The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-09-27
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subject: The Church and Amuse.
ments.

LINihS square presbyterian Church.
Hamburg avenue and VERIFIED
street, on the above theme, the Rev.
era Wemmell Henderson, pastor.
took as his text / John 2:17, THE
world passeth away, and the lust
thereof; but he that doeth the will of
God abideth forever" He said:
Happiness is a universal human
longing. The search for it is world
wide human Characteristic The
longing OF living souls for that which
ministers TO the satisfaction of the
noblest and most lasting of human
needs and desires is natural. God
created us TO be happy. We were not
men did we not search for joy. Je-
hovah meant us 10 live in the pos
session and exercise of all that is
peaceful and joyous and lovable. IL
would be strange IL we did not seek
to possess them. We are foolish If
we do not use them.
Not otherwise pleasure, or the sat
isfaction of lesser human desires and
human needs, is a universal human
craving. AS we long for those things
that are eternally and finally salts
Tying. so do We long for those things
that are of immediate and of contem.
Doraneous value. And this craving
is natural. The desire is divinelY
granted. 1t is not strange that we
want pleasure
But happiness and pleasure are not
necessarily to be found in that (and
We shall deliberately circumscribe
the application of the word) which
we call amusement. Happiness may
be far from the heart that is amused
Many soul that is scared and heavy
xxtAth Ln,.
amusement brings such soul no abid-
Ing joy and ministers no balm OF
solace TO heal their wounds. Pleas.
ure is not amusement. For a man
may find much pleasure outside of
that which in the common use and
acceptation of the term is called
amusement. Happiness is a matter,
at the base, of subjective satisfae.
ton. Happiness is centrally a con-
Germ of the soul. Pleasure may con-
serve happiness. But a man may be
well pleased and yet not be happy.
"A man may be amused and find pleas.
ure IN the amusement. But man
may be superlatively unhappy though
..o face may be forced to smiles
through the power of amusement.
For amusement is a diversion, 2
dissipation, an indication of inward
discomfort. Happiness indicates con-
tentment. The desire TO be amused
Is very nearly always an indication
Of the incapacity of a man to achieve
happinessi
The church expresses happiness In
the terms of eternity, of divinity, OF
conscience. The happiness Of man
Is, in the mind of the Church os
Jesus Christ and in the light Of His
truth, dependent upon its perdura.
bility, its divineness, upon the clarity
of the conscience of the man who
possesses it. In the conception OF
the church happiness is eternal, it is
the gift of God and a force that
propels man nearer to God; it eau
not be enjoyed except the conscience
Of men are void of the consciousness
OF their unworthiness before God. A
man is not really happy unless his
soul is satisfied in an eternal fashion,
unless he has the JOY and peace that
are the gift of God unto those who
love Him and who keep His command.
ments as his innermost possession,
unless his mind and heart are certi,.
fed of his personal acceptability be.
fore God
The church expresses righteous
the conservation of that which iy
eternal, the promotion of that which
is divine, the satisfaction OF duty.
Any pleasure that does not augment
happiness is unworthy. That is TO
say. that il our pleasures initiate
against our growth in that which is
eternal and divine, if they dull our
consciousness of the imperatives OF
the Almighty that are law and life
to the human soul, they are unright-
eous.
Now, the Church measures amuse-
ments by these same standards. She
asks us what our amusements do to
afford us a larger vision of the eter-
mites, to increase our certainty OF
the reality and of our self-possession
of divinity. to draw us into correct
relationships with God. BY these
standards we have a right TO meas
are our amusements and by these
Judgments they must stand or fail.
III they can meet these tests they may
remain steadfast and they will II
they cannot be justified by them or
squared to them they win fall and
they ought to. For life is short.
Time advances. Opportunities come
and go. There is much to be done.
We must do IL. We have little time
10 waste. Our efforts must tend, be
they little or momentous, to the en-
1argement of humanity's comprehen-
sion Of those things that are eternal
aud divine. IL happiness lies in the
achievement Of these graces we have
stipulated then we ought TO be about
the Masters business.
No country in the world needs the
white light OF publicity and philos-
ophy and Of uncommon sense TO glare
upon its amusements more than
America. For We are amusement
crazy. Our catch-penny, tinseled
gAudy summer places OF amusement
are evidence Of our amusement fever
Our theatres are jammed with peo'
pie who want not TO be compelled tc
think or to be brought face TO face
with reproductions of real life ir
miniature. They go largely TO bt
amused. Our anusements are almost
wholly superficial. They minister tC
fLo naods Of tho mind that ig mo