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

bring facts to oppose them. For exam
pie, you say that there are ''church mem
bers who pray in their families who play
cards and approve of dancing" Then
you bring up the example of the higher
classes of society in England, among
whom. you say dancing is taught as a
science" And if you ''are not mistaken,
the Church Of England as body appro-
YES of dancing"
Now, Gentlemen, what is this but an
attempt on your part to bring for ward
facts to prove that the pleasure of these
amusements is not, as Mr.. Gibson con-
tends, peculiar to the unregenerate, and
to those who do not enjoy religion?
Here you show that you do after
all understand your opponent as arguing,
not that whatever the unregenerate enjoy
is sinful, but that whatever is enjoyed by
them as PECULIAR y their pleasure, in dis
tinction from the pleasures of those who
enjoy religion, is sinful. Mr.. Gibson treats
this question as a controversy between the
chdrch of Christ and the world respec-
ting these anausenaeuts, and not respecting
everything which the world enjoys in
common with the church; and that this
controversy is between professed chris
tians and those who are not, is q well
known and generally ADMITTED fact; and
worldly people generally judge that when
a professor Of religion begins to dance
and play cards, he is bound by consist
ency to give up his profession. The voice
Of the church and of the world is almost
exclusively on one side, in condemning
these amusements as inconsistent with a
profession Of piety and nearly all the ed
ucators Of the country in our Colleges
and Academies unanimously give their
testimony against them as inconsistent
with the interests of education.
Now, Gentlemen, it seems to us that
you first attempt to ignore the point Of
Mr.. Gibson's argument, and then try
your skill in bringing facts which you
suppose will oppose. those brought by him,
and which bear upon the point. Is this
ingenious? But it gave you an oppor-
tunity to represent us as opposed to all
amusements. and to every thing which is
agreeable to uuconverted persons, and
many other absurdities you charge upon
our logic, which are due to your misap
rehensions. sa eE 4aat Il fe.
But we arc really gratifed to ascertain
that on one important point, in this dis
cusson, you and we are agreed. You re-
gard "recreation, exercise and amusement
as necessary to the proper development of
both body and nind." You think that
'the experience of the world has every
where shown this to be the case" You
will doubtless be gratifed to know that
on this important point, there is no con-
troyersy between us, but that over it you
and we, with the "stern, sombre, vigorous
Puritans' can shake hands Our readi-
ness to concur with you on this point will
most likely appear to you a happy neon
sistency. For you think you deduce, as
an inference from our conclusions, "that
regenerate hearts have no longer relish
for any thing but the stern realities OF
death and the grave" Not having suf-
fcient penetration to percsive the logic of
your inference, after number Of attempts
to do so, we conclude that we will not
bother ourselves with it, but simply testi-
fy that instead Of relishing 'tdeath and the
grave our highest joy and glory is in
Him, who has extracted the sting of the
one, and given US the victory over the
other, who hath "abolished death and
brought life and Immortality to light"
And we do assure you gentlemen, and all
who may find dancing and card playing,
and other dissipatng amusements, insult
ficient to draw your thoughts from those
"stern realities that you speak of, that an
abiding faith in Christ, is sovereign rem
edy for all those unpleasant thoughts and
anticipations. q
The position upon which we really take
issue with you, and upon which the
church takes issue with the world, is sta
ted by you in these words.
1--WE do not, and never have adFoca-
ted dancing and card playing as Chris
tan exercises, but as belonging to the
class of legitimate ansxsemeafs." Your
position is defined with sufficient clearness
and just what we supposed it to be. OF
course no one would expect you to advo-
cate these practices as religious duties, or
as religious ordinances, or as means of
Grace. but as amusements. But we are
TO show that these practices not only are
not achristiau exercises as you say, but
.sas practiced by the people Of this village
arc detrimental to religion. But we