The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-02-09

Church OF England, -" unless you arc
mistaken, and which you do not at
tempt TO show, is like that ''practiced by
the people of this village" 1t seems to
us that the links of your logic need con-
siderable repairing. But after all. there
is kind of dancing mentioned in the
Bible which evidently existed, and which
was not ga religious exercise" nor cal
culated to develop the element of religion
in mans nature" You might have quo
ted that kind of dancing as more in point.
Michaal, the daughter of Saul and vito
Of David, speaks of it as kind of dam
cling well known in her time, and prac-
ticed by swain, shameless fellows" q
Sam. 6: 90 in connection with verse 10y
The same sort of dancing, Job seems to
| alude to in his description of wicked rich
men. "They send forth their little ones
as a flock, and their children dance
(See Job 81: ID The same kind of
dancing is doubtless mentioned as prac.
ticed by the daughter of Herodias MARK
6: 22) and was the means of cutting off
the head of John the Baptist, the fore-
runner of Christ. These two sorts of
dancing are all that are mentioned in the
Bible. But the religious kind You do not
advocate. For ourselves, were it now
customary among the people of God to
express religious joy by dancing, we
would certainly be inclined to dance our
selves, when poor lost sinners-prodgals
who have wandered from their fathers
house and from all good come to them
selves, repent, return and are saved.
But we turn from the examination Of
your arguments to advance some thoughts,
of our own on the question of issue.
Card playing and dancing MS anlusc-
ments, though in some respects alike in
their nature and tendency, are in other
respects dissimilar. | shall first speak Of
some things peculiar to card-playing. In
this amusement the game, as am inform
ed, is partly game of chance, and partly
one of skill. That is, he who plays at
cards hopes to excel bis rival, partly by
his skill, and partly by chance, good luck
or fortune 1t is no doubt true that sue
cess more depends on the skill and close
attention Of the person who engages i'll it,
than on his good fortune. But whether
the player has a good or bad hand, de-
ponds upon shutting, cutting and dealing
out. Now, he who shn67es, cuts or deals
out, if he does it fairly, does it in such
way that he, nor any one else, can forcsse
who shall have good or a bad hand.
If he does it unfairly, you have in the
game cheating, knavery and fraud, and
of course it is not legitimate amusement.
But if he does this fairly, then the qucs-
ton, whether one has a good or bad
hand is referred for decision to an arbi-
tration beyond human. One who be-
lieves in the universal providence of God,
would say that it is referred for decision
to God, and on this ground many pions
people of good abilities and learning con-
denim the practice as profane. 1t is, say
they, of the nature of casting lots. And
the Bible declares prov. l6: 33) that
the whole disposing of the lot that is cast
is of the Lord The lot seems allowabls
on important occasions for the avoiding of
strife, prov. IS: 49, 1.-THE lot causeth
contentious to cease" &c. Casting
lots was considered solemn religious act
like that of taking lawful oath. BY tho
apostles it was preceded by prayer, Acts
1: 26.)
But card players who do not mean to
be profane, would not say that they ap-
peal directly to God to decide whether
they shall have good or bad hand Of
cards. They cal it luck, fortune, DC,
and we, consequently, when present wbero
cards are being played, overhcar them
speaking out anil telling what luck or for
tune has done for them, as they ascertain
the kind Of hand they have got
We are not now attempting to show
that this is trfing with God as the Cob
of providence. But we would direct at
I tention to the state of excited feeling which
| this feature Of the game is calculated to
produce, in connection with the fact that
while the success depends in still great
er measure upon ones skill, It depends
partly upon luck or fortune, and partly
on skill, and the success of the one party
! is the defeat of the other. You have then
the feeling of rivalry, the love of success,
the hope of success. resting upon good
| fortune and skilIful management, to awe
ken interest. In this way feverish excite
ment is awakened in the mind, which
leads those devoted to this amusement to
sit mp nights to crafty the appetite f,r
! gaming It temlts them frequently 10