Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-06-18
GOOD AND BAD SPORT.
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON ABou7 THE
ADJUSTMENTS OF THE HouR

""A" -- The Christian Who Recreate,
Wisely-The Deadly "Good Tina, q
copyright. 1888, by American Press Assoc,
ciatlon.l
WASHINGTON, June 19.-From an nm.
usual standpoint Dr. Talmage in this
discourse discusses amusements and an,
plies tests by which they may be known
as good or bad. The text is Judges xvi,
70 And it came.to pass when their
hearts were merry, that they said, Call
for Samson, that he may make us sport.
Ana they called for Samson out of tho
prison house, and he made them sport. "
There were 5000 people assembled In
tho temple of Dagon. They had como
TO make sport Of eyeless Samson. They
were all ready for the entertainment.
1hoy began to clap and pound, impa.
tlent for tho amusement to begin, and
they cried: Fetch him out! Fetch him
out!' Yonder | SEQ the blind old giant
coming, led by the hand of child into
the very midst of tho temple. At his
first appearance there goos 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
MN, Bring me whore the main pillars
are, - The lad does so. Their the strong
man puts his hands on one of the nil.
lars, and, with the mightiest push that
mortal ever made, throws himself for
ward until tho whole house comes down
IN thunderous crash, grinding the audi
ence like grapes i'll wine press "And
so 1t 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. I"
In other words, there are amusements
that are destructive and bring down dis
aster and death upon the heads of those
who practice them. While they laugh
and cheer they die. The 8, 900 who per-
lshod that day In GAIA are nothing COM
pared with tho tens of thousands who
have been destroyed body, mind and
soul, by bad amusements and by good
amusements carried to excess.
In lny sermons you must have noticed
that have no sympathy with ecclesias-
teal straltJackets, or with that whole
sale Remuneration of amusements to
which many are pledged. I believe the
church of God has made tremendous
mistake in trying to suppress the sport
fitness of Youth and drive out from men
their love Of amusement If God ever
implanted anything in us, he implanted
Jnls desire But instead Or provid1ns
for this demand of our nature the church
of God has for tho main part ignored it
AS in riot the mayor plants battery
at the end Of the street and has it free
off, so that everything is cut down thai
happens to stand in the range, the gooc
as we'll as the bad, SO there are men IL
the church who plant their batteries oil
condemnation and fire away indiscrimi
natoly. Every thing is condemned. They
talk as if they would like to have oul
youth dress in blue uniform, like the
children Of all orphan asylum, anG
march down tho path of life to the tune
of tho dead march in "Saul." They
hate a blue sash, or rosebud in the
hair, or a tassolcd gaiter and think E
man almost ready for the lunatic asy
lun who utters a conundrum.
Young Mems Christian associations
Of the country are doing a glorious
work. They have fine reading rooms,
and oil tho influences arc of the best
kind, and ere now adding gymnasiumt
and bowling alleys, whore, without any
evil surroundings, our young men may
get physical as we'll as spiritual i'm
provemcnt. We are dwindling away tc
narrow chested, weak armed feeble
voiced race, when God calls us to a
work in which he wants physical as
well rs spiritual athletes. l would te
God that the timo might soon come
when in all our colleges and theological
Summaries, as at Princeton, gymna'
SUM shall be established We spend
seven years Of hard study in preparation
for tho ministry and come out with
bronchitis and dyspepsia and liver COM
plaint, and then crawl up into the pull
pit. and tho people say, Doesn't he look
heavenly pCtluF5o ilo Ao'iA'' NNAN'
Let the church of God direct rather
than attempt to suppress the desire fo1
amusement. Tho best men that the
world over knew have had their sports.
William Wherefore trundled hooI
with his children. Martin Luther helped
dress tho Christmas tree. Ministers have
pitched Guoits, philanthropists have
gone a-skating, prime ministers have
played ball. ., .-
Our communities arc filled with men
and women who have in their souls un-
measured resources for sportfulness and
frolic Show me man who never
lights up with sportfulness and mas nc
sympathy with the recreations OK otn-
ers. and will show you man VINO If
y stumbling block to the kingdom OF
God. Such men are caricatures OF rel
zion. They lead young people to thlnh
that % man is good in proportion as ne
proons and frowns and looks salloW'
and that the height OF a man IS Ohris-
tion stature is in proportion to the
length of his face would trade on ooo
such men for one bright faced, radiant
Christian on whose face are the "oras'
"Roioico cvermoroP Every morning
nv his cheerful face he breaches oo ser
mons. Twill 80 further and say that
T bavo no confidence in man VINO
| l:;o,, IF his gloomy looks.