The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-05-13
ON TRIAL.
Opera-H ousos, Theaters, Bowling
Alleys, Skating Kinks, Etc.
Thoughts Drawn from the Destruction OF
the Temple by Samson-sermon by
Rev. T. De witt Tai
mage, ID. ID.

"Opera- houses, theaters, bowling-al-
leys, skating-rinks, and all styles
Of amusement, good and bad, on
trial" The text was from Judges,
xvi, %: "And it came to pass when their
hearts were merry that they said: Call
for Samson, that he may make US sport.
And they called for Samson out of the
prison house, and he made them sport"
Mr.. Talmage said:
There were three thousand people as
sembled In the Temple of Dagon. They
had come to make sport Of eyeless Sam
son. They were all ready for the enter
tainment. They began to clap and pound,
impatient for the amusement to begin, and
they cried; "Fetch him out Fetch him
outW Yonder I see the blind old giant
coming, led by the hand Of child into the
very midst Of the temple. At his first ap-
pearance there goes up q shout Of laughter
and derision. The blind old giant pretends
he is tired and wants to rest himself
against the pillars Of the house. So he
says to the lad who leads him: "Show me
where the main pillars are" The lad does
90. Then the strong man puts his right
hand on one pillar, and with the mightiest
push that mortal ever made throws him
self forward until the whole house comes
down In thunderous crash, grinding the
audience like grapes In a wine-press.
Sand 80 1t came to pass when their hearts
were merry that they said: Call for
Samson, that he may make us SPORT And
they called for s amson out Of the prison.
house, and he made them sport" In other
words, there are amusements that are de-
structive and bring down disaster and
death upon the heads Of those who prac-
tce them. While they laugh and cheer
they die. The three thousand who per-
ished that day in the GAIA are as nothing
compared with the tens Of thousands who
have been destroyed body, mind and soul
by bad amusements and by good amuse-
ments carried to excess.
In this course of sermons I am now
preaching you must have noticed that
have no sympathy with ecclesiastical
ytrait-jackets or with that Wholesale de-
hunciation Of amusements to which many
are pledged. There are q great many who
denounce ball-playing. They hate pug
Eles. They despise charades. They alb
hor tableaux. They say: "Away with
all parlor gamesl" They talk as II they
would like 10 have our youth dressed In
blue uniform, like the children Of an orphan
asylum, and march down the path of life
10 the tune Of the "Dead March in Saul.p
They hate blue sash or a rosebud in the
hair or a tasseled gaiter, and think a man
almost ready for Sing Sing who utters a
eonundrum. Young Mems Christian Asso-
Citations Of the country are doing q glorious
work. They have fine reading-rooms, and
all the influences are OF the best kind, and
are now adding gymnasiums and bowl
lng-alleys, where, without any evil
surroundings, our young men may
get physical as well as spiritual
Improvement. We are dwindling away
10 -chested, weak-armed,
feeble-voiced race. When God calls US 10
work in which He wants physical as
well as spiritual athletes, l would to God
that the time might soon come when In
all our colleges and theological seminaries,
as at Princeton, gymnasium shall be
established. We spend seven years oi
hard study in preparation for the minis
try, and come out with bronchitis and
dyspepsia and liver complaint, and then
crawl up into the pulpit, and the people
say: "Don't he look Hoavenlyp because
be looks sickly. Let the Church Of God
direct rather than attempt TO suppress the
desire for amusement. The best men that
the world ever knew have had their
.un.+. IUtItian, JVfIbarforoa tr,,ndi al
hoop with his children. Martin Luther
helped dress the Christmas tree. Minis
ters have pitched quoits. Philanthropists
have gone a-skating. Prime MinisterC
have played ball.
Show me a man who never lights uI
with sportfulness and has no sympathy
with the recreations Of others, and will
show you man who Is a stumbling block
TO the Kingdom Of God. Such men are
caricatures OF religion. They lead young
people TO think that man is good In pro-
portion as he groans and frowns and looks
sallow, and that the height Of q mans
Christian stature is In proportion TO the
length Of his face. would trade Off five
hundred SUCH men for one bright-faced
FhulunJ InTlbJluu on WuOso IuCo uTe Tue
words: "Rejoice evermorep Our reli-
glon is a bright angel-feet bright, eyes
bright, wings bright. Taking her place in
In the soul, she pulls rope that reaches
10 the skies and sets all the bells Of Heav-
en- a-chiming. There are some persons
who when talking to a minister always
feel II polite 10 look lugubrious. Go forth,
opeople, to your lawful amusement God
means you to be happy. But when there
are so many sources Of innocent pleasure
why tamper with anything that is dan
gerous aud pollutingS
Now, all opera-houses, theaters, bowl.
ing-alleys, skating -rinks, and all styles Of
amusement, good and bad, put on trial
to-day, and Judge Of them by certain car
dinal principles First, you may Judge Of
any amusement by It's healthful result, OF
by It's baleful reaction. II an amusement
sends you home at night nervous so you
can not sleep, and you rise In the morning,
uot because you are slept out, but because
your duty drags you from your slumbers
you have been whore you ought not to
have been. There are amusements that
send man next day TO his work blood
shot, yawning, stupid, nauseated, and they
are wrong kinds Of amusement. There are
entertainments that give man disgust
with the drudgery OF life, with tools be-
cause thew aro not awords, with working.