Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-27
THE STRENUOUS LIFE
Athletic Featurein Washing
ton Churches.
A POPULAR MOVEMENT
STAGE IN EVOLUTION OF WORK
AMONG MEN.
Base Ball and Other Sports inaugural
ed-Building of Gymnasiums-
Results of Project.
A POPULAR MOVEMENT

This spring has witnessed the Inaugural
ton of the strenuous life in the churches
of the national capital, and the athletic
feature of the work among the young men
on the part of the religious societies, which
has thus recently been instituted, bids fair
to assume large proportions and become a
permanent feature in the category of move
ments for the physical intellectual and
spiritual development of Washington's
youths. The project was undertaken after
careful consideration and discussion, and it
has been hailed with great enthusiasm.
There is every evidence that the movement
has come to stay. and it is believed that
with the improvements in the system which
are likely to be made after greater expert
ence in this line of work. and the perfec-
ton that will come to 1t with time, the
athletic feature will become valuable ad-
junct to the religious organizations of the
city.
While the movement was discussed with
great care and large amount of attention
was devoted to consideration of the pro-
ject before its adoption by those most deep
ly interested. yet the undertaking has been
somewhat in the nature of an experiment,
as Is usually the case with innovations in
any line of work. The results thus FAR II
is stated, have been highly gratifying and
the first outburst of ardor with which any
pleasant and diverting project is ordinarily
greeted mas SUE
sided into the more permanent and digni-
fed state of enthusiastic interest. That is
to say the enthusiasm excited by the nov
city of the project has been superseded by
a constant interest in the project itself
Result of Natural Growth.
According to the opinions of a number of
prominent local workers the athletic fea
ture in the churches has been the result
of a natural growth and is but a stage in
the evolution of the work along moral and
religious lines among the young men. 1t is
considered step in the plan for broad
ening the scope of the churches influence
among the men of the country. and an evil
dence of the growing desire of the church
that 1t may become more and more part
of the everyday existence of the men; that
it may be brought into closer touch with
them and exert a greater influence in all
their concerns.
For a number of years past the question
How to Reach the Young Men?'-how to
make the church n focus of their interest
has been frequently discussed in nearly all
the churches of all denominations In the
country. The subject of ways and means
whereby the church may be brought into
vital relationship with The young men has
been one of the important concerns of the
religious societies. In the process of evo-
luton locally pointed out by number
of workers in the field there was visible
manifestation of the attempt to answer the
question suggested in the organization of
Bible classes for the young men in the Sun
day schools Later came the formation of
mems clubs-a movement which has been
Instituted in nearly all the churches of the
city-where the men might meet together
for social intellectual and moral benefit.
In further broadening the scope of the
church has come the athletic feature, in
which the church proposes to interest itself
in the anusements and sports of the young
men and to extend its influence for good in
that field, in addition to fostering the de-
velopment of clean physical exercise among
the youth.
Beginning of the Movement.
1t has been suggested that the strenuous
life in the churches as an organized fea-
ture had it's beginnings in the athletic con-
tests provided by the young men for the
annual Sunday school outings to nearby re-
sorts. On these occasions base ball. tennis,
races and field sports formed interesting
features in the entertainment of the ex-
cursionists and as result in a number of
churches the base ball teams formed for
these special occasions We're sometimes kept
together during several months of the sea =
SON The young men in various churches
have internationally organized base ball
scarcely any attempt at maintaining reg
ular nine.
Several games were played last year be-
tween teams representing churches of two
or three denominations but there was no
regular schedule. At the beginning of this
spring, however, number of the leading