Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-01-01
HOW TO AMUsE OURSELVES.
a Lay Sermon ON Popular Amusements.
(F,om the Prairie au Chen Union.)


-Eccle, iii, IL
"Use this world as not abusing i'll Corinthians
} vii, 81.
! LET every one be fully persuaded in his own
| mind.-RomGns xiv, o.
A few weeks since the Rev. Mr..
Clapp, of the Congregational charch
of this city, delivered a lecture to his
congregation on GLOW to amuse our
selves" The lecture was carefully
studied, and was delivered in an
earnest and christain~like spirit and
considering the extreme orthodox
doctrine of the church which he rep
resents, the lecture bore character
istioa Of common sense and liberality
1t was listened TO by very large
audience, and was commended by at
least nine out of every ten who
heard it. We thought at the time
that it was "a rational step toward
what many desire to see, little pull
pit independence, and a more con-
sistent and liberal view of a question
which has perplexed great many
churches and aroused the indigna-
ton of a great many christians. Per.
sonally we were very well pleased
with the position taken by Mr..
Clapp, and was glad to see that
spirit of liberalty and christian
charity had begun to creep in the
pulpit of an orthodox church, at last.
We wish, however, to 90 step
farther in discussing the amusement
question, and give our views as to
the extent we should attend, what is
called the popular amusements of the
day. In thus giveiDg our views, we
write after fully and seriously CON-
siderng the consequences of our po-
sition, and its influence upon young
men and young women. We do not
desire to mislead any young person,
nor inspire an influence which could
not be commended by an unpreIudic
ed aud high~minded people. We do
not desire to appeal to human pre-
JUDGES ADD passions, but rather to
common sense and reason. Neither
will we manifest any bitterness Of
spirit in making insinuating illusions
to the motives Of those who see fit TO
differ from US, on this living and vi
tally important question.
The pulpit has been unrelenting
for years in denouncing dancing, |
theatres and operas. The wicked
ness and social disorder attending |
these places of amusements, is still
being Numbered from the churches. |
Without showing why or wherein |
they tend to decentralization, sinful
ness, or a destruction OF religious |
sentiments and virtuous influences, |
they have run headlong into wild de-
nunciaton, bordering on fanaticlsm.
They have never attempted to show
by logical argument, the impossible
ity Of living righteous life, and at
the Same time attend the places OF
popular amusements. They make
wholesale condemnation OF every |
kind Of amusemeDt-classi dane
ing with brawling houses, and the
legitimate with the illegitimate OPP
era and theatre. They have raised
their voices against all OF these, and
have cried them down on the ground
that they beget immortality OF spIr-
it and loose and unsertousness OF
living. They seem to think that 1T
is their special mission, in the name
of Christ and Ills religion, to "drive
out what little juice there g re-
naming in our modern society ; and
hence they never think of our over
worked people, how thousands are
being literally starved to death for
want of some healthful, heightened,
and fascinating amusements.
We start out with our text, 'to
everything there is a season, and
time to every purpose under heaven
and, "use this world as not abusing |
it, as the theory of christian lie.
If q man or q woman, having the
highest regard for the teachings OF
the Bible, and sincere conscious
ness that they act in good faith as
regards their duty to themselves ana
their God, desire to attend q social
dancing party, which is free from
Immortality and vice, we see no rea'
son why they should not go and en-
ioy it's pleasures and sociabllty. |
The character Of these social parties
was never higher in point OF moral
tone than they are to-day. They |
are improving every year, and we
are glad to say are growing more IN
popular favor by the MOI intelll-
gent and refined society. When
not used to excess, or continued too |
late in the night, they become one OF
the best known agencies tor develop |
ing a sociability among our people.
| The Rev. Mr.. Stodard, who discussed |
this question at some length in this
city three weeks ago, made the
sweeping charge that no lady or
gentleman went to these parties
without being Influenced by the
worst kind Of passions; and that
they beget, as general rule, vice
and mortality. This declaration
merits the contempt of all christian
people, and it seems to Us it could
not have been made only by one
who had lost all faith in mans vir-
tue and woman's chastity. q young
man or q young woman can 90 to
the dancing hall with as much OF a
pure spirit, as those who bow BET re
the sacramental altar This world
and its pleasures are beautiful to the
person who brings q beautiful spirit
to the world. "To the pure all
things are pure" When q man tells
us that our modern society is bad,
that there is universal prevalence
of domestic inidelity, that our young
men and young women are not true
to themselves, virtuous and pure,
then we say that it is the deprayity
of his own soul that throws its shad>
ow over the society, which he de-
nounces. Virtue is the rule, and
vice only an exception. The char
acter of the social dancing parties
gotten up by the young people of