The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-11

1t is curious to transport ourselves in ina
gination back to the period of early child
hood, especially if fortune should have placed
us in a family of sound evangelical princi-
pies, and to endeavor to recall the feelings
then excited in our bosoms by the name of
Sunday. Permanent amongst the associa-
tons of the day were certain sensual banker
ings after the blessings SO thankfully acknow-
lodged in grace of more than usual uuction
The roast beef and plum-pudding seemed
fully to Justify an effusion which had caught
some additional warmth from the discourse to
which we had so lately listened. The religious
observaDces did not all harmonize 50 satisfac-
torily with our tone of feeling. AT very
early period, it is true, the infant mind Is
Qratifed with the concession of certain in
tellectual dignity implied in the privilege of
going to church. Like the emergence from
petticoats to jackets, 1t marked step In that
upward progress which we welcomed with
such blind satisfaction. But our dignity
soon became rather oppressive. We took to
furtive amusements under cover of a good
old-fashioned pew; and our experiences of
that kind we're amongst the first that helped
us to perceive the horrid perversty by which
things in general are characterized in the
world. Children do not question, unless they
are objectionably precocious, the formal
teaching of their elders that it is some
how due to the eternal fitness of things
that they should take part in oere-
monies of whose meaning they have
the dimmest appreciation, and should
hear venerable person talking for half an
hour in language which might as WELL so far
as they are concerned, be so much dumb
show. 1t is doubtless as right as that they
should learn the multiplication table, or be
submitted to other hideous torments inflicted
upon the infant world. We dare in tender
years no more speculate on the general ques-
tion than cab-horse can inquire why he
should be compelled to stand for hours in
rain and snow, and suffer much for unknown
purposes at the hands of mysterious biped.
We take the good and the evil as somehow
inexplicably connected, and make a note of
the fact that what is right is often very un-
pleasant. Those dreary intervals which
eapse between church time and meals are q
greater perplexity to the infant mind. 1t
accepts indeed without hesitation, the idea
that what is harmless on one day may be
wicked on the next; and takes the strictest
Puritanical code for granted with the
utmost readiness. But as no modern
severity is unfinching enough to carry out
the theory of a Jewish Sabbath in all its pre-
cision, there arises necessity for an elaborate
system of casuistry. How to draw the line
between the amount of amusement which is
necessary concession to the weakness of the
flesh, and that which palpably amounts to
sin, is an almost insoluble problem. very
quaint illustration of the difficulty appears in
a document lately quoted by the PdU Md8
Gazette Somebody, it seems, had advertised
for set of Objectionable Sunday toys for a
child of fourteen months old. At that early
age the years of that precocious infant have
to ''bear their destined freight" reply is
made by judicious writer setting forth a
perfectly satisfactory mode of providing
amusement. The recipe for avoiding sin
without loss of pleasure is simple.
The parent should buy a couple of hundred
wooden bricks and Noah's ark, and with
that simple machinery he may set the wiles
of the tempter at defiance. The bricks are to
be used after the familiar childish fashion,
bat in illustration of Scripture narratives
The table-cloth will do for the Lake of Galilee
or for the whole of Judea, according to cir
cumstances the various inhabitants of the
ark will enliven the scene by their presence.
Slight anacbronisms will of course be over
looked Thus, for example, the conversion
of st. Paul was graphically represented by
heaping a pile of bricks for Damascus,
stretching Paul (whose part, we presume on
this occasion only, was taken by Noah) on
the ground by the side of horse from the
ark, and putting Shem, Ham, and Japhet to
contemplate him in their habitual attitudes.
A little ingenuity would doubtless be suf-
ficient to introduce the whole strength of the
company, and to find appropriate places for
all the clean and unclean animals,
This is avery pretty amusement, and plenty
of children would be quite capable of enjoy.
ing it. Indeed, it might perhaps be recon-
mended to MIR. Dixon's notice as meeting in
some degree the demand for a harmless and
universal system of religious instruction. BY
changing the names of the animals the game
might be arranged SO as to meet the views of
several different sects at once. A Jewish
child for example, could not be expected
to sympathize with the conversion of
st. Paul; but he might take the same
scene as representing the death of Absalom,
or the escape of the Israeltes from Egypt OF
any other portion of the sacred narrative.
We simply throw out this hint by the way;
but an analysis of the logical groundwork OF
this curious manifestation of sentiment
would cast a curious light upon the true
British view of the day Of rest If we might
venture to show the doctrines implicitly
accepted into the form of distinct PROPOSE
tions, we should perhaps arrive at some
thing like the following result:-In the frs
place, all amusement on Sunday is prjnll
fdcie sinful Cricket or football would bI
deadly sins, and even quiet walk would in
volve dangerous degree of tampering will
the holy ordinance. However, as the write
from whom we quote forcibly remarks
'physical vitality" is not ''a moral fault" A
child at the age, say, of fourteen month
has certain amount of nervous energ,
running to waste, which cannot b.
altogether checked, though it must b.
regarded with extreme suspicion II
the world could have been constructed accord
ing to the advice of these gentlemen, thi
,go,,ld Jonbfleus hov