The Topeka state journal., 1922-12-26
WINTER
SPORTS
C.E.HOBBS
Telephone 1881

What of athletics and the church
Not so many years ago athletics and
the church were far apart Church
people looked on athletics with ap-
to be sinful. Sports were worldly.
They were not believed fit to be
thought of iE the same breath as mat
ters perta-- ing to the church.
But times have changed. People
who looked on athletic attainments
with disrespect now regard them as a
means of developing the physical with
out which tke moral and spiritual
cannot function properly.
Probably no other agency in the
world contributed to that change in
attitude toward physical proves as
much as the Y. NJ. c. a. That or
ganization has in its program a three
fold purpose-the development of the
individual along physical, mental and
spiritual lines. 1t wa, the Y. NJ c. A.
that TO large extent changed the
attitude of the church people along
this line.
The physical side of individuals was
largely neglected by the church in
days past. but now the church has de-
cided, rightfully, that if the church is
to serve the people it represents prop
erly. it must pay a great deal of at
tention to physical development. The
church has come to realize that it is
a SOun0 mlnCA IN a SOUND DO0y tnat
attributes most to the spiritual well
being of the people. 1t has become
an established ant recognized fact
that a perseh with a weak body can
not usually lave a sound mind. a
sound mind is necessary to the spirit
ual side of the individual.
John r. Mott has done more than
probably any other individual toward
making the Y. NJ. c. A. an agency for
development of the three sides Of man.
H.
part of the country one goes; he will
find the Y. NJ. C. A. working for this
thre-sided purpose.
Since the Y. NJ. c. A. has started
this, churches have fallen in line, and
now basketball courts, billiards and
other forms of development for the
physical side of man have found
place in the curriculum of the mod
ern church. Nearly every church in
Topeka now has some form of ath-
letics for its members. 1t is a. step in
the right direction. No more does the
church operate but one day a week
on Sunday-but something is going
on at most of the churches nearly
every day in the week.
BY having these weekday programs
of athletics the church is keeping
young people away from other places
of amusement where there are forms
of athletic training and recreation.
where the moral atmosphere might
not be as GOOD as it can be made
around the church itself.
The Y. NJ. c. A took the initial
step, and the churches have fallen in
line. Now the churches are contrib
uting as much to the welfare of the
physical, mental and spiritual devel
opment of the persons under it's di-
rection as is the Y. NJ. c. A.
The East gained a victory over the
West at San Diego. CAL. Christmas day
when West Virginia university, from
Morgantown. W. Va, defeated the
Gonzaga college football team. from,
Spokane, Wash. 81 to IS. 1t is the
first ''east-meets-west'' intersectional
clash of the season, and altho it
proved a victory for the east, the
western team proved that it must be
in future intersectional con-
tests.
Two more intersectional contests
will be played New Years day, when
Stanford, in Berkeley. Cal. and Penn
State meets University of Southern
California, in Los Angeles. These will
prove quite interesting as far as inter
sectional post-season football contests
go.
The fact that the stands which hold
"a 200 persons were only half filled
Diego. proves that football is not as
popular after the official close of the
season Thanksgiving day. Thanksgiv- |
ing day has been considered the end
Of the season for a long time, and |
when that date comes interest dies
down considera bly,. We doubt whether |
I prolonged season as has been sug- |
yested a time or two would meet with |
I great response from the fans. The
custom of having the season end on |
Turkey day will be hard to change, |
despite the fact that football is the
greatest intercollegiate sport in Amer
ca.