The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-12-15
FIGHT AGAINST EVIL.
Ancient Athletic Games Used as q
Similae by Dr.. Talmage.
Vrestlers for God and Their War Against
Evil Habits The Survival Of tho
Fittest-Reserve Forces
The Final Victory.

In the following discourse heV. L.
Dewitt Talmage selects prominent
Biblical figure to present practical
truths The text is: I'VE Wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against
principalities. against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this
world. against spiritual wickedness i'll
high places. .'-Ephesians Vi, T..
Squeamishncss and fastidiousness
were never charged against Paul
rhetoric. In the war against evil he
took the first weapon he could lay his
hand on. For illustration, he en-
ployed the theater, the arena, the foot
lace, and there was nothing IN the
Isthmian game, with its wreath OF
parsley; or any Roman circus, but he
felt he had right to put it in sermon
or epistle. and are you not surprised
that in my text he calls upon wrest-
ling bout for suggestiveness? Plu-
tarch SAYS that wrestling is the host
artistic and cunning of athletic games.
We must make a wide difference be-
tween pugilism, the lowest of specta-
clcs, and wrestling, which is an ef-
fort to put down another on floor or
ground, and we. all of us. lndulged IN
it in our boyhood days, if we were
healthful and pIucky. The ancient
wrestlers were first bathed i'll Oil. and
then sprinkled with sand. The third
throw decided the victory. and many
a man who went down in the first
throw or second throw. in the third
throw was on top. and his opponent
under. The Romans did not like this
game very much, for it was not say
age enough, no blows or kicks being
allowed in the game. They preferred
the foot of hungry panther on the
breast of fallen martyr.
In. wrestling, the opponents would
bow in apparent suavity. advance face
to face, put down both feet solidly,
take each other by the arms, and push
each other backward and forward I'M
til the work began in real earnest, and
there were cOntOrtiOnS and Strangu-
lations, and violent strokes of the foot
of one contestant against the foot OF
the other, tripping him up. or with
struggle that threatened apopleNy or
death. the defeated fell. and the shouts
Of the spectators greeted the victor
| guess Paul had seen some such con-
test, and it reminded him of the
struggle of the soul with temptation,
and the struggle of truth with error,
and the struggle of heavenly forces
against apollyonic powers, and he die
fn4A tn< to
all his letters, save one to Philemon,
seem to have been dictated. and as the
amanuensis goes on with his work l
| hear the groan and laugh and shout
| of earthly and celestial belligerents:
I'VE wrestle not against flesh and
| blood, but against principalities,
| against powers, against the rulers of
| the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places"
l notice that as these wresters ad-
| vanced to throw each other they bowed
| one to the other. 1t was a civility,
| not only in Grecian and Roman games,
but. in later day, in all the wrestling
| bouts at Clerkcnwell, England, and in
| the famous wrestling match during
the reign of Henry ILL.,, in st. Giles
Field, between men of Westminster
and people of London. However rough
a twist and hard a pull each wrestler
contemplated giving his opponent,
they approached each other with po-
liteness and suavity. The genufleN-
ions, the affability, the courtesy in no
wise hindered the decisiveness of the
| contest. Well, Paul, ! see what you
mean. In this awful struggle between
| right and wrong, we must not forget
| to be gentlemen and ladies. Affabili-
! ty never hinders. but always help.
| You are pOwerleSs as soon as you get
mad. Do not call rumseIlers murder
| ers. Do not call infidels fools. Do
not call higher critics reprobates. Do
| not call all card-players and theater-
| goers children of the devil. Do not
say that the dance breaks through in
| to hell. Do not deal in vituperation
and bllingsgate and contempt and adj
| jectives dynamite. The other side
| can beat us at that. Their die
| tionarieS have more objurgation and
birthstone.
Remember also that these wrestlers
went through severe and continuous
course of preparation for such work
They were put upon such diet as
would best develop their muscle. As
Paul says: Every man that strivetf
for the mastery is temperate in al
| things" The wrestlers were put un
der complete discipline - bathing
gymnastics, struggle in sport with
each other to develop strength anc
| give quickness to dodge of head ant
trip of foot; stopping ii lift each Other
er off the ground: suddenly rushing
forward: suddenly pulling backward
putting the left foot behind the 9th
er's right foot. and getting his oppo
men. OFF his balance: hard ira; a;ning fol
days and weeks and months, SO tha
when they met it was giant clutchin!
giant. And, my friends. if we do no
want ourselves to be thrown in thi
wrtstle with the sin and error of tn