The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-02-09
Sermon on Amusements.

delivered sermon on amuSementS,
taking for his text "Do Thyself no
Harm" Acts 1928 By special re-
quest of some of our readers we here
WITH produce in part the sermon.
Paul and Silas were in the Phillip
plan Jail for no other crime than
that of preaching the Gospel. The
jail was visited by an earthquake 10
answer TO prayer. All the prisoners
were liberated by the power Of God
The jaller drew his sword with sui
cidai intent, supposing that the
prisoners had all fled, but Paul SAID
"Do myself no harm for we are all
here"
Thus we see that the Philippian
jailer was in eminent danger OF doing
himself great harm. There is much
danger Cf each one of us doing our
selves harm in this perilous world.
The voice of the church is the voice
Fof friend warning US against the
evils of horse-racing, going,
dancing and card-playing.
We fear that the church is too mar
row and that the world is too broad
on these social questions. The OBJ
ject of this discourse is to broaden
the church and TO narrow the worl<
The Methodist Episcopal church is
not alone in placing the race, the
theater, the dance and cards under
the ban. These questionable amuse-
ments have many Objectionable Ieat-
ureS about them, some of which, we
desire to call your attention to at
this time.
1. You are liable to harm yourself
by going to the horSe-race. There is
no harm in the horse, for the horse is
the noblest animal God ever made,
but there is harm in the way the
race is conducted.
If the race can be divorced from it's
present management OF gambling and
drunkenness and placed on the basis of
pure exhibit where fee is paid
sufficient to pay the owner of the
horse purse for labor and money ex-
pended for the perfection of the horse,
it might be made respectable and a
profitable exhibition.
But as long as the race is run as it
is, the church is justifiable in her OPP
position to it; and the spectators are
ia great danger of being satanized by
it.
,. You are liable to harm Yourself
by going TO the theater. Not tnat
the playhouse is bad place within
itself or that every play is unfit to be
seen, but because the general eff CT
of the modern show is underwriting
The love Of money has proStituted
the play-houses of the world, There
are some plays which are worth see
ing, but the average play is democrat
izing because it appeals through its
music. its scenery and especially its
dress to the animal nature of the
spectator. AS long as the theeter
lives in the valley of senSuality it de-
serves to be hi sed rather than
praised.
3. You are liable to harm yourself
by dancing. The dance is favorite
amusement with subtle temptations.
We entertain the fear that major
ity of people dance for contact. To
be sure there are dances and there
are dances, but all dances are fraught
with danger No true shepherd OBJ
jects to seeing the lambs of his flock
skipping on the mountain top, but
the wise shepherd objects to the
wolves going upon the mountains and
skipping with the lambs. 1t is i'm
possible to keep the human wolves
away from every dance The dance
may be select and private or public,
but i5 is rash to forget that wolves
wear sleeps clothing, and that the
very elect are deceived.
The square dance is the purest form
of dance there is but even then the
sheep IS too close to the moral wolf.
There is too much contact in the
round dance to make it harmless or
respectable. Some may engage in 1t
and remain pure in thought, but hui