The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-06-29

Vet Pci0CS OOE t0e DSISS]H "a 49,
strained Amusepnsus-E:cresst @hss
Lead 10 Sin.
From an unusua! standpoint De.
Talmage in this discourse diseases
smusements and applies tests oy WaicE
they may be known IS good or o$o.
The text is Judges xvi, 70: 2Ge =
csme to pass when their hear:S were
merry that they said, Cali ier SaGSon,
that he msy make Us sporL. Ana tasy
called for Samson cut CT tae pt1scn
house and he made them spocs.
There were 5000 people assembled
in the Temple Of Dagon. They bao
come to MAKE sport OF eJeIsss Samson.
They were all resdy Tor the entertSin-
ment. They began 10 clap AID pound,
imrstient for the amusement 10 begin,
and they cried: Fetch him oU-:
Fetch him ous" Yoader l ste he
blind old giant coming, led by tie
hand of 8 child IN Ihe very m.Gs. o.
the temple. A. his hIss appearance
there goes up s. shout OF laughter ana
derision, The blind old siaGt pre-
tends he is tired AID wso!z 70 rs: LIZ
self againsE the pillars ct the house,
so he says to the lad WAC leads A1o!,
Bring me where the main pliers
sre." The lad does so. IEol ih9
strong man puts his naooS On o1e ot
the pillars and, with Inc .n2!g1II@&.
push that mortal ever MADE rs taro75S
himself forward until the who-e mouse
comes down. IN LhunGecoUs cr.sA7
grinding audience IKE 2rs7es - .
wine press. .sAcG SO Il c. 0 pass,
when their hearts were merry, t1s.
they said, Gall fer Samson, sna! 2G
NAV make US sport. And they c&s-ta
for Samson OUT OF the prison houae,
and ne made them sport. II oLner
words, there are amusene1ts Laag are
destructive and bring down disaster
and destn upon the heads o. these who
practice them. While they laugh and
cheer they die. Tee 5000 VINO per
ished that day in Gaza are ncthl0g
compared with the tens OF thousands
who have been destroyed, body, mind
and soul by bad amusements and oy
good smusements carried 10 excess
In my sermons you must hs-e no
ticed that I have no sympathy with
ecclesiastical straitjackets Or with that
wholesale denudclation OF amUsemen:s
to which many are pledged. l bellve
the church OF God has made t1emen-
dcus mistake in trying to suppress the
sportfuInsss of youth and drive oUt
from men their love OF amusement.
II God ever implanted anything n
us, he implanted this desire. BuJ IL
stead of providing for this demand CT
our native churcn Of God God has for
the main part ignored 1t. As N s
riot the mayor plants bstter g: Inc
end Of the street and has It tired CT,
SO that everything is cut down thaE
happens to stand in the range, the
good as well IS the ba6, so there are
man in the church who plant thelr
batteries of condemnation ana fire
away indiscriminstcly. Everything
is condemned. They talk as if they
would like to have our youth dress n
blue uniforms, like the children OF al
orphan asylum, and march down the
path of lite to the tune OF dead march
in ssSaul." They hate 8 blus
sash, or rosebud IN the hair, or s
tasseIed saiter, and think man al
most ready for the lunatjc asylum
who utters conundrum.
Young Mems Christian associations
Of the country are doing s glorious
work. They have fine reading rooms,
and all the influences are OF The best
kind and are now adding gymnasiunas
and bowling alleys, where without
any evil surroundings our young men
NAV get physical as well SIS spiritual
improvement. We are Gwlnollng
away to a marrow chested, weak arm-
ed, feeble voiced race, when God calls
US to work in which ne Wants phgsl.
cal as well as spiritual athletes.
would TO God that the tine might
soon come when IN all our colleges
and theological seninaries, as ST
Princeton, gymnasium staIl be es-
tsblished. We spend seven years CT
hard study in preparation for the min
istry and come out with bronchitis
and dyspepsia snd liver complaint,
and then crawl up into the pulpit and
the people say, Doesn't he look
kesyenlyl" because he looks sickly.
Let the church Of God direct rather
than attempt to suppress the desire for
amusement. The best man TIA: the
world ever knew have had their
sports. William Wilberforce trun-
died hoop with his children; Martin
Luther helped dress the Christmas
tree. Ministers hsye pitched quoi;s;
philanthropists have gone skalip e;
prime ministers have played bali.
Our communities are filed with
men and women who hsve IN their
souls unmeasured resources for sport
fulness and frolic. Show me q man
who never lights up with sportfulness
and has no sympathy with the rsccea
tons of others, and will show you
man who is stumbling block TO the
kingdom Of God. Such men are carl
catures Of religion They laed young
people to think thata man is good IN
proportion as he groans and iroHnS
and sighs and looks sallow, and that
the height CT mans Christian
stature is in proportion to she length
of his face. I would trade of SEQ
such men for one bright faced radiant
Christian on whose face are the words
Rejoice evermorew Every morning
by his cheerful face he breaches so
sermons. 7 viii go further and say
that J have no confidence IN 8 man
who makes religion Of his gloomy
looks. That kind Of man always
turns out badly. 7 would not want
him for the treasury OF an orphan
asylum. The orphans would suffer.
Among 40 people whom received
into the church st one communion,
there was only one applicant Of whose
piety was suspicious. He had the
longest story to tell, had seen the
most visions and gave an experience
so wonderful that all the other appli-
cants were discouraged. I WAS rot