The Washington herald., 1918-02-16
EVENING SERMON
AmuSenentS

baseball player-not on your life! 1
wouldn't do it!
1 notice the guy that says I'm a
greater wouldn't get close enough to
me when he says it for me to reach
him. You will notice that guy never
gives me anything. 1t isn't the fellow
that gives 1t, It is the guy that doesn't
give it. 1t is none OF your business
what the other fellow does with his
money; It isn't your money! Now.
that's all right, let it go at that.
Cyrus Townsend Brady, one Of the
famous authors, went to twenty-one
plays to see how many OF. them he
could endorse and recommend to his
friends; and he said out of the twenty
one he couldn't endorse but eight, and
some OF them he was compelled to
denounce.
The church and the theater seem
to have nothing in common. The stage
gives people what they want, the
church what they need.
Israel Zangwill. author, says the
playwright gets up his plays to satisfy
the pandering lust OF the age and not
for the good that they do the world.
l have no quarrel with the theater
as an institution-that has always
been my attitude. Some OF the best
friends have are men and women
on the stage, but don't so. don't go.
Now. somebody said: whats the
matter with his preaching?" Nothing
at all,
Don't you believe in amusements?"
You never looked into the face of any
body who believes more in amuse-
ments than I do. But I believe they
ab1 10 fxra nd haf thu
Taxation from their indulgence should
be harmless, and 1 believe that no
amusements should be injurious, either
mentally or physically or morally to
the one who indulged or the one who
might be inspired to indulge in similar
things.
Some one says: what game do
you like to play?"
Well. 1 like to play baseball; was
a headliner in that. l like to play
golf; think it's a peach of a game. 1
think bowling is fine. Lawn tennis-l
don't like it very we'll; it's too sissified
for me. Mind you it's a dandy game,
but il doesn't happen to suit my style.
that's all. / like basketball and hand
ball and like checkers, although I
am not much OF a player. l like to
play Crokinole. but I'm not a good
player. l like chess, although I'm not
4 very good player; haven't the pa
tience to sit down and ravel it all out.
Somebody says: What IS the diff
ference between a pack Of cards and
a pack Of authors, between checkers
and chess?'
About as much as there is between
heaen and hell.
Many a boy has been enveigled into
rrar,rh1fngr don and there HGtand IN
the roulette wheel, the faro bank and
listens to the ribaldry and the jest
and the blasphemy and is reminded
OF his home.
Isn't it a wonderful heritage to be-
queath to a child-to have him go to
a place like that and be reminded of
his home!
Gambling Statistics.
About the saddest people I meet as
1 go up and down the land are mothers
whose boys are gamblers, or wives
whose husbands gamble.
BE not deceived, God is not
mocked." In one year, from resorts
from a newspaper, los people were
shot, 76 attempted suicide and "a COM
mitted suicide; 90 were murdered,
were driven insane. so were ruined.
and the crimes committed to get
money were s. There were IS forgeries
and 80 cases where people holding po-
sitions Of honor and trust absconded
81, 500, 900 with which to gamble. A fel-
low will do anything to get money to
gamble, but not to buy bread with.
Boys flip pennies on the street and
the police will pinch" them, but they
have got to keep out Of these private
L1y, har
they sit around. my friends, and gam
BILE.
Cards are one Of society's contribu-
tions that is dragging people down to
perdition. 1 think cards and the dance
are greater enemies to the spiritual
life Of the church, my friends, than
the saloon. I believe that cards and
the dance are greater enemies to the
church than the saloon!
You don't imagine for a minute that
I am in favor Of the saloon. hope.
think the church loses ten times more
members that backslide through the
dance than through the saloon. It Is
time that good citizenship and good
morals begin to cry out against some
of these evils that are getting hold Of
our homes.
/ wouldn't buy q dollars worth of
goods from a grocery store that sells
whiskey. They are not going into
bankruptcy II they don't have my
trade, but I wouldn't give them a DOL
lars worth Of my trade II they sell
whiskey. You can do as you please,
but they couldn't have any Of my
business, take it from me!
And I have no use for a lodge that
will have whiskey. That's as low
down as a saloon. Any fellow can
walk in there under the protection of
the sign of the lodge and get drink,
and it's as dirty as a saloon. haven't
any more use for a club that sells
whiskey in 1t than have for a saloon
mot at all!
Now, a seemingly estimable woman
Q'm sorry l have to qualify i) will
struggle and tear and pout through
an afternoon, what for? So she can
carry home a dinky cream pitcher,
pair OF silk stockings. Such conduct
pose Of a nation. / think. And all
has a tendency to overthrow the re-
these things drift you away from God.
Oh. gambling may be carried on
without cards. You can gamble on
billiards, pool; you can gamble with
the roulette wheel, wheel of fortune,
horse racing, baseball, football,
stocks, etc, but nine-tenths Of all the |
gambling Is done with a pack of |
cards. AS far as that goes, you can
gamble on anything. I know who is |
going to win out-you bet your life |
I do
II Is estimated-statistics are hard |
to get-that $50. 900 changes hands |
a day in gambling. SIS, 200, 10000 a !
year! 1t kills industry. The fellow |
that win $500 or 5000 a night, won't |
work; he will spend his time hanging |
around saloons and drinking and
spending his time in absolute idleness.