The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1891-06-12
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIyINEs sun
DAY SERMON.
suhiectl 4Baleful Amusements.'

e"u pay OeIofc US. I'll oamuei, H., II.
There are two armies encamped by tn
pool of Gideon. The time hangs heavily Of
their hands. One army proposes game o
sword fencing. Nothing could be NOR
healthful and Innocent. The other army &C
eepts the challenge Twelve men agains
twelve men, the sport opens. But something
went adversely. Perhaps one of the swords
men got an unluclky clip, or in some way haC
his ire aroused. and that which opened il
4 sportfulness ended in violence, each one tax
ing his contestant by the hair, and then witt
the sword thrusting him in the side, so tina
THAT which opened in innocent fun ended il
the massacre of all the twenty-four sports
men. Was there ever a better ..,,..astratioI
Of what was true then, and is true now, thai
that which is innocent may be made de
structivef
Whatof worldly nature is more i'm
portaIlt and strengthening and innocent than
amusement, and yet what has counted more
vietimss Ihave nosympathy with straight
jacket religion. This is very bright world
70 me- and propose to do ali l can to make
it brighton others
never could keep step to dead march.
a DOCK years ago issued says that a Chris
tan man has right to some amusements.
FOR Instance, il he comes home at night
weary from his work. and feeling in need OF
recreation, puts on his slippers, and goes into
HE garrett and walks lively round the floor
seFerai times there can be no harm in it.
believe the chuFth Of God has made tire
mendous mistake in trying to suppress the
sporuulness Of youth and drive out from
men their love Of amusement. II God ever
a.pPisnted anything in US he implanted this
desire
But instead of providing for this demand
OF our nature, the church OF God has. for the
main part, ignored it. As in a riot the
mayor piants a battery at the end OF the
ffnat bres a..
IS cut Gown that happens TO stand In tbs
range, the good as well as the bad, so there
are men in the church who plant their bat
teries Of condemnation and fire away indis-
criminately. Everything is condemned.
But my Bible commends those who use the
world without abusing it, and in the natural
world God has done everything to please and
amuse us. In poetic figures we sometimes
speak Of natural objects as being in pain,
but It is mere fancy. Poets say the clouds
weep, but they never vet shei tear; and
the winds sight but they never did have
any trouble; aud that the storm howis. but
II never lost its temper. Tho world Is a
rose, and the universe garland.
l an 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 qgree with
me Ill tbs statement that one Of the worst
plaques of these cities is corrupt amusement
Mnltitades have gone down under the blast
ing influence never to rise. If we may Judge
OF what is going on in many OF the places OF
amusement by the Sodonic pictures on
board fences and in many Of the show
Windows, there is not much lower depth of
profiigacy TO reach. At Naples Itaiv they
keep such pictures locked M from indis-
criminate inspection. These pictures were
exhumed from Pompeii and are not at for
public gaze. If the effrontery of bad places
4
yertisenents OF what they are doing night
by night grows worse in the same proper
ton, in fifty years New York and BROOKLYN
VIII beat not only Pompeii but Sodom.
10 help stay the plague now raging pro-
left certain principles by which you may
Judge in regard 70 any amusement or re-
CREATION, finding cut for yourself whether il
isiright or whether it IS wrong.
II remark in the first place that YOU can
Judge OF the moral character Of any nmuse-
,Khent by its healthful result or by its baieful
reaction. There are people who seem made |
up OF hard facts. They area combination of
multiplication tables and statistics. If you
show them an exquisite picture they viii be-
GIN 10 discuss the pigments involved in the
coluring. If you show them a beautiful rose
they will submit it to a botanical analysis,
which IS only tie post-m0rtem examination
of q flower. They have no rebound in their
nature. They never do anything more than
smile There are no great tides Of feeling
Eurging up from the depths Of their soul in
billow utter biliow Of reVerberating laugh
fer they seem as il net lure had built than
L6Y eonf77-a.s sTl7. made a .ungiing Job OF It.
! But. blessed he God there are people rs the
world who have bright faces. and whose life
Is song, an anthem. a puan OF victory.
Even their troubles are like the vines that
crawl up the side Of great tower. on the top
of which the sunlight sits and the SOFT air
IT !
are the people rou like TO have come to your
house; they are the people I like 10 have
come - ny house. II you but touch the
hem OF their garments YOU are healed.
Now it IS these exhiiarant and syIupathe-
tic and warm hearted people thar ara most
tempted to perniciOus amusemelts. In pro-
portion as a ship is swift it wants a strong
helmansn; IN proportion as horse is gay,
it wants stout driver; and these people OF
exuberant nature viii do well to look at the
reaction Of all their anusements. IL an
amusement sends you home at night nervous
50 that you cannot sleep, and you rise up IN
the morning. not because you are slept out,
but because your duty drags you from your
siumbers, you have been whore you ought i
not to have been. There are ADJUSTMENTS
that send q man next day TO his work blood |
shot yaWning, stupid, naussated; and they
are wrong kinds of amusement They are /
entertainments that give a man disgust with |
the drudgery Of life, with tools because they
are not swords, with working aprons because ;
they are got robes with cattia because they
are not i1turlated bulls Of the arena.
II any amusement sends you home longing !
for life OF romance and thrilling adventure, !
love that takes poison and shoots Itself /
moonlight adventures and hair breadth es-
oapes, you may depend upon it that you ara
the sacrificed victim CT unsanctihed pleasure.
Our recreations are intended to build up, /
a. Nhrn~~~ rrrf4 7.
as TO cur Physical strength you may come TO /
the conclusion that they are obnoxious.
There Is nothing more deprayiDg than at |
tendance upon anusements that are full Of /
innueudo and low suggestion. The young |
man enters. At first he sits far back, with I
his hat on aad his coat collar up. fearful that I
somebody there may know him. Several I
nights passon- He takes OF his hat earlier |
and puts his coat collar down. The blush 4
that fiTst came into his cheek when anything /
indecent WIS enacted comes no more TO his 4
cheek. Farewell, young man, You have
probably started on the long road which 1
ends Jn cOnsummate destruction. The
stars OF hope VIII go out one by one.
until You viii be left in utter darkness HeaI.
you lot the rush Of the maeistron. In whose
outer circle your boat now dances. making
merry with the whirling sgaterss But Won
sre 6Sing drawn IN, ana the gentle motion
Will become terrific agitation. You CRY Tor
help. In vain! You pull at the oar to nut
back, but the struggle win not avail You
viii be tossed and dashed and shipwrecsed
and swallowed IN the whirlpool that has al
ready crushed in Is wrath ten thousand
hulks.
Young men who have just come from
country residence TO city residence will do
well to be on guard and let no one induce
you to places OF improper amusement. It
is nightly alluring when q young man,
long a citizen, offers to show new conner all
around.
Still further. Those amnsements are wrong
which lead You into expenditure beyond your
means. Money spent In recreation Is not
thrown away Is is all folly for Us TO come
from place Of amusement feeling that We
have wasted our money and time. y on may
by il have made an investment worth more
thartha t--Ssactions that yielded you hun
5reds or thousands OF dollars. But how many
properties have been riddled by costly
The first time ever saw the city-it was
tie city Of Philadelphia was mere lad. l
stoppedat hotel. and I remember in tie
sventide one OF these Tnea piled me with his
Internal art, He saw was green. he wanted
10 show me thu sights Of the town. He
PAINTED the path Of sin until it looked like
Emerald; but ] was afraid Of him. / showed
hack from the hagiliss-I made m my mind
~ was trdslisk- Ireuetnfar hon 10 7l,gafo1