The Penn's Grove record., 1891-03-27
REV. DR.. IALMAGE'S SERMON.
Ehe BROOKLYN Divtre's Sunday
Sermon.


There are two armies encampei BY the
pool of Gideon. The time hangs heavily on
their hands. une army proposes a game OF
sword fencing. Nothing could be more
neaitntul and innocent. The other army &C.
cepts the challenge. Twelve men against
twelve men, the sport opens. But something
went adversely. Perhaps one Of the swords
men got an unlucky clip, or in some way had
his ire aroused. and that which opened in
sportfuluess ended in violence, each one tax.
Ing his contestant by the hair, and then with
the sword thrusting him in the side, SO that
thet which opened in innocent fur ended IN
the massacre of all the t~wenty-four sports
men. Was there ever q better illustration
OF what was true then. and is true now, that
that whi,h is innocent may Ls made de-
structives
whatot q worldly nature IS more in.
portant and strengthening and innocent than
amusement, and yet what has counted mora
victinsf Ihave no sympathy with a straight
Jacket religion. This Is a very bright world
70 me and l propose to do all I can to make
1t brighton others
! never could keep step to a dead march.
a book years ago issued says that a Chris.
tan imam has q right to some amusements.
For instance, II he comes home at night
weary from his work, and feeling Ia mead of
recreation, puts on his slippers, and goss into
his garnet and walks lively round the floor
several times there can be no harm in it. ]
l S042GNO tuD SuutS " 1O4 mas mdu6 u EFc-
mendous mistake in trying to suppress the
s~portfulness Of youth and drive out from
men their love Of amusemene. II God ever
implanted anything in Us he implanted this
desire.
But instead Of providing for thi, demand
Of our nature. the church OF God has, for the
main part, ignored 1t. As in a riot, the
mayor plants q battery at the end OF th'
street n has 1t fred Of so that every thing
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 bat
teries Of condemnation and fire awry indis-
c~rimiaataly. Everything IL condemned.
But my Bible co51msnds those who USE toe
world without abusing it, and in the natural
world Cos has done everything to plesss and
amuse lis. In poetic 6yures We sometimes
speak OF natural objects as being in pain,
but it 10 a mere fancy. Poets say the couds
weep, but they never yet shell a tear; aut
any trouble; and that the storm how.s. cut
1t never lost its temper. The world u q
rose, and the universe a garland.
/ am glad to now that 10 all our cities
there are plenty Of places where we may rni
elevated, moral entertainment. But ell
honest men and good women will asres with
me in the statement that one Of the worst
plaques OF these cities is corrupt amusement.
Multitudes have gone down under the blast.
Ing influence never to rise. II we may JUDI
OF what is going on in many OF the p aces OF
amusement by the Sodomic pictures on
board fences and In many Of the show
windows. there 10 not a much lower depth Of
keep such pictures locked up from indis-
criminate inspection. These pictures wera
eahumed from Ponpeii and are no. ft tor
public gaze. II the efrontery OF bad places
Of amusement In handing out improper ad-
vertfssments of what they are doing night
l. -Nk n@R~> NpRA s~ eEA SAKxxA HN11~
ton. In fifty years New York and Brooklyn
will beat not only Pompeii, but Soiom.
To help stay tbs plague now raging 1 pro-
feet certain principles by which you may
Judge in regard to any amusement or re-
creation, finding out for yourself whether it
u right or whether It - wrong.
remark In the first place that You can
fudge Of the moral character Of any amuse-
msnt BY it, healthful result or by lie balsful
| reaction. There are psopls who seem made
| up Of hard facta. They arsa combination Of
multiplication tables and statistica II you
show them a exquisite picture they will be-
gin to discuss the pigments involved in toe
coloring. II you snow them Q beautiful rose
they viii submit It to . botanical anaiysia
whichis only the post-mortsm examination
| OF dowsr. They have no rebound in their
nature. They never do anything mora than
smile. There are no great tides OF feeling
surgiug up from the depths OF their soul in
1 DlLlSW 8lb8E puloW Oh BVEEpskAbiux duSu~
ter. They seem q II nature had built them
| by contrectanc made q bungling job OF ii.
But, blessed be God, there are people In the
| world who have bright faces, and whose life
IL q song, an anthem. q p1an OF victory.
| Even their troubles are lise tls vines that
crawl up the side OF Q great over, on tds TOP
| OF which the sunlight sits, and the sort all
of summer ho.d perpetual carnival. They
are the people you ike to have come 10 your
house; they are the people / like to nave
| coms to my house. II you but touca the
hem OF their garments you are healst.
Now it Is these exhilsrant and ~syiupathe-
| tic and warm hearted peop.e that are most
tempted to pern,cious anu, eunents. In pro-
| portion as q ship is swift it wants q strong
| heimsruan; in proportion as a horse is gay,
it wants a stout driver; and these psop.s or
| exuberant nature will DO wall to loos ut Tue
reaction Of all their ADJUSTMENTS. 1t an
! amusement sends you home at night nervous
SO that you ann sleep, and you riss up in
| the morning, not because you are slept out,
/ ut because your duty drsgs you from you,
| numbers, you have been where you ought
| not to have Leen. There are auuser,ents
| that send a man next day to bis worx blood
| shot yawping, stupid, naussatsd; and they
| are wrong kinds OF amusement. They ara
entertainments that give a man disgust with
the drudgery Of Life, with tools because they
are not swords, with working aprons because
they are not robes with cattle because they
are not Infatuated bulls OF the arena.
II any amusement sends you home longing
| for . life OF romance and thrilling adventure,
love that takes poison and snoots itself,
moonlight adventures hair oreadsa 81.
| aapee, you may depend upon IL taat you are
| the sacrificed victim OF unsanctided pleasure.
| Our r~ecrestions ars intended to build up.
| and u they pull Us down as to our moral or
~ TO our physical strength you may come TO
the conclusion that thsy are obnoxious.
There II nothing more dspraving than Al.
tendancs upon anussmsnts that srs fuil OF
tunusndo and low suggestion. The young
man sutera At 6rss he sits far back, with
his hat on and bis coat collar up, fearful thar
| somsbody there may know him. several
| nights pass on. He takes OF bis hat GARNER
and puts his coat collar down. Tas
| that drst came into his cheek when anything
Indecent was enacted ZONES no more 10 hi:
| cheek. Farewell young mani You nave
probably started IN tbs long road WI CT
| ends in consume ate destruction. Tut
stara OF hope will go out one by one
| until you will be lett in utter darxness, Heal
| you not the rushsof the maelstrofn, In wnoss
| outer circle your boat now dances, making
| merry with the whirling waters! But yor
are being drawn In, anu the gentle motor
| will become terrific agitation. You cry FOL
help, In vainl You pull at the oar to pul
back, but the struggle will not avail fot
viii be tossed and dashed and saipwrecSeS
/ and SWALLOWED IN tee WnkIAp0oi tuob a
ready crushed in its wrath ten thousand
huiks
Young men who have Just cone from
| country residence to city residence will d.
well to be on quart n let no ons induc
you to places OF improper an usenenG j
Is nightly alluring when a young man
long 9 citizen, offers TO show a new conner Al
around.
Still further. Those ampsenentr are wroni
| which lead you into expenditure beyond you
means. Money spent i'll recreation Is no
thrown away. 1t is all folly for US to com
from a place Of amusement feeling that W
have wasted our money and TINA You ma,
by IL have made an investment worth NOR
than the transactions that yielded You hun
DIRE 70 or thousands Of dollars. But how many
properties have been riddled By costly
ADJUSTMENTS.
The E-ss tins I ever saw ths city-it was
the city OF Philadelphia-I was a mers lad !
stopped at q hotel, and I remsm Ger in ths
eventids one OF these men pied me with hs
internal art He saw ] was green He wanted
20 show me the siskts Of the town. He
painted the path Of riu until IL looked hse
emerald; but I Vas afraid Of him. showed
s1en n hssDtakeSRAds m ~ mind