Year: 1869

Rational An,usements.


LECTURE BY HENRY WARD BEEEER At PLYMOUTH CHURCH


Plymouth Church filed last evening to hear its
pastor discourse on the subject of Rational Amuse
nents Before The lecture began several nieeas were
played upon the large organ in the rendering of which
it acted beautifully. Upon introduction Mr. Beecher
came forward and said:


Human nature IS built up of antagonistic forces So
ciey is but the result Of nature aud from these orie
nate Inherent possessions, dirnely ordained Forces
that conflict with what has ever been going on in bu
man life ard civisation Man is forced back and forth
between opposite influences. First upon one Inc of
action and then upon anothera higher or lower range
for his faculties. Society is therefore asays tide
flowing out or going in. Men get tired of neuess and
OF roaghncsS, aud one state brings on another In re-
goh rga pellet brings heresy for heresy is lille
gltimate orthodoxy; government induces the dsre-
safd OF law or a"essneSs. Great interests are kept
awake by the same means that we mt h,hies aseen
by rocking them from s;,!e to side The hatta Still
goes on, sometimes it is against popular ampsen,ents
and sometimes 1t Is forsthose amusements The con.
tiict is between the and the old and the new com
ers will have their way, and the disconso!ate grand
fathers Shake their heads, and say 1t was not SO in
our day." Mlrth is good, but it is not good all the
while Tears are good for exception, but not for
the rule Nirth and morality are not different, but
should be reconciled. I propose to tie them Who
will forbid the bans? When speak Of amusements.


mean anything that produces pleasure for the bene-





occupation peasnrable but that cannot be done in all
cases; many occupations there are which will not al
10" Oh H. iih must have pleasure or amusement out
side OF his occupation. Pleasure, therefore is the pre
roSatTe OF him whose business is not amusing Whole.
some aauseie necessary to all; itccononises and
promotes mans moral and physical nature. A man
may work twelve hours day at hard work and mt
suffer, but work in its honorable sense-n,iud
work-iour hours is enough to work before change
Is sought. The work of the laborer is not monoto-
nous, wne that OF the lawyer is. No man can work
intensely for long space Of time four hours Iay of
mind work will do more than twelve hours It isnot
the length OF time a man works which accomplishes
great results. Look at the man who works twelve
hours day, he is not working, he is drutsing. In
the struggle Of life man must find time for rest as we'll
as recreation.


Men must find recreation among those of their own
education If they would wish to have amusement.
hegons persons must not be sober at all times They
may nave the right to be sober, but they should not
nrihS disgrace upon the cause of religion by making
'''a' appear as the cause | am pleading for amuse-
ne'S tor ,e sake OF economy of strength, for the
sake OF industry and Tor the sake of life itself, for
amuscments tor the production of cheerfulness While
The pleasures temporarily may be enjoyed in drink,
yet 1t Is not lasting. Do take pleasure when YOU
cannot ENJOY the result of it. Care is not right 1t
not only destroys the pleasure of the day. but tdrass
IN the sorrows OF the morrow. It is traitor: it is
wicked. Pleasure is always found in the opposite of
the LABOR OF man. One indoors all the day finds it
out OF doors, and of doors finds it indoors
One who sits down should stand up and he who stands
up should sit down. shall not attack or defend the
theatre III its moral respects. They please only
small portion OF the population dwelling in cities, and
whom nothing else could please Where they are pro-
vided for they are enormously expensive One theatre
costs more than twenty lectures or clubs The best
plays III Shakespeare spoiled in the attempts act
them. " hat Is more pleasant than to read of the
witches III Shakespeare, and what is more ludicrous
than to see the witches as represented upon the stage
II am rightly Informed. (Laughter) Good dramas
40 not satisfy the taste of the people, and so we see
flahllet played once year and Humpty Dumpty
hundred times. (Langhter) Amusements are called
for more than anything else to give play to the mus
Gle. There Is talking about who the coming man will
be and how he is coming. think he is coming on Il
veocpede. (Luushter) Ihave bought two machines
tlauShter Tor my boys Continued lalghter) Ishoud
not wonder II the day when the thousands Of
tic congregation of Plymouth Church would be seen
stowlnS away their veocpede machines in proper
quarter. daughter and applause) The game of bill
and the only objection is the associations around bill
lard rooms. l could not ask you to 90 to them
Base bail and cricket are good. Yachting is good
amusement, but is not within the reach of a but tho
oar Is democratic and its is healthy and pleasure
aole DRIVING OF horse is good exercise. 1t is not
cruel TO race unless man wishes to be cruel The
pedestrian is not injured by running fast nor is the
horse but the betting which is with the man is the OBJ
lection. The fast driving is not Dancing is good
healthy amusement, and there is no injury in it. but
midnight dance is net right. 1t may be an innocent
or wicked pleasure. It is wrong that does wrong,
and that Is right that does right. perceive have
taken more time than intended to. That is ALL (Ap-
plausc and aughter.)