Newport weekly independent., 1902-07-25

reckless abandon. Vacation rest which would supply the needs of the body at the sacrifice of the soul is a perversion and an iniquity. Such is really not vacation rest at all, but vacation unrest.
 Vacation Unrest.-And for fear some misguided but weary soul may read the foregoing and encourage a self-seeking heart in indulging in present-day vacation excess and fev- erish pursuit of worldly diversions and pleasures, we wish to talk for a little while about vacation unrest. It is abroad in the land to-day. It is encouraging to excesses and indulg. ences which would never be thought of in the soberer moments. It is robbing privilege of it's wholesome fruit. and is changing in the worlds laboratory of opportunity, by the chemistry of reckless human ingen- uity, blessing into positive curse. Here is where the warning note wants to be struck. Here is where Gods voice needs to be heard and needed. Not a cry against vacation rest, but against the unrest of the age, which turns the Saturday half holiday into blighting influence and the summertime outing into pc riod of unrestrained indulgence in every whim and caprice the self-in- dulgent flesh hankers after. The perversion of the Saturday half-holi- day is beginning to cast it's miasmal pail over the Lords day and is sap ping the spiritual life and strength of the disciples of Jesus Christ. And to many it is proving the easy gate way to the downward road of self indulgence and pleasure, and the very threshold of he'll The modern development of the vacation habit is proving an allurement whose swift, broad current is yearly drawing it's thousands and hundreds of thousands away from wholesome influences to the distractions of summer resort life and merely sensual indulgences.
 The place to which our Lord led Ais disciples for their vacation rest was quiet and restful spot, where the beat of the heart of Nature could be felt, and where God could bless soul as we'll as body. To-day, think you. He would lead to some of the popular resorts and watering places? Do you believe He would be found with His disciples at many of the pleasure places and roof gardens, and Sunday excursions and outings, which to-day are filling the land and the world with their distractions? Pleasure, such as the world can give, and plenty of it, but not that body and soul invigorating rest which comes as a wholesome portion to him who, following the bidding of the Master, withdraws with Him apart into a desert place. Not desert in the sense of wilderness waste, but desert which is a stranger to the whirl and allurements of the world and where the voice of Nature can be heard. Where one has time to listen to the "heavens declare the glory of God" and the Armament shew forth His handiwork; where day unto day may utter speech and night unto night shew forth knowl edge. Not where gay companionship is essential to happiness, but where Bryant found the inspiration for his lines:
 ITO him who in the love of Nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she
 speaks
 A various language"
 Vacation Puvpose.-The man of Jesus parable, who heedlessly built his house upon the sand because it happened to be the most convenient spot available at the time, was not less wickedly careless than is he who thoughtlessly runs hither or thither on his vacation with no other purpose than that of going somewhere or do- ing something, in quest of recreation and change and so-called rest. The vacation should be definitely purpose full. Three elements are discernible in the purpose of our Lord in providing an outing for His weary disciples. Primarily it was that they might ob- tain much-needed rest. But as the events of that short vacation rapidly unfold under the quick pen of Mark, we find that Jesus sought to lead His disciples thoughts away from the things of men to the things of God, to help them to know Nature and Ma ture's God better, and to feel the pulsa- tion and throb of Gods almighty arm as it reaches out to shelter and protect and feed a needy world. And lastly, He wanted them to learn that the most perfect rest was t. be found in new and enlarged service. And witho these three clements, vaca- tion plans are lacking and fail to pro-