Connecticut western news., 1896-04-02
MUSIC FIRST OF ALL.
TAs BEST OF THe INDOOR RscRs-
 ATlONS.

nat Rev. Dr. TAinAxe FAvors All Inno- cent spert.-Hs shows. However, That They Are Not . Tit Foundation For Soul Building.
 wAsHrNSroN, March 29.-In his ser mon today Dr. Talmage discussed a subject of universal interest-viz, "Our Social Recreations, His text was cho- sen from Corinthians vii, S1, They that use this world as not abusing it. !" Judges xvi, 25: "And it came to pass. when their hearts were merry, that they said, call for Samson. that he may make us sport.
 There were 5000 people assembled in the temple of Dagon. They had come to make sport of eyeless Samson. They were all ready for the entertainments. They began to clap and pound, impa- tient for the amusement to begin, and they cried, Fetch him out. fetch him outr' Wonder see the blind old giant coming, led by the hand of a child into the very midst of the temple. At his first appearance there goes up shout of laughter and derision. The blind old giant pretends he is tired. and wants to rest himself against the pillars of the house. So he says to the lad who leads him, "Show me where the main pillars nref" The lad does so. Then the strong man puts his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on another pillar. and with the mightiest push that mortal ever made, throws himself forward un- til the whole house comes down in thunderous crash. grinding the audience like grapes in a winepress. "And so it came to pass, when their hearts were merry. that they said, call for Samson. that he may make us sport And they called for Samson out of the prison house, and he made them sport. !"
 In other words, there are amusements that are destructive, and bring down disaster and death upon the heads of those who practice them. While they laugh and cheer, they die. The 5000 who perished that day in Gasa, are as nothing compared to the tens of thous- ands who have been destroyed by sinful amusements.
 For Use, Not Abuss.
 But my first text implies that there is lawful use of the world, as we'll as an unlawful abuse of it. and the difference between the man Christian and the man n-Christian is that in the former case the man masters the world, while in the latter case the world masters him. For whom did God make this grand and beautiful world? For whom this won. derful expenditure of color, this grace fulness of line, this mosaic of the ground. this fresco of the sky, this glow ing fruitage of orchard and vineyard, this full orchestra of the tempest, in which the tree branches flute. and the winds trumpet, and the thunders drum, and all the splendors of earth and sky come clashing their cymbals! For whom did God spring the arched bridge of col ors resting upon buttresses of broken storm cloud2 For whom did he gather the upholstery of fire around the win dow of the setting sun? For all men, but more especially for his own dear children.
 If you build a large mansion And spread a great feast after it to celebrate the completion of the structure, do you allow strangers to come in and occupy she place, while you thrust your own children in the kitchen. or the barn, or the fields? Oh, mol You say, "I am very glad to see strangers in my mansion, but my own sons and daughters shall have the first right there" Now, God has built this grand mansion of world, and he has spread glorious feast in it, and while those who are strangers to his grace may come in, I think that God es- pecially intends to give the advantage to his own children-those who are the sons and daughters of the Lord Al mighty. those who through grace can look up and say, Abba, Father" You cannot make me believe that God gives more advantages to the world than he gives to tho church bought by his own blood. If, therefore. people of the world have looked with dolorous sympathy upon those who make profession of re- ligion and have said: "Those new con- yerts are going down into privation and into hardship. Why did they not tarry g little longer in the world and have some of its en3oyments and amusements and recreations?" say to such men of the world. "You are greatly mistaken" ]" and before I get through I will show that those people who stay out of the king dom of God have the hardships and self sdenials. while those who come in have the joys and satisfactions.
 In the name of the King of heaven and earth I serve a writ of ejectment npon all the sinful and polluted who have squatted on the domain of earthly pleasure as though it belonged to them, the poor and the true, the eternal in heritance which God has given them. Hitherto, Christian philanthropista, clerical and lay, have busied themselvel chiefly in denouncing sinful recreations, but I feel we have no right to stand be- fore men and women in whose hearts there is desire for recreation amount ing to positive necessity, denouncinp this and that and the other thing, when we do not propose to give them some thing better. God helping me and with reference to my last account, shall en Ter upon a sphere not usual in sermon pZinSs put suDJect WHICH tnink ouSn 70 be presented at this time. proposs now to lay before you some of the rec reations which are not only innocent hut positively helpful and advantageous
 The Charms Of Music-
 In the first place, I commend, among indoor recreations, music-vocal and in strumental Among the first thing created was the bird, so that the eartl might have music at the start Thi world. which began with so sweet serenade, is finally to be demolished amid the ringing blast of the archangel' trumpet, so that as there was music a che start there shall be music at tn close. While this heavenly art has ofte been dragged into the uses of supersti fion and dissipation, we all know