New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-06-21
CHRISTIAN DANCING.

good many journals are crlticslng rather roughly
the ac ion of the late New School Presbyterian General
Assembly with respect to Dancing and Slavery. The
perfect unanmty with which regardless Of consequences
and fearless of damage to whatever religious political
Union the Convention condemned Dancing sinful is
contracted with its Discrimination to touch the subject
of savebOding, and the epid reluctant, pOintless,
gngery action finally taken by a majority, through fear
Of Northern secession and in defiance Of Southern
threats Of Notification Some Of the scoGers irreyer-
emily insnuae that had not most of those represented
II the Assembly been too old too awkward to dance,
while nowse disqualified for holding slaves aud making
profit out Of them, the action on these subjects might
have been different.
For our own part consider the resolve on Dancing
adotted BY the Assembly quite as vague and unsatsac
tory any thing that occurred respecting Slavery Let
US requoe the andancing resolve and closely consider
it,
ResoLred That the fashionable amusement Of promis
dancing j. entirely uIscrptural and enneny and
exclusively Of that world which hstl in aiekcin-ss'
and so wholly inc n-isteut with the spirit Of Christ md
with that pro,ty OF Christian d-pormeht and that pu-
rty of b, which biz followers bound % maintain
render il OF only improper and nurl for protesting
Christians either psrake N It qualify their children
by teaching them tie srt but also t. call for the faith
f ~ udclous exercise OF cpne the pare Of he
Church when any OF the members OF their churches
have been guilty
NO one VIII utn! thhl the LAY ny uoNu Oi pIactlch
rules for the religious guidance of human life and con-
duet il Of the most responsible duties which any
body Of men ever assumed IL demands the utmost
care in making those rules plain succnct, appropriate
so that they shal commend themselves TO every en-
ghtened understanding, to every unseared conscience
An ecclesiastical body may very possibly perceive
in which the laying down of ANY rule is difficult and in
which It's best and only proper is 10 forth
the principles which govern the course Of every
true Christian the ends for which be lives aud abors
and say, Take these principles, and apply them to
each it may arise under the guidance Of the
Bible and your own conscience That is one way of
dealing with questions and in macy the best way
But wherever al Assembly Synod or Council under
takes give rules for practical gudancetO denOdnce
as sins acts which some Christians have regarded as
inocent-the language employed should be such as 70
leave doubt Of its meaning, question as to It's
application.
Now the late Assembly at Buffalo did not see 6t to
condt mn oil Dancing sinful Had it done so, no one
who deers its authority could have been in doubt as
bis Ler duty in any case Of prospective medi
ated Dancing Its resolve clearly implies that there IS
or may be innocent aud audable Dancing though there
is very much Of an opposite eharacter-and far We
entirely agree with the Assembly But where the di
,idng line How shall Christian determine whether
Dancing in given is or is not inconsistent with his
elgous profession Our idea is that Dancing in loose
immoral. proiane company Dancing after reasonable
misunderstanding in hot unventiated rooms whose at
mosIhere is soon poiued-Dancing where Alcoholic Il
quors are dispensed and reveng and bOsterous harity
naturally ensue-s improper and not allowable while
Dancing in cool well aired rooms, among sober, reputa-
be moral associates at reasonable hours and where no
noxious beverages late uppers preferred must be
esteemed harmless and sometimes commendable Our
idea nay not be the true but be hard to IN
Gers,and and spply to from time to time arising
Bu, vlO viii determine What is or is nOr prom s.
cuous Dane nsi" VINO NIl s.y whether the meeting
Of The young folks of visee u s.hOo dis,ric, to
dance at the private dwelling OF of the families To-
Gated therein would be "prOmiscueus' or otherwise
II not would their sssemblsge at the village tavern
assuming that it kept by worthy man, who sold
DO Alcoholic poison-subect it to the Buffalo
tbtmai VIII any one inform US just where Allowable
Dancing ends and promiscuOus' Dancing begins under
the Buffalo resolution
And then, after setting out with snathema which
clearly implies the existence Of allowable Dancing, the
resolve proceeds to denounce all protesting Christians
who parake in qualify their children for BY teseh
L" ing them the art" What art Clearly not that of
= promiscuous Dancing but Of Dancing at sA Yet
rho knows that child lea rniDg to dance viii necessarily