Evening journal., 1910-10-13
Christian Endeavor
Society
Topic for October 16. Your Amuse-
ments; DO They Build Up or
Tear DOwn7 Romans 1913;

Ps. Sc; 7.12.
Our amusements, our recreations,
are meant to build up and not to pull
down. Take apart that word recrea-
tion and get at its real meaning, re-
creation. That is what recreation is
for-to re-create; to put new life
into jaded life, new energy into wear
led brain, nerve and muscle We all
need it and must have It, It is for
/ ever true that "all work and no play
makes Jack dull boy" OF course
it does and must Therefore some play
is duty.
Life is intended TO be diversified.
II is not meant to be always rigid
and drawn The bow needs to be
relaxed at times. Our Lord did not
always work in the cities and among
the thrO g. He was not always
healing the sick and teaching the null
titudes At times he withdrew into
the country, or visited his friends in
their homes and sat with them in the
pesce and quiet of their simple lives.
He found his rest in solitude or in
this loving companionship Of the hum
BILE.
Christ was social He was present
at wedding and took part in the
festivities He looked with delight
upon the children playing in the
streets His enemies objected to him
on the ground that he did not DENY
himself enough: This man is a
gluten and a winebibber," they said
of him. There is nothing in the life
OF Jesus to justify the notion that a
Christian must deny himself the or
binary pleasures of life.-art, music
and even athletics. Christ stands for
the fullest Joy of life, and for all
that makes for Joy that is clean.
There is nothing I'm his teaching to
Justify the attitude of the church
elder who refused to believe that a
boy who had just been admitted to
the church was truly converted be-
cause he bad seen the lad vault over
fence. ,t
Many people are fond of puzzling
the preacher or the Christian teach
er by asking whether this or that
Is right or wrong. They have a set
of stock questions, always the same.
II is the theatre, or dancing, or card
playing, or other things. Il is not
necessary to answer these questions.
The Bible is a book of principles;
il does not settle details for us. A
Christian is a spiritual athlete, de-
string so to run as to obtain. The
question for a Christian In regard to
habits and amusements should not
be, Are they wrong? but do they
hinder my growth in grace? If we
are to do all that we do to the glory
at Cod, we must make even our roc
reations religious. Before any Civ
en- amusement the question is, "WiH
this help or hinder NE for the cou-
test? Does this increase or decrease
my spiritual strength? Because If it
decreases 1t I cannot afford It.
have no strength to lose" 1t was
related recently Of an English oculist
that he had given up cricket purely
4 in the interest of his profession. He
was very fond of the game, but he
n found that playing affected the de-
n licacy of his touch and made hin
4 less ready for the work he was re
81 quired to do every day upon the eye
"A of his patients. A patient gave III
3 bicycle riding because he found tha
3 grasping the handle bars stiffened TIN
n muscles of his fingers and affected hi
q playing. These men found that thost
particular recreations were prevent
ing their putting their best into theil
n chosen line of work, Of doing theii
q work as unto the Lord.
\ The test question about amusement
\ are these. DO they rest and strength
4 en-, or weary and weaken the bod!
y or brain? Do they make us strong
or or weaker to resist temptation D'
\ they increase or lessen love for vir
n tue, purity, temperance and justice
h Do they give inspiration and quicke
q enthusiasm or stupefy the intellectual
and harden the moral nature? d.
n they draw one nearer to or remov
q one further from Christ? And las
\ hut not least, Is their influence gooI
n upon others?
a Our amusements tear down, rathe
a than build up, when they become tn
chief things for which we live Tha
VI is a sorry sort of life where the high
est thought, instead of being good an
doing. good, is, Just to have goo
time" and to get all the fun W
N can The chief thought and want 0
N life ought to be ones duty, ones ser
a vice, the getting IL well and nobl
n done Let us try to have It that on
n amusements shall be those that shal
81 make us better for our task, thos
the influence of which is good, o.
ourselves as we'll as others, thos
which build up and not those whic
tear down.
Charles F. Eastman.
This is a question that is OF in
terest 10 all of us. We know that tn
I old saw "All work and no pla
4 makes Jack a dull boy" contains
lot of truth in IT, To be interested i
one thing, whether It be business o
pleasure causes us to be one-sidet
as it were. And when we go 4
search Of amusement, we should see
con. ~, nIn.rntir,r. cam nnthinnr fhn