Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-11-10
CHOICE MISCELLANY.
From the Springfield Republi lica
Religion and Amusement.

A bold and earnest appeal for amuse-
ments is not only consistent with, but
essential to, full and well-rounded chris
tian life, and that too from the pen of an
influential Presbyterian clergyman, is an
indubitable sign of the times. Such an
appeal we have before us in the essay
upon Religion and Amusement, by Rev.
Martin Il. Vincent of Troy, N. Y, read
before the international convention of
Young Mems Christian associations at
Albany in June last, and printed at the
request of many christians of various de-
nominations Mr. Vincent was select
ed by Rev. Dr. Bcman of Troy, as his
colleague, and has since succeeded him
as pastor ofthe FIRST Presbyterian Church
at Troy, leading church of the denom-
ination. Mr.. Vincent takes the ground
that Christians are not to avoid the
world in order to keep themselves pure,
like the monks and nuns of other times,
but to put themselves into contact with
the world that they may purify it; that
amusements are requisite to mental health
and that it is the duty of Christians to
furnish them to their children and the
PupiiS liil NllluONS anu
to secure them from the temptations with
which they are generally accompanied
Some of the illustrations made by Mr..
Vincent are so piquant and effective that
we must reproduce them. Satirizing the
distinctions often made between different
kinds of amusements, Mr. Vincent says ::
'Gt is sinnocent for boys to play mar
bles, but sinful to play dominoes-
Wherein, pray? They can learn to gam
BILE with one as well as the other. 1t is
sinful to play billiards, but highly grace
full and innocent to play croquet But
why ? Really, when it comes to COM
parison, the first is infinitely the more
beautiful and intellectual game. The
ethical distinctions are positively bewil-
dering between balls of ivory and balls
of wood between mallets and cues; be-
tween green baize and green grass. A
Christian household must not sit down
and play whist, but they are engaged in
christian and laudable manner if they
spend an evening over DIR. Busby or Mas
ter Rodbury cards. Really, it it hard to
draw the moral line between cards bear
ing ages and spades, and cards with the
likenesees ofDr. Busby's son and servant,
Doll, the dairy-maid and the like. When
it comes to a question of profit, one is
an amusement involyinga good deal of
healthy mental exertion, while the other
is about as silly and proftless way to
spend an evening as can well beimagmed.
Youth must not dance, but they may
march to music in company and go
through calisthenic exercises involving a
good deal more motion than dancing
But if people may march to music and be
guiltless, it is very hard to see how skip
ping to music converts the exercise into
sin. 1t is said that the associations make
the difference; but the advocate of this
theory is shut mp to proving that the as
sociations are inseparable from the amuse-
ments, And here is the place to remark
that the best amusements are the ones
most likely to be abused-the ones which
experience shows are most abused, and
about which cluster the most evil associ-
ations. The children of this world are
wiser in their generation than the chill
dren of light. Men do not care to coun-
terfeit a coin of inferior value; and the
world is very clear-sighted to discern the
best and richest source of worldly pleas
ure, and utterly unscrupulous in appro-
priating them entirely to itself The
amusements which are most abused are
commonly those which, from their intrin-
sic value, call most loudly upon virtue
to rescue them from their abuses"
Replying to some of the objections
made by devout people to amusements,
Mr. Vincent says:
at has been said, | know, that in pro-
portion as the church or individuals are
engaged in religious efforts, the desire for
amusements declines, the implication is
that the desire for amusements character
ICES only low state of religion. This
deduction is entirely unwarranted, and
the process by which it is reached is fal.
lacious. 1t is true that in season of
deep religious interest in church there
will be less disposition to amusement.-