Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-07-20
MORAL AMUSEMENT
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON.
A Powerful Appeal For the Higher and
Better Life We All Should Lead.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-The Rev. Dr.. NJ. e.
Harlan, pastor Of the First Church OF
Christ, Sunday morning gave another
of his series of sermons on Problems
of Power For Plain People," the spe-
cial subject being "The Problem Of
Morally Healthful Amusements." In
February he offered prizes for best re-
plies to questions covering the several
problems to be discussed. He sent a
printed list of these questions to sew
eral hundred people over the country.
The sermon was based largely on the
replies he received. The text was from
Ecclesiastes iii:4: ''There is a time to
laugh and a time to weep" Among
other things he said:
A few years ago, when a certain sup
posed ornament (D to French society
was asked what he did, he replied:
my business is to amuse myself"
The history of the church is but a his
tory of the struggle between men and
wo4nen like this Frenchman, on the
one hand, and, on the other hand. those
who have had no place for a smile in
their religion. The world has never
ldCheu Tie SlO1C IL IL DCdoOd4AOls LIZ
the stole the church has seemed very
too strict. The church always has
stood and always will stand against
the purposeless lives Of both of these
extremes. If to the mere pleasure
seeker the church has seemed dogmatic
and damnatOry, we must remember
that pleasure has been tyrannical and
brazen and absurd. To him who wor-
ships the god of pleasure, even other
wise harmless pleasures become dissi-
patton till the world is full Of the in
sipid in heart and the vile in character
and the purposeless in life. God did
not make the world for mere amuse-
ment, neither did He design that it
should be run by the mere rollickers.
Yet desire for food and clothes is no
more an indication Of the physically
robust and normal man than are the
demands for laughter and amusement
indices of the normal, mental and spir-
itual man. The question is not, there
fore, one of amusements, but what
kind and how much.
No doubt that the church has often
been too closely allied with the stole
LII H. u pO AOSpOSI
ing all forms of amusements. But be-
fore we censure too severely let us take
into account the conditions of her early
history. The church began her mighty
march of conquest in cities where all
sorts of lewd and obscene amusements
were the rule-Rome, Corinth, Ephe-
Sus, etc. In these cities the god of
pleasure held such high carnival that
industry was throttled and domestic
life was weakened. Rome's great am
%phitheatre, seating 385 5000 people, could
easily be filed with the morbid crowd
that measured the worth of the amuse-
ments by the fury of the entertain.
ment and by the number of men and
horses slain merely for their amuse.
ment. The Emperor Trajan gave a
three months show in which 10000
men and 1000 beasts were slain to
amuse the very best people of Rome
Men would appear on the stage dressed
gOrgeously, when suddenly flames
would burst forth all over their bodies
and they would die writhing in agony
of flames to the delight of the god OF
pleasure. Often Christians were forced
spectators and often unwilling partic1
pants in these brutalities. "Food an6
fun was the hilarious cry of these
amusement loving people that haunted
with it's awful hiss the ears of the
dying gladiators. The popularity OF
the ruler was measured by his willing
ness and ability to satisfy this cry fol
"food and fun" An unwilling wit
ness to these debaucheries in the name
of amusement, can we wonder tina
coming from such a birthplace tn,
church has at times been extreme?
Gibbon tells us that in the days q
Rome's worst famines she dismissed
her senator's and patrons of art, but t.
satisfy her god Of pleasure she KEEP
her vile vestai virgins and her 600
dancers and singers Of the lewd sor
to amuse her as she staggered down t
death or lay in the last commissions o
her dying hour. He will not CRITICS
too harshly the church who has com
with her down her Historic way an
has witnessed her death struggle wit
the professional dispensers Of amuse
ment, who, IS vile in purpose as tn
vestai virgins ard who for financia
gain will pander to the selfish an
sensual moods Of men till they leav
those who otherwise would be nObl
men and WOmen. mere dereIictS O
life'S sea to the menace Of the innoce1
voyagers.
Even to-day under the spell Of tn.
pleasure good men will pay an uncon
planning. tribute to her and do NJ
hesitate to keep an open account wit
the dispensers Of hilarious and sens,
u amusements about dance Ealls ar
theatres, while at the same time the
will become exceedingly poor and sa
ing If approached for charity or phila:
thropy OF justice. The mere vagabo1
on the streets with his hand organ al
monkey, or the grewsome and discor
ant 'curb stone band" take in the re
enue that belongs to laundryman
grocer, as though these mounteba1
dispensers of amusement were mo
deserving than they.