The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-05-09
SOCIAL RECREATIoNs.
Rev. Dr.. Talmage Puts Up a Plea
In Their Behalf.
The Popularixation of Out-Door Sports
to be Commended-TheyA Act asa
Tonic to the Soui as Well
as to tho Body.

ne 1OItOW1uR ulhcOuTeC ny NV -
Dewitt Talmage was delivered before
his Washington congregation on the
subject: ''0ur Social Recreations. IL
was based on the texts:
They that use this world as not abusing It,
l. Cor, vii. 81
And it came to pass. when the hearts were |
merry that they said, call for Samson, that ne |
may make US sport.-JudSes xvi, %
There were 5000 people assembled In
the Temple of Dagon. They had come
to make sport of eyeless Sampson.
They were all ready for the entertain
ment. They began to clap and pound,
impatient for the amusement to begin,
and they cried: "Fetch him out! fetch
him OUT" Yonder l see the blind old
giant coming, led by the hand OF
child into the very midst of the tenn
pie. 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
saws to the lad who leads him. "Show
me where the 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 that
marital ever made, throws himself for
! ward until the whole house comes
down in thundcrous crash, grinding
| the audiance like grapes in 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 them sport
In other words, there are arnuse-
mcnts 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 1900 people persisted that day In
GAIA are as nothing compared to the
tens of thousands who have been de-
stoyed by sinful amusements.
But my first text implies that there
is lawful use of the world, as well as
an unlawful abuse of 1t, and the diff
ference between the man Christian and
the man un-Christian is, that in the
former case the man masters the
l
world masters him. For whom did
God make this grand and beautiful
world? For whom this wonderful ex-
penditure of color, this gracefulness
of line, this mosaic of the ground,
this fresco of the sky, this glowing
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 colors
resting upon buttresses OF broken
storm-cloud? For whom did He gather
. the upholstery of FIRE around the win
dow of the setting san? For all men
but more especially for His own, deal
children.
If you build a large mansion, and
spread great feast after 1t to cele
brate the completion of the structure
do You allow strangers to come in ant
\ occupy the place, while you thrus
your own children in the kitchen, o.
the barn, or the fields? Oh, no! Yo'
4 say: II am very glad to see stranger
H In my mansion. but my own sons ant
4 daughters shall have the first RICH
n there" Now. God has built this gran'
= mansion of the world, and He ha
a spread glorious feast in it, and whil'
" those who arc strangers 70 His grac
!. may came in, think that God espe
cially intends to give the advantage
to His own children-those who arr
the sons and daughters of the Lor
= Almighty, those who, through grace
!. can look up and say: Abba
: Father" You can not make me be
y lieve that God gives more advantage
to the world than He gives to tn
church bought with His ow
blood. If, therefore, people of tn
world have looked with dolorous syn
/, patty upon those who make professio
10 of religion, and have said, ''Thos
~ new converts are going down into pr
~ walton and into hardship; why di
- they not tarry a little longer in tb
- world, and have some of its enjoyment
a and amusements and recreations?'-
say to such men of the world, "Yo
are greatly mistaken" and when l 81
through will show that those poop
= who stay out of the kingdom of &c
= have the hardship and self-denial
~ while those who come in have the 10,
and satisfactions.
In the name of the King of Heavt
and earth, l serve writ of ejectmel
: upon all the sinful and polluted WI
have sauatted on the domain of earth
pleasure as though it belonged
them, while claim, in behalf OF tt
good snd the pure and the true, T
eternal inheritance which God h
given them. Hitherto, Christian pl
y. lanthropists, clerical and lay, ha
.. busted themselves chiefly in d
e. nouncing sinful recreations; but
&c. feel we have no right to stand befo
men and women in whose hearts the
Is desire for recreation amounting
positive necessity, denouncing Il
and that and the other thing, VIII
we do not propose to give them son
If thing better. God helping me a
with reference to my last account
D shall enter upon sphere not usual
lie sermonizing, but a subject which
r. think ought to be presented at Il
:. time. / propose now to lay beft
u you some of the recreations which {
&c not only innocent, but positively he
f,,1 and advautaOeous