Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-08-05

gardcd by them GSocrates anil others when view.
ed in the light of reason merely. They were well
qualified to pass upon its [dancing, morality, as
viewed by TIE light Of reason alone
answer The dictates of the common sense of
men, together with their sense of decency, and
propriety, and reason, is the standard of Comus,
by which the morality of the dance for which he
pleads is to be measured. He has not mentioned
the wiW of God-the Bible, rs his rule for right
action here.
Comus is amazed to find, that I mentioned not
tn. name of Mr.. Locke, when remarking on Soc
rates and others, as authority for the dance. l
answer. had no right to pass any structures on
the opinions of Mr.. Locke in his views of dances,
as q part and parcel ofthe education Of the young.
Parents may Of right for me, educate their chill
dren as they please, this is not my question now
with Comus. Nor does Mr.. Locke's opinion on
the morality of the dance weigh more to me, than
the opinions Of some other men. Nor does his
practice of the dance weigh more in it's favor be-
cause he was II Philosopher, or commentator on
the Bible, than some other men. Nor does the
want of canon. law in the Papacy prohibiting the
dance, prove in behalf of its morality. Nor does
it avail for Comus, that very many ',professing"
christians after the reformation may have annced
still / think he said too much, when he said "all
classes" in Europe p~racticed dancing. There were,
and now are, Waldensian christians, and thou
sands now besides in every christian country, who
did not, and do not dance.
Comus says, "Now I hold that dancing, when
employed on such occasions, gatherings for a.
musement and recreation, is not sinful" He at
tempts to establish the morality of dances rs done
stamong us" from Eccles. s 4" q time to mourn,
and a time to dance" He says, 'to dance" in this
opposition, '~'signifes to be playful, or merry" He
say. dancing is UNSUITABLE wheneverwe have cause
of Joy or merriment; ~ therefore, dancing is moral.
Is this logic? Is it moral to dance when We
make a good bargain? Can he give US logic for
this also? answer. The sense Of this scripture
plainly is this. When God by his providence af.
hicts US in our interests, it is ga time to mourn
before him in deepest signs; but when by his provi-
dence he smiles upon, and blesses US, lis ga time"
for joy, and we may we'll exult for joy before him.
This passage is an ~allusion to the religious joys,
in the dance Of the Israelites. lisa. IS 10. Exod.
Is: 20, 2. Sam. 6: IA. 1t is one thing to dance
because we do rejoice ; and it is another thing to
dance that We may become joyful therein.
Comus finds "a dance as p~racticed among US"
for amusement, in Mat. IL: II. Let us see. l fud
the Greek word here used is o~rchesasthe e,
aud translated shave. danced" Comus teaches,
that the sense of this word simply is 'to Dance"
without qualification and he says it is n very
different word from another Greek word, viz:
Komadso, TX 5, Gal. 5 81. to which
he confines the sense 'to reper' or n revel, and
thus he makes it one thing sto dance" and anoth-
er and very different thing 'to revel." answer
orchesasthe truly means ''have. danced )"
and is from orchc 90 r oh which
means to lift up, to raise, to shake, to put in mo-
ton, to move, to jump, to stretch forth, whether
it be the hands or feet, or both, or one to repre-
sent in n pantomimic dance. 1t also means to 90,
because in q dance there is a certain manner of 60
ing. 1t means q moving. abeing moved, to dance.
The same word is used in Mat. IA: 6, Mark 6 %,
and in Luke 7: so, where tits translated "danced,"
in signifying the mirthful dance of the daughter of
Herodias; aud in %allusion to the dances performed
by Jewish children, in each sex apart and at
public play grounds; out of doors, or within
doors, in imitation of some Of the outdoor reli-
.gious dances of the Jews 10 times of public re-
%ioicings, or calamities. The special form, or con-
~stitutiou of these dances is not herein stated but,
they were performed by a certain manner of going,
as in marching,-with measured step,-with mu.
sic, aud having regard to measured time. This
with the Jews was q religious dance, and per-
formed in praise to God, and in humility before
him. Zech. SIS; Mat. 9: Is; / King / 40; Isa.
80: 20; Jer. 8: 17-20.
At the feast Of Herod, who was q wicked and
cruel Gentle, q heather ; this dance was perform
ed in mirh by the daughter of Herodias herself
alone and she so ''pleased Herod" in the cspers
which she cut up therein, that when she did de-
mand it Of him, he paid for it to her, her price
viz "the head of john the Baptist" This renders
her manner of dance odious to all good men, as n
memorial of the evil deed. This is not what Co.
mus wants, he wants some other dance.
Again, Comus finds in the parable of the Prodi-
gal son, o dancing" which he makes to be about
the SAM rs tbs modern dancing for which he
pleads. Luke Is: Is. Let US see. Comus rightly
says, the Greek word here used is choron, from
which means "to dance" II also
means however q solemn dance, with a band Of
singers and dancers it means to celebrate with
bands of dancers and singers. Chores the sub.
s~tantive, means q dance; q dance especially in a
row, or ring a dance accompanied with singing;
n choir, a band Of singers and dancers, especially
lin its early use) to celebrate n festival Of Baccbus
or some Divinity. Here, the dancing in Mat. IL
II and4: 6; Mark 6 %, and Luke 7: 80, is in al
fusion to the dances Of the ~Iraelites, in public
places, wherein the sexes danced apart; and in so
far as God was praised therein, they were moral.
In Luke Is: Is, we have another word, viz:
and another dance. This dance means
a solemn dance, a religious dance and was used of
old in the festival Of Bacchus, or som other Di.
vinity. Among the Jews the sexes danced this
dance apart, and in their rejoicings. Comus says
of this dance, "Now does not this smaking merry"
spoken of by Christ, accord exactly with this de-
fnition Of '.the dance in our day." viz: in honor
to some person or event. las / had before in COM
parison described the dances for which he pleads.)
Comus concludes therefore, that this dance for the
Prodigal son, is the same for substance, as those
for which he pleads. But here the sexes danced
apart also. l will not let him have it, as it will
do him no good. 1t was q solemn dance, a religi.
Gus dance. 1t had been used as q Bacchanalian
dance. But this does not suit his dances also, he
wants the sexes to dance together, and for pleasure
too.
Comus says, "Both these words orchesasthe
(kave, ,,danced) and ehoron dancing, Mat, II,
IL and IA: s; Mark 8: 90; Luke I: 80, and Luke Is:
%, are different in Specification from the Komo,s,
translated ''riotings, revellings." Rom. l3: l3;
Gal. s: 21; / Peter 4: 3, which I treated of be-
fore. I answer. None Of them where used, is
used to signify worldly mirth in any sense, except
the dance of the daughter of Herodias, and the
plays Of children.
What is said however of choron, Luke Is 25;
is also said of Kom os-Ko ois, Rom. 49, l3;
Gal. 5; 81; l Peter 4 8. Comus indeed translates
choron from choreuo to dance) "dancing"
simply; he does not qualify this dance in any
way, but leaves his readers to conclude (from
what he said of it, said dance to be the same as
that for which he pleads, viz: a fashionable party
dance. It is certain that among the heather,
choron ("a dance, in honor to Bacchus Sc
was the same as the Ko m ois s'riotings, revel.
ings' to Bacchus; but among the Jews, it was a
solemn, o religious dance; and when God was there
in nraised was moral. Exod. Is. 90. 9 Samuel.