The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-24
:. c1RIsTIAS VIEW OF ABUSE.
- MKHTS.
1nauenee OF the Theatre, the Rail
-Rooli, Cards and WIne.DFfnking.

?
The hamusement question" has excl
ted an unWonted degree 'of attention
lately, both In the pulpit and the press.
Among those who discuss 1t, We ind
no small diyersity Of opinion. Several
readers of the IRdependent have re-
quested an expression of my views on
some Of these con:roVerted points, and
they arc certainly welcome 10 such Of
my Impressions on these points as can
be packed into brief article. Il
/. I believe In a cheerful religion, and
that the person who keeps Gods com.
mandmentH has right to be happy.
But, as said in my late article on
"Sunshine," cheerfuluesa must come
from within; and guilty conscience,
and ungodly heart have no right 70
expect happiness, even amid scenes OF
seGuberanI merTiment. IT people
would feed and enliYen their souls with
pure pleasures, they would have less
hankering for impure, What fills the
bathroom, the gaming house and the
manifestations? The passion for
stfu1WLati0n-the thirst for gross enjoy
ments by those who never taste higher
more Graves such indulgencieS than a
healthy man requires the stimulation
OF alcohol. III lcH Oh rlql-- 80
9. believe, too, that recreation is
needfnI for. the body and the mind.
Wise people seek It wisely. One hnds
it in books, another in music, another
In athletic sports and on horseback,
another in boating, others, like Lyman
Beecher and DR.. Bethune, in a fishing
rod and trout brook. a visit to
ball ground recreates one man; visit
to picture gallery recreates another.
The comprehensive rule that / have al
ways preached TO my congregation is
this: whatever makes the body healthi-
er or the mind clearer and the heart
purer Is good recreation. On the other
hand, whatever stimulates any passion
is dangerous and hurtful amusement.
believe that this Is safe rule for eV-i
cry Christian conscience, and for pa
rents to observe In deciding on the pro-
per recreation for their children.
Now let these two simple rules be APP
piled TO the theatre, and the character
ofthat amussmentb be judged accord
iuglY. do not refer 70 the occasional
Influence Of an exceptional play upon
an exceptional attendant on the excl
ting performances Of the stage; bnt to
the sum total OF the influence Of the
whole theatre-both behind and before
the cuTtafn-on its habitual patrons.
Does the playhouse Of America h1bitH-
ally elevate and purify the
mind, or merely stimulate the
passions 1t is sought out by
its deyotees for pure recreation,
or for mere stimulRtion2 Are Christian
parents so hard pushed for healthful
entertainment for their children that
they must take their daughters to wit
ness the "Black Crook" and their sons
TO listen to the ribaldries of "AmiHidab |
SIeek?': Have Christians a moral right |
to give their money 70 support an in
81 Hnh RIAL
the grossest appetites OF human nRture2
Are conscientious young men made |
better, or ale bad young men and wO- |
men made worse, by frequent attend
ance to the theatre2 These are fair,
honest questions, to which the adVo-
Gates of the modern playhouse must
FetuFn an answer uTg 'St1-eia 81.
8. The theatre must be judged by its |
aggregate Influence on body, mind and |
heart. So must promiscuouS dancing. |
We no more. deny that there is such a |
thing as innocent dancing in many a |
private parlor than we deny that there |
is innocent jumping of rope. But |
what are the features of this amuse-
ment that both increase its tacina- |
tons and its dangers, and have
the conscientious oppo- |
sition of thousands of our Wisest |
people2 Let me name few of them. |
Many Of the popular dances especi- |
ally those styled ''round dances"-l
bring the two sexes into indelicate |
with each other. They |
animal appetites. Both the |
style of dress and the movements of the |
dance have a tendency to fire the pas
sionsS Again, the deVotees Of the ball
room keep late hours, aud indulge in
midnight conYivalities of the table.
The preparations for an evening assem-
bly, commonly consume a great deal of
money, time, and thought; the particle
patton In the gayeties of the dancing
hall leads to frivolity and passionate
excitements; the recollections Of the
scenes leave no pure satisfactiOns in
a healthy mind. The BALLROOM is no
place to makea young person healthiers
happier, or purer; on the contrary, ir
has corrupted tens of thousands, and
driven from their minds every serious
thought. The dance, like the theatre,
must be judged by its aggregate inFm-
e11ee; and thoroughly believe that its
influence Is TO stimulate the passions
and to corrupt the conscience. III were
forced to decide whether there should be
no dancing at all in the community, or
such dancing as now makes up the ag-I
Rregate Of this amusement, I would in
stAntly say, Let the whole thing be
nitely oVerbalance the occasional fecfe-
alton found under exceptional circum-
stances. When Christians are invited
or importuned to give their counte-
nance to an amusement so slim ulating
to passion, extrRyagance, and friYolity,
let them take counsel of conscience and
the Word of God; and they are always
right when they can SO act as to satisfy
both. In disputed questions the Chris
10 VN1uRa 10 mr. no fa
are assuredly quite enough innocent
recreations open to follower Of Christ
without yenturing over the line into
amusements that are dangerous or eVen
d0Ibgul. II Christians do not keep up
to high standard, they will inevitably
be dragged down into sinful and soul
wounding compliances with "the.
/ 4. Aword or two now on cards and
wine-glasses." One OF the correspon-
dents of the Independent lately DOM
planned of me for coupling these things
together. did so .purposely. Of
course, 1 did not mean to assert that
every drinker plays cards, or every
card player Carries long at the wine."
mean that both are dangerous, and
are equally dangerous; for the one,
leads TO gambling, and the other to
drunkenness. If no man handles cards,
there Will be no gamblers at the card.
table; IL no man hampers with alcoholic
beverages, there will be no drunkards'
When young man becomes fond of
cards, he is on the road toward gam
bling; when he grows fond ofthe social
glass, he Il, on The road toward intern
perance. Twould not assert that every
person who sets out on either of these
two perilOus roads goes on to the two
terrible goals OF ruin; but do mean to
assert that the only safe course Is to
keep out VI both these roads entirely.
Amendment clergyman of New York,
once said in a published discourse that
on coming into the parlor of promi-
nent and benevolent Christian gentle.
man, on certain evening, he found
70 nYIy ! ETu-urnEI RV1Prrfaaa sf1T,t Ala -