Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1901-05-22

1
This discourse of DR.. 1almage is i'm
accord with all innocent hilarities.
while il reprehends amuScmentS that
belittle or depravc; text IL. Samuel
ii, "a: Let the young men now arise
and play before Us"
There are two armies encamped by
the pool of Gideon. The time hangs
heavily on their hands. One army
| proposes a game OF sword fencing
Nothing could be more helpful and
| innocent The other army accepts
the challenge. Twelve men against
j. men, the sport opens. But some
thing went adversely. Perhaps one
OF the swordS;ncn got an unlucky
! clip or in some way had his ire
aroused and that which opened i'm
! sportfulneSS ended in violence. eat
taking his contestant by the hair
and with the sword thrusting him in
the side, so that that which opened in
innocent fun ended i'm the massacre
or all the - sportsmcn. Was there
ever better Illustrate OF what was
true then is true aow-that which is
innocent may he made destructive?
What Of worldly nature is more
important and strengthening and in
nocent than amusement. and yet
| what has counted more victims? |
have no sympathy with raitiackct
| religion. This is a very bright world
10 mo, and I pro- osc TO do all | can
to make il bright for others. / never
could keep step to a dead march. a
book years ago issued says that a
| Chris tinn has rio IN
amuscmcnts. For instance, if he
comes home ut night weary from his
work and feeling the need or rccrea-
ton, puts on his slippers and goes
into his garnet and walks lively
around the floor several times there
can be no harm in il. ! believe the
church of God made a great mistake
in trying to suppress the Sportful-
ness of youth and drive out from
men their love of amusement. II God
ever implanted anything in us. he inn
planted this desire. But instead OF
| providing for this demand of our ma
turc the church of God has for the
main part ignored il. A. in "a riot the
mayor plants battery at the end Of
the street and has it fired Oft. 30 that
everything is cut down that happens
TO stand in the range. the good as
well as the bad, so there are men in
the church who plant the batteries
of condemnation and fire away indis-
criminatcly. Everything is con
demned. But Paul the apostle com
mends those who use the world with
out abusing il. and in the natural
world God has done everything TO
please and amuse us. In poetic fig
| urcs we sometimes speak of natural
objects as being in pain. but it is a
mere fancy. Poets say the clouds
weep. but they never yet shed tear.
and that the winds sigh, but they
never did have any trouble. and that
tho storm howls, but IL never lost its
temper. The world is a rose and the
| universe q garland.
! And ! am glad 70 know that IN all
our cities there arc plenty of places
where we may find elevated moral en-
tcrtainment. But al! honest men and
good women will agree with me in
the statement that one Of the worst
things in these cities is corrupt
amusement. MultitudrS have gone
down under the blasting influence
never 20 rise. If We may Judge OF
what is is going on in many Places OF
amusement by the pictures ON board
fences and in many Of the show win
dows there is not much lower
depth of prohigacy 10 reach At
! Naples, Italy, they keep such pictures
locked mp from indiscriminate inspec-
ton. Those pictures were eNhumed
from Pompcii and are not ft 1or pub
lie gaze. If the eTrontery of bad
places OF amusement i'm hanging out
improper advertisements of what
they are doing night by night grows
worse in the same proportion, in 50
years some Of our modern cities will
beat Pompeii
] project certain principles by which
you may judge in regard 20 any amuse-
ment or recreation. finding out for
! yourself whether 10 is right or wrong.
] remark in the first place. that you
can judge Of the moral character OF
any amusement by It's healthful result
or by its balcful reaction. There are
| people VINO seem made up Of hard
/ facts. They are combination OF
multiplication tables aud statistics. II
you show them an exquisite picture
they will begin to discuss the pig
ments involved i'm the coloring. IF you
show them beautiful rose they will
/ submit il 10 a botanical analysis. which
! is only the post-mortcm examination
| Of flower. They have NJ rebound
/ in their nature. They never do any
| thing more than smile. There are no
/ great tides 81 feeling surging up from
| the depths Of their soul in bil!ow after
billow Of rcvcrbcrating laughter.
They seem IS IL nature had built them
by contract and made a bungling job
out OF 1t. But, blessed be God, there
are people in the world who have
bright faces and whose life is a song.
al anthem, paean of victory. Even
/ lhnir trnmlln. nrn H. Z D.. .---..-. !. l. l.