Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-05-23

lily" And SO, while the world plays, 1t
works. Look out for the man who al
ways plays and never works.
You will do well to avoid those whose
regular business it is to play ball, skate
or go a-boating All. these sports are
grand in their places. 1 never derived
SO much advantage from any ministerial
association as from ministerial club
that went out to play ball every Satur-
day afternoon in the outskirts of Phila-
delphia These recreations are grand to
give us muscle and spirits for our regu-
lar toll. / believe in muscular Chris
tianity. A man is often not so near
God with weak stomach as when he
has strong digestion. But shun those
who make it their life occupation to
sport There are young men whose in
dustry and usefulness have fallen over
board from the yacht. There are men
whose business fell through the ice of
the skating pond and has never since
been heard of. There is beauty in the
gliding Of boat, i'll the song Of skates,
in the soaring of well struck ball, and
l never see one fly but 1 involuntarily
throw up my hands to catch it, and SO
far from laying an injunction upon ball
playing CT any other innocent sport, l
claim them all as belonging of right to
those of us who toll III the grand indus
tries of church and state
But the life business of pleasure seek
ing always makes in the end criminal
or sot. George Brummel was smiled
upon by all England, and his life was
given to pleasure. He danced with the
peeresses and swung a round of mirth
and wealth and applause until, ex-
hausted of purse, and worn out Of body,
and bankrupt Of reputation, and ruined
of soul, he begged biscuit from gro
Ger and declared that he thought a
dogs life was better than a mans.
Such men will come into your office,
or crowd around your anvil, or seek to
decoy you off. They will want you to
break out in the midst of your busy day
to take ride with them. They will
tell you of some people you must see, of
some Sabbath day that you ought to
dishonor. They will tell you of exqui-
site wines that you must taste, of costly
operas that you must hear, Of wonderful
dancers that you must see, but before
you accept their convoy or their COM
partnership remember that while at the
end of useful life you may be able to
look back to kindnesses done, to honor
able work accomplished, to poverty
helped, to good name earned, to Chris
tian influence exerted, to a Saviour's
cause advanced-these pleasure seekers
on their deathbed have nothing better
to review than torn playbill, ticket
for the races, an empty tankerd, and the
cast out rinds Of a carousal, and, as in
the delirium Of their awful death they
clutch the goblet and press it to their
lips, the dregs Of the cup falling upon
their tongue will begin to hiss and, I'M
coil with the adders of an eternal poi
son.
The Gambling Spirit.
Again, avoid as you would avoid the
death of your body, mind and soul any
one who has in him the gambling spirit.
Men who want to gamble will find
places just suited to their capacity, not
only in the underground oyster cellar or
at the table back of the curtain cover
ed with greasy cards, or in the steam
boat smoking cabin, where the bloated
wretch with rings in his ears deals out
his pack and winks at the unsuspecting
traveller - providing free drinks all
around-but in gilded parlors and amid
gorgeous surroundings.
This sin works ruin, first, by unhealth-
full stimulants. Excitement is pleasure
BILE. Under every sky and in every age
men have sought it. The Chinaman
gets it by smoking his opium, the Per-
sian by chewing hasheesh, the trapper in
buffalo hunt, the sailor in a squat,
the inebriate in the bottle and the avari-
cious at the gaming table We must at
times have excitement. A thousand
voices in our nature demand it 1t is
right. 1t is healthful. 1t is inspiring.
1t is desire God given. But anything
that first gratifies this appetite and
hurls it back in terrific reaction is de-
plorable and wicked. Look out for the
agitation that like a rough musician
in bringing out the tune plays SO hard
he breaks down the instrument. God
never made man strong enough to en-
dure the wear and tear of gambling ex-
element. No wonder if, after having
failed in the game, men have begun to
sweep off imaginary gold from the side
of the table. The man was sharp enough
when he started at the game, but ma
MAC at the close. At every gaming ia
BILE sit ON one side ecstasy, enthusiasm,
romance-the frenzy of JOY; on the 9TH
er side, fierceness, rage, tumult. The
professional gamester schools himself
1 into apparent quietness. The keepers of
gambling rooms are generally fat, roll
licking and obese, but thorough and
professional gamblers, in nine cases out
of ten, are pale, thin, wheezy, tremu-
/ lous and exhausted.
A young man, having suddenly inher-
tied large property, sits at the hazard
tables and takes up in dice box the
estate won by fathers lifetime sweat
and shakes it and tcsses it away. In