Maumee City express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1838-184?, 1840-02-15
For tho Maumee City Express.
DANCING.

| "a time to dance" Eccl.
Mr.. EDIroR:-I believe that must take
hold this controversy, which has, at length
become reduced to this question: "Can any
person, consciencously engage in dancing
as an amusement" for hold, that if dan
cling is wrong in professor of religion, i,
s also wrong in one who is not professor
in the eyes of him who is "no respecter O.
persons. And, seriously, even if dancing
can, in no respect be made religious rite
at the present cay. l. myself, can moi
blame young people, whether christians OIL
not from occasionally recreating themselves
thereby. Look at the religion of the peo
pie of God, when the Almighty himself
was master of ceremonies, and see how ma
nymeans o. recreation, of enjoyment Of bring
ing all the powers and faculties, the mnt
and the senses into full and delightful ope
ration were then enjoyed, which our strait.
laced cold and unvaried form of worship
nave entirely shut out. Then religion
taught to dance and to sing; to feast and to
fast; here was u splendid procession and
there an assemblage clothed in sackcloth.
At one time, all Judea lived in tents Of
boughs and held a joyful festival to the
Lord, at another, in glad procession. they
journeyed to the city of David, to join their
nation in collected praise and thanksgiving,
Every few years, and the year of happi.
ness and jubilee arrived and called for espe,
cial aspirations of praise and gladness
Such was ritual that left no room for the
need of any other outlet to the joy of the
soul or the overflow ofthe spirits.
Where is the variety IN our worship, now
that calls soul and sense into play, and
leaves nothing to wish-no wish ungrati.
fed! 1t is true, that the retinements ofthe
last century have done something for the
rational christian by stripping the worship
of God of much of that which was absurd
but the very fact, that such change has
been made, proves that systems are tallible
and opens an avenue for doubt whether
our own is immaculate. Look back, q
Christian! hundred or hundred and fif-
~ years, and you will hear of laws protes
sing to be based upon the bible, where
married persons were inhibited from all do
mestic endearments on the so bbath when
men were forbidden to play upon instru.
ments other than dium, trumpet and jews
harp, and the psalms of David versified into
most barbarous rhyme, by old Sternholt
and Hopkins (the only version that the bi
gotry ofthe age would allow) were howlet
through the nose--a mode Of performance
that was supposed peculiarly grateful tc
the ears ofthe Almighty. Indeed many OF
us can well recollect the time, when bass
viol was held to be no other than an imp
of Satan, and its introduction into the ser.
vices of the church mathematical as a spe.
cjal incursion of the evil one, and church
organ was considered nothing else than ar
actual lgnlfcation of the Prince OF Dark.
ness himself.
But what is divine service, at the present
day? A little singing, in measured strain;
deal of praying cold and formal, IN spirit
as in language; reading long honilies, and
listening to sermons in which the sterner at.
tributes OF the Deity are most strongly por-
trayed, and lastly, and upon which the most
stess is laid, an exhortation to high subll.
mated and constant tension of mind towards
our maker, under the name of doing all fol
the glory of God F" which, as 1t is under
stood, is impracticable. because 1t is asking
that which the creator never Intended mar
should do. Man seeks relief in variety, ant
unvarying sameness is intollerable; hence
he is no more able to keep his mind wrought
up in a continual stretch of lofty and world
forgetting devotion, than is bow, TO pre-
serve It's elasticity when constantly strung
for use; and hence, if the exercises OF re
hgion do not furnish pleasing and recrea
tive variety, he Will occasionally be found
deserting them, however unwilling to do SC
he may be.
Now do not believe that shall have I
reader SO bigoted and severe as to deny
that amusement is necessary, or at leas
proper, or at the very least, justifiable, both
to young and old. Man can no! always
submit to labor-it would, in reality become
" burthen" to him. Nor do | believe
that any one will be SO foolish as to assert
that the movements of the legs, in dancing
have anything intrinscally wrong in them
especially as those NOV ements were once {
means, dictated by Deity, for expressing
gratitude and praise to him; and in them
selves considered, are nothing more thar
graceful movements of the limbs. If then
there is really anything wrong in dancing
it consists in the time when, and the plac'
where il is lndulged in. Do not be guilt,
of the folly of cepsuring dancing as exclu
sively light and frivulous. The light and th'