The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-01-26
DANCING AND CARD; PLAYING.
I Their Effects on this Community.

I "at.'2i 3s~!'' River Falls, JAM Goth, 1882
I To MEssRs. G. b. Cox, A" MORSE, and I'll. A.
!ias III A NJ oE aR el;Ysia89,g H. How as
Sirs:-In opening the discussion, an
4 nounced in the JooRNAL Of last week,
much time might be consumed in prelim-
mary remarks; but. not being fond of
lengthy introdqctions, we will endeavor to
come as soon as possible to the point.
The question as amended, at the re-
quest of the challenged party, reads thus:
"REsoLvED; That Dancing and Gard
Playing, as praeticed by Tie people
Of Mis Village, is detrimental TO tie
H. physical, intellectual, social, moral,
and religious soeJ1are Qf'the co'nnsee-
nity."
In your challenge to discuss with you
| the foregoing resolution, You asserted that
"each Of the aforesaid challenged party
had publicly stated the affirmative Of it to
be true" ~ ,..... ~. 49,.
In our acceptance Of your challenge, it
was stated that if we had thus expressed
ourselves, it was upon the basis of moral
ity and religion which we believe to be
taught in the Bible, and that you must
not expect us then to discuss. it upon
ground on which we did not affirm it.
In your reply, you have accepted our
conditions, and the matter stands thus /:
You are to discuss with us,-or we with
you,-through the columns of the jour
NAL, the question Of Dancing and Card
| Playing, as contained in the aforesaid
resolution, upon the basis Of morals and
religion, as believed by as 10 be taught in
the Bible. As religion lies at the basis
Of all our arguments, let us first turn our
attention in that direction. ....
The great family of mankind, in their
/ fallen state, are sinners against God
great, sinners,-and the portrait given us
:
in the Bible of their moral character, rep
resents them rs being wholly destitute of
that Z. b olincs=, without which no man
shall see the Lord, 'They hate the light
and do not come to it, lest their deeds
should be reproved." Their hearts are
deceitful above all things and desperately
wieked."n "They me dead in trespasses
and in sins, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind" ."They walk in
/ the vanity of their mind, having the I'M
derstanding darkenod, being alicnated
from the life Of God through the igno-
!, rance that is i'll them, because CT the
4 blindness Of their heart" Their carnal
minds are emu ity against God, not subject
to the law Of God, neither indeed can be-"
.a These, passages, we believe, describe
the. human race in their unregenerate
state. Whatever they really love and
take pleasure in, therefore, partakes of
/ the same nature wltlrthemselves. With a
heart evil from bis youth, --deceitful above
all things,--in love with darkness, -ha-
ting. the light-dead in trospasses aDd
in sins, and in its very nature cnmity
against God, lie is of course in heart at
war with the pure. and indebted religion
of the Biblc,-7with Whatevor1is essential
to true Christian character; therefore the
carnal mind be enmity. =
Now dancing and card playing, as
practiced in this village, are soon to be
congenial to unregenerate hearts and car
nal minds; such hearts. are perfectly de-
lighted with them. They find no amtse
nent in which they JON more eagerly
and with which they express a greater
degree of pleasure and satisfaction. The
\ joy;and gladness Of our village dancing
and card playing is the joy and gladncss
Of hearts sinful from their youth, having
never been born of God, never passed
from death unto life. We ask, therefore,
seriously, can amusements which appear
to be tho supreme delight Of hearts oppo-
sed to God, be, at the same time, the de-
light of hearts that love God Certainly
not. 1t is too muchilik t"scrving God
and mammon," which Christ says cannot
| be done. 100 ,...;t..,t...f
off any man be in Christ he is q new
creature; old things are passed away; be-,
hold all things have become new.' The,
change here spokcnof, is the change that
I is wrought in thesinner when he becomes
| a true christian. Can this be effected and
there be joy and rejoicing in the pleas,
urcs Of which the unregenerate heart
alone is known to be passionately fond?
Certainly not ' ''s' =
A lady Of my acquaintance, fond of
dancing and an advocate of its innocency,.
had engaged to attend to a New Years
ball. About week previous to the ball