St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-01-22

er God for men who had buried them
selves deeper and deeper under care and
trouble-prayers made under such SUI
perincumbent violation of Gods law
served but very little except as exclama-
tion points. Uaughter.) There was
beauty in moral as well as material
things. Why should men separate con-
science from beauty Mus: beauty or
| pleasure forever seem enervating and
self-indulgent Were they never to have
race of men strong, healthy, full OF
terpenetrated with beauty? He did not
believe that this world was hopelessly
condemned, and all that we had to DO
was TO scramble out of it. This world
was meant to be beautiful, and we were
put here, as Adam and Eve in Eden, to
make it beautiful. Was life only to be
regarded as school house, to be cut and
hacked, and where the children were on
ly glad when vacation came. The pre-
paration OF men for the next world de
pended on their making beautiful house
holds, and in ditfusing intelligence, JUS
I 'iN', i'" ''h0 i'uiuy vi dulIllIlstIdllOn
The Gospel was not to be regarded as a
wreckers' boat, that goes out to grasp as
many as possible before the ship went
down. To get safely across and out of
the world was not our only business We
were builders Of the world, and every man
ought to do something to make it more
beautiful, and was bound in honor to
strive 10 make it better place for
the education of his children than it was
for him. To neglect the world to save
your own soul was piece of pititul, sell
fish cowarlice. 1t was TO destroy vour
soul, or TO make it such that it was not
much matter whether it was saved or
lost. Laughter.) Whatever made So
ciety more beautiful was directly promo
tive of reli gion in the church that made
world what 1t ought TO be-, but religion
in society. \ church that was good in
side, and good for nothing out, was good
for nething-who cared for it. A green
house was Il good thing in winter, but il
didn't change the climate. What men
wanted was not charming churches, but
summer cheer, smiles, cheerfunesS, hap
plness, outbrcaking jovtulness and merri-
meat. For this end amusements were
important. 1t was the business of enjoy
ment to take off the care and strife of the
real business of life Entertainments
which brought men together and tended
TO make them happy promoted charity.
good will and amability. The more We
knew men the fewer saints we should
find, but II great deal more of u better
class of sinners than we supposed
Uaughter.) lie would deduct nothing
tr"" rational cohIieIy. but add to II ra-
tional mrth He would not circum-
scribe enterprise but make it less eXclu-
sive, less worldly. lie would not teach
any the less that life was pilgrimage
through Il wilderness, but would encour-
age the pllgrlms 10 plant few flower,
rs they w.nt, 50 that their children might
walk through the garden of the Lord
Europe, which was tar behind us in
many elements of popular welfare. was
before us i'll answering the question how
to be amused for it was by popular
amusements that the kings OF the Old
World kept the people obcdent. 1t was
not pleasures that had degraded Europe
He even believed that amuscments had
kept alive the national spirit under wrongs
that would have otherwise crushed the
people down to mere animalism. 1t was
asked. 'Nhy should not duty be pleas
ure enough iur 4 Christian man" That
would depend upon what kind the duty
was. Was the duty OF the sailor in the
torecaStlc the duty of starving Spital-
fields weaver, such duties that could con-
fer all the enjoyment that men needed
There were tens of thousands whose duty
had not pleasant sound for the ear, "a
pleasant sight for the eye. Snail We, III
our abundance, say TO those men in their
leanneSS, "1ou ought to find happiness
in your duty. How much amusement
would the child who placed pins in Il row
ali day long find in his duty There
was the undertaker's boy, tell him to put
his heart in his work and be cheerful
(Laughter.) In avocations which fed
the thoughts, people ought to put their
hearts into them. The mind craved
change and variety, and amuscments
came to sweeten the disposition, to re-
new vitality and give joy to the soul
Amusement or pleasure, pursued as the
business Of life, was immoral, usually
dreary and productive of eHla. Every
one reioiced i'll Il jovial, manly laugh.
but n person who was always laughing
was nuisance. Occasional wit was Il
source Of enjoyment, but person who
continually tried to be witty was a bore.
No amusements were good for a man If
they untitled him for the duties of life
Ii they did SO they were eiththcr an cx-
cess or wrong. Some Of the amusemcnts
of fashionable society were extravagant,
excessive, driving men to excess i'll slim
ulants, and were INDUCED in, not for ra-
tional entertainment, but for vanity and
ostentation. Nothing was more inno-
cent than the dancing of young people
under the spreading trees in summer, or
under the eye OF wise parents at home
Balls, however, which were kept up all
night, he would not say that they VIOLA
ted moral principal-they were condemn
ed before they got half way to that high
court by the common sense of all sensi-
bic people. In the name of sound amuse-
ment he protested against them. Pub
lie balls found men happy and left them
miserable, and turned joy into dismal
anguor. 1t was necessary for the peo-
pie to select the amusements that would
be beneficial to them. y scholar should
not play chess. A dignified man should
occasionally try to be trolicsome and a