Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-10-12
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
8eoiNnino Oct. is. 1910.

liz. Edited by Rev. sherman II. Doyle,
D. D.
The question of amusements is
very serious one, especially when 1t
is applied to youth and young people.
1t is at these ages in our life when
we find most pleasure mean phys
tal pleasure--of one kind or another.
these very ages that great harm may
be done and we least understand at
the same time the dangers of these
amusements. Our whole aim is to en-
Joy ourselves. to have good time
and never count the cost. Life Is
made up largely Of amusements and
work, and therefore God. even at what
seems to be the most dangerous time.
wants to get our amusement proclivi-
ties out of our system, so that when we
have to settle down to business and
the serious part of life 1t should be
gone and not interfere with our work.
If, again. youth makes errors. even
serious ones, they may be lived down
on the plea Of youth and lack Of ex-
perience. but If full grown man
commits serious wrong little mercy
is shown to him upon the basis that
''he was old enough to know better"
But amusements do not altogether
cease with age. "Ail work and no
play makes Jack dull boy The
same is true of men and women.
Amusement being such constant
factor in life from childhood to old
age, it is well to consider "our amuse-
ments," not somebody else's and what
effect they have upon us. II they
build up we should rejoice and con-
tinue in them. remembering, however.
that even innocent amusements, II
abused. may become harmful Who
would call eroquet anything but an in
nocent game? And yet who has play
ed 1t frequently without knowing that
1t is one of the easiest of games to
arouse the temper. to lead to deceit
and fraud? Hence II one cannot play
croquet without these results he should
give it up, for to him 1t is de
basing and harmful game. But to-
day how many innocent games there
are for the young! There are all kinds
Of athletic sports. indoors and out.
countless games that can be played In
the evening in the home, and thus do
away with cards, for instance. l am
no crank against cards and theaters. !
never preached a TRADE against them,
and yet / help young people against
them as much as possible. 1t takes
not a moment to see that clubs of wo
men for playing bridge" are wrong.
Hearts are broken in the loss Of the
prizes; envy and jealousy are aroused.
Moreover, the giving of handsome
prizes is gambling. When it has been
tested in the courts it has been in some
cases so decided. ! am opposed to
boys playing cards, and the mother
who plays and sets him the example
or even teaches him to play may live
to rue the day when she ever saw a
card. Cards, no matter what may be
said. are gamblers greatest tools. And
who knows, what the boy of tender
years at home may pass through in a
lifetime? If he does not know how to
pay lit 1aIAlot bt itLfptCds pdt IL hr
does and is lonesome and weary in a
strange city he is likely to be spotted
and perhaps led into gamblers hell.
for no fire burns worse than that which
possesses the gambler. As to dancing
and theater going, people must decide
largely for themselves. But as gen
eral proposition it is as well to avoid
them
Nor are these things all. Others are
worse. Some may be elevated by
music at the opera and the produc-
ton Of the great dramas and tragedies
Of literature But even Shakespeare
is vile and foul in the language
which he sometimes uses But these
are the least of the programs. Where
q few see Julius Caesar" or Faust
or hear the great operas the thou
sands see a very different cast upon
the stage, and If men of intelligence
would tell the plain, unvarnished truth
they would say at least that the aver
age theater tears down the average
character and does not build 1t up.
1t debases and corrupts, and If 1t does
THESE tuiuES IL ID WEOHS luT tuoSS NhU
are thus affected and for those who are
not, for the strong should help the
weak, and If weak and strong would
stay away theater going would stop
and theaters would be closed by the
empty seats.
Then there are amusements which
are positively sinful-intemperance, i'm
purity and all things which are direct
ly forbidden by the word of God.
But how may We know when an
amusement is wrong? Young people
say. They don't hurt me-" and that
settles it for them. "A glass of wine,
a cigarette feel no effects" they say.
The present moment is not the time
to judge Some one has said, You
pay for wet feet twenty years after
ward" and there may be some truth
in it. To discover whether an amuse-
ment uplifts or debases look twenty