Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-11-21

de W1Gt lalnaSe SSASSCS O
Biblical figure to- present practlcal
truths. The text is: eve wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against
Drincipalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness OF this
world, against spiritual wickedness In
high places '-Ephesians vi, H.
Soueamishness and fastidiousness
were never charged against PauPS
rhetoric. In the war against evil he
took the first weapon he could lay his
hand on. For illustration, he en-
pIoyed the theater, the arena, the foot
3ace, and there was nothing in the
Egthmian 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! PIu-
1arch 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-
~cles, and wrestling, which is an Ell
fort to put down another on floor or
ground, and we, all of us, INDUCED IN
it in our boyhood days, if we were
;lealthful and plucby. The ancient
~wrestlers were first bathed in oil, and
then sprinkled with sand. The third
brow decided the victory, and many
ID. 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 saw
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
al 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
+he other, tripping him up, or with
struggle that threatened apOpIexy 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
tates my text to an amanuensis, for
all his letters, save one " Philemon,
seem to have been dictated, and as the
-ama0uensis goes on with his work [
hear the groan and laugh and shout
Of earthly and celestial belligerents:
We Wrestle not against flesh and
Blood, but against Principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of
rLo darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places"
notice that as these wrestlers adj
,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 Clerkenwell, England, and in
the famous wrestling match during
tie reign of Henry I'LL, in ST. Giles
Field, between men of Westminster
and people of London. However rough
IL twist and hard a pull each wrestler
contemplated giving his opponent,
they approached each other with po-
likeness and suavity. The genuaex-
4ons, 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-
~ never hinders, but always help.
You are powerless as soon as you get
mad. Do not call rumsellers murder
-ers. Do not call infidels fools. Do
not call higher critics reprobates. Do
net 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 billingsgate and contempt and adj
lectives dynamite. The other side
can beat us at that. Their die
tionaries have more obiurgation and
brimstone,I
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 striveth
for the mastery is temperate in all
things" The wrestlers were put I'M
der complete discipline = bathing,
gymnastics, struggle in sport with
each other to develop strength and
give quickness to dodge of head and
grip 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-
nent off his balance; hard training for
days and weeks and months, so that
when they met it was giant clutching
giant. And, my friends, if we do not
want ourselves to be thrown in this
wrestle with the sin and error of the
world, we had better get ready by
Christian discipline, by holy self-de-
NAL, by constant practice, by submit