The Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram. — 1883-02-09 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

WORDLY TEACHERS. To the Editor,  Sir,—! am grieved at reading a letter which appeared in your halt issue, respecting the encouragement given to the young men of Dorchester and others, who may be residing in the town, as to how they may employ their leisure hours during the dreary wint,r evenings, being encouraged to join the Amaterr Minst els. Now, sir, lam not surprised in my visits r mnd the town that so many people are worldly minded, and make such bad work of it in a dying hour, when they are encouraged to live contrary to God's Word. Some who are professedly Christian teachers will have something to answer for at the bar of God, who stand and point our young people to the world, and as it were say;ng "This is the way, walk ye in it," whereas they ought to point to Christ and rehearse the Master's words in John xiv. c., 6. v., "I am the Way the Truth and the Life." Now, sir, some of your readers may wish to know what we call the world, and we would refer them to passages like this :—" If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." lam not surprised that those who sit at the helm of all such things as minstrels, Guy Fawkes processions, should be so loved by the world, because our Master said "The world loves its own," that is everything where God and prayer is excluded. I w mid not say a word against music of any kind, for Clove it with all my heart when it is played for the glory of God. Let any Christian teacher read Colossians iii., 16 and 17 verses, and decide the matter without controversy ; and, if they feel this to be a rebuke for their wordly mindedness, let them blame the Word of G )cl for its being written. I entered a reading.room last evening in a village near Dorchester, and there were cards and dominoes on the tables, and after that place closes up at night the publican says he gets more lads and boys into Ws house smoking and drinkim; than ever he did before it was open. What is the reason? Because it proves to be a nursery for the publichouse, and one man said "that reading-room is a curse to our village." Why? Because it was opemd upon this g,round that prayer should never be offered there. What lam speaking through your columns against is worldliness, and it ought to be fought against by every one who names the name of Christ. I era prepare i to meet any worldling on this paint with an open Bible, to show them if they want real life it must he found in Christ. I see from the War Cry of the 3rd February a remark from the Ea :l of Shaftesbury, stating that the chaplain of one of the largest London pri.ons informed him that the three principal causes that brought girls and women there were, drink, talshy novel re ading, and tawdry fashionable dress. This is a psrt of what I condemn as worldly, and has helped to ruin multitudes. I see, according to your last i-sue, that a poor boy has committed suicide, at the age of 15 years. through gambling and card playing, at Sheffield. Parents look well after your children in these evil days, and from all worldliness, false teachers, black faces, and every thing urong, "Good Lord deliver us. KE ”.—yours truly, MA&