The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-23
TRUE VALUATION OF TIME
ITS USE AND ABUSE DISC USSED BY
 DIR. PHILLIPS.


 At the Church of the Redeemer last evening Rev. Dr. Phillips delivered the second of the interesting course of lee- lures which he is giving on the topic, What Shall l Do With My Time" from the texts Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To everything there is a reason, and time to every purpose under heaven;"s I Corinthians, 7:29, "The time is short" Colossians AS, "Redeeming the time" Dr. Phillips spoke as follows:
 If the principle I tried to emphasize one week ago is a correct principle, and we are all to unite in confessing "Thou has granted me life" then 1t follows that everything pertaining to life is sa- cred. Nothing pertaining to life is more sacred and important than time. Time, say the Arabs, lis divided into two parts, that which Is pasta dream; that which is to come--a wish" Be tween the dream and the wish many lives are frittered away, and never come to the hour of honorable and pro-
  have given us many aphorisms intend- ed to remind us of the swift flight of years, and the imperative necessity of doing at once what we have to do Thus Dr. Young in one of his satires suggests:
 "Naught falls so noiseless as the foot
 of time;
 Hence we mistake our autumn for our
 prime"
 And Prentice in the familiar poem, "The Closing Year" describes this re- lentless forward movement as that of one deaf to all appeal, and a stranger to compassion:
 "Remorseless Time!
 Fierce spirit of the glass and scythe!-
 What power
 Can stay him in his silent course, or
 melt
 His iron heart to pity? On, still on, He presses, and forever"
 What shall I do with this swift, sa- cred period that measures the length of my days on the earth? First, take an intellfgently serious view of 1t; not q morose, melancholy view, but one that inspires just appreciation of the rela- tive importance of the minutes and hours that mark times rapid flight. We will agree that such a view pre- cludes waste Time wasted is exist ence-used in life." We have not pass ed from existence into life until we have learned the right use of time. What is waste? Recreation? By no means. Recreation is sometimes the greatest time saver; it freshens and conserves, and makes possible more rapid and efficient work It would be vastly better for many hurrying peo- pie who are getting nervous under the strain of their tasks to take more time for recreation.
 Amusements? That depends The new ethical school has about decided. I believe, that this is entirely a question of taste, but the fogies and ,antediluvi- ans may perhaps be allowed to suggest that the question of just valuation of time should also be considered in mak- ing up the verdict It would be absurd to fly in the face of nature and indis- criminately denounce all amusements. Something to distract and please him, to make him laugh is one of mans primal needs He would be better and wiser if he were genuinely amused of- tener. But there are amusements and amusements For myself, I confess my inability to discover much amuse- ment in spending half the night hand ling cards; or In jumping over wax ed floor in the embrace of a stranger; or in sitting out poor, unclean show because it calls itself a play; or in the se1ni-occasional squandering of time, money and vital energy in what some otherwise good citizens call making a night of it." but that may be only the evidence of an outdated Puritanism, or a crude, uncultured taste.
 The issue must really be joined up- on the consideration of what comports with an unselish view of life, and of what is que our own being. Some questions may be asked at that point such as: CD What should be ones aim in amusement? Relaxation, recreation for more useful pursuits. Our use of the words vocation and avocation has force here. A mans vocation is his regular work in life; his avocation is something to which he turns, at inter- vals, for relief Making it your voca- tion to amuse yourself, holding every other interest in life subordinate to that, must result in degeneration, in moral and intellectual flabbiness. CD What makes an amusement wrong? It's interference with the serious business of life; it's engendering selfishness, as it always will when abused; it's estab- fishing the habit of seeking our own pleasure first of all, regardless of nice ethical distinctions and the claims of others upon our time and interest; its leading to bad associations which leave a bad taste in the mouth, bad pictures and desires in the heart. The question of play-going is a complex one; it can- not be answered out of hand. Much depends upon the character of the play and of the players, much upon whether it leads to an absorption, an infatua- ton. which results in a waste of time and money and neglect of good works and useful study. (3) How may we get the most out of all Gods gifts? By using them discreetly, making them minister to our development, character, usefulness.
 Unquestionably much time is wasted by everyone; few realize how odd moments count up in the course of a i lifetime One of Mir Wesley's rules for the preacher was: Never be un- employed; never be trifingly employed ? | Most men would wish to put one defi- milton on the words; for, no man can 1 make a universal rule for a well-or-