Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-05-06
TALMAGE THE GREAT PREACHER,
ROLLER SKATING.
We publish few extracts.


ROLLER SKATING.
We publish few extracts.
Are the roller skates wheels of help like
those Which Ezekiel hesrd7
The noise of the wheels over against
them;' and Nahum iii, 2: '"The noise of
the rafting of the Wheels
Never within my memory or yours has
there been in this country such wide,
deep, high popular agitation on the sub
]ect OF amusements, and all ministers of
religion, and all parents, aud all young
people, and all old people must answer
the question, and answer it right, and
have reason for the answer Let me
premise that have for twenty five years
been waiting for some new style of
amusement, healthful for body and mind,
hoping 1t might come in time to rescue
this generation. Such amusements have
been appallingly scarce. PleLty of
places to blast and blight and consume
body, mind and soul. Never any lack of
gambling saloons. Plenty of places
where you can lose ten cents or a house
and lot or all you have in one night
Plenty of drinking saloons where the
owner by outlay of twenty dollars worth
OF alcohol can mix up stuff that he sells
for $3.50. They will let young man
have all he wants as long as his money
lasts-one glass, two glasses, three glass
es, four glasses-and then when, having
felt IN all his pockets for more money, it
is demonstrated that he has not so much
as postage stamp left, they will help
him into the street to look after himself,
for rum sellers never help their victims
home lest getting to the door they con-
front the mother or wife to whom God
might lend one of His smaller thunder
bolts with which she could strike the
despoiler into ashes. Plenty of gates Of
hell, and all of them wide open, saying
Come in ! Come in !" What our young
people want in their amusement is recre-
alton for body and soul; something that
will allow them to be asleep on their pill
low at II o'clock every night, and awake,
fully rested, at 7:30 in the morning; some
thing that will put our boys and girls at
the goal of manhood and womanhood
ready for useful and practical life, not
inyalids at 10 and 20 and 81, not splinters
of humanity, not masculine or feminine
apologies, but ready to command respect
and with their own right arm. under God,
shove aside all obstacles. Should we
favor this style of amusement lanswer:
Yes, under restrictions, and no, if it be I'M
thing or the worst, as you makeit. Some
of these Kinks have already been the
means of helping invalids. and invlgora-
ton of the feebler, and innocent pleasure
to thousands of young, middleaged and
old. To me, rightly precautioned roller
skating IS the most beautiful and heath
full exercise [ ever witnessed. 1t eclipses
in gracefulness and healthy movement all
the croquet and coasting and lawn tennis
and football and moonlight gliding over
frozen pond, and all the other hilarities
of house and playground. 1t is good for
the lungs, good for the limbs, good for
the circulation, good for the spirits.
see in it possibilities for the best exercise
ever invented. 1t has all the advantages
OF the gymnasium with more eXhileration
of the spirits. 1t has all the exuberance
of the skating pond on which our fathers
and mothers used to dart out, tippeted
and furred, with none of the dangers of
vivacity of outdoor games without being
dependent on condition of the weather
1t would be grand thing if all our
young men could for one hour almost
| every evening take round at this merri-
! mcnt. The women of America who de-
! cline the stout, brisk walk called the con-
stitutional, which keeps English women
| roseate and strong. would do we'll if al,
most every day or night they would leave
darning and mending and bread making
and parlor busting and table-setting and
housekeeping for one hour and join the
whirl oftthe skating rink. Some of these
hollow checks would fill up, and some Of
| these lack-luster eyes would get back
their lost sight, and stopped shoulders
would become erect, and incipient con-
sumptives and merciless ncuralgias and
nervous prostrations would take ever
| lasting departure. 1t would be we'll if
the stranger in our hotels after spending
| the day in purchasing goods for his west
ern house would in the evening go to
some respectable rink and hire pair of
skates, and, independent of everybody
hour of flight in the charmed circle and
under the inspiration of the orchestra, and
then go back to his hotel and say his
prayers and go to dream of home.
! But while these are the possibilities Of
health and recuperation in this exercise on
wheels many have used it, to the damag-
! ing of body, mind and soul and hence
speak of the restrictions. First, let us
have no more of this vulgarity and i'm
modesty seen every nj ght in our city OF
young women alone and unattended,
skating in Kinks and forming indiscrimi-
nate acquaintanceships Let such young
persons be chaperoned by father or moth
or, brother or elder sister. When man,
however well dressed, on the floor with
out proper introduction, tips his hat to a
lady, let the officer of the rink. always on
guard, invite him to make rapid strides
toward the door and help hun down the
front steps with any such means of in
creasing his momentum as may be sug'
gested Let those Well-drcssed devils
quick justice and our skating Kinks will
be as free of them as Friday night pray
er-meeting. Let all those who wish pro
perly to employ this entertainment not
allowlthe blaze Of lights and the enchant
ment of dreams tempt them to senseless
and ruinous prolongation of the ampse
| ment.
Accept no unwarrantable gallantries
know shat the same law that dominates
the parlor should dominate the skating
Kinks; know that the evil reprehend is
not confined TO the skating Kinks. There
are parents in all our cities who need tC
look more carefully after their children.
In other words filtration is damnation
A craze on anything is deplorable. Strip
the roller skate Of it's craze, and substi-
tute common sense. When God made
boys and girls he intended them to BE-
boys and girls until called to other con
ditiens. They will come to the hard tug
of life soon enough. Let them now pre-
pare the broad shoulders and the robust
frame, which after you are under the
ground will be taxed to the utmost. Lei
the skating rink directors and managers
join with parents in grand conspiracy
to overthrow the feeble health and ply.
steal stagnation of our cities and the grog-
shops and the places of bad amusement
will be empted and the coming genera
tons will have vigor rebounding and
athletic In some way the longevity of
the human race is to be improved, and
the average human life increased from &c
years to $50. AS it is now we hardly get
an education and start in our profession
and occupation before we are emeritus.
We die at the opening of the conflicts of
life at Bull Run instead of Gettysburg.
Let it not be matter of contest who can