The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-25

The series of sermons DR.. Talmage is
preaching in this city and Brooklyn on
1.-THE Plaques of the Cities, is attracting
general attention. At the morning serv-
ice in Brooklyn, and at the evening serv-
ices held under the auspices OF the Chris
fan Herald in New York, the number of
persons who come to hear the sermons is
far larger than either of the buildings can
accommodate. The sermon Sunday, 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"
Teere are two armies encamped by the
pool of Gideon. The time hangs heavily
on their hands One army proposes a
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
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
which opened in innocent fun ended in
the massacre Of all the twenty-four sports
men. Was there ever better illustration
of what was true then, and is true now,
than that which is innocent may be made
destructive? What of a worldly nature is
more important and strengthening and in
nocent than amusement, and yet what has
counted more victims? / have no sympa-
thy with a strait jacket religion. This is
a very bright world to me, and l propose
70 do all can to make it bright for others.
/ never could keep step to a dead
march. A book years ago issued says
that Christian man has right to some
amusements; for instance, If he comes
home at night weary from his work, and,
feeling the need of recreation, puts on his
slippers and goes into his garnet, and
walks lively round the floor several times,
there can be no harm in it. believe the
church of God has made tremendous
mistake in trying 10 suppress the sportful-
ness of youth and drive out from men
their love of amusement. II 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 1t. AS in
a riot the mayor plants a battery at the
end of the street, and has it fired off, so
20 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 it and in the natural
world God has done everything TO please
and amuse US. In poetic figure we some
times speak of natural objects as being in
pain, but it Is a mere fancy. Poets say the
clouds weep, but they never yet shed a
tear; and that the winds sigh, but they
never did have any trouble; and that the
storm howls, but it never lost its temper.
The world is a rose and the universe a
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 all honest men and good women will
agree with me in the statement that one
of the worst plaques of these cities is cor
rupt amusement. Multitudes have gone
down under the blasting influence, never
TO rise. If 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 lndlscrlminite inspection.
These pictures were exhumed from Pom
pei and are not fit for public gaze. If the
effrontery of bad places of amusement in
hanging out improper 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, 1
project certain principles by which YOU
may Judge in regard &c any amusement or
recreation, finding out for yourself whether
1t is wrong.
remark, in the first place. that you can
Judge Of the moral character of anv amuse-
ment by its healthful result or by its bale
full reaction. There are people who seem
made up of hard facts. They are a COM
bination OF multiplication tables and sta
tistics. II you show them an exquisite
picture they will begin to discuss the
pigments involved in the coloring. If you
show them a beautiful rose they will sub
NIT it to a botanical analysis, which is
only the post norton 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 surgin2 up from the depths of
their soul, in billoW after billow of rever-
berating laughter. They seem as if nat
ure had built them by contract, and
MADE Dungung lOD out OF II. But,
blessed be God, there are people in the
world who have bright faces, and whose
life is a song. an anthem, pecan of vic
tory. 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 per-
petual carnival. They are the people you
like to have come to your house; they are
people / like to have come to my house.
If you but touch the hem of their gar
ments you are healed.
Now it is these exhilarant and sympath-
etc and warm-hearted people that are
most tempted to pernicious amusements.
In proportion as a ship is swift it wants a
strong helmsman; in proportion as
horse is gay, it wants a stout driver; and
these people of exuberant nature will do
well to look at the reaction of all their
amusements. If an amusement sends YOU
home at night nervous, so that you can
not sleep, and you arise up in the morn
ing, not because you have slept out, but
because your duty drags you from your
SAUNDERS, you have been where you ought
not TO have been. There are amusements
that send a man next day to his work
bloodshOt, yawning, stupid, nauseated;
and they are wrong kinds of amusements.