The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1899-07-02

Social amusements, to be good in
themselves, must be innocent-based
upon nothing wrong, leading neces-
sarily to nothing wrong, and finally
necessarily involving no such temp
tations to wrong as we are bound to
avoid, and to be good for us they
must not only be innocent in them
selves. but we must believe them to
be innocent, SO that we can enjoy
them with good conscience-other-
wise. we shall do wrong, and do our
selves very great moral harm. This
is point of greatest Importance, for
nothing is more injurious to the char
acter than indulging in amusements
about the innocence of which we are
not perfectly clear.
Now comes the question: "Where-
in does the goodness of good amuse-
ments consist? Why are they good?
1t may be answered generally, they
are good because they do us good.
They unbend the mind, and promote
innocent pleasure and joyous ex-
hilaration of spirits, and so make us
healthier, happier and better fitted
for the attainment of every end for
which God put US here in life.
To work is the chief business of
life. God has made every one to be
a worker, and, moreover, no one can
be properly happy who does not
work. Perpetual idleness is a mis-
cradle life.
But perpetual, unintermitted work
is no more fitted for man than per-
petual idleness. He can not work all
the time and work well. He will
either work himself to death before
his time, or his work will drag heav-
lily and not be SO well done. Nothing
uses up life so fast as severe brain
work, united with heavy sense of
responsibility and for the overwork-
ed members of the learned profess
sions prolonged vacations are of the
greatest necessity and benefit.
Everything being equal, aEy man will
work best and last longest who makes
his life judicious alienation of la
Dor and diversion, business and
amusement, work and play. The
first vindication then of the good
ness of good amusements is the fact
that they are the necessary best
helps to the work of life.
But we need not rest their vindi-
cation here. And we may say, in
the second place, that good amuse-
ments are good because they are
amusements, because they promote
innocent enjoyment, and innocent
enjoyment is a good thing in itself.
Man was made for something higher
than mere enjoyment, but he was
made for enjoyment, too. 1t is a
good thing to "have good time, !"
whenever we can have it without in
terfering with our religious duties
and our prayers, or neglecting our
business. That is the ground 1 take,
and take it firmly as the Church s
teaching. 1t is good thing to enter
into social amusements in the proper
spirit with every degree of temper
ance-
Does anybody suppose that there
is anything wrong in joyousness,
mirth, play and laughter under due
conditions of time and circum stances
anything displeasing to our Heav-
emily Father? Why, then, has God
made US as be has? Why, for in
stance, has he made US with such
perceptions of the grotesque, the odd !,
the iudicrous, and with universal
and irresistible impulse to laugh
when anything laughable is presented
to the mind. Why but because
laughter, joyous, hearty laughter, is
in itself as innocent as it is good for
the body, the mind and the heart.
But to return to the more general
consideration of the subject.
Nowhere in the world is there SO
much need for good social amuee-
ments as in our own country. The
intensity of life among us-our eager,
absorbing devotion to money getting,
and the hot pursuit of worldly ends
office. distinction and display-in-
crease this wear and tear of brain
and nervous energy.
What we need is a Systematic
course of amusements. 1t seems to
nae it would be a wonderfully good
thing il the people of all of our
towns, during the winter season
were to provide large, well venti-
lated hall or suite of rooms, where
all sorts of healthy and athletic sports
and games might be practiced, and
where music, dancing and dramatic
: readings and intellectual entertain.