Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-04-10

out by their own INSTRUMENTATION ma
chinery, capable OF propelling Majesti
across the Atlantic, yet fastened In a ricket.
North River propeller. Martin Luther wa
so mighty for God. first, because he had
noble soul, and, secondly, because he had I
muscular development which would hav'
enabled him to thrash any five Of his perse
outors II 1t had been Christian so to do
| Physical development which merely show
ITSELF In fabulous lifting, or In perilous rop,
| walking or In pugilistic encounter, excite
only our contempt but we confess to grea
admiration for the man who has a great sou
in an athletic body, every nerve, muscle anC
bone OF which IS consecrated to right uses,
Oh, 1t seems to me outrageous that men,
through neglect, should allow their physical
health to 90 down beyond repair-a ship
which ought, with all sail set and every man
at his post, to be carrying rich cargo fol-
eternity, employing all its men in stopping
up leakages. When you may, through the
gymnasium, work of your spleen and youl
querulousness and one-half Of your physical
and mental ailments, DO not turn your back
upon such grand medicament,
Still further, I commend to you large
class of parlor games and recreations. There
Is a way Of making our homes hundred
fold more attractive than they are now.
children away from outside designations I'M
less they make the domestic circle brighter
than anything they can find outside of it.
Do not, then, sit In your home surly and un-
sympathetic and with half eondemnatory
look .becauge OF the sportfulness OF
your children. You were young
once YOURSELF let your children
be young. Because your eyes ara
m nd nj Ina ny Qfi IN of do.
nounce sportfulness In those upon whose
eyes there is the fist luster and In whose
foot there is the bounding joy Of robust
health. thank God that in our drawing
rooms and in our parlors there are innumer.
abe games and sports which have not upon
them the least faint of iniquisy.
Light up all your homes with innocent
hiarlties. Do not sit down with the rheuma-
tism, wondering how children can 90 on so.
Rather thank God that their hearts are SO
light, and their laughter is so free. and their
cheeks are so ruddy and that their expecta-
tions are so radiant. The night will come
soon enough, and the heartbreak and the
pang and the desolation-:t will come soon
storm actually clouds the sky It will be time
enough for you to haul out your reef tackles.
Carry, then, into your homes not only the
innocent sports and games which are the in
ventions Of our own day, but the games
which come down with the sportfulness OF
all the past ages-chess and charades and
tab,eaux and battledoor and calisthenics and
lawn tennis and all those amusements which
the young people Of our homes know 80 we'll
how to contrive. Then there will be the
par.or sociallties-groups OF people assem-
bled In your homes, with wit and mimicry
and jovlality, filling the room with Joy from
door to mantel and from the carpet TO the
ceiling. Oh, is there any exhtlaration like q
score Of genial souls In one room, each one
adding a contribution OF his own individual
merriment to the aggregation OF general
hilarlty7
Suppose you want to go abroad In the city;
then you will find the panora and the art
gallery and the exquisite collections of pic
lures. You will find the museum and the
historical society rooms full of rare curiosi-
ties, aud scores of places which can stand
plainly the test Of what is right and wrong
In amusements. You will find the lecturing
hall, which has been hoEored by the names
OF AgaSsiz in natural history, Doremus in
chemistry, Boynton in geology, Mitchell in
astronomy John B. Cough in moral reform
and scores and hundreds of men who have
poured their wit and genius aud ingenuity
through that particular channel upon the
hearts and consciences and imaginations Of
man, setting this country fifty years farther
in advance than it would have been without
the lecture platform.
rejoice in the capitalization OF outdoor
sports. hail the croquet ground and the
fisherman's rod aud the sportsman's gun. In
our cities life Is so unhealthy and unnatural
that when the census taker represents city
as having 400. 900 inhabitants there are only
200 900, since it takes at least two men to
amount to one man, so depletinge and I'M
nerving and exhausting Is this metropolitan
life We want more fresh air, more sunlight,
moro Of the abandon Of field sports. l cry
out for it In behalf OF the church OF God as
we'll as In behalf of secular interests. l wish
that our ponds and our rivers and our capt.
toine ground might be all aquake with the
heel and the shout of the swift skater |
wish that when the warm weather comes
the graceful oar might dip the stream
and the evening tide be resonant with boat
mans song, the bright PROV splitting the
crystalline billUw,
we shall have the smooth and grassy lawns
and we will call out people of all occupations
and professions and ask them to join In the
ball players sport. You will como back from
these outdoor exercises and recreations with
strength in your arm and color in your
cheek aud d fash In your eye and courage in
your heart. In this great battle that is OPEN
ing against the kingdom of darkness we
want not only q consecrated soul, but
strong arm and stout lungs and mighty mus
ole. bless God that there are so many rec
reations that have not on them the faint OF
iniquity, recreation in which we may engage
for the strengthening OF the body, for the
clearing of the intellect, for the illumination
of the soul.
There is still another form OF recreation
which 1 commend to you, and that is the
pleasure Of doing good. have seen young
men, weak and cross and sour and repeling
In their disposition, who by one heavenly
touch have Weakened up and become blessed
and buoyant. the ground under their feet
and the sky over their heads breaking forth
into music. "Oh," says some young man in
the house to-day, II should like that recrea-
ton above all others but 1 have not the
My dear brother, let US take an
account OF stock. You have large estate II
you only realize it. Two hands, two feet.
You will have perhaps during The next year
at least $10 for charitable contribution. You
will have $500 cheerful looks If you want to
employ them. You will have 5000 pleasant
words il you want to speak them. Now,
what an amount that is to start with.
You 90 out tomorrow morning, and you
see a case of real restitution by the wayside.
You give him two cents. The blind man
hears the pennies rattle In his hat, and he
says, "Thank you. cir, God bless you'll"
You pass down the street, trying to look in
different, but you feel from the very depth
OF your soul profound satisfaction that you
made that man happy. You go on still
farther and find poor boy with wheel
barrow, trying to get it up on the curbstone.
He fails In the attempt. You say, Stand
back, my lad; let me try" You push 1t up
IN the curbstone for him and pass on. He