The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-06-26


sets all the bells OF heaven a-ehIrsnr.
There are some persons who. when
taking to a minister. always feel II
Poiitc to look lugubrious. Go forth.
On peouse. to your lawful amusement.
Hou ia an you to be happy. But.
"nen there are so many sources of in
nocent pleasure. why tamper with any
.nlnS that Is dangerous and pollutingg
"hy stop our ears to a heaven full OF
sOngsteTs to listen to the hiss Of
dragon! Why turn back from the |
mountain-side all abloom with wildfl
mowers and adash with the nimbie tor
rents. and with blistered feet attemE
10 climb the hot sides OF CotopaxIG
row, all opera houses, theaters. bowl
ing alleys. skating rinks and all STILES
OF amusement. good and bad. I puf on
trial today and Judge OF them by certain
earolnaI principles First, you may
luase OF any amusement by its health
lul result or by its baneful reaction.
fhere are people who seem made up
OF hard facts. They are a combina-
ton OF multiplication tables and sta
tistics. II you show them an exquisite
picture they will begin to discuss the
pigments involved in the coloring; II
you snow them a beautiful rose. they
viii submit II to a botanical analysis,
which is only the post mortem exam
ination Of a flower. They never do
anything more than feebly smile. There
are no great tides of feeling surging up
from the depth OF their soul in billow
after billow Of reverberating laughter.
They seem as II nature had built them
by contract and made a bungling Job
OF 1t. But. blessed be God. there are
people in the world who have bright
faces and whose life Is a song. an an
them. paean of victory. Even their
troubles are like the vines that crawl
up the side OF a great tower on the
top OF which the sunlight sits and the
soft airs Of summer hold perpetual car
nival. They are the people you like
to have come to your house; they are
the people / like to have come to my
house. Now il is these exhilarant and
sympathetic and warm-hearted people
that are most tempted to pernicious
amusements. In proportion as a ship
is swift il wants a strong helmsman:
in proportion as horse is gay it wants
strong driver; and these people of
exuberant nature will do well to look at
/ the reaction OF all their amusements
If an amusement sends you home at
night nervous so you cannot sleep. and
/ you rise in the morning. not because
you are slept out, but because your duty
drags you from your slumbers, you have
/ ~ -
There are amusements that send a man
| next day to his work blood-shot. yawn-
ing. stupid. nauseated. and they are
wrong kinds OF amusements. There
are entertainments that give a man dis
gust with the drudgery OF life. with
tools because they are not swords. with
working aprons because they are not
robes. with cattle because they are not
infuriated bulls of the arena. IL any
amusement sends you home longing for
a life of romance and thrilling adven-
ture, love that takes poison and shoots
itself. moonlight adventures and hair
breadth escapes, you may depend upon
it that you are the sacrificed victim OF
unsanctified pleasure. Our recreations
are intended to build us up. and II
they pull us down as to our moral OF
as to our physical strength, you may
come to the conclusion that they are
obnoxious.
How brightly the path OF unrestrain-
ed amusement opens. The young man
SAYS: Now / am off for a good time
Never mind economy; I'll get money
somehow. What a fine road, What a
beautiful day for a ride. Crack the
whip, and over the turnpikel Come
boys, fill high your glassesi Drink.
Long life. health. plenty OF rides just
like this." Woodworking men hear the
clatter of the hoofs and look up and say
'.Why.I wonder where those fellows get
their money from. We have to toll and
drudge. They do nothing" To thes'
gay men life is a thrill and an excite
ment. They stare at other people and
in turn are stared at. The watch-chair
jingIes. The cup loans. The cheek.
flush. the eyes fash. The midnight
hears their guffaw. They swagger
They jostle decent men on the side
walk. They take the name OF God In
vain. They parody the hymn they learn
ed at their mothers knee: and to al
pictures of coming disaster they cry
out: who cares!" And to the cour
sci OF some Christian friend
Who are your Passing aloni
the street some night you hear shriel
in a grog-shop. the rattle OF the watch
mans club. the rush OF the police. Wha
Is the matter now? Oh, this reckless
Young man has been killed in n grog
shop fight. Carry him home to hi
fathers house.
Let me say TO all young men. you
style OF amusement will decide you
eternal destiny. One night / saw
young man at a street corner evidentl,
rdoubting as to which direction he hat
better take. He had his hat lifted higl