The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-09
PRIEST OF COMMON SENSE
THE REV. Z. A. CANTRELL'S VIEW
OF SUNDAY BASEBALL.
He Sees No Harm in Such Recreation
for the WOrkers-IndOrsem
of the Il. p. A.

The Rev. Edward A, Cantrell. pastor
of the Peoples Church. preached yesterday
afternoon at the Propylaeum on 1.-The
Ideals of the Protestant Reformation" He
said the Protestant movement was the as
sertion of the ideal. 1t was the protest
of the great, growing life against tyrannies
of institutionalism.
The Rev. Mr.. Cantrell was asked what
he thought of the Sunday baseball ques-
ton. He said:
What do think of the Sunday baseball
question? Like everything else pertaining
TO life it is question of utility. L have
no extraneous standard of right and wrong.
That which comes to one and helps to
stronger, healthier, better life is good. That
which hurts and destroys is bad There
is no other standard. The proof of the
pudding is in the eating, or. Jesus said,
BY their fruits We shall know them.
THE question, then, is this, does Sun
day baseball help or hurt? L am inclined
to let every one settle this for himself L
know there are people who always think
they know better what you ought to do
than you know yourself. But l am not
acting much on this principle these days.
SEES NO HARM IN 1T.
81 know this. If l worked hard all week
in shop store or Office, if L breathed the
fetid air and felt the fate and force of
circumstance, many men and women
do, 1 would want recreation on Sunday.
would want Sunday baseball or football
or a Sunday picnic, and in season L would
want to take my fishing tackle along and
catch fish; for let me say, by the way of
parenthesis, that / can see no more harm
in catching fish Sunday than on any
other day. / think all this would do me
good.
.'Of course, we preachers don't work hard
all week. We usually get fresh air and
sunshine and even something of recreation
So when Sunday comes We are fresh for
the pulpit heroics and want everybody to
come and hear us. l think I'll run for the
Legislature some time on the proposition
that everyone shall be compelled TO wear
long hair, like L do, and wear a Father
Grimes coat on Sunday and eat mush and
milk. Everything that is fermented shall
be prohibited. No one shall be allowed to
cities of 10000 and upward shall be COM
PEELED to attend church at least once every
Sunday.
COMPROMISE FOR "TARK."
1--WE would expect the antagonism Of our
friend Harrington, of course, but we could
make a compromise and allow, say, five
cigarettes a day to literary men. Don't you
think I'd sweep things and become a
modern Moses or Lycurgus in these dark
days when Sunday baseball threatens the
integrity of the State?
Twill Sunday baseball interfere with
church services? Yes, with some church
services But the vital, progressive church
will enter into sympathy with the labor of
the people and the recreations of the peo-
ple-with all the needs of the complex,
multitudinous life. IL will say with Paul.
Let no man therefore judge you in meat,
or i'm drink, or in respect of a feastday or
a new moon or a Sabbath day. and instead
of straining out gnats and swallowing
camels, it will give itself to the vital
things of helpfulness and brotherhood.
Until such church comes there is as much
religion at a Sunday baseball match as at
st Frigida' s.