The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-01

on It's knees. and yonr upturned face rayed back
the light OF Gods countenance IN smile. we
do not identify the sacred smiles Of devoton
with ordinary mirth. The difference Is IKE tnat
between eating an ordinary meal and partaklng
OF the Lords Supper. We use the same mouth
in eating and drinking IN 9oth cases, out the
meaning is different. But the smile of innocent
mirth is still q smile, none the less natural and
general when II is TRANSPORTED IN sacred rap
tuIe. The work of God is as real in lily as in
the conversion OF soul; a smile Is the blossom
OF Joy in nature and in grace, natural In both.
But not only is mirth rooted in our nature,
not only are wit and humor included in the
sphere of the Church and the pulpit, not only
is smile the appropriate and natural express
sion OF religious cheerfulness and joy-mirth
vindicates its rights still further. It is abso-
lutely demanded by labor. "Recreation,n says
one, lis a second creation when WEAKNESS hath
almost annihiated ones spirit" Toll, whether
OF body or mind acts upon us like q burden.
we cannot bear it long without sinking under it.
When the pack is lifted from the back of the
horse, he first rests and then romps. But the
burdens of men are not so easily gotten
rid of. The calculations of the counting
room, the cares OF the household,
the tolls of the study, the condition of the
the like, will not always be dismissed at word.
Unlike the horse, man has the burden on his
mind; 1t becomes tangled with his feelings and
thoughts; and to get himself off, he must set
up some competitor to work. 1t may be a book,
conversation with his family or friends, play
with his children, music, walk OF q ride In
the country-almost anything to get the burrs
OF business out of his hair--to get the pack
and harness from his CALLED and weary back.
For the want OF such relief so that the soul
and face may, smile again, thousands of people
perish every year. 1t is business, business,
until the long-bent bow no longer has power to
spring back. The soul and the face alike grow
cadaverous.
The same necessity exists of counterworking
sorrow. There is indeed godly sorrow which
worketh repentance unto life but even that is
sure to be followed by q smile. 1t begins in
'Thou vast angry with me-" and it ends in
''Thine anger is turned away, and Thou COM
forrest me-" The Affections that come upon us
in the course of life contain precious lessons.
They are discipline for us. We are not to deal
lightly with them, but to '1et patience have its
perfect work. But even here there comes
time to laugh; q time when the upset vessel will
right herself; when beauty will be beauty again,
when humor and wit will reassert their power.
This is necessity founded in nature and
equally in religion.
Some people, when they havemet with severe
mlsfOrtunes in the loss oil friends or estate make
the mistake of secluding themselves, even stay
ing away from church. A severe blow may, in
deed PROSTATE us to the earth, but surely we
ought TO stay there no longer than we must.
Let us make no convent for ourselves in the
open world. Let us welcome the hour of re-
action, accept the first pure smile, and even go
where such are produced.
But let us not forget that if mirth is natural,
like every other attribute OF nature, 1t is liable
to abuse. Love- which ought to be heavenly,
which ought TO be bright rill from the toun-
tain Of pure humor, may be only stream of
dirty water from the engines of prurience and
obscenity. The words gentleman" and "lady"
are in the whole worlds mouth, but with very
different meanings. Only give people these
titles, and IN many cases you may mean by them
what. what you please. A gentleman, IN the
with q genteel look, and good bow. He
may be as wicked as Judas, and his con-
yersation may be obscene and ,proiane.
To pure mind mirth ceases to be mirth, laugh
ter turns into grief and anger, when it meets
with impurity or profanity. For laughter
stained with an oath, or with an obscene jest
or allusion, there is no time. Wretches that
swear and utter impurity to amuse, ought to
be dressed in the skins of wild beasts, and go
on all fours, though this would be the grossest
injustice to the brutes Books, papers, places
of amusements, that are disfgured with inn
purity or profanity, ought to be Stunned as the
gateway to death and perdition.
Surely there are songs enough that are pure;
there are decent words enough in the English
language; there are stories enough untarnished
by lust and brutality. Why should we touch
pitch?s Why should we pollute ourselves in
speech or in hearing?
Another thought needful here is, that even
where mirth is snotless it must not be out of
proportion. There is, indeed, time to laugh,
but there is also time for other things. Laugh
ter must keep within its own limits. If it be-
comes pervadmg, it turns the man or woman
into mere clown. How many people, some of
jokers Mirth is light and those who know
nothing bat mirth are empty. Some men give
themselves up to the invention of Jokes for the
world. They are by trade manufacturers of
mirth. Such man was the late so-called Arte-
mus Ward. These persons abuse their own facul-
ties and tatten on the weaker portions of society.
In our view they are worse than useless. Wit
and humor sufficient for all the purposes of
life are furnished in the ordinary course of
things. God made these poor creatures men;
they are dissatisfied until they make them
selves apes. The same holds of the newspapers
exclusively devoted to jests. If such papers as
the Police Gazette are sources of direct corrup-
ton, these would-be funny papers are breeders
OF dearth and vanity, of street-corner and bar
room clowns. Pure, genuine, healthful mirth
is not promoted, but perverted, by such sorry
professional okeTs, by such vapid, sickly
papers, and all shows that correspond with
such papers and with such men. Life, indeed,
as we have seen, has its mirthful side, but the
mirth must be tributary TO earnestness; it
must whet the scytne for work; it must be such
as not to invade purity; such as will not unit,
but Mt for labor; such as can dwell comfortably
by the side OF religion. Indeed, all the amuse-
ments, all the recreatlons, all the mirth, all
the laughter of life, ought to be simply out
erOwths of Christian cheerfulness. There are
special times to laugh, particular manifesto
tions of mirth, hours when wit and humor
VIII make special demands upon our attention;
but mirth or laughter, in the sense of Chris
tian cheerfulness, should 90 with us through
the current of life.
The Apostle means this when he says, ''Re-
joice eveImore;" and again, when he says, ''Be
careful for nothing;n and stlll again, when he
says, THAT he has learned in whatsoever state
he is Herewith to be content;n and vet once
more, when he says, "He is sorroWful vet al
ways rejoicing" This is q state of perpetual
cheerfulness. When there is no wit cleaning,
M N,g .aN~- LII