The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-09-18
STRAIGHT
FROM SHOULDER
Evangelist Finnell Strikes
at Amusements.
MAKES A CLASSIFICATION
Divides the Good From the
Bad.
Regular Passtimcs of Modern Society
are Scored unmecifuRly-- Special
Services Will be Held This Even
ing and Over Sunday.

-
Evangelist Finnell smoke TO n
packed house last evening at the
First Christian church on "The Dew
II in Modern Society" He dealt with
his subject without gloves and from
his knowledge OF such things made
IL very plain that he knew what he
was talking about and drove convic-
| ton home. Among the times when
all was grave and silent. his humor
would flash out as lightning from n
| midnight sky and the audience would
| be convulsed with laughter, and
many showed n disposition to cheer
The Rev. Mr.. Finnell spoke, in part,
as follows:
II doubt not that some of you peo-
| pie will vince at what have to say
! tonight, but I assure you that the
realization OF the fact that such things
| need be said gives me more pain than
/ will cause you. The devil has dis
played his engineering skill in de-
Tending card plavir,. theatre going
and dancing, with such subtle ingenu-
| ity that the minister or speaker who
would attack them must either exert
his strength against the minor sins
| in O way that does neither good nor
harm, or else he must, by endanger.
| ing his own reputation, attack and
| expose conditions as they really ex-
list. As for myself. ] have wilfully
and deliberately chosen the latter al
Tentative. / have no apologies to of
| fer for what / shall say. IL Is the
| truth, and l defy anyone to contra
diet the facts I shall present. In the
few years that have lived and trav-
eled in four-lfths of the states, most
Of which was spent In serving the
devil I have gathered some expert
ence and knowledge which is forged
upon the anvil of observation, exper-
ience, correspondence and investiga-
ton.
Gambling is not all done by pro-
fessionals. Td like TO know upon
what ground church has right to
criticise professional gambling that
allows it's members to play for dinky
cream pitchers cut glass dishes and
I'other prizes. What's the difference
between you people who belong to
goddess clubs, and chip in, or take
your turn and bus II silver napkin
ring and play finch or progressive
euchre for It.. apd the fellows down
in the gambling-hell who form and
play for the jackpot? Just this: You
play in the parlor; they in the dive.
Your jackpot Is on the sideboard
theirs is in the center of the table
You drink your wine to help IL along
They drink beer or champagne. The
fact Is that you are both gamblers
only they are more respectable; they
admit II, but you won't and / have
got more respect for the old hag that
will back her last sou at Monte Carlo;
for n gambler. that will sit in the
morning and buck q jackpot, thar
for these people who wrap themselves
in the garb of respectability as church
members and sit in their homes anC
play for prizes. One Is as much oi
gambler as the other. and botf
ought to be locked up
"a lady once said to me: 4 see nC
harm in playing an innocent game o.
cards, and Til play with my boys
and girls at home for Amusement
when / please TO that / said
From the day when the card-decl
was gotten up to amuse an idioti'
king to the present time 1t has beer
the tool of the gambler the worlC
O, er, and parents who say that con
|
they themselves want to play or els'
they are too shallow to provide othe
amusements for their children
, "There is a strong tendency TO
gambling in the American blood, ant
the boy you teach to play in you
home may afterward be inveigled in
to the gamblers hell, and. in spite o
the fumes and oaths. he will be re
| af
= 1--WE talk about teaching our girl
, gracefulness by the association o
danaing masters. I would rathe
have my daughter wabble through
this world as awkward as a Roose
!. velt's hippotamus, or one of Bar
| NUNS elephants, than to grac
. through the dance room. sacrihc
: NV boy and my girl to the tige
Q or the lion, but deliver them from
the paWs of the spider-legged dane
ing master. I'd send my boy TO TN
saloon for soberness, and my girl I
the brothel for virtue before I'd SEN
4 them to the dancing master for grace
I fulness.
q 'I am we'll aware that many ,decen
p people dance and never fall, but TN
practIce is ruinous nevertheless, an
| QenylnK the ldCt uocS hot Nh"hSS -
8 and I believe that one of the mex
/ great reforms will be the women
crusade against evu. III anybod
ought to fight this devil to a iinisf
1t ought to be the women who's
: weak sisters suffer as the victims"
The minister touched upon othe
points such as endangered healtf
loss Of spirituality. etc. and close
with a strong appeal for people !
+, awake to the evils In society. IL
i classified amusements as follows:
Good: Golf. baseball. bowling
basket ball, tennis, chess and domi
noes.
0 Bad: Square dances, round dances
I gambling, progressive cards, improp
r er theatres. prize-playing.
Four were baptized at the begin
ming of the service and when the In
i yitation was given, eight responded
: The morning service will be held
:. the Central Christian church and O
i 8 o'clock p. m. the evangelist wi
@ speak to women and girls only at tn
= First Christian church, The subJec
| ..rrt..o1 Da,. Of Cold - Raw Fin