The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-02-17
HURTFUL OR HELPFUL.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Discourses or
the Influences of Club Life.
Organizations Which May be Beneficial or
Detrimental-The Influence OF the
Club on Domestic and Com
mercial Life.


Witt Talmage endeavors to draw the
line healtful and unhealthful condi-
tions surrounding club life. The text
is:
Let the young men now arise and pay before
us--lI Samuel, H., IA
There are two armies encamped by
the pool of Gideon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army pro-
poses game of sword-fencing. Moth
could be more healthful and innocent.
The other army accept the challenge.
Twelve men against twelve men, the
sport opens. But something went adj
versely. Perhaps one of the swords
men got an unlucky clip, or in some
way mad his ire aroused, and that
which opened in sportfulness ended in
violence, each one taking his contest
ant by the hair, and then with the
sword thrusting him in the side; SO
that that which opened in innocent
fun ended in the massacre of all the
"A sportsmcn. Was there ever a better
illustration of what was true then,
and is true now, that that which is in
nocent may be made destructive?
At this season Of the year the club
houses of our towns and cities are in
full play. l have found out that there
is legitimate and an illegitimate use
of the club house. In the one case it
may become healthful recreation,
like the contest of the - men in the
text when they began their play; in
the other case it becomes the massacre
of body, mind and SOUL as in the case
of these contestants in the text when
they had gone too far with their sport.
All Intelligent ages have had their
gatherings for political, social, literary
purposes-gatherings characterized by
the blunt old Anglo-Saxon designation
of club"
If you have read history, you know
that there was u Kings Head club, a
Ben Jonson club, a Brothers club, to
which Swift and Bolingbroke belonged,
literary club, which Burke and Gold
smith and Jonson and Boswell made
immortal; a Jacobin club. a benjamin
Franklin Junto club. Some Of these
to indicate justice, some to favor the
arts, some to promote good manners,
some to despoil the habits, some to de-
stroy the soul. If one will write an
honest history Of the clubs of England,
Ireland, Scotland, France and the
United States for the last 100 years. he
will write the history of the world.
The club was an institution born on
English soil, but it has thrived we'll in
American atmosphere. Who shall tell
how many belong to that kind of club
where men put purses together
and open house, apportioning the eI-
pense of caterer and servants and
room, and having a sort of domestic
establishments style of club house
which, in my opinion, is far better
than the ordinary hotel or boarding
house? But my object now is to speak
Of club houses of different sort, such
as the Cosmos, or Chevy Chase, or Lin
coin clubs, OF this capital, or the
Union leagues of many cities, the
United Service club of London, the
Lotos of New York, where journalists
dramatists, sculptors, painters and
artists, from all branches, gather to-
gether to discuss newspapers, the
aters and elaborat, art; like the
Americas, which camps out in
summer time, dimpling the pool
with its hook and arousing the
forest with its stag hunt; like the
Century club, which has its large
group of venerable lawyers and poets,
like the Army and Navy club, where
those who engaged in warlile service
once on the land or the sea now come
together to talk over the days of car
mage; like the New York Yacht club,
with its floating palaces of beauty up
holstered with velvet and paneled with
ebony, having all the advantages of
electric bell, and of gaslight, and OF
kings pantry, one pleasure boat cost
ing 5000, another $4,000, another
$50, 900, another $4,000, the feet OF
pleasure boats belonging to the club
having cost over $4,000 900; like the
American Jockey club, to which
belong men who have a passionate
fondness for horses, fine horses,
as had Job when, in the
Scriptures, he gives us sketch OF
that king of beasts, the arch of its
| neck, the nervousness of its foot, the
majesty Of its gait, the whirlwind oil
its power, crying out: ''Hast thou
clothed his neck with thunder? The
| glory of his nostrils is terrible; he
paweth in the valley and rejoiceth in
his strength, he saith among the trum
| pets ha! ha! and he smelleth the bat.
tie afar off, the thunder of the cap
tains. and the shouting;;" like the
| Travellers club, the Blossom club, the
Palette club, the Commercial club, the
Liberal club, the Stable Gang club, the
Amateur Boat club, the gambling
clubs, the wine clubs, the clubs of all
sizes. the clubs of all morals, clubs as
good as good can be, and clubs as bad
as bad can be. clubs innumerable,
During the day they are comparatively
| lazy places. Here and there an aged
man reading a newspaper, or an en-
| ploye busting a sofa. or a clerk writing
up the accounts; but when the curtain
of the night falls on the natural day,
then the curtain of the club house
hoists for the entertainment. Let
US hasten up. now, the marble stairs.
IL.