Morning journal and courier., 1885-11-09
THE SKATING KINKS.

Rev. Dr. Peck Discourses On ssThe
 Noise of The Battling of The
 Wheels''-A Large Audience Listens
 To Him.
 At Trinity M. E. church last evening Rev. Dr. Peck preached discourse on skating rinks, taking for his text Nahum 3, 3: .."And the noise of the rattling of the wheels" In his opening remarks he said: It is the skating rink, and not against roller skating, that the protest is made. In the house, on the sidewalk, or in private halls, where roller skating began, it was morally pure and harmless. Not one word can be said in con- demnation of the exercise as it first appeared And the same may be said, in some cases, of it's first public exhibitions. But no popular amusement can so speedily become fascina- tion, then a craze, and finally nuisance and corruption, as the skating rink. It is the rink that is condemned by the moral sentiment of public opinion. I mean the public opinion that is governed by moral sentiment. Why has the skating rink received more swift and universal condemnation by the friends and guardians of public morals than was ever fulmipated against any other popu- lar diversion in the same period of time? Certainly not because the skating was wrong. It has always been acknowledged innocent Certainly not because there was any desire to frown on the amusement by moral and religious people. At first it was sanctioned by many clergymen and Christian parents gave it approval. It was fairly and approyingly tried It spread rapidly under public favor. It's influence and tendencies were carefully noted. Bad reports began to come of it's evil effects. Friends still hoped. The demoralizing influences multiplied. The craze ran wilder The corruptions became notorious. Religious and respectable people
 4I,l The loose and immoral element in society saw their opportunity. The billiard saloons, the liouor dens and theaters emptied large crowds of their ungodly crews into the rink The vile of both sexes saw fresh pastures in the pure young people there for their hungry passions. opportunities that had never been opened to them before. With the swoop of ypltnres % and the rapacity of wolves they swept down on the rink. Elopements, se- ductions. ruin of families, breaking hearts, parents crushed, homes despoiled suicides, as the result of hirtations and chance ac- uuaintances at the rink, swelled into sob of sorrow and vail Of anguish Shat swept ov- CT the land. Within five years after the rink became general, starting with the favor and patronace of the better elements of society, by those same clements it was more univer- sally renounced and denounced.
 You say it is a pity that a confessedly in-1 nocent exercise cannot be preserved uncon- taminated for our young people. So say we all C 'Tis true, 'tis pity; tis pity 'tis true" There is no hope of it ever becoming safe and innocent place for Christian families to patronize. The evils are inherent and in- eyitable. Not the roller skating, but the rink is the corrupting institution that is in evitably dangerous and pernicious. And it is bound to sink into extinction by the weight of it's vicious influence, and the soon- sr the obseques are performed the better for public morals.
 The doctor then proceeded to produce the