The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-03-19
HOW FOOLS MOCK AT SIN
DR.. TALMAee's DISCOURSE ON BALE
Full ADJUSTMENTS.


A Careful Determination Between limo
cent and Injurious Qualifications, Al
ways Important, Is just Vow of I'm
mense Importance.
NEW YORK, March f5.-The series of
sermons DR.. Talmagc is preaching in
this city and Brooklyn on 1.-The
Plaques of the Cities" is attracting gen.
eral attention. At the morning service
in Brooklyn, and at the evening SER
vices held under the auspices of The
Christian Herald in this city, the num-
Der of persons who come TO hear the
sermons il far larger than either of the
buildings can accommodate. The ser
mon today, which is the fourth of the
series, is on ''Baleful Amusements-
The text was ii Samuel ii, IA, LET the
young men now arise and play before
us"
There are two armies encamped by
the pool of Gideon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army pro-
poses n 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 i'll
some way had his ire aroused, and that
which opened in sportfulness ended in
violence, each one taking his contest
ant by the hair and then with the
sword thrusting him III the side, so
that that which opened in innocent
fun ended in the massacre Of all the
twenty four sportsmen. Was there
ever better illustration of what was
true then and is true. now, that that
W hich is innocent may be made de
structive?
What of worldly nature is more
important and strengthening and limo
cent than amusement, and yet what
has counted more victims? l have no
sympathy with a straitjacket relig-
ion. This is very bright world to me,
and propose to do all | can to make it
bright for others.
NATURES TIEALTHFUL ADJUSTMENTS.
| never could keep step to a dead
march. A book years ago issued says
that u Christian man has right to
some amusements For instance, if he
comes home at night weary from his
work and, feeling the need of recrea,
ton, puts on his slippers and goes into
his-garret and walks lively around the
floor several times, there can be nc
harm in it. / believe the church OF
God has made q tremendous mistake
in trying to suppress the spOrtfulness OF
youth and drive out from men Their
love of amusement. If God ever i'm
planted 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 81 riot, the mayor plants bat
terry at the end of the street, and has il
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 theil
batteries of condemnation and fire
away indiscriminately. Everything i.
condemned. But my Bible commend,
those who use the world without abus
ing it, and in the natural world Goo
has done everything to please anC
amuse us. In poetic figure we some
times speak of natural objects as beins
in pain, but it is a mere fancy. Poets
say the clouds weep. but they nevel
yet shed a tear; and that the winds
sigh, but they never did have any
trouble; and that the storm howls, bu
it never lost its temper. The world il
a rose, and the universe q garland.
And am glad to know that in al
our cities there are plenty of place
where we may find elevated moral en-
| tertainment. But all honest men anC
good women will agree with me in tn,
statement that one of the worst plague
of these cities is corrupt amusement
Multitudes have gone down under tn
blasting influence, never to rise. If w,
may judge of what is going ON in man,
of the places of amusement by the Sod
omic pictures on board fences and il
many of the show windows there is no
a much lower depth of prohigacy t,
reach. At Naples, Italy, they kee]
such pictures locked up from indiscriln
mate inspection. Those pictures wer
exhumed from Pompeii, and are not Fl
for public gaze. If the effrontery O
bad places of amusement in hangin
out improper advertisements of wha
they are doing night by night grow
worse in the same proportion, in fit
years New York and Brooklyn will bea
not only Pompeii, but Sodorn
TO help stay the plague now raging
project certain principles by which yo
may judge in regard to any amusemen
or recreation, finding out for yoursel
whether it is right or whether it
wrong.
JUDGE THEM BY THEIR FRUITS.
l remark, in the first place, that yo
can judge of the moral character {
any amusement by it's healthful resu
or by its baleful reaction. There al
people who seem made up of har
facts. They are combination of 1nu
hplication tables and statistics. If yo
show them an exquisite picture the
will begin to discuss the pigments il
volved in the coloring. If you sho
them a beautiful rose they will subm
it to botanical analysis, which is onl
the post-morteln examination of
flower. They have no rebound
their nature They never do anythir
more than smile. There are no gre;
tides of feeling surging up from tt
depths of their soul, in billow after b
low of reverberating laughter. The
seem as If nature had built them b
contract and made a bungling job OF
of it.
But, blessed be God, there are peop
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