Christian Amusements.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 129, 30 April 1872, Page 7

Christian Amusements.

At the anniversary meeting of the Lyttelton Sunday School, on the 18th inst., the Rev. A. R. Fitchett is reported in the Press to have spoken on the above subject in the following terms : 11 e held that the whole book of nature was God’s protest against asceticism ; but a question arose, —What amusements or recreation were right for Christain men to engage in ? The principles which he thought should guide them wore two —one that no amusement should be entered into that was harmful to themselves. This, he thought, required no proving, but there was another which was not so often taken up and adopted by Christians, which was, that no one should engage in amusements which would do harm by example to any of their brethren.' With regard to light literature, he thought that the gloomy forebodings of former days had done very much harm to the Christian religion.—-(Hear, hear.) Even Hie {saviour himself employed fiction to illustrate his teaching, and the church in the present day was using fiction very satisfactorily to carry on her work in the world. It had been said that there we in works of fiction which wore thoroughly bad ; so there were, but they should bo on the lookout against the reading of such books, and against the using of such books to excess. He saw that the “Sunday at Home,” “ Sunday Magazine,” Ac., were largely using fiction, and therefore lie could not at all sec the keeping up of the atlectatiou of keeping away books of fiction from their houses.—(Hoar, hear.) With regard to the use of cards, he felt persuaded that the Christian man should not allow them into Ids house, as it was not possible to know what would become of children having had the indissoluble connection of gambling forced Upon them by the use of cards. So again with regard to horse racing, he held that the oil semirings of society poured out to the racecourse, therefore it was 110 place for a Christian man. Also with regard to dancing, he hold that the modern ballroom was no place for a Christian to be found in, and that those people who were bringing up their children to learn dancing wore running a fearful risk.—(Cheers.) Therefore he hold that dancing should have no place in a Christian man’s house. Then with regard to the theatre. It had been said that by the good people, and Christian ministers, leaving the theatre, the performances deteriorated, and that they should go there in a body and purify it; but bo held that it was no use doing so, because it would he the same as emptying a bucket of clear water into a betid river. He therefore felt that they, as Christians, could not go to the theatre.— (Cheers.)

An amusing anecdote is told by the correspondent of an American paper, who went to Geneva to attend the first formal meeting of the arbitrators on the Alabama claims. The correspondent met with another representative of the great Republic, who had come to Geneva to do a little “ lobbying,” and learned from him that he was the possessor of a claim against the llrit.ish Government. The rest of the narrative we give in the original words:—“lie was particularly anxious to | know whether any of the illustrious arbitraI tors had a weakness for the pleasures of the 1 tilde. I assured him that the Brazilian representative was passionately attached to clams, and that the Lord Chief Justice had been heard to declare that old bourbon was the tap of taps for him. ‘Just the very thing, course,’ broke out my friend, bitterly, ‘that a. man can’t lay his haydson in this uncivilised corner of creation :’ and I left I him dshing the blue lake with his eyes for a sight of one of the delicacies so grateful to the Brazilian palate, and, on my conscience, I believe, ready to dive for it in bis paletot. I trust be may find the old bourbon : that lie may offer it to the Chief Justice—one of ! the most irascible men of the three kingdoms j —and that 1 may he standing by. j ask but riicse three things of Providence, and I will say never a word more of the fatigues and diiivoiuforts of ;ay journey."’