Pitfalls in Modern Amusements

The Great Creator, God, intended that his creatures be happy. He has endowed them with certain capacities that call for social intercourse. While God has ordained that man win his substance and support by the sweat of his face, yet he has also ordained that man have his seasons of recreation. Experience has proved that man does better and more work if he has reasonable time for recreation. Recreation takes on several forms, but the element of play is essential. Play that is work is no play. There must be complete or partial relaxation of mind or body. Mental workers usually desire play that will call forth muscular effort, while the physical worker desires play that will rest the body and engage the mind.

In this present age there are almost unlimited sources of amusement and recreation, not only the ancient ones of dancing, card-playing, and outdoor games, but also the newer ones, such as moving pictures. The common desire for pleasure and amusement has been seized upon by corrupt men whose only interest in the matter is profit to themselves. Amusement has been commercialized. Great organizations control amusement facilities, especially in the cities, and these combinations of capital and talent are hard to control or reform in the interests of morality. There is danger on every side. Not only are some amusements demoralizing, but there exist along with many of them evils of a grosser form, and there are followers of vice hovering around these places ready to lead unwary young people into sin and debauchery.

Many a young Christian has gone across the deadline into worldly amusement. Some have gone on into still worse things until their lives were wrecked on the rocks of sin and disgrace.

It is the hope of the writer to point out the dangers that exist along the way of life, especially to young people. There are amusements that are wholesome, and amusements that are sinful and unwholesome. The young Christian desires the former, but he must flee from the latter.

A man that writes against card-playing, dancing, and theater-going ought to have a reason for it. And that reason should be plain enough for him who runs to read and understand it. Perhaps this is easy; for nearly all religious people have denounced the dance, card-playing, and. theater-going, and it is comparatively easy to do what all are doing. But a man that writes against these forms of amusement and condemns them ought to be able to offer something in their stead. It is easy to condemn amusements, and some in their desire to condemn the bad have condemned all; the good and the bad were bundled together and cast out indiscriminately. Nothing is gained by this.