The Mankato free press., 1904-10-07
WAS A WARM TOAST
Dr.. Andrews Discusses Amuse.
ments and Church.
He Would as Lief Play "0Id
SIedge' as Finch
eSfs!si
And Can See No More Sin in
1t, He Declared.
Other Statements Cause Some.
thing of a Stir.
From Saturdays Daily.

From Saturdays Daily.
Il would as lief play cinch as finch,
and | see no more sin in it," declared
DIR. J. w. Andrews last evening at the
banquet of the Mankato Sunday School
Institute at the Baptist chapel, in his
RESPONSE to the toast, ATTITUDE of the
Sunday School Teacher Towards Popu
lar Amusements." The doctor could see
no harm in such amusements as cards,
dancing, theatres, bowling alleys and
the like, if these pastimes were indulged
in in the right way. He did not believe
in condemning them as such.
1t may be that the hundred or more
people gathered at the banquet did not
agree with the doctors views. He said
at the outset that he did not think all
his hearers would be in harmony with
him. Nevertheless he went ahead in a
plain, straightforward manner that could
not be misunderstood. His address was
certainly the feature of the evening.
DIR. Andrews said the amusement
problem has been much debated ques
tion in the church for many years. In
this respect the attitude of the churches
has undergone a change. Twenty five
years ago many of the things that are
done and sanctioned in the churches to-
day would have been strictly condemned
Recently in an eastern church a cake
walk was given for the purpose of rails
ing revenue. Another eastern church per-
formed "The Mikado" in order to raise
money for the church work. One of the
men appeared on the stage in tights.
Perhaps that is carrying the amusements
too far. A church in Minneapolis has
bowling alley in connection with it.
That could by no means have been done
twenty-five years ago.
The speaker went on the say that he
could remember when it was consider
ed sin to bring violin into a church.
Such an instrument was contemptuous-
ly termed fiddle" Many condemn
ed organ music in church. If such
things were sinful in those days, they are
sinful now. The Interpretation of the
teachings of the Gospel changes. The
true principles themselves never change.
The Sunday school teacher should en-
deavor to get at these true principles and
not be slave to general opinion.
Should the Sunday school teacher tell
the children that they ought to keep
away from the theatres? He did not
think so, but he would favor teaching
the pupils to keep away from immoral
plays. He would have no objection to
the child seeing those plays that tend to
elevate the moral tone of the community
The speaker remembered when it was
considered sin to play checkers, be-
cause you could bet on game of check
ers. Many still consider it sin to
dance? Dancing certainly is sin in
the way that some people engage in it.
Yet it is not well to place a ban on
al
out of the churches many good people,
who would otherwise attend.
He did not like the attitude of the
Methodist discipline on the question
of such amusements. The action of the
General Conference of the Methodist
church in this regard was not what it
n
twenty-seven representatives of Mime
sofa, straw vote was taken on the
question of striking out of the Metho-
dist discipline the paragraph condemn
ing such amusements as dancing and
theatres. Twenty voted in favor of
striking it out and seven voted against
it. Of these seven, four spent nearly all
their time from Minnesota to California
playing finch. At the conference, the
speaker believed, the proposition to
abolish the paragraph in question was
voted down, simply because great num-
Der of ministers, who really favored
such abolition, did not desire to go on
record in that way, for fear of offending
large minority of their congregations.
There was one such minister who vot-
ed aye" but in so low voice that the
secretary could not hear it, and the vote
was not recorded.
Many look upon attendance at horse
races as a sin. A few years ago. some
bicycle races were held at Sibley park.
minister of Mankato, local Sunday
school superintendent and number of
Mankato church people, who were op-
posed to horse racing. attended the bicy-
Gle races. The minister did not bet up
on the races, nor did the superintendent,
the speaker hoped, neither did the church
people Yet there was betting on the
races for all that. The speaker could see
no more sin in training horses for the
race track, than in training boys for the