The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-10-03

ism upon the young. l would not drive
out from their soul the hilarities Of life.
| do not believe that the inhabitants Of
ancient Wales. when they stepped 10 the
sound Of the rustic harp, went down 10
ruin. / believe God intended the young
people TO laugh and romp and play. /
do not believe God would have put
eXubeTancc in the soul and eXuberance
in the body If he had not intended they
should in some wise exercise IL and
demonstrate it. If a mother join hands
with her children and cross the floor TO
the sound Of music, I see 10 harm. If
group of friends cross and recrOss the
room to the sound of piano well played,
| see no harm. II q company, all or
whom are known to host and hostess as
reputable, cross and recrOss the room 10
the sound Of musical instrument, 1 see
no harm. / tried for a long while TO see
harm in It. l could not see any harm in
it. 1 never shall see any harm in THAI.
Our men need TO be kept yOung-younS
for many years longer than they are
kept young. Never since my boyhOod
days have ] had more sympathy with the
innocent hilarities Of life that l have
now. What though we have felt heavy
burdensl What though we have had to
endure hard knocks. Is that any reason
why we should stand in the way Of those
who unstung Of LIES misfortunes. are
full Of exhil3ratiOn and glee? God bless
the young They Will have 10 wait many
a long year before they hear me say any
thing that would depress their ardOr or
clip their wings or make them believe
that life Is hard and cold and repulsive.
1t is not. 1 tell them, judging from my
own experience, that they win be treated
a great deal better than they deserve.
We have no right TO grudge the innocent
hilaTites to the young.
The Wearing Round.
What are the designations of social life
today, and what are the designations Of
the ballroom? In some cities and IN
some places reaching all the year round,
In other places only in the summer time
and al the watering places. There are
designations OF social life that are cutting
a very wide swath with the sickle of
death. and hundreds and thousands are
going down under these influences, and
my subject in application j. as wide as
C'hIistendom. The whirlpool Of social
dissipation is drawing down some OF the
brightest craft that ever sailed the sea-
thousands and tens Of Thousands Of the
bodies and souls annually consumed IN
the cOnflagration of ribbons.
Social dissipation is the abetter Of
pride. il is the instigatOr of jealousy. ii
is the sacrifcial altar OF health. il is the
deiier of the soul. il Is the avenue OF
lust. and IL Is the curse of every town
on both sides of the sea. Social dissi-
patton. 1t may be hard 20 draw the line
and say that this is right on the one side,
and that is wrong on thu other side 1t
is not necessary that we do that, for God
has put a throne In every mans soul,
and l appeal to that throne today. When
a man does wrong, ne knows he does
wrong. and when he does right he knows
he does right. and to that throne which
Almighty God lifted in the heart Of
every man and woman 1 appeal
AS to the physical ruin wrought by the
dissipItiOns Of social life there can be
no doubt. What may we eXpect Of peO-
pie who work all day and dance all
nil n will ifa
on society nervous, exhausted imbecilez.
These people who indulge in the suppers
and the midnight reVels and then 80
home in the cold, unwraDped Of limbs.
will after awhile be found to have been
written down in Gods eternal records as
suicides. as much suicides as if they had
taken thelr life with pistol or knife
or strychnine.
Foolish Career.
How many people have stepped from
the ballroom into the graveyard! Con-
sumptions and swift neura,gias are close
on their track Amid many of the gilt
terng scenes Of social life diseases stand
right and left and ba.ance and chain.
The breath of the sepuicher floats up
through the perfume. and the frOth Of
deaths lips bubbles UP In the cham
Tagne. / am told that in some Of the
cities there are parents who have actual
~ given up housekeeping and gone 20
boarding that they may give their time
illiInltabiy 10 social designations ! have
known such cases. I have known family
after family Blasted In that way in one
Of the other cities where / preached,
father and mother turning their back
upon al quiet culture and al the ameni-
ties Of nome. leading forth their entire
| family In the wrong direction. Annihi-
| lated. worse than annihl,ated--for there
are some things worse than annihilatiOn.
| give you the history Of more than one
| family when 1 say they went on in the
| designations Of social life until the father
| dropped into a lower style Of dissipation,
and after awhile the son was tossed out
| into society a nonenity, and after awhile
| the daughter elOped with a French dane
! Ing master, and after awhile the mother
| getting on further and further in years,
| tries 10 hide the wrinkles. but fails in
the attempt. trying ali the arts Of the
| belle. an old fEt. a poor miserable but
| terfy without any wings.
If there Is anything on earth beautiful
| to me, 1t Is an aged woman. her white
| locks flowing back over the wrinkled
brOw-locl1s not white with frost. as the
| poets say, but white with the blossoms
| OF the tree OF life. in her voice the ten
| derness OF gracious memories her face
| a benediotiOn. As grandmOther passes
| through the room the grandchildren pull
| at her dress. and she almost falls in her
| weakness. but she has nothing but candy
| or cake or a kind word for the little
earnings. WNeu she gels out OF nCT
| wagon in front OF the house the whole
| family rush out and cry. "Grandma's
come" and when she goes away from
US. never to return. there is a shadow
| on the table, and a shadow on the
| hearth, and a shadow on the heart
| There Is no more touching scene on
| earth than when grandmother sleeps the
| last slumber and the little child IS lifted
| up TO the casket TO give the last kiss.
| and she says, Goodbye, grandma
| Oh, there is beauty in old lgei God
| says so. THE h0ary head IL a crown
| Of glory" Why should people decline 10
get old? The best things. the greatest
| things / know Of are aged-old noun
| tains. old seas, old stars and old eter-
| nifty But If there is anything distress
| full IL IS to see an old wOmln ashamed
/ OF the fact that she is old. What with
| all the artificial appliances. she is too
| much for my gravity. / laugh even in
| church when I see her coming. The
| worst looking bird on earth is a peacock
| when 1t has lost its feathers. / would
not give one lock Of my old mothers
| gray hair for 80 900 such caricatures Of
| humanity And if the life Of a wording
| If the life OF a disciple given TO the
world is sad. the close OF such a life is
| simply a tragedy.
BclittIcd Souls.
Let me tell you that the designations OF
| social life are despoillns the usefulness
4 % n ast multitude Of paonIa What do