Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-07-29

countries of Europe, the real point at issue has
been evaded. Speaking of the dances of fhe peas
autry. he says ;"Comus has not told US whether
these danced their dances on a plank floor. or on
the ground; nor whether these dancers had on
shoes, or danced barefooted." What connections
all this has, with the morality of the dance, we.
must confess that we are puzzled to know. But
wedo know thatthis pract' ce Of dancing among the
peasantry of the countries referred to, is not only
conducive to their bodily health anil activity. but
that it produces a corresponding effect upon the
mind, rendering them cheerful, sociable and hos
pitable, and thereby fitting them to 6l1 to the best
advantage, the positions atthey' occupy III life.
Weare charged with saying too much when we af'
firm that dancinga as an AMUSEMENT, is practlced ny
all classes of society, In the countries Of Europe.
.sSince theday when Christianity entered Europe
says our opponent 'there has besn one class
there. who did not and do not now practice dam
cling; that class is the experimental. practice
Christian" Until tho 18th century, when bu'her
hogan the Reformation, the Rrmish Church was
the only depository of Christianity in Europe and
the practice of dancing WAS not condemned by the
cnnnns of that Church. Since the Reformation,
there have .heen many protesting Christians Of W.
rious creeds who have approved Of the practice.
Whether these processing Christians were really
what they professed to he. we do not presume to
decide; hut We entirely dissent from the rule
which would make dancing a test Of Christianity.
How will your correspondent ascertain whether or
not, these protesting Christians are Christians in.
deed? His position here seems to he this; dan
cling is our test, ifa professor Of religion then, ad-
vocates dancing, he is no Christian.
Concerning the authorities. to which we referred.
(Socrates and others) who wrote in praise Of dan.
cling. he says ; ''they were all heathsn. knowing
nothing of the Holy Scriptures" The admission
that they were heather aud had not the light Of
Christianity to guide them. does not weaken our
argument in any degree Whatever. tt was not our
object to prove by quoting them, the morality Of
dancing in a ,criptural point Of view This was q
distinot branch of tho argument, in which we de-
sired to show how it Was regarded when view d
by the light Of reason merely Those men to
whom we above alluded, were the wisest of their
age and nation, they had observed attentively all
the effects of this practice Of dancing among
themselves, and were well qualified to pro
nounce upon its morality as viewed BY the light
of reason alone. But there is another character,
4. - .tf~.f., rvo1 roIa 80 Tim oorao oonnao-
ton, and whom VIC beg leave, n second time, to
introduced the notice Of your correspondent;
that personageis John Locke. IT'S strange, "'tis
passing strange" that of all the authorities cited
by as. the most important. should have heen en-
tirely overlooked. Locke was not only the most
profound philosopher Of his day, he was also an
'.~ereprimental, practical Christian the latter part
Of his life being chiefly spent Tin reading and
commenting, with ell the zeal and humility Of a
true c~hristian, on the holy scriptures" The
mind and its culture were the objects of his dill
gent and unremitting study. aud the conclusions
he arrival at, have been endorsed by the wisdom
Of more than one generation. Hsllsm says Of his
Essay on Eiucation,"' to which reference was
made whom we adduced him as authority on the
subject Of dancing 'it contains, to say the least.
more good sense than has been uttered by any
preceding writer" .
In speaking of dancing, as ~practiced among the
Athenians and Arcndians, our opponent dwells at
c ,nsidernble length on the character Of the gods.
'.Comus" and "Blcchus,'' and the nature Of the
festivals celebrated in their honor, and concludes
with the observation that the dancing employed at
these festivals was the kind that promoted the
piety and hospitality Of the Arcadians. Pol bus
had no reference whatever, to the dances ut these
festivals, when he attributed the piety and hospi-
tality Of the Arcadians to their influences. The
language quoted by US is as follows: "Po
lybius attributes the piety and hospitality of
the Arcadians to the care with which these two
arts. Emusic and dancing) were cultivated, the
youth being instructed in them ct the public ex-
pense.n The dsncing here referred to, Is clearly
that which was in everyday use among the Area
diaus, In which their youth were instructed, and
which was p~rscticed at their private, social enter
tainments. Besides, dancing was merely one fea-
tnre at the public festivals. aud by no means 80
prominent a feature as music; now, by what log
ioal process, all the excuses committed in their
oelebrat on cau.be laid to the charge Of dancing,
We must confess that our limited understanding
Is completely at q loss to comprehend. II anath
emss are to be hurled against dancing. because it
CHANGED to be one feature In these festivals, we de.
maud, with equal reason, that music be placed IN
the same category and condemned also.-
Before entering upon thediscussion of this sub.
ject i'll a scriptural point Of view, we desire to &C
knowledge an error in our article Of July the 18th.
We should have quoted the 18th chapter Of LIST
Sam. instead Of the 2sth. But while We acknowk
edge our opponents correction, we must confess
TIM. we are unable to see it's necessity. since the
passage which we referred to was quoted infull. He
says, the 28,h chap. ''tells aboutsau andthe witch
at En- dor - very well, as he was somewhatasaocia-
ted in our mind with witches, we suppose that must
have led to the mistake. We willreturn the COM
pliment by making a correction also. David did not
return from tho slaughter Of the Philistines las he
has it,: for the Bible does not record that David
slew but one Pbilissine. The passage reads thus,
"when David returned from the slaughter Of the
Philistine'' singular number), meaning. Of course,
Goliath go that any expression even had it been
quoted, (Which was not the case, was to all in
tents and purposes correct.
without any argument whatever, your cores
pondent 'renf6rms that the dance of Herodias'
H. IL - IT, l.od ~ Tohp tho RaOfiat .