The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-03-18
rBALEFUL AMUSEMENTs.' .
One OF the Plaques Which Affiict
the Cities.
DR.. Taimage breaches Another OF His
Sermons on Present Day Evils -Amuse-
ments, Good and Bad, and Their
Eject Upon Old and Young.

The fourth in the series Of DR.. Tai.
IMAGES sermons on ''The Plaques Of the
Cities" was delivered last Sunday. The
preacher took for his subject, "Baleful
Amusements," and his text, ii. Samuel,
s:14: "Let the young men now arise
and play before u.s." Following is the
sermon:
There are two armies encamped by
the pool of Gideon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army pro-
poses game of sword-fencing. Moth
ing could be more healthful and limo
cent. The other army accepts the chal-
lenge. Twelve men against twelve
men, the sport opens. But something
went adversely. Perhaps one 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 the side; SO that which
opened in innocent fun ended in the
massacre of all the twenty-four sports
men. Was there ever better illustra-
ton Of what was true then, and is true
now, that that which is innocent may
be made destructive?
What Of worldly nature is more inn
portant and strengthening and innocent
than amusement and yet what has
counted more victims? have no SYM
pathy with straight jacket religion.
This is a very bright world to me, and
propose to do all can TO make II bright
for others.
never could keep step to a dead
march. A book years ago issued says
that Christian man has right TO some
amusement; for instance, II he comes
home at night weary from his work,
and. feeling the necl of recreation, puts
on his slippers and goes into his garret,
and walks lively around the floor sew
eral times, there can be no harm in 1t.
bel eve the church Of God has made
tremendous mistake in trying TO sup
press the sportfuness Of youth and
drive out from men their love of amuse-
ment If God ever implanted anything
in 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 it. AS in riot
the mayor plants battery at the end
Of the street and has II fred off, so that
everything is cut down that 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 condemna-
ton and fire away indiscriminately.
Everything is condemned. But my
Bible commends those who use the
world without abusing 1t, and in the
natural world, God has done everything
10 please and amuse us. In poetic fig
ure we sometimes speak Of natural OBJ
jects as being in pain, but II is mere
fancy. Poets say the clouds weep, but
they never yet shed tear; and that the
winds sigh, but they never did have any
trouble; and that the storm howls, but
II never lost its temper The world is
rose, and the universe garland
And am glad TO know that in all our
cities there are plenty of places where
we may find elevated moral entertain
ments. But all honest men and good
women will agree with me in the state
ment that one Of the worst plaques Of
these cities is corrupt amusement. Null
titudes have gone down under the blast
ing 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 is
not much lower depth Of prohigacy to
reach. At Naples, Italy, they keep such
: pictures locked up from indiscriminate
inspection. Those pictures were ex-
humed from Pompeii and are not fit for
public gaze II the effrontery Of bad
places OF amusement in hanging out i'm
proper advertisement Of what they are
doing night by night grows worse in the
same proportion, in fifty years New
York and Brooklyn will beat not only
Pompeii, but Sodom.
To help stay the plague now raging,
project certain principles by which
you may judge in ssgard to any amuse-
nent or recreation, finding out for your
self whether IL is right, or whether It iS
wrong.
remark, In the arst place, that you
oan Judge Of the moral character OF any
amusement by its healthful result, or by
It's baleful reaction. There are people
who seem made up OF hard facts. They
are combinatiop Of multiplication
tables and statistics. Ifyou show them
an exquisite picture they will begin to
discuss the pigments involved In the col
oring. II you show them beautiful
rose. they will submit II TO botanical
analysis, which is only the post mortem
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 surg
ing up from the depths Of their soul, In
billow after billow OF reverberating
laughter. They seem as II nature had
built them by contract, and made
bungling Job out Of It. But blessed be
God, there are people In the world who
have bright faces, whose life is a song,
an anthem, a pwan 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 airs Of summer hold perpetual car
nival. They are the people you like to
have come TO your house; they are peo-
ne like TO have come TO my house. II
you but touch the hem of their garments
you are healed.
Now Il Is these exhilarant and SYM
pathetic and warm.hearted people that
are most tempted TO pernicious amuse-
nents. In proportion as ship Is swift