The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-16
BALEFUL ADJUSTMENTS.
TEE FOURTH SERMON ON TIL
PLAQUES OF TIE CITIES.


of Amusement The Tendency t.
Deprave Exerted by Certain Form
OF Amusement.
New York, March 15-The series Of
sermons DR.. Talmage is preaching in thii
city and Brooklyn, on 'The Plaques Of the
Cities" is attracting general attention. A
the morning service in Brooklyn and at The
evening services, held under the auspice
of the Christian Herald, in this city, tn
number of persons who come to hear tbs
sermons Is far larger than either Of the
buildings can accommodate. The sermoI
to-day, which is the fourth Of the series, il
on "Baleful Amusements.n The text wa
ii. Samuel ii. IA: "I.et the young men nov
rise and play before us.
There are two armies encamped by the poo
Of Gibeon. The time hangs heavily on
their hands One army proposes game OF
sword-fsnoing. 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 one OF thi
sworjsmen got an unlucky clip, or in som'
way had his ire aroused, aud that which
opened In sportfulness ended IN violence
each one taking his contestant by the hair
the side; so that that which opened In 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 innocent
may be made destructive2
What of a worldly nature Ia more import
ant and strengthening and innocent thai
amusement, and yet what has counted
more victimsa | have no sympathy with
strait-jacke religion. This is very bright
world to me, and propose to do all eau te
make it bright for others.
never could keep stop to dead march.
A book years ago issued says sthat chris
tinn man has a right TO some amusenents
for instance, IL he comes homo at night
weary from his work and, feeling the need
of recreation, puts on his slippers and goes
to his garret aud walks lively around the
floor several times, there can be no harm il
it. believe the church of God has mades
tremendous mistake in trying to suppress
| the sportfulness of youth and drive out from
men their love OF amusement If God ever
implanted anything in us, no implanted
this desire. But instead OF providing
for this demand OF our nature the church!ot
God has. for the main part, ignored it. Az
| ia riot the mayor plants u battery at the
| end of the street aud has 1t fired off. so that
! every thing is cut down that happens 70
stand in the range, the good as well as the
the bad, so there are men in the church who
plant their batteries of condemnation and
fire away indiScriminately. Everything is
condemned. But my Bible commends those
who use the world without abusing it. and
in the ma uraI world God has done every
thing to please aud amuse u. In poetic
figure ws sometimes speak OF natural OBJ
| jects as being in pain, but it Is mere
| fancy. Poets soy the clouds weep, but they
never shed tear; and that the winds sigh,
but they never did have any trouble; and
that the storm howls, but 1t never lost its
temper. The world is a rose and the uni
verse garland.
And I am glad to know that in all our
cities there are plenty Of places where we
may find elevated moral entertainment,
But ali honest men and good women will
agree with me in the statement that one OF
the worse plaques of these cities is corrupt
amusement. Multitudes have gone down
under the blasting influence never TO rise.
IL we may Judge Of what Is going on IL
many of the places Of amusement by tht
Sodomic pictures on board fences, and In
many OF the show windows, there is not q
much lower depth OF proiiigacy to reach
At Naples, Italy, they keep such pictures
locked up from indiscriminate inspection
Those pictures we're exhumed from Pompei
and are not ht for public gaze. Ii tbs
ehrontery of bad places OF amusement IL
|
what they are doing night by night grows
worse ia the same proportion, in tlfty years
New York aud Brooklyn will bea1 not only
Pompeii, but Sodom.
To help stay tho plague now raging,
project certain principles by which you
may judge In regard to any amusement oi
recreation, finding out for yourself whether
1t is right or whether 1t is wrong.
remark, In the first place, that you car
Judge Of the moral character Of any amuse
inent by its healthtul result, or by its bale
full reaction. There are people who seen
made Up Of hard facts. They are comb
nation Of multiplication tables and statist
ies. If you show them All exquisite pic
, ture they will begin TO discuss the pig
ments involved In the coiortng. Ii yo
show them a beautiful rose they viii submi
it to botanical analysis, which is onl
the post morteDt examination of
: flower. They have no rebound in thei
nature. They never do anythin
more than smile. There are no great tide
Of feeling surging up from the depths o
their soul, In billow after bilow OF revel
berating laughter. They seem as il natur
) had built them by contract, and made
bunglinq lob out of it. Bot blessed lie Goo
there are people in the world who hay
bright faces, aud whose life is song, q
anthem, q peau of victory. Even the
troubles are like the vines taat craW
UP the side of great tower. on the top 9
: which the sunlight sits, and the soft airs c
summer hold perpetual carnival They ar
the people you like to have come to you
= = house; they are people like to have com
to my house. II you but touch the hem c
their garments you are healed.
: Now it is these exhilarant and sympi
tietic and warm hearted people that al
most tempted to pernicious amusements.
proportion as a ship is swift it wants
n strong helms nan; in proportion as ahorse
gay, 1t wants a stout driver; and these pei
pie of exuberant nature will do well to loo
, at the reaction Of all their amusements.
q an amusement sends you home at nignt mel
J. vous so that you cannot sleep, and you rls
IL up in the morning, not because you ar
"a slept out, but because your duty drags 70
q from your slumbers, you have been wher
!, YOU ought not to have been. There ar
"a amusements that send man mex
m | day to his work bloodshot. yawn
, ing, stupid, nauseated; and they al
=. wrong kinds of amusement They ar
n entertainments that give man DISCUS
NJ with the drudgery of life, with tools De
" cause they are not swords, with workin
& aprons because they are not robes, with ca
az tie because they are not infuriated beasts
a the arena If any amusement sends 70
as home longing for q life or romance an
r thrilling adventure, love that takes poiso
ar and shoots itself, moonlight adventures an
M hair-breadth escapes, you may depend upo
IL you are the sacrificed victim OK unsan