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

less.
You give your opinion OF the dancing
referred to in the texts quoted, and add,
"To this all commentators agree, unless
we except our friends Cox, Morse, and
Taylor" Now, we can prove from your
own libraries that to this all commenta-
tors do not agree. We refer you to one,
Rev. DIR. Barnes, whose works can be
fol nj in nearly every christian family.
We leave the commentators to agree or
disagree, just as they please, and would
simply add that as commentators" we
only set ourselves against STEVENS, GIB-
SON, and Wilcox. You INST be well
aware, that in our Bible quotations, we
were not even pretending to show that
dancing, as practiced in those times, was
the same as that practiccd in River Falls.
They were adduced mainly to disprove
your assertion that "dancing was -un-
known to the primitive christians" We
believe we did this successfully. Indeed,
you, in your defense, do not undertake to
deny it, ut endeavor to parry the force
of the proof by attempting to show that
it was "religious dancing" and not tho
kind of dancing practiced in this village.
" Is this ingenious! But it gave you an
opportunity to misrepresent,' and is. per-
haps, the only available argument you
could bring against us. ,
" Strange there should such difference be,
'Twixt tweedlc-dum and tweedlc-dec.
We come now to- your remarks on card
playing. The first thing we notice is that
great many good people think that card
playing is trifling with the providence of
God. But ms you do not claim it as an
argument, we will pass it by, merely en-
curing why you introduced it when you
were so troubled for want of space! 1t
WAS evidently inten led for some purpose,
yet you seem to be delicate about endors-
ing it. We would here remark that
"many pious people Of good abilities and
learning, often entertain very ridiculous
notions. We presume you regard this as
one of them.
Next, You state that 'the success of
one party is the defeat of the othcr."-
Astounding intelligence!
"But when a young man has addicted
himself to these amusements until he has
acquired the Skill" DC.
Now you do not attompt to prove
these assertions. They are nothing moro
than your opinions. We supposed you
held just the opinions you present, and
we furthe, supposed that You would offer
some proof to substantiate them; but we
suppose we must be content, and We
congratulate the community on the fact,
that you will produce the proof, if you
get it.
We believe your opinion to be errone-
Gus. You think when a young man be-
comes skillful at card playing, he is tempt
cd to stake something upon the game,
and finally becomes professional gam
bier; hence cards should not be played at
all. 1t would b. just as logical to claim
that because man has good horse, no.
ted perhaps for speed, he will be tempt
ed to stake something upon a race
therefore, men ought not to use horses
good ones, especially.
''The vice of gambling comes from card
parties. just as naturally as drunkenness
does from tipping"
This again, is your assertion without
the remotest item Of proof. The cases
are by no means parallel. 1t may be
your opinion, but from that opinion we
beg leave most respectfully to dissent.
C,rd-playing is in itselfinnocent, tipping
nerer. The moment the poisonous drop
is taken into the stomach, that moment is
a physical law violated. The first glass
makes n man partially drunk, bat the
hundredth game of cards is no more
gambling than the first.
awe would like to know if any one
here doubts that gambling is practiced
here!"
This question you can doubtless an
swer as we'll rs we. We are not aware
that it is practiced here. But we are
aware of the fact that during the past sea-
son gambling and tippling saloon was
opened III this pluce-that probably not
one half of the young or old men in this
village ever set foot inside oft, that it died
a natural death for want Of patronage
thet the vacant building stands monu-
ument to the good morals of the young
men of this place. And we do know
that hardly parallel instance can be found
in any western village.
In conclusion, we claim that you have
entirely failed to show that card PLAYING,
as practiced here, isA"so captivating or
ensnaring as to lead those who engage in
it, into acknowledged sins and crimes"
You have not shown that card playing
does not belong to the class of legitimate
emusements. You do not claim that ''to
row boat, jump rope, or toss ball, "
or that any legitimate amusement what
ever, is, strictly speaking, a religious duty
or a christian exercise; nor do we sup
pose you would contend that any of them
are "means of grace" and yet your argu-
ment goes just as far to show that all
amusements are detrimental to the physi-
cal, intellectual, social, moral and religi-
GUS welfare of the community, as that any
of them are. The truth is, gentlemen,
your "underpinning is loose, and dan
gerous rs foundation;'' and you seem
to be perfectly well aware of it, since you
have wandered on through nine long,
tedious columns, when at the closing par
agraph you tell us you have scome to the
work of showing that card playing and