Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-03-18
PLAQUES OF THE CITIES.
STRONG DISCOURSE PREACHED BY
REV. T. DE WITT TALMAGe.

err Specifies Amusemcnts That Are
Harmful and Those THAT Are Not.
NEW York, March 15.-The series of ser
mons DIR. Talmage is preaching in this city
and Brooklyn on "The Plaques Of the
Cities" Is attracting general attention.
At the morning service in Brooklyn and
at the evening services held under the
auspices Of The Christian Herald. in this
city, the number of persons who come to
hear the sermons Is far larger than either
Of the buildings can accommodate. The
sermon to-day, which is the fourth Of the
series, Is on "Baleful Amusements. The
text was ii Samuel, H. IA: LET the young
men now arise and play before u.s."
There are two armies encamped by the
pool of Gibeon. The time hangs heavily
on their hands. One army proposes II game
OF sword fencing. Nothing could be more
healthful and innocent The other army
accepts the challenge, Twelve men against
twelve men, the sport opens. But some
thing went adversely. Perhaps ono Of the
swordsmen got an unlucky clip, or in some
way had his ire aroused, and that which
opened in sportfulness ended in violence,
each one taking his contestant by the hair,
and then with the sword thrusting him in
nocent 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 inno-
cent may be made destructiveS
What of q worldly nature is more i'm
portant and strengthening and innocent
than amusement, and yet what has count
ed more victimsi have no sympathy with
q straitjacket religion. This is q very
bright world to me, and propose to do all
! can TO make it bright for Others.
YOUTHS sPoRTtvESEss SHOULD NOT DE SUP
PRESSED.
never could keep step to dead march.
A book years ago issued says that Chris
tian man has IA 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 his garret and walks lively
round the floor several times there can be
no harm In 1t. / believe the church OF
God has made tremendous mistake in
trying to suppress the sportfulness OF
youth and drive out from men their love
OF amusement. III God ever implanted
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 IL. As In q riot, the
mayor plants a battery at the end of the
street, and has IL ilred off 30 that every
thing Ia cut down that happens to stand in
the range, the good as we'll as the bad, 30
there are men in the church who plant
their batteries of condemnation and fire
away indiscriminately. Everything is con-
demned. But my bible commends those
who use the world without abusing 1t, and
In the natural world God has done every
thing 10 please and Rmuse us. In poetic
figure we sometimes speak of natural OBJ
tects rs being In pain, but It Is a mere
fancy. Poets say the clouds weep but
they never yet shed tear; and the winds
sigh, but they never did have any trouble;
and that the storm howls, but 1t never lost
It's temper. The world Is rose, and the
universe garland.
And am glad TO know that In all our
cities there are plenty OF places whore we
may find elevated. moral entertainment.
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.
II we may judge Of what Is going on in
many Of the places OF amusement by the
Sodomic pictures on board fences and in
many of the show windows there IL not
much lower depth of profgaey TO reach,
At Naples, Italy, they keep such pictures
locked hp from indiseriminate inspection.
Those pictures were exhumed from Pom
peii and are not fit for public gaze, II the
effrontery 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
Nos' York and Brooklyn win beat not only
Pompeii, but Sodom.
To help stay the plague now raging l
project certain principles by which you
may judge IN regard to any amusement or
recreation, finding out for yourself whether
IL is right or whether IL Is wrong.
BY IT'S FRUITS KNOW IT.
l remark in the frat place that you can
judge OF the moral character OF any amuse-
ment by It's healthful result or by its bale
full reaction. There Ssa people who seem
made up OF hard facts. They are com
blnation OF multiplication tables aud sta
tistics. IL you show them an exquisite
picture they will begin 10 discuss the pig
ments involved In the coloring II You
show them a beautiful rose they will sub
nit II 10 botanical analysis, which ls only
the post tsmortem examlnatlon Of flower.
They have no rebound In their nature.
They never do anything more than smile.
There are no great tides Of feeling surging
up from the depths OF their soul In billow
after billow Of reverberating laughter.
They seem as II nature had built them by
contract aud made a bungling job OF Il.
But, blessed be God, there Rre people In
the world who have bright faces, and
whose life is a song, an anthem, "A pgean OF
OF victory. Even their troubles are like
the vlnes that crawl up the side OF great
tower. on the top Of which the sunlight
sits. and the soft airs Of summer hold per
pctuAl carnival. They are the people you
like to have come 10 your house; they are
the people like TO have come TO my house.
II you but touch the hem OF their gar
ments you are healed.
Now Il Il these exhilarant aud sympa-
thetlc and warm hearted people that are
most tempted 10 pernicious RmnseInent4.
In proportion a. a ship is swift IL wants a
strong helmsman; IA proportion as horse
a gay, it wants a stout driver and these
people OF exuberant nature will do well 20
lock at the reaction OF all their amuse-
menta II an Rmusement sends you hone
at night nervous 10 that you cannot sleep,
and You rise up Ia the morning, not be-
cause you are slept out. but because your
duty drags you from your slnmbers, YOU
have been where you ought not % have
been. Tllere are amuscments that seud a
mas next day 90 his work bloodshot, yawn'
ing, afnpld, nhuseated; and they are wrong
kinds Of nususcment. They are entertain
rnents that give a man disgust with the
drndgcry o. life. wlth t0ols because they
are not sworis. with working aprons be-
cause tbey are n0t rohes, wlth cattle be'
cause they ale not iufnnAfed Baik ~ the