Year: 1865

are incongruous with the other things. It
is sin, at least an offense against good
taste, to mingle the incongruous. The
preacher who told the story of the first
husbands melancholy taking off in the
prayer he made at the widows wedding
committed quite as grevious an offense as
if he had insisted npon singing "Old
Kline Cole" at the funeral Incongruity
is an offense, but incougruity in things
not associated is not argument against
in its proper time and place. Because we
do do not put salt in our tea or sugar up
on our steak, we are not to be told that
sugar and salt should be excluded alto
gether from the table. This much, not
as a defense Of amusements in general,
or any particular amusement. 1t is
merely remonstrance against Vicious
logic.


The great peril of all amuscments lies
in the associations into which they bring
the young Many people deny to their
children cards and dancing, not because
they think either intrinsically wrong, but
because the person who plays cards is
likely to be tempted to gambling. and be-
cause of the dissipation and the expos
ures to contact with the rude and vulgar
in the ball room. In the family or the
select party of friends many amnsements
are harmless and healthful that are peril
Gus in a promiscuous crowd. Aud this
consideration is one that should have moie
weight than it does in the selection of
proper recreatons for our children, for re-
creation of some sort they must and will
have Many Of the modern household
games and innocent enough, but their ex-
treme simplicity soon makes them tedious.
1t would be great thing if chess could
be restored and made fashionable. There
is no game so profoundly interesting or
so stimulativc of the highest powers, and
yet a child can play it III "a simple way,
and it will be continually new game to
him as he grows in capacity to estimate
its infinite possibilities and to plan its
far-reaching mbinations. The duty of
the parent is to select games and
other amusements for his children, to ex-
clude those of dangerous or doubtful ten
dency and association, and to encourage
those that contribute directly to physical
and mental development and health. OF
course if Que honestly thinks that all
amusemeDts are wrong and that life should
be wholly devoted to serious enjoymcnts,
exclusion and repression are the true pol
icy.


Notions Of such extreme rigor do not
prevail to ans great extent in these days.
Most of the churches now cultivate the
socal element systematically, and through
the parish sociables amusements have
found their way into the most serious
places and the most serious company
Under proper watch and care" there is
no harm in this, but if the vcstry doors
are thrown open to erybody, and dirty
boys come iii because they can have a
rougher and frecr time there amoug decent
folks than in the street, even the church
sociable may not be an entirely safe place
for our daughters. The truth is, there is
no possibility Of drawing exact lines III
these matters There is no such thing at
barring out temptation and evil influences
altogether, "else we must needs go out O.
the world" as Paul says. Neither shouc
we 20 to the other extreme, aud put our
selves recklessly in connection With wroht
influences, for it ID natural to our human
weakness to.


First endure, then pity, then embrace


The young must be told where DANCE
] lies and how to fortify themselves agains
it, but they should he as little as posi-


bic exposed to it. To taboo amusement
is impossible, even in the most religion
society, And it is not true, as IS ofte'
, assumed, that they unfit us for serou
and religious duties Properly iudulge'
} they refresh and quicken us for work AM
prayer, and he must be strangely mad
. who has not found it so. Solomon wa
! not mistaken in fiuding proper time 70
, all duties aud e,ljoyments, and everything


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