
field. The sermon last evening by Dr.
Craig was upon the topic: The Need
OF recreation and was stirring and
practical address.
Dr.. craig's Address.
DR.. Craig chose for his text the
words found in Mark 6-31, And he said
unto them, come We yourselves apart
into desert place, and rest awhile.
DIR. Craig spoke upon the need and the
value of recreation. Christ recognized
this need when He spoke these words
to His disciples and added that there
We're so many coming and going that
there was no opportunity for them to
rest where they were. All through the
Bible story there are instances where
God has called upon those upon whom
He had placed some great work to sep
arate themselves from the crowd and
go to some place where they might
have time for recreation and for medi-
tation.
A Great Contrast.
There is great contrast between
the manner of living in the oriental
countries and in the western. In the
east the people are slow and deliber-
ate. They use no more energy than is
absolutely necessary. They put off
till tomorrow everything that can pos
sibly be put off. They have no dash
or spirit. The westerner, of whom
the American is the most advanced
type, is full of energy, push, ambition.
To think a thing is to do it. No OBJ
stacle is too greatl4 Threatened defeat
is only a spur to a greater determine
ton and effort IF there is no path
through the Wilderness the westerner
cuts one, If there is no bridge he
builds one. He knows no such thing
as wait or hesitation.
Rest Necessity.
With all this great use of energy
there is need of time for recuperation
for the physical and for the mental
force of man. The great strain can
not be borne from day to day without
fatal consequences in the cnd.4 Ner.
ycus prcstration and IT. paraly sis
II n'ET.e7 and mental forces ending
in total incapacity is the punishment
neted out to the injudicious and reck-
less use of the FORCES God has given
us.
Abraham, Elijah, Moses, David and
John the Baptist, all were called out
into the desert when God saw fit to
prepare or fit them for some special
work which He had for them. They
were called out and away from people
where they might think and mediate
as well as rest their bodies and re
cuperate their physical strength. God
called Abraham out into the night tc
look at the stars and draw inspiration
from the grandeur of the night before
he attempted his great works.
Moses was trained for forty years
for his great task. Elijah was sent
into his cave for days of meditation
and John the Baptist received his
training in the wilderness.
Greater Need Today.
In the present day of intellectualism
it is more necessary than ever that
we should at times draw apart from
the crown anu, lue -TuSHa III every udy
life and spend some time in recupera
ton. We should give the mind q
chance for rest and time now and
then for quieting and composing itself
An opportunity when it may grow calm
and, steady and brace itself for the re
newal of the onslaught that is to come
The tired nerves and muscles of the
body grow weary and they ask only q
little time that they may lie down an6
rest. Wearied and exhausted the ami
NAL life of your bodies needs it's resi-
and recuperation as much as the men
tai and spiritual.
"Come apart is the command tt
the disciples. The crowd had beer
pressing upon them and they had nc
time for rest or for eating. Chris
intended to take them to some place
where they could be away from the
crowd and have time for rest and re
creation. Where shall. we. go and
what shall we do? We can go to the
woods and the forests, to the rivers
and the seashore. We can see the
beauties God has prepared for us il
the waters and the trees and the
birds and animals that inhabitatt
them. In and through it all we car
see the great mind of God working
for our pleasure and our welfare ant
-.--.