Connecticut western news., 1901-05-23
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WASHINGTON, May 19.-This discourse
of DR.. Talmage is in accord with all
innocent hilarities, while 1t reprehends
amusements that belittle and deprave;
text, III Samuel ii, ii, 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 game of sword fencing. Moth
ing could be more healthful and inno-
cent. The other army accepts the chal-
lenge. Twelve men against II men,
the sport opens. But something went
adversely. Perhaps one of the swords
men 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 contestant
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 better illustration of
what was true then and is true now
that that which is innocent. may be
made destructive?
What of a worldly nature Is more i'm
portant and strengthening and inno-
cent than amusement, and yet what
has counted more victims? l have no
sympathy with a straitjacket religion.
This is very bright world to me, and
1 propose to do all l can to make 1t
bright for others. l never could keep
step to a dead march. A book years
ago issued says that Christian man
has q right to some amusements. For
instance, If he comes home at night
weary from his work and, feeling the
need of recreation, puts on his slip
pers and goes into his garnet and walks
lively round the floor several times
there can be no harm in it. / believe
the church of God has made great
mistake in trying to suppress the sport
fitness Of youth and drive out from
men their love of amusement. Ii God
ever implanted anything in us, he i'm
planted this desire. But instead of pro-
viding for this demand of our nature
the church of God has for the main
part ignored 1t. AS in riot the mayor
plants a battery at the end of the
street and has 1t fired off so that ev-
erything 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 their batteries of condemna-
ton and fire away Unfortunately.
Everything Is condemned. But Paul
the apostle commends those who use
the world without abusing it, and in
the natural world God has done every
thing to please and amuse us.
Evils of Corrupt Amusements.
And l am glad to know that in all
our cities there are plenty of places
where we may find elevated moral ell
tertajnment But all honest men and
good women will agree with me in the
statement that one of the worst things
In these cities Is corrupt amusement.
Multitudes have gone down under the
blasting influence, never to rise. If we
may judge Of what is going on in many
of the places of amusement by the pic
lures on board fences and in many of
the show windows, there is not much
lower depth Of profligacy to reach. AT
Naples, Italy, they keep such pictures
locked up from indiscriminate inspec-
ton. Those pictures were exhumed
from Pompeii and are not fit for public
gaze If the effrontery of bad places
of amusement in hanging out improper
advertisements of what they are doing
night by night grows worse in the same
proportion, In so years some Of our
modern cities will beat Pompeii.
1 project certain principles by which
you may judge in regard to any amuse-
ment or recreation, finding out for
yourself whether 1t is right or wrong.
I remark, in the first place, that you
can judge of the moral character of
any amusement by it's healthful result
or by It's baleful reaction. There are
people who seem made up of hard
facts. They are combination of null
tiplication tables and statistics. If you
show them an exquisite picture, they
will begin to discuss the pigments In
volved In the coloring. II you show
them beautiful rose, they will sub
NIT it to botanical analysis, which is
only the post norton examination Of a
flower. They have no rebound in their
nature. They never do anything more
than smile. There are no great tides of
feeling surging up from the depths of
their soul in billow after billow Of re-
verberating laughter. They seem as If
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 anthem, pecan Of vic
tory.
Now, 1t is these exhilarant and SYM
pathetic and warm hearted people that
are most tempted to pernicious amuse-
ments. In proportion as a ship is swift
1t wants a strong helmsman, in proper
ton as a horse is gay it wants a stout
driver, and these people of exuberant
nature will do well to look at the reac-
ton of all their amusements. If an
amusement sends you home at night
nervous, so that you cannot sleep, and
you rise up in the morning not because
you are slept out, but because your
duty drags you from your slumbers
you nave Decu WI mere you OuSu uOl u
have been. There are amusements thai
send man next day to his work with
his eyes bloodshot, yawning, stupid
nauseated, and they are wrong kinds OF
amusement They are entertainments
that give a man disgust with the drudg
cry of life, with tools because they are
not swords, with working aprons be
cause they are not robes, with cattle
because they are not Infatuated bull
of the arena. If any amusement SENDS
you home longing for life of romano,
and thrilling adventure, love that take
poison and shoots itself, moonlight ad
ventures and hairbreadth escapes, yo,
may depend upon 1t that you are tn,
sacrificed victim of unsanctified pleas
ure. Our recreations are intended t.
build us up, and If they pull us dowl
as to our moral or as to our physica
70 no In