The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-05
AT TACKs CARDS
! AND TWO STEP.
Rev. w. A. Cooper Says One is
Stupid, the Other
Hideous.
THEATRE MANAGERS HONEST
They Do Not Profess to Be
MoraIists, But Give What
Is Wanted.
THEATRE MANAGERS HONEST

Rev. w. A. Cooper, pastor of st. James
Methodist Church. preached powerful
sermon last night on the theme. The
Love of Fun" His text was taken from
Luke. 1913; Eat, Drink and BE Merry
He spoke in part as follows:
TO attempt to preach on the underly-
ing motives of life is In the beginning
to NEE, with a very great obstacle. The
difficulty is, that out of the great mass
OF humanity, SO few have a settled and
definite aim in lfe They aim at noth-
ing but the pleasure of the passing NOM
ent These are as driftwood upon the
tide blown hither and thither by every
passing wind. To stusy themselves that
they might understand the underlying
or controlling motive of their life, 10
foreign to their ideas. Yet ] fear that
if many, even so-cailed Christian and
Intelligent young men and women,
stopped to analyze their motives. they
would find that the love of fun is the
controlling principle of their lives. Their
highest conception OF life is to have
some fun. Life is simply playground,
toy, the sport OF the passing moment.
Eat, Drink and Be Merry Is their motto.
Now in what shall say upon this
theme. l do not wish to be understood
to depreciate innocent amusement. The
desire and capacity for enjoyment was
created by Him who made us and fash
ioned like unto Himself; God is God
of feelng-of infinite capacity for pleas
ure and for pain. Jesus of Nazareth,
our Saviour. lived n wholesome. happy,
social life. He attended weddings, was
found at banquets given In his honor,
and some OF his notable sayings were
delivered as nfter-dinner speeches.
That old fiction that Jesus never smiled
was born of religion that continually
looked upon crucfiX and chanted its
miseries. Jesus, of Nazareth was not an
ascetic; for Christianity does not put an
embargo on laughing. Some may yet be-
lieVe that to be religious is to be sad
and solemn--as If life was nothing but a
funeral procession. For religion Is not
sad-faced, sepulchral toned or meloncho-
~. That Is the ghost OF and old idea
walking amid the tombs Of the dead
past. The first fruit Of Christianity is
toy-a Joy unspeakable and fun of glory
Religion would have us retain our ma
turRl bouyancy and cheerfulness yet
protect US from that which would rob
us OF our innocense and virtue.
our en1oyments are rought to be. a
means unto nobler and-the making of
manhood. They are given us for furnlsh-
ing and completion.
Not the Purpose Of Life.
wish to cmphatically protest against
making pleasure the end of life. There
IRE those in our midst who do so. It
is their meat and drink. They look upon
it as the chief good. If they happen to
be rich, they rush across the conti-
nents and over the seas. chasing tho
phantom of. passing pleasure. Like the
rich fool In the parable. they say Soul,
soul. take thine ease. eat, drink and be-
merry, Indplence, gluttony, drunken
ness and licentiousness is their conoep-
stion OF lifo. In their ideness, folies ana
frivoities, they are the contempt Of msn
with red blood in their veins and brains
In their heads If they are poor, they
rush from house to house. from one
plensureinto another, until they rob
themselves OF their vitality and health.
This mad rush. for pleasure is rohbing
many of our people Of all higher thoughts
of life. ManYAof our women haven't
time to be mothers, and those that are
f1tsat ffonfinue1 ~, 1yttyht "a Ilo on \