The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-05-24
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE sY The NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; The Benefits of Rational Amuse.
ments = Evils Of straitIacket Religion
-Depraving Inhue ences-warm Heart
ed People Most Tempted.

hilarties, while II reprehends amusements
that bellttle and deprave; text. III Samuel
II, IL, Let the youns men now arise and
play before us
There are two armies eneamped by the
pool OF Glbeon. The time hangs heavily
on their hands one army PROPOSES a
game OF sword fencing. Nothing could be
more hea!thtul and innocent. The other
army accepts the challenge. Twelve men
against twelve men, the sport opens. But
something went adversely. Perhaps one
OF the swordsmen got an unlucky slip or
IN some way a.5 his ire aroused, and that
which opened in sportfulness ended in vio.
lence. each one taking his contestant by
the hair and then with the sword thrust.
ing hlm IN the side, so that that which
opened IN innocent fun ended IN the mas.
sacre of all the twenty-four sportsmen.
Was there ever a better illustration of
what was true then and is true now-that
that which 10 innocent may be made dc.
structlve!
What Of a worldly nature is more i'm.
portant and strengthening and innocent
than amusement, and yet what has count.
ed more vlctlmsy / have no sympathy
with a straltjacket religion. This is a very
bright world 10 me, and | propose 10 DO
all can 10 make II bright Tor others. |
never could keep step 10 a dead march A
book years ago issued says that Chris.
tan man has right 10 some amusements.
For instance, If he comes az night weary
from hls work and, feeling the need of
recreation, puts on his slippers and goes
into his garrett and walks lively round the
floor several times there can be no harm
IN II. | believe the church of God has
made great mistake IN trying TO suppress
the spOrttulness OF youth and drive out
from men their love OF amusement. Ii
God ever implanted anything in us, He
ina. los rt..I a
Vldlng for this demand OF our nature the
church OF God has for the main part ig-
nored II. As IN a riot the mayor plants a
battery az the end OF the street and has 10
fired of so that everything ID cut down
that happens To stand in the range, the
good as well as the bad 50 there are men
IN the church who plant their batteries of
condemnation and tire away lndlscrimin-
ately. Everything Is condemned. But
Paul, the apostle, commends those who
use the world without abusing il, and In
the natural world God has done everything
to please and amuse us
And i am glad to know that in all our
cities there are plenty OF places where we
may find elevated moral entertainment.
But all honest men and good women will
agree with me in the statement that one
of the worst things IN these cities is cor
rupt amusement. Multitudes have gone
down under the blasting influence, never
10 rise. III we may Judge of what Is going
on IN many OF the places of amusement by
the pictures on board fences and in many
OF the show windows, there is not a much
lower depth OF protligacy to reach. At
Naples, Italy, they keen such pictures
locked up from indiscrimlnate inspection.
Those pictures were eXhumed from Pom
pen, and are not fit for public gaze If the
efrontcry 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 fifty
years some ot our modern cities will beat
Pompeil.
| project certain principles by which
you may judge in regard to any amusement
or recreation, finding out for yourself
whether It is right or wrong.
| remark, in the first place, that you can
judge of the moral character OF any amuse.
ment by Its healthful result or 10y its bale
ful reaction. There are people who seem
made up of hard facts. They are "A combi.
nation OF multiplication tables and statis-
tics. IL you show them an exquisite pic
ture they will begin TO discuss the pig.
ments involved in the cooring. ii YOU
show them a beautiful rose they will sub
init 1t to botanical analysis, which is only
the post-mortem 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 biIlow OF reyerberatlng laughter. They
seem as II nature had built them by con.
tract and made bungng Job of IL. But
blessed be God, there are people in the
world who have bright faces and whose
lie Is song, an anthem, a paean OF VIC.
tory.
Now, it is these exhlarant and sympa.
thetlc and warm hearted people that are
most tempted 10 pernicious amusements
In proportion as a ship Is swift 1t wants a
strong helmsman, IN proportion as a horse
Is gay 1t wants stout driver, and these
people 81 Tube-ant nature will do well 70
look at the reaction OF all their amuse-
ments. III an amusement sends you home
at night nervous, so that YOU cannot sleep
and you rise up in the morning not be-
cause you are slept out, but because your
duty drags you from your sumbers, you
nave been where you ought not TO have
been. There are amusements that send a
man next day 10 his work with his eyes
bIoodshot, yawnlng, stupid, nauseatei, and
they are wrong kinds OF amusement. They
are entertainments that give man dis
gust with the drudgery ot life, with tools
because they are not swords, with work.
ing aprons because they are not robes,
with cattle because they are not infuriatcd
bulls OF the arena.
IL any amusement sends you home long
ing for lite of romance aud thrilling ad-
venture, love that takes poison and shoots
itself, moonlight adventures and hair
breadth escapes, you may depend upon It
that you are the sacrificed victim oil uu.
sanctihed pleasure. Our recreations are
intended % build us ~, and If they pull
us down as % our moral or as 10 our ply.
slcal strength you may come % the con
clusion that they are obnoxious.
Il here ugtnluu more lpUTaVIng than
attendance upon amusements that are fuil
OF lnnJendO and low suggestion. The
young man enters. At first he sits far
back, with his hat on and his coat collar
up, fearful that somebody there may know
him. Several nights pass on. He takes of
ms hat earlier and pu's his coat collar
down. The blush that first came into his
cheek when anything indecent was enacted
comes no more 30 his check. Farewell,
young mani You have probably started
on the long road which ends in cOnsum-
mate destruction. The stars Of hope viii
90 out one by one until yOl will be left IN
utter darkness. Hear you not the rush o.
the macistrOm, in whose outer circle your
boat now dances, making merry with the
whirllEg waters, But you are being
drawn in. and the gentle motion will be-
come terrific agitation. You cry Tor help
Ia vain; you pull az tho oar % put back.
but the struggle viii not avail. You will
be tossed and dashed and shipwrcckcd and
swallowed IN the whirlpool that has al
ready crushed in its wrath 1000 hulks.
Young men who have come from the
country residence TO city residence viii do
well % be on guard and lc. no one induce
them 20 places OF improper amusement. IL
y nightly allHring wncu a young man,
long a citizen, offers ty show a newcomer
all ar0lnd
SELL further. those ar1uscments are
wrong which lead yJu into expenditure
beyond your means. Money spent in rec.
reati0n j. not thrown away II D. al folly
for Va % come from Place OF amusement