Subject one of Grave Interest—Rule of Discipline—Charles Wesley and the Ministers—The True Ground—Our Destiny, and on what it Depends—The Sentiment of the Methodist Episcopal Church—How a Minister may seek Recreation—How a Layman—Recommendation,

City full of Boys and Girls, playing—Play not wrong—Let the Children, the Youth, the Mature, and even the Aged have their times of Rest and Recreation—Laughter as pious as Tears—How shall we Play?—The World wants to Play with the Church, and lead us in their Path—Total Separation neither Desirable nor Possible—One or the other must Yield—The Church can not—Conscience Resists—Principles are in the way—The World can Yield and Lose Nothing—The World ought to Yield,

What is the Aim of Recreation?—Rules that Govern: 1. Our Recreations must not be Immoral; 2. Not Damaging to Christian Reputation; 3. Must not Interfere with Our Duty; 4. Must not Injure Health; 5. Must not Waste Money; 6. Must not Waste Time; 7. Ought to Improve the Mind and the Heart; 8. Ought to Impart Pleasure,

Said to be a Good Place to Learn History, etc.—Some Plays "as Good as Sermons"—Doubts—Theater always a Haunt of Evil—Must be so or Fail—The Theater that tried to be "Respectable"—Failure, and the Causes of it—Strategy and Calculation—Who must be Pleased, and how—Immodest Costume an Indispensable Attraction—Circular, and Reply of Actress—Birds of Prey—Traps Game for them—The fable of Satan and the Monk—Theater can not be Reformed—Cage of every Unclean Bird—"Come out of her, my people,"

Horse a Noble Beast, no doubt—Races prohibited by Civil Law—Revived under new name—Agricultural Fair, and what may be seen thereat—Ludicrous side of things—Twenty gawky Boys with their Colts—Strange Man and Horse—Science—Victory—The Effect on gawky Boys—Reasons against Horse-racing—Expense—Bets—Fraud—Riot—Villainy of All Sorts—How the thing is done, and the People cheated—Quotation from Thomas Hughes, M.P.

The Ancient and Honorable Way—Latter-day Absurdities—"Great National Game"—Clubs; how formed—Science—Professional Players and their Salaries—Expenses—The Exotics challenge the Cupids—Game described—Victory—Supper—Speeches—Glowing Account in Papers—Pain-killers—Bubble must Burst—Decay—Reasons against the Game as now conducted—Foolish Exhibition—Bets—Cheating—Waste of Money—No Good Result of any sort,,

"Dances not all alike"—Bad and Worse—"The German"—Mere motion not wrong—The Old Gentleman and his Exercises—Imaginary Scene in "Happy Family"—Reasons against Dancing: 1. Lacks the Elements of True Recreation; 2. Has a Bad Historic Name; 3. Inconsistent with Piety; 4. Leads to Undesirable Associations—Evil in many ways,

Cards an Old Game—Origin, Asiatic—History—Horne Tooke and George III—Author confesses his Want of Knowledge—Cards the Gambler's Tools—Game adds nothing to Mind or Heart—Dangerous to some—Betting—Reasons against Card-playing—Chess also Ancient—Origin—Play a Laborious Nothing—Wastes Time—Wastes Brain-power—Hinders Mental Culture—Billiards—Big Marbles—How Played—Women can never become Experts, and Why—Poor Affair generally,

Definition of a Novel—A Vice of the Age—Four Maxims: 1. No Fiction if Little Leisure; 2. Only the Best; 3. Fiction to be but Small Part; 4. If any Harm results, Stop at Once—Seven Reasons against Common Novel-reading: 1. Wastes Time; 2. Injures the Intellect; 3. Unfits for Real Life; 4. Creates Overgrowth of the Passions; 5. Produces Mental Intoxication; 6. Lessens the Horror of Crime and Wrong; 7. Wars with all Piety—Disciplinary Rule,

No List of Recreations Furnished, and Why—One Suggestion, nevertheless—The Indolent have No Claim—The Busy need Recreation—The Sedentary need Air and Sunbeams—The Active want Books—The Solitary require Society—Talk the Universal Recreation—Social Life—Grand "Party"—More Excellent Way suggested—What the Fitzshoddies Think—Mrs. F.'s Disappointment—Mr. F. Doubts—Miss F. Trembles—The Reform Unpopular—The Author Despondent in regard to it, yet Firm in the Faith,

Word of Exhortation—Reasons why we should Abstain from all Questionable Diversions: 1. Our Church has always Condemned them; 2. Solemn Vows bind us; 3. Offenses disturb our Pastor and our Fellow-Christians; 4. Our Errors injure the Unconverted; 5. Error mars Usefulness; 6. Compromise Positions hard to hold, either in Argument or Practice—Fight on the Right Line,

Lafayette's Witty Illustration of Compromises—Mr. Bright's Description of Fashionable Religion—Compromise bad, even as a Policy—The World despises a Timid Church—Methodism has Prospered—Our Laws strict—Folly to Come Down now—How the Worldly Parson angled for an Accession and caught nothing—What Mr. B. said—The exact Right is the strong Position—Hold it—Let others Hive the Drones—Where other Churches Stand—Testimony of the Presbyterians—The Methodist Episcopal Church South—Young Men's Christian Association—The Roman Catholic Church—The End.