The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-18
In TINE OF LEISURE.
REV. DIR. TALMAGE ON THE IN
FLUENCE OF THE CLUB.

He Shows the Effect Of Bad Ciubs-The
Test OF Merit of u CIub-Ths Struggle
Against Evil Habits and How to Con-
quer.
Ehis discourse Of DR.. Ta1mage will be
helpful to those who want to find
places with healthful and improving
surroundings and to avoid places de-
aeterious. His text Is II Samuel ii, IA,
LET the young men now arise and
play before u.s."
There are two armies encamped by
the pool OF Gideon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army pro-
poses a game Of sword %fencin3. Moth
ing could be more healthful and inno-
cent. The other army accepts the chal-
.1enge. Twelve men against II men.
h sport opens. But something went
adversely. Perhaps one of the
swordsmen got an unlucky clip or in
some way had his ire aroused, and that
which opened in sportfulness ended in
violence. each one taking his contes-
tam 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 inno-
cent may be made destructive?
At this season of the year the club
houses Of our towns and cities are in
full play. I v found out that there
is a legitimate and an illegitimate use
OF the clubhouse. In the one case it
may become a 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 Of the text when
they had one too far with their sport.
All intelligent ages have had their
gatherings for political, social, artistic,
literary purposes-gatherings charac-
terized by the blunt old Anglo-Saxon
designation of CLUB"
FAMOUS CLUBS.
If o have read history, you know
that there was a Kings Head club,
a Ben Johnson club, a Brothers club,
to which Swift and Boligbroke belong
ed; a Literary club, which Burke and
GOLDSMITH and johnson and Boswell
made immortal; a Jacobin club, a Ben
jamin Franklin Junto club-some Of
these to indicate justice, some to favor
the arts, some to promote good man
ners, some to despoil the habits, some
to destroy the soul. If one will write
an honest history of the clubs of Eng
land, Ireland, Scotland, France and the
United States for the last 100 years, he
will write the history of the world.
having cost over 81, 900, 600; like the
English soil, but it has thrived well in
American atmosphere. Who shall tell
now many belong to that kin of club
where men put purses together and
open house, apportioning the expense
Of caterer and servant and room, and
having a sort Of domestic establish
ment-a style of clubhouse which in
my opinion is far better than the Ordi-
nary hotel or boarding house? But
my object now is to speak Of club
houses of a different sort, such as the
Cosmos or Chevy Chase or Lincoln
club of this capital, or the Union Lea
CUES 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 together to discuss newspapers,
theaters and elaborate art, like the
Americas, which camps out in summer
time, dimpling the pool with it's hook
and arOusing the forest with it's 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 war
like service Cnce on the land or on the
sea now come together to talk over the
days of carnage like the New York
Yacht club, with it's floating palaces of
beauty upholstered with velvet and
paneled with ebony, having all the ad-
vantages Of electric bell, and of gas
light, and of kings pantry, one pleasure
boat costing $4,000, another SIS, 900,
another $50, 600, another S65. 900, the fleet
of pleasure boats belonging to the club
having cost over 81. 200, 900; like the
American Jockey club, to which be-
long men who have a passionate fond
ness for horses, fine horses, as had Job
when, in the Scriptures, he gives US a
sketch of hat king of beasts, the arch
of it's neck, the ~ervousne Of it's foot,
the majesty of it's gait, the whirlwind
of its power, crying out: Hast thou
clothed his neck with thunder? The
glory CT 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 hunder of the captains,
and the shouting" like the Travellers
club, the Blossom club, the Palette
club, the Commercial club, the Liberia
club, the Stable Gang club, the Anna
teur 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 employee
busting a sofa, or a clerk writing up
the accounts, but when the curtain OF
night falls on the natural day then the
curtain of the clubhouse HOSTS for the
entertainment. Let us hasten up now
the marble stairs. What an imperial
hallway! See, here are parlors on the
side, with the upholstery of the Krem-
lin and the Tuileries, and here are din
ing halls that challenge you to mention
any luxury that they cannot afford,
and here are galleries With sculpture
n paintings and Autographs and
drawings from the best of artists,
Cropsey and Bierstadt and Church and
Hart and Carbohydrates for every
mood, whether you are imprisoned or