The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-03-31


ment for q Christian" This is one Of .
series ofsuplsy evening discourses delivered
during the winter by Mr.. MILL, nominal
y upon the Life Of DAVID" but directed in
fact against the social ssd domestic vices Of
the day--of which the muItilorm experience
Of the Royal Psalmist furnished merely the
theme and the illustration.
As every ono likes 70 hear the short com
iDgs Of his neighbors eloquently and eiiec-
lively exposed, these lectures have, Of course,
been largely attended, and the terse and
pointed periods with which the preacher
barbed his home tbrusts ct the obnoxi ous
subjects Of his eloquent rebuke viii, at least,
stick in the memories. II they do not always
penetrate the hearts Of bis hearers.
In the main, a. far AZ the preacher pro.
claims the universal nonitions Of conscience,
or the eternal laws Of God, and ~ far ~
his animadversions are levelled at those hab-
tudcs and tendencies Of society which are
essentially vicious, II is heartily to be wish.
I'd that they may make q permanent impres.
sion upon the community. We cannot always
wish the same success " views which lie
outside Of the recognized truths OF the gos-
pei or the fundamental maxims Of morality.
Nor can We accept, with the same implicit
Difference, the arbitrary and conventional
tests Of morality imposed by the particular
branch Of the church to which Mr.. MILL
belongs. As the exposition, then, not Of
conscience. or OF Gods word, but Of
the ecclesiastical Interpretation OF these,
the discourses We have mentioned may be
regarded as expressing the collision between
tho prevailing theory Of church discipline
aud tho needs Of social development; and
US the lecture before US seems to anticipate
the dissent Of tho worldly minded, We are
glad that it, publication in this form ena-
bles us 10 express our own share OF that
dissent
In soL,e respect the views advanced by
Mr.. Natl on Dancing Indicate an immense
advance beyond the outposts Of the Presby-
terrain orthodoxy Of twenty years ago.
We distinctly recollect tract emanatng,
II We mistake not. from tho American Tract
Society. upon this very subject, and which
'ook a very different view Of the moral
quality Of dancing, from that entertained by
Mr.. MILL. Dancing according to the
Tract Society, was u mortal sin essentially
vicious in naturs, and deviish in origin and
10 impulse Indicating per Sc corrupt
heart and carnal disposition. A picture
on the tito page will illustrate the spirit in
The text. In crowded ball room, room
was made in the foreground for the figure Of
lady in IN attitude Of great surprise, con
frontcd very ungallantly in the midst OF the
dance by the grim skeleton Of death, from
whose uplintd hand. dart not, alas OF
Cupid fell, crushing ruihlossly through
bodice and stays, into the damscl's heart.
This tragic picture was designed to illustrate
a sufficiently marvellous anecdote, tho dc-
tails OF which w have forgotten but the
moral Of which was, that the lady was struck
dead in this dreadful manner Tor yielding in
an an unguardcd moment to the fearful sin
of dancing that she went to the deepest
hell, principally il not solely on that account,
and that We all might expect to b. strack
dead at our frs, pas scui ard 90 10 payy
Jones incontinen,ly il We didn't keep Gus
juvenile lcgs severely down to the solemn
orthodox pace. 1t Is no cxaggeration to say
that the spiri Of this tract, until very re.
cent period, expressed the prevailing and
even fashionable tone Of religious feeling In
New England or wherever else the savage
ascticism OF Puritan or Anababtist big
o,ry had taken roo, 10 the religious IDEAS Of
the people. We have no doubt that this
very trsc. ia ye, distributed by religious
societies in the interior districts OF New
England aud elsewhere where its edlfying
teachings, apocalyptic fron'ispiecc, apocry.
phal anecdote aud all, are accepted with Is
much reverence and gcdIy fear a. foxs
Book Of Martyrs" and as an authority
scarcely less sacred than the Bible itself
At leas, We know that the Puritan horror
OF dancing still prevails in some churches
and in some districts, as uncompromisrgly
a. in the days Of ilupIpaIs. and regarded
a. an abomina,on scarcely less profane than
were the treasures OF Arabic or classic
lore. which, in former aye. persisted at tbe
hands II Dominican intolerance, or the
works o, ar, whose ashes ela,toi the insane
fanaticsm OF the lowlAnd lconoclAsts.
But Mr. NxuLs views-or those OF the
Presbyterian Church ~ interpreted by
him arc morc IN harmony with the liberal