Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-10-20

tfOnneeo. lac Bishop affirmed ana sustained tue
decision of the Pr siding Elder.
The above e the language Of the Nashville Adj
Tocate 10 its account of the proceedings of the Tea
nessea Annual Conference, at It's recent session su
y urfreesboro. Nov If the practIce Of the Nssb-
VILE Female Academy in regard TO daneing--
=" lch in some form has exst. d here for more than
tortv years-has been b, fore the 7. nnessee Con-
ference and if Bishop has teen called upon 20 de-
eide upon the sspropTiety" Of my eonnecsFon With
the dancing in the ACADEMY, this has ben done m
violation Of the understanding between the y
w d F Sawrie and mvs. If, as viii appear upon
the records of the Quart. rly meeting, difference
10 violation of the unqualified declaration of the
Rev A. Riggs. who clearly announced that the
/ Nashville Fem4le Academy was out of the pros Gu
tion~-ln violation of the decided declaration of
members OF the Quarterly Conference, made TO the
Trustees of IhP Academy, and to other citizens OF
Nashville, thatI vas tried alone as private man,
and not 10 u connection with the Academy-and
nv violation of the comp between the Quarterly
Conference and mysIs as will also be shown by
the record of the Conference "a well as by the eV
/ ldence of members of the Conference and other
brethren who we're present EEZ
/ This question and this question only, went be-
| fore the BishOp-(the Nashville Femile Academy
vas left entirely of consideration, and the se
was assumed of my being local minister in my
l eWn house. with nv own private family There are
the words of the gu stiOu, SCAN have my own
I children, in my own house, to learn ami practice
dancing, alone, for the sake OF health, ehrerfuess
and r CREATION and in manner consistent with the
spirit of pity and deVotiou?" The principle iR-
VOiVef in this question was the only ona before
| the Quarterly Confer nc. If the Bishop says this
| Is Improper conduct" in the sense IN which these
words useh in our Discipline | have promised
| TO withdraw from the Church. am rrady TO act
according to the Bishops answer, and suppose in
this case the community wil feel but little interest
1 10 the matter.
But the dancing IN the Nashville Female AGA
deny ia another affair altogether. When am tried
| tor this. apprrhend the Trustees, Stockholders,
end community at large viii feel somewhat INTEREST
/ ed. am ready, a. have heen for ten years, to
answer Tor my come ction with it. but when do
answer it must be clearly understood that it is for
/ my conn elton with dancing in the Academy. As
this is question of conduct and not OF opinion,
will COZ fne myself to facts Ny opinions are not
secret, and thy can be given to the community at
! any time. suppose there is not quite enough of
] bIgotTy, even with those who have for years at
tempted to oy me about this matter, 10 arraign
| NE fOF my opinions 60 let my opinions have any
| iuhur nee pro con, in which is simply one
| OF CT and cobduct.
The parties who have created all this disturbance
have known the truth OF the following statement
| from the frst-they have also known that it has
been satisfactory Presiding EIder after Presiding
Elder and TO Pastor after Pastor of the AeKendFee
Church for ten years. they like wise kow th At t is
now satisfactory to nne-tenths of the MeLhodists
of Nashville, to Pastors OF Presbyterian Baptist
and Episcopal Churches, aud TO this entire religious
community. Not that any Pastor or professor of
religion in the city approves OF dancing or even OF
dancing prscticed in the Academy, out tn will
say, that under the circumstances, have done tn
best that could be done, and they will not find the
least obj ciious to a minister of the go pei
for this Cause. Ed
Nay more, they will commend me for conduct
ing &" Worldly Institution" las will appear be-
lOw,) so that it has come to D. eminent!y reiig-
Gus school, so emineuty so that there have been,
in the last FIVE years, more conversion in the Aca-
DENY than in the McKendree Church. or IN any
other single Church 10 the city if not IN all put to-
getheT- conversions OF young ladies who are this
day memb ers of the Baptist, Episcopal, Methotist,
Pre- byteran Church. Indeed, il is well own
that il is almost impossibility Tor young ladJ
to receive her education here without becoming
Christian woman There is no demand in Nashville
outside Of rtain clique for trouble on this sub
ct. In my recent trial, there was no argument
used by the Pastor aud othrrs but this: " The
Church abroad demands OF to do something.
How this demand abroad was created, by who and
for what purposes, also the conduct OF those ill.,
huenced by il here, not before me just at this
time. They are now and viii continu' TO De mat
tiers of interest to the Methodist Church.
he Nashville Female Acad, my longs to fifty
gentlemen and was erected by th m or their Faith
more than forty years ago. for the education OF
their own daughters, mainly. II is managed for
these stockholders, by seven of tn If number rs
Trustees. from whom receive my aut ority and 20
whom ] am cOuntsble. OF these seven Trustees,
Ave will fvo- dancing taught and practced with
my appreciation for the last ten years. About the
same proportion of stockholders of the came
opinion, aud many would approve of it even as a
fashionable amusement. As religionists would call
il, the Academy is worldly institution, and in no
sense under the control of any Sect andrcpeatedly
pledged to give influence IN its affairs, TO any
one Denomination more than to all others. | am
the agent of it's Stockhold, and Trustees charged
to redeem this pledge. Il is my obvious duty to
conduct the Institution as to meet the wants OF
all D nomnatio, and tnos- who of no Denon-
nation at all. Before nv day 10 the Academy, it
was the practice for its pupils t" go or TO be taken
to the PromiscuOus Dancing Schools 10 the ciCyS
and for viii e, | tried the same plan, but soon
gave it up. Both Teacher and a minister,
found in-uperable objections to It. u "a
then gave the SUI ject of Da cling careful ex-
animation in connection with the Bble, the Laws
of all the churches interested 10 the Academy, with
the writings of Wesley and many other expounders
of Gods WOr1-and arrived at the conclusion that
l ought under the circumstances to have it taught
and pFsctistd alone as recreation for the sake OF
the he 18th and cheeriulness of young ladies. This
has been done tor ten or twelve years in the Acad
envy, and upon this platform, the extremes of the
Board Of Trustees, OF the Stockholders, aud the
Patrons Of che Academy have met end are salts
fed Not that either received sll they wanted. Al
any time, the majority of the Trustees, kept out
of regard OI the feelings of the minority, were
ready vote the Dancing here. The Pupil OF the
Academy, as such, have right to be ught Dabe-
ing, which has been acknowledged by the Trustees
and all formrr Pr. sidents from the first | found
them going out into the city, aud taught Dancing
fashionabl- accomplishment 20 fit them for the
Bal Room and similar places Of sinful amusement.
took the Dancing 20 the Academy, Invested il OF
its charsct ristcs an accomplishment, and had
it taught aud practcrd only & recreation, Tor the
sake of health and ch-eriulness, aGu 10 manner
cOnzistent With Pirty and Devotion. ] have bFot
about such results sH citing the religious, intellec
tnal and social character Of young ,dies, as that
at this day the Academy has the largest patronage
OF any similar Institution 10 the United States in-
GLIDING the daughters Of ministers and members OF
the Baptist. Methodist. Episcopal snd Presbyterian
Churchas, all of whom are entirely satisfied with
the Academy.
This i my offence, most positively my whole Of
fences in regard to dancing In tile Nashville Female
ACADEMY.
How dark must be the chapter Of personalities |
when written, OF those who out Of thus, have Gre
ated al the present excitement. For my connection
with t. am ready and have ever been 60 answer |
to any and 10 every body, who has made inquiry |
Of me hold that & matter Of the kind Is entirely
beyond church authority, jest as the same act is in
a private famils. Sill l ready 10 meet the |
QUESTION anywhrre with this qualification: the
next time am tried it is b. before the puohc,
and not 10 the secret session OF 3 Conference.
More of this hereafter.
Oct 10, 1857. e u ELLIOTT.
Astounding Dev eIoPsncnts asa she Fasan-
cIaI Departments Of the Corporation.