The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-03-25
VILE ADJUSTMENTS.
DIR, TAlMAGE ON THE WOEFUl SF-
EEcTs OF The MODERN DRAMA.

EEcTs OF The MODERN DRAMA.
1t Distorts Real Life With Creators of
Diseased Observation-Disclosures Heroes
and ueroines Uufttin@ the Youth of
Our Land for Honest Labor.
BROOKLYN, March l5.-Dr. Talmage
lresched the fourth Of his series Of SER
nous on the Plaques of the Cities this
morning. The sermon to-day IS on Bale
ful Amusements.' The text was II
Samuel il, II: Let the young mennow
srise and play before u.s.
The foilo-ning IS substantially the SER
non:
There are two armies encamped by
tie pool of Gideon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army pro-
poses a game OF sword-fenclng. Moth
me could be more healthiul and lnno-
cent. The other army accepts the cha!-
lsnse. Twelve men against twelve men,
the sport opens. But something went
adversely. Perhaps one OF the swords
men got an unlucky clip, or in some
way had his ire aroused, and that which
openly IN sportfulneSs ended in vlo-
lence. each one taking his contestant ny
the hair. and then with the sword
thrusting him in the side; so that that
which openedin innocent fun ended IN
the massacre Of all the twenty-iour
snortsmen. Was there ever better
illustration Of what was true then, and
is true now, that that which is innocent
NAV he made destructive? What OF a
worldly nature is n ore important and
strengthening and innocent than amuse-
mem, and yet what has counted more
victims? I have no sympathy with a
straieht-iacket religion. This is a very
bright world to me, and | propose TO 40
all I can to make IL bright for Others. !.
/ never could keep step TO dead
march. A book issoed years ago says
that Christian man has right to some
amusements; for instance, if he comes
home at night wealy frorl his work, and
feeling the need Of recreation, puts on
his slippers, and goes into his garret,
and walks lively around the foo: several
times. there can be no harm IN it. be-
be;e the Church of God has made tre-
mendous mistake in trying to suppress
the sportfulness of youth and drive out
from men their love of amusement. II
God ever implanted anything IN US, he
implanted this desMe. But instead OF
providing for this demand of our nature,
the Church o. God has, for the main part,
ignored it. AS IN not, the mayor
plants battery at the end of the street,
and has it fred off, so that everything IS
cut down tbas happens to stand in the
range, the good as well as the bad, so
there are men in the Church who plant
their batteries of condemnation, and ire
away indiscriminately. Everything IS
condemned. Bu; Lay Bible commends
those who use the world without abusing
il. and in the natural world, God has
done everything to please and amuse Us.
In poetic figure we sometimes speak OF
snatural objects as being in pain, but it's
q mere fancy. Poets say the CLOUDS
weep, but they never yet shed tee:;;
and that the winds sigh, but they never
did have any trouble; and that the storm
,hoRls. but it never lost its temper. The
world IS a rose, and the universe gar
land.
And I am glad to know that IN all our
cities there are plenty of places where
We may find elevated moral entertainment.
But all honest men and good women
viii agree with me in tie state nent that
one of the worst plaques OF these cities
is corrupt amusement. Multitudes have
sgone down under the blasting influence
never to rise. five may judge OF what
IS soing on in many Of the places OF
amusement by the Sodomic pictures on
oeerd-fences, and in many OF the show
widows, there is not much lower
d isl.sh of profigacy to reach. At Nap es'
Itasy, they keep such pictures locSea Up
from indiscriminate ins soeceion. Those
pictures were exhumed FROM Pompen,
and are not fit for pubic gaze. II the
earontery of bad places OF amusement
hars,ns out improper advertisement OF
what they are doing night by night gioWs
worse in the same proportion, IN hitv
years New York and BROOKLYN will beat
not only Pompei, but Sodom. To help
STAY the plague now raging, proJecr
certain principles ~ which you may
Judge in regard to any amusement or re-
creation, finding out for yourself whether
1T is right or whether it is wrong.
remark, in the first place, that you
can judge Of the moral character OF an'
amusement by its healthful lel alt, or b7
It's baleful reaction. There are people
who seem made up of hard facts. They
are a combination Of multiplication
tables and statistics. Ifyou show th>m
an exquisite picture, they will begin to
discuss the pigments invoked IN the
coloring. If you show them beautlfu!
rose, they will submit it to botanical
analysis, which is only the post-mortem
examination of flower. They have no
rebound in their ma -are. They never &c
ANYTHING more than smile. There are
no great tides of feeling su- glng up from
the depths Of their soul, in b:llow after
billow of reverberating laughter. They
seem as If nature had built them by con-
tract, and made a bungiing job out o.
it. But blessed be God, there are peo'
ple IN the world who have bright faces.
and whose life is a song, an anthem, q
pecan of victory. Even their troubles
are like the vines that crawl up the side
of a great tower, on the top OF which the
sunlight sits, and the soft airs ofsuLl
mer hold perpetual carnival. They are
the people you like 70 have come to your
house; they are people like to have
come 70 my house. If you but tolct
the hem Of their garments, you are
healed.
Now it is these exhilarant and sympa
thetic and warm hearted people that are
most tempted to pernicious amusements
In proportion as ship is swift, it wants
a strong helmsman; in proportion as
horse is gay, it wants astout driver; ant
these people Of exuberant nature will dc