Year: 1872

EcCLEsIAsrEs, nr-1.-To every thing there


season, and u time to every purpose unde


Heaven.


No question is more vexatious to tn
lyouth of our christian congregations


and scarcely any more difficult to dea


with than that Of amusements What
lis right and what is wrong? how fal


shall | 90 and where shall | stop =? by


what principles shall my conduct be


regulated, and who has authority to say


what l may and what | may not do


where is the dividing line between lib,


erty and license between superstition


puritanism and reckless disregard OF


moral principle? to what places may


90 ? in what kind of pleasures may | in


dulge how far may | crafty my love


of having good time, and who is to be


my guide in these mattersP 1t is be-


cause these questions are 50 universally


asked by young people that | venture


to speak upon this subject, hoping to es.


tablish some principle that will assist
you in giving you a rational answer.


The instinct of pleasure is about as uni


versal as the appetite for food, and |


think about as healthful. The love of
excitement, together with the love of so


ciety, both strong in human nature, will
always stimulte within us the desire for
amusement. So long as we find each
others society agreeable, and so long as
we delight in the flow of spirits, and
would prefer to laugh rather than be So


Der, and talk rather than be silent, we
shall all of us seek amusement in some
form. 1t is this spirit that calls the
boys to the playground, and young
people to the party, and older people to
the church social, aud staid ma:rons to
to the tea-party, aud makes us all desire
to be wherever there IS crowd, and
long to share whatever is exciting. Ii
has found expression in ways too numer-
Gus to mention, but always containing
these two elements.


The Spanish bull-ight' the ancient
amphitheater, where gladiators fought
each other for the sport of the public,
the Indian war dance, the theater, the
ball-there is the same underlying prin-
ciFle of social excitement in them all.
This instinct is so universal, that of its
self it can not be sinful. There must
be legitimate exercise of it in some
form, or it would never have been given
to us as a part of our nature. To make
a right use of it is the problem, for you
cannot crush it. 1t is like spring in
the ground, ELL it up and it will break
out somewhere else, as long as 1t is fed
the water will find way out. Dam up
the channel and you overflow the valley,
You who live in this land of swamps
know very well that the onl y way to get
rid of water is TO make way for it 10
flow. There is no use in trying to
crush out human nature, and If you
could, | doubt very much whether all
the churches IN chris'endom can ever
make mau over and improve on Gods
handiwork SinfuIncss is only the per-
version of tlat which III itself is
healthiul instinct. So say seek the
proper direction of every impulse of the
soul, but don't try to kill it, "lest haply
ye be fouud to fight against God.


We start upon this basis that it is
neither possible nor desirable to root
out the love of pleasure from our na.
ture, consequently impossible and unde-
sirable to wipe out amusements from
society. They have their just use as
much as the church has its office; we
must content ourselves with guarding
against the abuse To begin with, es
tablish the principle firmly in your mind
that i. is not the chief end of man to
have good time, though we naturally
long for so desirable a consumation, we
must wait ill we get to Heaven before
we realize it


The necessities of our conditions here
oblige Us to spend our time in very
different way, viz; in 1cOrh "six days
shalt thou labor and do oil thy work." is
one OF Gods laws and We had better ac.
cept it, and whatever prevents obedience
to it, whether it be laziness or pleasure,
will surely work to our dctriment in the
long run. Nor would | advise you to
accept the labor of life as hard neccs-
sity which stands between you and
continuous round Of pleasure, but bear
ing in mind that all the good there is in
this world comes of hard work, that Ia.
Dor is III tree OF which pleasure is the
blossom. J can not but look with dc
gree of suspicion upon society when ,he
ali absorb n question IS "what is
legit mate amusement Whcn the pulpit
and the religious press are so largely oc
cupicd with discussions as to proper aud
improper pleasures, aud one of the most
serious questions with the young con
ccrning joining the church, is whether it
is to interfere with their amusements, it
does not indicate very healthy atmos.
phere, nor very brave heart, nor very
serious view of the responsibilities of
life. If our preaching has not lifted our
up to higher view of
life, and if the young people that have
GROWN nm io our Sabbath schools and in