St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-02-12
ON CLUB LIFE.
How to Test the Good or Bad In
f1uences of the Clubs.
Organizations that May be Hurtful o
Hclpful rs They Are Properly or I'm
properly Conductcd-uomes
Ciubbed to Death.

that May be uurtfui or
Hclpful as They Are Properly or I'm
properly Conducted-uomes
Ciubbed to Death.
Ia the following discourse Rev. I.
Dewitt Talmage endeavors to draw
the line of demarcation between legiti-
mate and illegitimate club life in the
great cities. The text is:
Let the young men now arise and p ay before
us--II Samuel. IL. Il
There are two armies encamped by
the pool of Gibeon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army pro-
poses a 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 ad-
versely. Perhaps one of the swords
men got an unluclky clip. or in some
way mad his ire aroused, and that
which opened in sportfulness ended IN
violence, each one taking his contest
art 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 sportsmen. Was there ever a better
illustration of what was true then,
and is true now, that that which is ln-
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
NAV become healthful recreation,
like the contest of the "a 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. q
Ben Jonson club, a Brothers club, to
which Swift and Bolingbroke belonged,
q literary club, which Burke and Gold
smith and Jonson aud Boswell made
immortal; Jacobin club. 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 ofEngland,
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 shalt tell
how many belong to that kind OF CLUB
where men put purses together
and open house, apportiOning the ex-
pense of caterer and servants ana
room. and having sort OF domestic
establishment-a 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 n 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 ali branches, gather to-
gether to discuss newspapers, the
aters and elaborate art; like the
Americus, which camps out In
summer time, dimpling the poo
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 warlike 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 will
ebony, having all the advantages OF
electric bell, and of gaslight, and O
kings pantry, one pleasure boat cost
ing $1,000, another $4,000, another
So, ,0uO, another $4,000, the heet o
pleasure boats belonging to the clul
having cost over Sa.O0o,00o; like the
American Jockey club. to which
belong men who have passionate
fondness for horses, fine horses
rs had job when, in thu
Scriptures, lie gives us q sketch o
that king of beasts, the arch OF III
neck, the nervousness OF its foot, th'
maj ajesty of its gait. the whirlwind o
its power, crying out: Hast tho'
clothed his neck with thunder? Th'
glory of his nostrils is terrible; IN
paweth in the valley and rejoiceth IL
his strength, he satin among the trum
pets ha! ha! and he smelleth the bat
tie afar off, the thunder of the cap
tains, and the shouting;" like th'
Travellers club, the Blossom club, th'
Palette club, the Commercial club, tn
| Liberal club, the Stable Gang club. th'
! Amateur Boat club, the gambling
clubs, the wine clubs, the clubs OF al
sizes, the clubs of all morals, clubs a
good as good can be, and clubs Us bat
rs bad can be. clubs innumerabie
During the day they are comparativel.
law places. Here and there an aget
| man reading q newspaper, or an em
| ploye dusting a sofa. or a clerk writing
up the accounts; but when the curtain
of the night fails on the natural day
then the curtain OF the club hous
hoists for the entertainment. LIE
US hasten up. now, the marble stairs
What an imperial hallway! See! her
are parlors on the side, with the up
holstery of the krenlin and the Tuil
cries; and here are dining halls tha
challenge you to mention any luxur.
that they can not afford; and here ar
galleries with sculpture. and paint
ings, and lithogrphs. and drawing
from the best artists, Cropsey. an
Bierstadt, and Church, and Hart, an
Gifford-impassioned or placid; ship
wreck, or sunset over the sea; Sheri
dams Ride or the monday party OF til
farmers under the trees; foaming dee
pursued by the hounds in the Adiron
dacks, or the sheep on the lawn. O
this side there are reading room
L IL