A minister told me after, that in a young people’s meeting this young man arose and said:  “I attended a lecture at Ocean Grove, thinking I would have a humorous entertainment.  I left the auditorium the saddest soul in the great audience.  Going down to the beach I tried to drive away the spell, but it grew upon me.  I could see how I had grieved my mother, and the past came rolling up like the waves of the ocean.  I shuddered as they broke on my awakened conscience and quickened memory.  Behind me was an unhallowed past, and before me the brink of an awful eternity.  There and then I resolved to change my course.  Alone under the stars I made my resolve and then started to my mother.  She was waiting for me, and said:  ’My son, I wished for you at the lecture this evening.  I think you would have enjoyed it.’  I then told her I was determined to lead a new life and had come to seal my vow with her kiss.”

That young man went to the lecture to laugh, he left to walk alone with God under the stars by the ocean deep, there to decide to lead a righteous life, and seal the vow with a loving mother’s kiss.

So while in my humble way I have endeavored to use the arts that entertain I have cherished the purpose to better human lives.

I have referred to the platform as being baited for humanity.  Have you ever considered how it is baited to resist the forces of evil?

The day was when Satan had an attraction trust that controlled about the whole output of entertainment.  The platform now is a picture gallery where is to be had all beauty in nature, from our own land to the land of the midnight sun.

In moving pictures it presents to those who never saw ship, sail or sea, the landing of a great steamer, with splashing of spray as real as if seen from the dock.  To those who enjoy music it furnishes band concerts, orchestra, bell-ringing, quartettes, solos, plantation melodies, rag-time tunes and women whistlers.

The platform today beats the devil in output of entertainment.  It has scoured field and forest, trained birds and dogs to round out the program of a chautauqua.

Its breadth takes in all creeds and kinds.  While it greets with waving lilies Bishop Vincent, leader of the great chautauqua movement, it cordially welcomes the priest, the Jew, the Chinaman, the negro, republican, democrat, progressive, prohibitionist, socialist and suffragist.

The platform has grown to be a great university, a musical festival, a zoological garden, an art institute, an agricultural college and a domestic science school.

Do you ask has the platform any blemishes?  I answer yes.  All enterprises have their blemishes.  The press is a potent power for good and yet many bad things get into print.  Sometimes from the platform come voices without the ring of sincerity, entertainments without uplifting influence and anecdotes without respect to public decency.  When attending platform entertainments one should discriminate as when eating fish, enjoy the meat and discard the bones.  With good taste in selection one rarely ever need go away hungry.