Milford chronicle., 1901-05-24

on their hands. One army proposes a
game Of sword fencing. Nothing could
be more healthful and innocent. The
other army accepts the challenge. Twelve
men against - men, the sport opens. But
something went adversely. Perhaps one
of the swordsmen 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 con-
| testant by the hair and 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 a 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 innocent
| than amusement, and yet what has count
ed more victims? 1 have no sympathy
with a straitjacket religion. This is a
very bright world to me, and / propose
to do all can to make it bright for 9TH
ers. never could keep step to a dead
march. A book years ago issued says
that Christian man has right to some
amusements. For instance, il he comes
I
feeling the need of recreation, puts on
his slippers 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 made a great mistake in
trying to suppress the sportfulness of
youth and drive out from men their love
of amusement. If God ever implanted
anything in US, he implanted this desire.
But instead Of providing for this demand
of our nature the church of God has for
the main part ignored it. AS in a riot the
mayor plants a battery at the end of the
street and has it fired off, so that every
thing 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 condemnation and
fire away Unfortunately. Everything
is condemned. But Paul the apostle COM
mends those who use the world without
abusing it, and in the natural world God
has done everything to please and amuse
us. In pOetiS figure we sometimes speak
of natural objects as being in pain, but it
is n mere fancy. Poets say the clouds
weep, but they never yet shed a tear, and
that the winds sigh, but they never did
have any trouble, and that the storm
/ bowls, but it never lost its temper. The
world is & rose and the universe a gar
land.
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
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 amuse-
: ment by the pictures on board fences and
i in many Of the show windows, there is
not a much lower depth of prohigacy tC
reach. At Naples. Italy. they keep such
pictures locked up from indiscriminatC
inspection. Those pictures were exhum
cd from Pompeii and are not fit for pub
lie gaze. If the effrontery Of bad places
Of amusement in hanging out improper
7 advertisements Of what they are doing
night by night grows worse in the samt
proportion, in so years some Of our mod
ern cities will beat Pompeii.
Find Out For Yourselves.
project certain principles by whicl
!, you may judge in regard to any amuse
u ment or recreation, finding out for your
=, self whether it is right or wrong.
n ! remark, in the first place, that yOI
C. can judge Of the moral character of an,
y amusement by its healthful result or b,
e. its baleful reaction. There are peopl
es who seem made up of hard facts. The.
5s are n combination Of multiplication table
rs and statistics. If you show them an ex
Quisite picture they will begin to discus
~ the pigments involved in the coloring
'ls If you show them a beautiful rose the
will submit it to q botanical analysis
a. which is only the post norton examine
ton Of a flower. They have no reboun
r in their nature. They never do anythin
more than smile. There are no geG
- tides Of feeling surging up from tn
depths Of their soul in billow after bi
low of reverberating laughter. The
seem as If nature had built them by col
Oh. tract and made a bungling job out Of j
~. But, blessed be God, there are people
Sm the world who have bright faces an
whose life is a song, an anthem, p@a
of victory. Even their troubles are iii
& the vines that crawl up the side Of
- great tower on the top of which the SUI
light sits and the soft airs Of SUNNI
hold perpetual carnival. They are Il
people you like to have come to yol
house; they are people l like to ha'
come to my house. If you but touch Il
ry. hem of their garments you are healed.
IN IN, Now, it is these exhilarant and symp
Wn thetic and warm hearted people that a
most tempted to pernicious amusement
In proportion as a ship is swift it wal
a strong helmsman, in proportion as
- horse is gay 1t wants a stout driver,
these people Of exuberant nature will
IL well to look at the reaction Of all tn
amusements. If an amusement sends y
home at night nervous, so that you CT
not sleep. and you rise up in the mo
ing not because you are slept out,
because your duty drags you from "
etS slumbers, you have been where you Oul
ne not to have been. There are amuseme
q that send a man next day to his VIZ
rsS with his eyes bloodshot, yawning, stuI
II nauseated, and they are wrong kinds
DsS amusement. They are entertainme
:. that give a man disgust with the dru
~ cry of life, with tools because they
- not swords. with working aprons beca
n they are not robes. with cattle beca
~ they are not infatuated bulls Of the are
nam If any amusement sends you home 10
Iion' ing for life Of romance and thrilling
!. venture, love that takes poison and she
itself, moonlight adventures and h
DASautn CSNulGsS guu may uGpSnu u
Del. 1t that you are the sacrificed victim
. unsanctifed pleasure. Our recreat
70 are intended to build us up, and if I
EOS pull US down as to our moral or al
our physical strength you may CONF
the conclusion that they are obnoxiou
There is nothing more depraving
attendance upon amusements that
full Of innuendo and low suggestion.
young man enters. At first he sits
srate. back, with his hat on and his coat C
up, fearful that somebody there
ar know him. Several nights pass on.
osti. takes off his hat earlier and puts his
lders' collar down. The blush that first {
ire or into his cheek when anything inde
Se5fv was enacted comes no more to his cl
ences Farewell, young man! You have pl
lford' bly, started on the long road which
in consummate destruction. The
of hope will go out one by one, until
will be left in utter darkness. Hear
not the rush Of the maelstrom, in "
i, outer circle your boat now dances,
'A' ing merry with the whirling waters?
llings you are being drawn in, and the 6
md at motion will become terrific agita
.l% Ways You cry for help. In vainl You pl