The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-04-04
OUR RECREATIONS.
DR.. Talmage Talks of Those Which
Are Good and the Bad.
Amusements hat Arc Destructive and
Bring Down Disaster and Death
Upon Those Who Practice
Them.

In a late sermon at Washington Rev.
T. De Witt Talmage discussed the sub
iect of ''Our Social Recreations." His
text was taken from l Cor. vii:31:
They tha 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 3. 900 people assembled in
the temple of Dagon. They had come
to make sport of eyeless Samson. They
began to clap and pound, impatient for
the amusement to begin, and they
cried, Fetch him out! Fetch him outr'
Yonder 1 see the blind old giant COM
ing, led by the hand of a child into the
very midst of the temple. At his ap-
pearance there goes up a 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 h main
pillars are" 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
LnaL mOTUdl ever IudOC, " AS
forward until the whole house comes
down in t~hunderous crash, grinding
the audience like grapes in a wine
press. "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 then sport"
In other words, there are amuse-
ments 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 three thousand who persisted that
day in GAIA are as nothing compared
with the tens of thousands who nave
been destroyed by sinful amusements-
But my first text implies h a there
is a lawful use OF the world, as well as
an unlawful abuse of it. and the differ
ence between the man of Christian
and the man un-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 wonderful ex-
penditure OF color, this g~racefulness OF
line, this mosaic of the ground, this
fresco of the sky, this glowing fruit
age 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 symbols? For whom
did God spring the arched bridge of
colors resting upon buttresses of
broken storm-cloud? For whom did
He gather the upholstery of fire around
the window of the setting sun? For all
men, but more especially for His own
dear children.
If you build q large mansion, and
spread a great feast after it, to cele-
brate the completion of the structure,
do you allow strangers to come in and
occupy the place, while you thrust
your w children in the kitchen, or
the barn, or the fields? Oh, mol You
say: ~ 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 a world. and He has spread
a glorious feast in it, and while those
who are strangers to His grace may
come in, l think that God especially in.
tends to give the advantage to His own
children-those who are the son and
daughters of the Lord Almighty, 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 the church bought by His own
blood. If, therefore, people OF the
world have looked with dolorous SYM
pathy upon those who made profession
of religion, and have said: Those new
converts are going down into privation
and into hardship. Why did they not
tarry a little longer in the world, and
have some of it's enjoyments and
amusements and recreations?" I say
to such men of the world, You are
mistaken" and before / get through !
will show that those people who stay
out of the kingdom of God have the
hardships and self-denials, while those
who came in have the joys and salts
factions.
In the first place, / commend, among
indoor recreations, music-vocal and
instrumental. Among the first things
created was the bird, so that the earth
might have music at the start. This
world, which began with SO sweet q
serenade, is finally to be demolished
amidst the ringing blast of the arch
angels trumpet, SO h a there was
music at the start, there shall be music
at the close. While this heavenly art
has often been dragged into the uses
of superstition and dissipation, we all
know it may be the ean of high
moral culture. oh, it is a grand thing
to have our children brought up amidst
the sound of cultured voices. and amidst
the melody of musical instruments.
There is in this art an indescribable
fascination for the household. Let all
those families who have the means to
afford it, ave flute. or harp, or piano,
or organ. As soon as the hand is large
enough to compass the keys. teach 1t
to pick out the melody. Let all our
young men try this heavenly art upon
their nature. Those who have gone
into it fully have found in IL illimit-
able recreation and amusement. Dark
days, stormy nights, seasons of sick
ness, business disasters, will do little
toward depressing the soul which can
gallop off over musical keys, or soar in
jubilant lay. 1t will cure a pain. 1t
will rest fatigue. 1t will quell passion.
1t will revive health. 1t will reclaim
dissipation. 1t will strengthen the
immortal soul. In the battle of Water
loo, wellington saw that the Highland
ers were falling back. He said: what's
the matter there?' He was told hat
the band of music had ceased playing,
and he called up the pipers and ordered
them to strike up an inspiriting air; no
sooner did they strike the air than the
H~ighlanders were rallied, and helped
to win the day. oh, We who have been
routed in the conflicts of life, try by
the force of music to rally your scat
tered battalions.
Still further: l commend, as worthy
OF their support, the gymnasium. This
institution is gaining in favor every
year, and 1 know of nothing more free
from dissipation, or more calculated
to recuperate the physical and mental
energies. While there are a good many
people who have employed this insti-
tuition, there is a vast number who are
ignorant of its excellence. There are
men with cramped chests and weak
sides and respondent spirits who
through the uUmnasium MIGHT he