Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1906-11-29
PRIZE FIGHTING
AND FREE LUNCH
Program at the congregational
Church Last Sunday Night.
The Former the subject of the Eve-
ming gsermon-the Latter n Pleasant
Ending TO n Fine Address.

Last Sunday evening at the Congrega-
tional church Rev. A. Secord took for the
subject of his discourse Prize Fighting.
The subject was drawn from the words
Of Paul to his beloved brother Timothy,
found in End Timothy, AK, 81 have
fought the good fight, have finished the
course, have kept the faith.
The speaker said that he had chosen
this subject as fitting one so soon follow
np the sad elimination of the recent
prize fight in Grand Rapids in which one
of the combatants lost his life. Paul was
@the greatest prize fighter the world had
ever known, and the words used for the
text were his words used when the fight
was finished and he neared the end Of a
wonderful conflict. presume to say that
Paul could not knock out either Ward or
Lewis in a ring encounter but he was
fighter along different lines. He fought
the christian fight and gained the highest
prize, eternal life.
The ending of the recent prize fight IN
OTdnO NdDlOS was q oeRb SliA'S SN''N 49, ,
body regretted the result of what they try
to call a boxing match. People try to
make excuses for it and say that 1t was
boxing match and not prize fight. Call
it what you will it was brutal affair and
when young Ward, who had been weak
ened by the onslaught Of Lewis received
the blow that sent him TO the floor with
such force as to cause his death, It was
brutality and nothing else. ! believe box
ing contests are good things. There IS no
better exercise for physical development
than box ng. Boxing however. does not
try to knock out the other fellow or
knock his head off, am not IN sympathy
with the verdict of the jury that found
Lewis guilty of murder in the first degree
he had no malice in his heart against
Young Ward, but believe that every man
who was an abettor or promoter In the
conflict should be punished for their share
in the brutal affair
Paul would have us to know that our
whole life is prize fight, and the great
prize at stake is the crown Of life. he
says: have fought the good fight ! have
finished the course, have kept the faith
The Christian life is contest;Pau found
it so. Jesus found i. so, all great llyes fine
it so. Paul was not weaklng in his fight
ing for he declares IN another Of his writ
ngs. so fight not as one beating the air
but as one in desperate conflict.
The prize fighter does not fight one bat
tie and then quit but he fights to acquire
the title OF champion. So it was will
Pauls fight, it was no single conflict but
series of battles, one after the other unit
victory came One cannot be strong II
BODY without exercise. Every pugilis
trains for the fight, and in the Christian
fight we must train ourselves our charac
ter must be nodded. Weston well says
Crystalize yourself, that is, make goo'
shape to your character, there is too muc
quicksilver in character, but when "
crystalze ourselves and get pure dia
monds in our character we are all right.
All great characters have had thei
conflicts. Jesus said, Blessed are ye whe
men shall revile you and say all manner