The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-15
AMUSEMENT
(Sermon Preached by Rev. Billy Sunday at City Auditorium
Night of February IA and Afternoon of February 15

! Galatians, the sixth chapter. the
seventh verse: BE not deceived. God
is not Knocked; for whatsoever man
,soweth, that shall he also reap"
| The devil has a great many ways of
leading people away from God. not
alone by drunkenness. adultery, theft
or lying. ! say 1t isn't always by
drunkenness or lying but by innumer-
able ways, and l am not here to pre-
sumo to tell you what you shall do.
j am going to give you the PROPOSE
ton as i see 1t. and you can do as you
please. You do 1t anyway, SO l might
as well tell you before l get through.
| / know OF no more suitable text
flor the subject / have in mind. By
the expression on your faces. you don't
expect much from me in the way of
endorsement, and yet, If there is no
harm In this proposition. why do l
speak against the class Of all classes
that you champion and endorse?
| If the ingenious skill of the devil
Is TO be defeated. there are but one
man who want to assault It First he
can spend his strength and time
talking about q thousand minor us
ages. and tell you Of the possible in
dulgenccs Oh, he can assault the
thing fair and square, and tell you
what ii really Is, and by SO doing run
the risk OF mourning the enmity and
displeasure and iIl-wili of the people.
| / have wilfuily and deliberately
chosen the latter course. and / have
no apologies to make. either now or
after I am through. But I will chal-
ienge anybody who can successfully
contradict what i have to say. for what
] have to say has been forged on the
anvil of observation. communication
and investigation up and down the
land
theories; l have none: ] have mes
sage that's burned it's way into my
soul and burned into my heart, and
my words mey be strong with convic-
ton and blood-red, but please remem
Der that with the cry OF lost souls ring
! ing in my eras, l can't do anything
less than cry out 1t seems to me that
II ia stop and refuse. the rocks would
cry out and protest
Judged at the court OF public opin-
Ion, might be denounced BY some.
Judged by the court OF human desires
| I would be denounced by all that want
to feed and fatten and gormandize.
Judged at the court of conscience and
purity. I'd receive a universal thank
Iyou" for IT,
Now. do not condemn the theater
an an institution. l never have con-
idemned the theater as an Institution,
1 do condemn the saloon as an insti-
tuition 1 say it has no right to exist
ON earth.
/ never condemn good things
only condemn what even the people
who are respectable In the theatrical
profession condemn themselveA I
condemn the rottenness In the church
and on the stage, too. condemn rot
itenness everywhere II n 1t makes no
difference whether It's in the pow or
pulpit, or behind the footltghtn the
lparquet or boxes.
We associate certain amusements-
the theAtex. cards and the dance.
While some would condemn one
thing. others would condemn some
thing else, and vice versa. Yet the
ltheafers are the most condemned To
most people, things that are forbidden.
anuSe. and there II \ reason back
LOT all this People are not simply
back Of It.
origin q T1acater.
The theater had its beginning in
tho church. and in the hrst place, it
was intended for a handmaiden of re-
iligion. But from the VERY beginning
1T Was q source OF worry and OF harm,
and little by little. they were forced
Ito denounce II, and at last for their
Iown protection, to repudiate 1t.
still are being made. and I presume
viii be made to reform 1t, by those
who want to see It a handmaiden of
that could be benefit to
1.-THE people. But it seems to have ever
Eravitated downward. and the So
(called advanced schools OF drama in
our day, seems to have deluged the
United States with the obscene drama
that SCOTS at merit and demonetizes
truth.
The dght against impurfty goes on
today just the same as 1t did a thou
sand years ago and without religion,
the most enlightened nation on the
face of this earth would drop into
chaos and into ruin. There Is n class
in every community that hate the sight
of a church. There Is a class in every
community taat hate the sound of 4
church bell. They despite preacher.
They despise towers that point to the
only source of consolation and of hope.
Now there are shows going on to-
day, to which no right-minded man
would take a decent woman, and the
manager is not to blame. Tie Will tell
you II he puts a good show on the
road. he will starve to death. The
public must want these things. my
friends, or they wouldn't battle around
the doors to get in. So. think the
public are as much to blame as the
manager, for IL you didn't want 1t.
we wouldn't have il. Therefore. your
taste must be an = mighty low level.
You can't denounce the other fell
low, you've got to take your medicine
with him, 10 that's why l am here to-
night It isn't all ON his slde. don't
forget that! Take your part Of II with
him.
WhAn the pre- declares that = cer.
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