The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-05-23

washington, May 19.-This discourse
OF DR.. Talmage is in accord with all
innocent hilarities, while it repre-
herds amusements that belittle or de-
prave; text, II Samuel ii, IA, LET
the young men now arise and play be-
fore 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 IL men,
the sport open. 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 vio-
lence, each one taking his contestant
by the hair and with the sword thrust
ing 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 worldly nature is more
important and strengthening and in
nocent than amusement, and yet what
| mas counted more victims? have no
| sympathy with straightiacket relig-
ion. This is very bright world to
me, and | propose to do all can to
make it bright for others. l never could
keep step to a dead march. A book
years ago issued says that Christian
man has 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 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 mis-
take III trying to suppress the sport
fulness of youth and drive out from
men their love of amusement. If God
ever implanted anything in us, he i'm
planted this desire. But instead of pro-
Vldlng this demand of our nature the
church of God has for the main part
ignored 1T. 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 indiscrim-
lnately. Everything is condemned.
But Paul the apostle commends those
who use the world without abusing it,
and in the natural world God has done
everything to please and amuse us.
In poetic figure we sometimes speak
OF natural objects as being in pain, but
1t is a mere fancy. Poets say the
clouds weep, but they never yet shed a
tear, and that winds sigh, but they
never did have trouble and that the
storm howls but it never lost it's tenn
! per. The world is a rose and the uni
verse a garland.
Find Out for Yourselves.
project certain principles by which
you may judge in regard to any amuse-
ment or recreation, finding out for
yourself whether it is right or wrong.
l remark. in the first place, that
you can judge of the moral character
OF any amusement by its healthful re-
suit or by it's baleful reaction. There
are people who seem made up of hard
facts. They are combination of null
tlplication 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 submit
1t to botanical analysis, which is only
the post mortem examination of a flow
er. 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
reyerberating laughter. They seem as
If nature had built them by contract
and made a bungling job out Of it. But.
blessed be God there are people in the
world who have bright faces and whose
life is song, an anthem, pean of
victory. Even their troubles are like
the vines that crawl up the side of a
great tower on the top of which the
sunlight sits and the soft airs of sum
mer hold perpetual carnival They are
the people you like to have come to
your house; they are the people I like
to have come to my house. II you but
| touch the hem of their garments Won
| are healed.
Now, it is these exhilarant and SYM
| pathetic and warm hearted people that
are most tempted to pernicious amuse-
ments. In proportion as ship is
swift it wants strong helmsman, in
proportion as horse is gay it wants
a stout driver, and these people of ex-
| uberant nature viii do well to look at
the reaction 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 be-
cause your duty drags you from your
slumbers, you have been where you
ought not to have been. There are
amusements that 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 drudgery of life, with
tools because they are not swords, with
working aprons because they are not
robes, with cattle because they are not
Il