The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-09-23
Evil OF Church Festivals.

A correspondent of the Advance, the
able and popular Congregationalist
tjournal of Chicago, thinks that not only
are the railing features sometimes
found in church festivals wrong, but
that the festivals themselves, as usually
conducted, are an evil. He says:
Ice-cream and rich cake are not con-
ductive to health. Every one, who at
tends the festival, will be the worse the
next morning for having eaten them.
Then, that part of the wealth of the
community which is converted into
these articles is worse than lost. Nor
is the festival any gain to the church.
There will always be some OF this rich,
costly provision left, which will be eth
er given to the poor, or consumed by
the families that provided the festival /;
but in either case this is dead loss.
For such luxuries do the poor no good.
And the families providing the. festival
cannot afford such, else they are able
to give to the church as much money as
as they will realize fromsthe festival.
Now unless they can realize more
money from the festival than the total
cost, including the material, the labor,
etc, used, not only in those articles
which are sold, but also in those which
are left, and given away, there is moth
ing made by the festival. But in order
that they may realize more than this,
they must charge more for their arti-
cles than tney are worth. Nothing can
make an article worth more than the
whole cost OF its production, except the
law of demand and supply. But this
law cannot operate here. If they
charge more for their articles than they
are worth, this is not honest. No man
will willingly pay more for an article
than ii is worth. And fhe be swindled
out of his money by the smiles and
smooth words of q woman, morally
speaking, how much better is it, than,
if he We're swindled by the smiles and
smooth words of "a city confidence MANI
He was not willing to give. more than
the article was worth because it was
going to the church, else there was no
need of the festival-he would have
given without.
But is not the social entertainment
worth something? Nobody keeps So
cial enjoyment for sale. They may
furnish means necessary for such en-
joyment-a house to meetin, etc. But
tlSSS dfC DdIl VI tilC SOob Ci thS
festival. If any man rents his house
for festal occasion, he has no right to
charge more than the use of it, for the
evening, is worth. "'
If, then, there is anything made by a
festival, it is dishonesty made.
Now, from whom does the money
received come? Not from the wealthy.
Not from those who are settled in life,
and have a competence. But chiefly
from young men. Rather than appear
close and stingy, at such place, a
young man will spend his last dollar.
Before he will ask for " one dish of ice
cream with two spoons in it," he will
give his whole living and some bor-
rowed capital. Thus the church en-
courages her young men in prodigal
waste of their earnings.
And, then, eating such rich diet, at
so late an hour, is as destructive to
health as any other species of intem-
perance. The success of the festival
depends upon the amount of intemper-
ance INDUCED. Will you take the price
of intemperance to build house for
the soul-to preach temperance in ?
Whoever would give unto the Lord
must do it cheerfully; for the Lord
loveth cheerful giver. But giving to
the Lord is the last thought that enters
anybody's mind on such an occasion.