Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-28
too much of our christian liberty-to use
our liberty to the detriment of those who
are weak in the faith.

| OF the opinion than am that the mirth
full side Of our nature needs to be provid>
ed for. Nothing is easier than to mana-
facture sins and to displace the ten COM
mandments with hundred of our owe.
There is solemnity that is more sinful
than laughter. Some men never laugh.
but have a ready talent for condemuing
laughter in others. What they lack in
mirth they make up in consciousness.
! They have but small endowment of life
to answer for and cannot comprehend the
many sided men, who. while open TO all
the influences of mirth. have their holy
hours of deep devotion. But while such
| men as have described are to be found
In every community, this community
does not seem to be in danger of being
| Overrun by. them. The danger is in the
opposite direction. There are too m any
who have named the name of Christ, who
do not preserve with sufficient distinct-
ness the line which separates those who
love God from those who love him not
l sm confronted every day by some
| christian who exclaims: What Am |
| to give up my pleasures because there are
| persons called weak brethren in the
worldf These pleasures are to me per-
fectly legitimate and think it unreason-
able that any man should be offended at
them" Now this seems a strong case
when viewed from any point but
that of christian philanthropy. To be
able to look at pleasure and yet
to keep 1t at arms length for
the sake of a brother is the highest at
tainment of discipline. In proportion as
man gives up any enjoyment for the
sake of his brother man who is liable to
fall, he gets at least a distant glimpse of
the Divine Philauthropist who pleased
not himself" Not only does there seem
little disposition now days, to practice
this self discipline in regard to things that
are innocent enough in themselves, but it
is obvious that christians allow them
selves a much greater latitude with re
gard to their social enjoyments than for
merly. Old scruples have certainly been
surrendered. The time was when men
who made no pretentions to piety were
able to find sufficient recreation for them
selves within. at all events, the line drawn
by the law of the land, but it seems that
We have arrived at day when even
christians in order to crafty their desire
for amusements may band themselves to-
gether. and boldly bid these laws def
ance. Were all indicted, who, according
to the most obvious reading of the laws
of this state prohibiting gambling, are
indictable. | would not undertake to Say
to what extent our churches would be
represented among the number. But
apart from this aspect of the subject,
am constrained to raise my voice against
some of the popular amusements of our
| 1at hnn . ha,r IA,
upon the heart and conscience, because
of their direct tendency to lower the
standard of christian morality. and be
cause of the effectualness with which they
obliIera,e moral distinctions in the minds
of the young and rising generation. Ny
| protest is against everything that is a
menace to religion, and Expressive of
/ prayerful seriousness. plead with you to
give countenance or aid to nothing that
! is not in strictest keeping with the great
i unwritten but inviolable law of christian
| expectancy. Do not be seduced by the
popular casuistry that because it is
| coupled with the name of charity or
! church that gambling is tantamount to
| giving. and the ball room is trans
| formed into temple of christian
ben s6cence If you can give anything
to relieve the poor and the suffer-
ing, in the name Of the dear Jesus
who pitied us and gave his life to save
+, US, give it and he will reward you, but do
not compromise your religious principles
and do not degrade any good cause by
adopting methods for supporting it that
require you to come down from the lofty
plane of pure christian life. To sup
port churches or charities by means of
lotteries, rsfiles. grab bags, etc, is con-
trary TO the very genius of true christian
benef1cence, and that any poor, sickly
child of sorrow or disease must find his
entrance into a hospital through the
splendidly decked avenues of living
beings VINO stand in stately dignity in the
ball room to let him pass. seems to me
like the modern version of the Dance of
Death" Of all the humbugs that are
perpetrated in the name of christian
charity, this seems to me the biggest.
would not ask you to give up a sin
| gle innocent amusement. l wish to God
christian parents did more than they do
to provide for their children such recrea
tons as would make their homes so at
tractive that they would never be tempted
to steal away in search Of more congenial
companionship. l believe that church
life too is too narrow in the range of its
sympathies. Our church buildings are too
exclusively temples of doctrine. The
sterner side OF christianity is not seldom
too obtrusive, and an almost total blight
rests upon the joyward side of life.
Christianity excludes dissipation as
destruct tive, it fosters recreation as not
only diverting but profitable. 1t will
doubtless seem to some pedantic to
argue that there should be as much in
telligence employed about our recrea>
tions as about our more serious pursuits,
but moments thought will serve to
create the impression that what has not
the endorsement of reason is seriously de
fective in character. "A short life and
q merry one, is the cry of dissipation.
"A noble life and an eternal one" is the
creed of the man who has learned the
secret of life from God.
THE BATTLE ONLY BEGUN.
While the bombardment opened yes
terday in two city pulpits may not be the
advance movement Of a preconcerted
general attack, there are others to fol
low. Mr.. Marquis having announced to
his congregation yesterday that he would
preach on dancing next Sunday evening
An Instructive Entertainment.
One of the most instructive entertain
ments of the season will be Mcdonald
lecture at Harper's theatre, on Wednes
day, on PICTURESQUE Italy: Past ant