Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-12-23
A Holiday Warning.

The Christian Advocate, of Nash.
vile, makes the approaching festival
season the occasion Of the following
editorial sermon to the members Of
the Methodist Church:
The Christmas and New Years
holidays are coming on, and despite
| the pressure of the times we may ex-
pect the usual frivolity and dissipation.
1t is passing strange that Christian
festivals should be turned into hea-
then Satmaaiid. The greatest won
der of all this is that any of the peo-
pie called Methodists' should have any
fellowship with these vnfruitful works
of darkness, when it would be so rea-
sonably expected that they would
rather reprove them What degene-
rate sons of holy sires Imagine the
Wesleys and Fletchers, the Cokes and
Asburys, taking part iii Christmas dis
sipations and New Years frivolities I
and mind you, these holy men were
notstrait-laced Puritans--theye enjoyed
social intercourse and innocent recre-
ations-their religion was not glum and
ascetic-it was cheerful and attractive.
We want you to be like them. Have
your Christmas-trees, and feasts, and
cheerful family reunions, make your
New Years calls, give and receive
your holiday presents, eat the fat, and
drink the sweet, and send portions to
them for whom nothing is prepared.
But withal see that you have your
Christmas services-sermons, songs,
and the like, testifying your joy and
gratitude at the Redeemers birth.
Christmas at all.
Especially do we beg and entreat
you to abstain from the dangerous GUS
toms of the holiday season-playing
cards for amusement, INDUCING in the
social glass, and the like. We we're
brought up in rigid Dissent - cards
and dice, as the DEVILS vice, were I'M
known in our family. We believe the
first game of cards we ever saw played
was at Christmas party 10 the house
of a Church. of England neighbour
Young ladies' showed US the mysteries
of those spotted pieces of pasteboard.
1t was well for us that we had received
better training and turned that train
ing to account. We saw the danger
which luTked In that amusement, as
well as the indulgence of the moderate
use of intoxicating beverages, and In
early life renouneed tLem forever
This is the only safeguard. 1t is vain
to plead Scripture precedent for the
use of intoxicating beverages. We do
not live where wine and oil are among
the great staples of food, and where
they might be obtained pure and whole
some and nutritious, and be used ac-
eordingly. We have beverages which
suit our climate better than wine,
which is rarely needed by persons in
good health, among us--and which in
deed can rarely be obtained pure and
wholesome.
I'VE beg housekeepers, especially
ladies, to be particularly on their guard
during the holidays, and not offer the
ruby cup to their friends, young or
old, who may call to give them the
of the season. Young
men will think vastly more of young
ladies who offer them cake and fruit,
and coffee and lemonade, than those
who tempt them with the intoxicating
glass. We are told that in some pla-
ces young men drink glass of wine at
so many houses when making New
Years calls, that, before the day is
past and gone, they are gone beyond
the bounds of sobriety-in short, are
drunk with wine, wherein is excess
Who is responsible for this? Those
who drink to drunkenness? OF course;
but who is particeps criminis? Every
young lady or other person who has
set before them the temptation. Take |
care, take care! Be not partakers of
other mems sins; especially see that
you are not the occasion of their com
mission.