The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-02-11

rvs sermon at st. Pauls NJ. e. Church
last night was prohibited Amusements,"
His text was:
"All things are lawful unto Me. but
all things are not expedient."-I CorIn-
tbians; D, II.
Prove all things; hold fast that which
is good Il Thessalonians: 9, 21.
I'VE are," he said, endowed by the
Creator with certain desires and tastes.
This world is Gods storehouse, filled with
supplies suited to our every want. To graf
ify every natural appetency of the soul is
lawful. But however gratifying the right
use of these things may be, the abuse OF
any of them is wrong, and even the law
ful use Of them may not be expedient.
This being so, the duty Of selection be-
comes apparent. The duty of choice in the
individual Christian implies the duty of
oversight, restriction or prohibition by tho
Church in her collective capacity of the
things that. measured by her standards OF
belief, are of immoral or irreligious ten
dency.
But this Is a difficult work, for the dis
position of human nature Is to assert the
right OF individual judgment and choice.
The important thing to understand is how
to follow our conscience and the discl-
pline Of our Church, and at the same time
treat with becoming respect the conscience
Of others equally conscientious with our
selves. It is folly, when talking. to assal
anything in the spirit OF narrowness and
sectarlan prejudice.
This question Of amusement is one in
which no absolute standard can be set up
by any man or set of men that will be
binding on all people. Some equally as
ent on this subject. If our argum ant shall
have any weight; If We hope to accomplish
any good. the appeal must be to reason and
not to passion.
'In bringing to you this subject would
not, for one moment, have you think that
| regard 1t sufficient to condemn any
amusement merely because the Methodist
Episcopal Church does not approve of 1t.
want to show you why our Church con-
dcmns as wrong certain amusements, To
do this | shall submit certain propositions
the truth OF which / think is self-evident
and apparent to every one. First, before
you can get harm out OF any amusement
or anything else there must be harm in
herent In it. In morals and in physics alike
the intrinsic nature and character of any
subject can be best determined by obserY-
ing the general effect or influence 1t pro-
notes. The amusement of a public sort
| can not find any moral claim or justiica-
tion when its performance or enjoyment
violates any of the proprieties OF good So
| clety.
| mo amusement is justifable by Chris
1 tians that in its tendency and influence
creates distaste for religion or that pro-
notes the spirit of RIGHTEOUSNESS, dissipa-
| tion or any form of vice. No earnest Chris
tian can consistently patronize any amuse-
meut that dminishes either religious en-
| joyment or Christian influence. 1t cannot
be proper or right for a Christian to pa
tronze with his money or presence any
| amusement in which it would he improper
for him to participate as principal or actor.
"Chtef among the prohibited amuse-
ments shall name are games Of chance,
commonly called gambling We know
there is harm in 1t for harm comes out Of
it. The whole tendency is evil.
Dancing Is another. If you ask why
this is prohibited. why It is wrong, l will
| answer: It is lmprudent; 1t breaks down
the barrier that is tho safeguard of good
society; 1t is the common amusement Of
degraded humanity and is everywhere as
socluted with the lowest forms OF vice; It
leads to dissipation, and, like novel read
Ing, UNITS the mind for the higher and
noblar duties Of life; 1t wrecks the body
and units the man and woman for tho
performance OF the allotted tasks OF dnily
toll, and so is a sin against the whole be-
iug-physical. mental and moral.
THE theatre is another evil.
THE love of the dramatic is natural to
us. Nature itself is dramatic, and what is
natural to us we appreciate.
I'VE do not condemn the theatre because
II is the theatre, but because Of the char
acter of the entertainment it furnishes.
Stripped OF its immortality the theatre
would be AS commendable as the seaside or
:; mountain resort, and would serve much
M.he same purpose. The theatre as 1t might
Be would be good thing. AS 1t is now no
Christian man can patronize IL without
harm to his own life. 1t has strange
power OF fascination over us, 1t excites our
emotions, stirs cur sympathies, fastens
our thoughts and prompts and occupies
the mind.
"It is claimed for the theatre that It is a
source of teaching. a combination OF art
and literature, Who will dare say that
the art or literature is Christian or in any
true sense morsl2 There is frequently at
tempts at a moral play TO serve as draw
ing clause, but this is true of the worst
style of literature. In neither case Is
there any attempt to trace the moral to a
religious SOURCE Generally the tendency
is to dlspaIage religious morals. But why
may we not select the good plays and see
them only? There are none that do not
contain Objectionable features. Then the
influence some have for good would be cur
tailed
You cannot participate in these pro-
hibited amusements without being to a
, certain extent influenced by them"