The Red Cloud chief., 1891-03-27
BALEFUL ADJUSTMENTS.
DR.. Telmage on the Fourth Pla9ne
Of the Cities.
Judging Amusements According 10 Their
Moral Enects-Ruinous Pleasures and
Destructive Indulgences-PIess
For the Home.

the plague of the cities Rev. r. Dc
Witt Talmage took for his subject
"Baleful A~musements." The text was
III. Samuel, ii. Il: LET the young men
now arise and play before us" He
said:
There are two armies encamped by
the pool of Gibcon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army pro
poses a game of sword fencing. Moth
ing could Ice more healthful and inno-
cent The other army accepts the
challenge. Twelve men against twelve
men, the sport opens. But something
went adversely. Perhaps one OF the
hworIsmcn got IN unlucky clip, or in
some way had his ire aroused, and that
which opened in sport ended in
violence. each one taking his contestant
10y the hair, and hen with the sword
~thrusting him in the side, 50 that that
which opened in innocent fun ended I'm
the massacre of all the twenty-four
sp~ortsrncn. Was there ever a better
illustration of what was true then, and
Is now, that that which is innocent may
be made destructive?
What of a worldly nature Is more i'm
portant and strengthening and innocent
than amusement, and yet what has
c"untcd more victims? have no SYM
pathy with n straightforward religion.
This IL a very bright world 10 me, and
! propose to do all | can To make IL
bright for others. i ncver could step
90 a dead march. A book years ago is
sued says that a Christian man has a
right Ia some amusrmcnts: for instance.
If he comes home at night weary from
his work, and, feeling the need of recre-
alton, puts on his slippers and goes into
his garnet and walks lively around the
floor several times there can be no harm
ia il.
believe the church Of God has made
n tremendous mistake in trying 10 sup
press the sportfulncss Of youth and
drive ont from men their love of anuse-
m"nt If God ever implanted anything
ina us He implanted this desire. But in
stead Of providing for this demand of
our nature the church of God has, for
the main part, ignored il. As i'm a riot,
the mayo plants "A battery at the end
- ~ ~ 'Aha'A hhhAe IL lAI'A III w ia
everything il eat down that happens 10
stand in the range, tine good rs well as
the bad, ~ there are men in the church
who plant their batteries Of condcmna-
ton, and fire away Unfortunately.
Everything Is condemned. Bu my
Bible coUnmcnds those who use the
world without abusing il, and in the
natural world Cos has done everything
To please and amusc MS.
And ! am glad Ia know that in all our
cities there are plenty of places where
we may find elevated moral entertain
mcnt. But all honest men and good
women will agrec with me ia the state
mcnt that one Of the worst plaques Of
these cities is currupt a~muscmcntS.
rlultitudes have gone down under the
blasting influence never To rise. IL we
may judge If what is going on i'm many
of the places Of amusement by the
Sodomic pictures ON board fences. and
in many Of the show windows, there is
not a much lower depth of profligacy to
reach. At Naples, Italy, they keep such
pictures locked mp from indiScriminatc
inspection. Those pictures were ex-
humcd from Pomprii aud are not fit for
public gaze. If the cffrontcry of bad
places of amusement in hanging out
improper advertisement of what they
are doin" night 10y night grows worse in
the same proportion, in fifty years New
York and Brooklyn will beat not only
rompcii, hut Sodom.
remark, in the first place, hat you
can Judge of the moral character Of
any amusement 10y its healthful result
cor 10y its hateful reaction. There are
people who seem made up of hard
facts. They are n combination of null
duplication tables and statistics. If YOU
show them an excellent picture they
will begin 10 discuss the pigments in
vnlvcd in the coloring. If YOU show
them a beautiful rose they will submit
IL to a botanical ANALYSIS, which is only
the pos; murtrm examination of n
flower. They hav 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 hillow of re-
vcrbcrating laughter. They seem rs
il nature had built them 10y contract,
md made a bungling job out If il. Blu
blessed ", God. there are people i'm the
world who have bright faces and whose
life is n song, an anthem, n pecn of vic
tory.
Now il * these cNhilarant and SYM
pathetic and warm hearted people that
ARE most tempted to pcrniciouS amusc-
mcntS. In proportion "a a ship is swift
il wants a strong hclmSman: i'm proper
tion n a horse il CAV, il wants 4 strong |
driver: and these people of cNubcrant
nature will do we'll In look at the rcac-
tinn IL all their amuscmcntS- II an
amusement sends you home nj night |
nervous ~ that YOU can not sleep, and |
won rise up in the morning, not because
YOU are slept ont, but because your
duty drags you from your slumbcrs,
YOU have been where you ought not Ia |
have been.
There are amusemcnts which SEND n
man next day Ia his work hloodShot
Nawninr. stupid. nau>catcd: and they
are wrong kinds Of amusement. They
are entertainments that give a man dis
gust with the drudgcry ~ this life with
tshtA> ptSsiu>t INV u A'1 Sh'bANS. Gtl /
working aprons because they are not
robes. with cattle because they are not
Infatuated bulls Of the arena. IL any
amusement sends You home longing
for \ life of romance and thrilling adj
venture. love hat takes poison and
shoots itself. moonlight adventures and
hair breadth escapes, YOU may depend
upon il that you are the sacrificed vic
tim IL un>anctified pleasure. Our ~
creations are intended to build MS M:
and il they pull us down as to onr moral
rs t. our physical strength. You may
come Ia the conclusion that they are
obnoxious
There is nothing more d~epraving than
upon amusements that are
af innucndo and low suggestion.
The young man enters At first he
sits far back. with his hat on and his
coat collar up. fearful that some one
know him. Scycral nights pass
lie takes off his hat earlier, and
puts his coat collar down. The blush
first came into his cheek when