The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-02-23

Sanding FOR ve;r, where ihiclnghi card
PLAYING end dancing as practiced bere,
were conuiyed ut by the 1:teulty,-snd
generally advocated by It's patrons"
We c;jnnoi eudor>e the sentiment here
expressed. We believe that our Ac;ade-
nv mainiaius respectable sanding here,
and has for more ,,,an ttU0 years, Wllle IL
c:.nnot be ,oniradicied ib;lt one b.i, the
students do. and have heretofore, either
prac,iced, oradyoc..tcd these amusement>.
They IRE at,yoated or ronnved ri by u
M ioriiy OF The Board OF Trustees, AID
by ill ,he Officers. fere then, isa lis-
mo TACT which initiates aeg7'inst yon.
"Had YOU been constant and careiul
observers OF their evil effects upon the
vorng, upon si''de,is e~peci2llv, lam
Slow 10 believe you would rs di>, Get pr
REM. or GOOD citizen. here btcome The
public champions OF these pern'r'o,s II
lnusen,ent>.'' 1"rlt these practices here.
are pc,uIcious, is n;,ked assertion, aod
uhe, her or moi, we IRE ''discrcct parents
or good citizens" we claim that our expo
;ience is worth rs much rs that OF men
/ who sne, er knew one card from :Guth
er.''
| "Wben = student HIS once become adj
dced 10 Them, bis interest in study dc
clines." Now you cannot G;.inS;ly .thc lact
thai. a,nong he best students il our A
cadcmv, gre iound erd-play ers and dan
GERS, and 10 these practices lhev ha'e
i been addicted from very e;sils lie. Bet
we.u,n 10 ok you q direct question, "nd
we ak yor cpndidy, if among yo'l'' best
scholars ia each land every study, iacre
rrc not 70 be found dancefs and card
players?
II havc ne, or known IN instance where
she card playing, dan~ing, student eAcei'-
ed ia scholarship, or in subsequent lie,
e.celIed in auvihing complimentary th his
ialents, tastes OF Influence"
Well, This is really you, experience
voIr knoN ledge o. HE world. Have you
never read accounts OF ''ceiSlative ball.
which are held annually in nearly Ill the
e,,~tern siaies? Are yon not aware that
.lrec-;oul,h+ of the Governors Of The diff
erent states, are ana have been dancers
an,i ,:lrd-p players, that he Dsr--ihe Co
,cnSic talent Of the Union-ilat our st;:je
and national Judoes--our Statesmen,
Scholars aud Poei~. ofto-uay and yesier
dav-our political and literary Editors
our Repre- caatives end Senators =
in maoriv of eases ere men who e.
ther practice onc or bo,h Of these amnse-
mcn.e? A.e these tcris indicative OF The
CORRECTNESS o. Your C., Dcricnce, "that stu
denis " no indulge il these practices. nev-
or make att;liuncni, complimentary TO
he;r talents, i:.ste, or influence.
Gentlemen, VIC think your observations
mus have been ra,hcr limited, and il
seems 10 IT, ,l,at you ru*t hive seen th-
world "through thick glass darby"
You "oppose these practices from con
vic;ions OF duty" Exactly. So, too.
did s'men whose position pre-eminently
qualified them TO DECIDE" advocate She
condemnation Of witches fiom sense Of
duly.
Many mer Of high ''positioil, wisdom
and experience" h;te carefully and c;in-
didy studied t!c j bic for years, even du-
ring their whole lives, and have united in
theit opinions. aud in giving heir te>,i'no-
Nv 10 The world, that the Bible had no
claims upon us rs being the word Of Coz.
But, Gentlemen, VIII you claim for a mo-
ment that we are bound 10 take he test
monv-ihe ooi.Gons Of those eminent
schoIars THOSE wise men? o. ,hall
they s'injpSlicc be set aside?"
Bui, + The opinions of the distinguish
ed educators you have quo,ed wee ippli-
cable here, they would prove 'hao ibis
community is pcrycr,c, iireli"iou~ i'm
moral, drunken, debHuched and liz emf ou>.
W ould prove thai our Academ, has de-
oeneiated-th.t lis students seek s'un-
b althy excitement" are frivolous or
tTboistero,is," and that ''rowGvism, gain-
bling aud other low forms Of dissipation
prevail here. Are we prepared 70 admit
his? Nav. We believe, With di~in-
cuishcd PeoFEssoR, that our Academy
is growing 'swith is Surroundings, and
years will ouIy add 10 its usefulness. II
will give our >iIIaoe consideration abroad,
and make il the Rochester OF this reo.ion.
There may be among us some plebian
mind whose genius here stimuli, ed nav
startc lie world with It's daring sueges-
tons, end enrich philosophy with still
nobler contributions"
We mi oht easily answer every asser-
ton advanced ID your quotations, but
they ere all founded on suppositions and
ere, moreover, merely repeiitions OF a~>er-
lions in your former articles, all Of which
have been reiuied. We only wish 10 set
your friends right on one point. Not
wiiIl>ianding the laws OF their Colleges
and Academies i.tterdItt card pl'vino,
sjndensS everywhere praciic il. Then
why not ''reoulatc aud direct them TO
+ harmless and sea~onable indulgence" and
make them what they should be, both
respectable and timely?
/ You srgan;f;ize US as ':puolic champi-
F. ons Of pernicious amu~emenis," aud
I charge us with having volunteered to
/ defend end encourage those who engage
in Them"
10 advocating their harm1es~nesS, we
we encourage and defend them, no more
than do those who connive at them We
stiiIc claim that they belong to The class OF
legitimate amuement~; aud we attach The
s;,me, and no mo'e Importance 10 them.
Whether it Is your proyinceto ~tigmafizo
us as being the champions Of peraicious
oa'assemeats, we submit 10 the Judgment
of The candid reader.
We regret that Won desna;r Of conyi,