Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-03-21
HOW FOOLS MOCK AT SIN
DR.. TALMAeE's DISCOURSE ON BALE
Full ADJUSTMENTS.

I t<is T1-HfNO-O ~ @OO O''~- - 49,
Full ADJUSTMENTS.
A Careful DETERMINATIONS Between limo
cent mud Injurious Qualifications. AL
4 ways Important, Is just Now OF I'm
monso Importance.
New York, March 15.-The series of
sermons DR.. Talmage is preaching in
this city and Brooklyn on 1.-The
Plaques of the Cities is attracting gen.
eral attention. At tho .norning service
in BROOKLYN. and at the evening ser
vices held under the auspices of The
lsChristian Herald in this city. tho NUN.
ber. Of persons who come to hear the
sermons is far larger than either CT the
buildingscan nccommod The ser
mon today, which issthe fourth of the
series ser is on efnl Anlusements.
THE te 81 was ITSamue i'll Z the
tsyoung men now arise and play before
us.
There are:t@o armies encanped by
lIstIe p5el*of Gideon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army pro-
poses IL game OF sword fencing. Moth
ing could DO moro hcalthful and limo
cent. The other army accepts tho c!lal-
lergc. Twelve men against twelve
men, the sport opens But something
went adversely. Perhaps one of the
swordslncn got an unluciiy clip, or in
some way had his ire aroused, and that
which opened in sportfulncss ended in
violence, each ono taking his contest
ant by the hair and then with the
sword thrustin3 him in tho side, so
that that which opened in innocent
fun ended in the massacre of all the
twenty four sportsmen. Was there
ever a better illustration of what was
true then and is true now, that that
which is innocent may be made de-
structive3
What of worldly nature is more
important and strengthening and inno-
cent than amusement, and yet what
has counted moro victims2 have no
sympathy with strtlitjackct rclis-
ion. This is very bright world to me,
and I propose to do all l can to mako it
bright for others.
NATURES uEALTIIFUL ADJUSTMENTS.
never could keep step to dead
rmrch. A book years ago issued says
that q Christian man has right to
some aInusements. For instance, if he
comes home at night weary from his
work and, feeling tho need of recrea-
ton, puts on his slippers and goes into
his garrett and walks lively around the
floor several times, there can be no
harm in it. I believe tho church OF
God has made tremendous mistake
lin trying to suppress the sportfulncss Of
youth and drive out from men their
love Of amusement If God ever i'm
planted anything in US he implanted
sthis desire. But instead of providing
for this demand of our nature the
church Of God has, for the main part,
ignored it.
Us ma not, the mayor plants a bat
terry at the end Of the street, and has il
fired off so that everything is cut down
that happens to stand in the range,
the good as well as the bad, SO there
arc men in tho church who plant their
batteries of condemnation and fire
away indiscri7ninatcly. Everything is
condemned. But my Bible coInnends
those who use the world without abus
ing it, and in the natural world God
has done everything to please and
amuse us. In poetic figure we some
times speak of natural objects as being
in pain, but it is mere fancy. Poets
say the clouds weep. but they never
yet shed tear; and that the winds
sigh, but they never did have any
trouble; and that the storm howls, but
it never lost it's temper. The world is
rose, and the universe n garland.
And I am glad to know that in oil
our cities there are plenty of places
where we may find elevated moral en-
tertainment. But all honest men and
good women will agree with me in the
statement that one Of the worst plaques
of these cities is corrupt amusement.
Multitudes have gone down under the
blasting influence, never to rise. If we
may judge of what is gtring on in many
of the places of amusement by the Sod.
olnic pictures on board fences and in
many Of the show windows there is not
much lower depth of profiigacy to
reach. At Naples, Italy, they keep
such pictures locked up from indiscrin-
mate inspection. Those pictures were
exhumed from Pompeii, and are not fit
for public gaze. If the etfrontcry Of
bad places of amusement in hanging
out improper advertisements of what
they are doing night by night grows
worse in the same proportion, in fifty
years New York and Brooklyn will beat
not only Polnpeii, but Sodom-
To help stay the plague now raging I
project certain principles by which you
may judge in regard to any amusement
or recreation, finding out for yourself
whether it is right or whether it il
wrong.
JUDGE THEM BY THEIR FRUITS.
I remark, in the firTt place, that you
can judge of the moral character Of
any amusement by Its healthful result
or by its baleful reaction. There ore,
people who seem made up of hard
facts. They are n combination of null
tiplication tables and statistics. If you
show them an exquisite picture they
will begin to discuss the pigments in
volved in the coloring. If you show
them o. beautiful rose they will submit