St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-03-07

ment worthy only Of an old dcbauchee.-
The assertion, that thousands ofthoussnds
Of men of spotless reputation take their
wives and daughters aud sisters to places
! for the known and premeditated object or
awakening impure thoughts in their
. minds, aud in the min is Of men toward
them, is an insult for which the speaker in
many community, would atone " tn his
blood; and it is one by which the minds
Of the people are greatly exasperated.-
We think that, under the circumstances,
people feel more insulted than they
should. MIR. Nelson stated, plainly, that
he spoke Of his own knowledge and cxpe.
rience. The Deity, himself; says in the
Psalms that the wicked thought He was
like themselves, and approved their sim
When men judge so Of the Lord, other
men have no right to complain if they arc
put in the same catalogue. 1t is possible
that in some men the animal so preponder-
ates over tho intellectual, that they require
a return to the old Jewish customs to en-
able them to be reasonably chaste. W.
arc sorry Mr.. Nelson's personal experience
leads him to feel that it is so. We are
sorry he should thus have exp sed his be-
setting sin and do MT think that cand II
required such a public confession. We
do not believe man has any right to
spread out the vileness of his heart to the
public gaze, any more than he has ri ght
to empty the filth Of his house on public
side walk. He is one of the last men
whom We should have suspected Of being
SO constituted and it is unfortunate, since
to his care as teacher, young girls are
committed That sermon has done more
to corrupt our youth than all the rowlics,
aud all the dram shops than ever were in
St. Cloud; and we look back to it with
deep regret, while we unhcsitatingly give
the lie to his slauderous assertion. It is
false-taise as the father of lies. Look at it
and the light i" which it places Coils
word. If the motions and gyrations of the
dance were especially contrived to promote
sensuality, then God lent His sanction to
the promotion Of sensua|ity as religious
rite. The women of Israel danced in the
presence of men, if not with them, out in
view Of armies. IF their motions were to
arouse animal passions, what sort Of God
is ours when hc promises, as special ia
vor, to adtrn them with their tabrets, and
send them out again? When christian
sings of His mercy in turning "my MOURN
ing INTO dancing" is he simply rejoicing
in the increase Of animal passion? Avaunt
vile demon, conjured up in the angry i'm
pulse Of debate. Mr.. Nelson lies upon
himself-before God he lies, for he is not,
and never was such an animal.
AS to doing all for the glory Of God,
and dancing not being for His glory, be-
cause we do not begin with prayer and
end with the benediction-it is simply
ridiculous. When MIR. Nelson gors to a
tea party. or to take ride, or walk, to
draw load Of wood or saw it, does he be-
gin every time with prayer and end with
the benediction? Suppose we send the
children out to slide for the glory of God,
while we make new d:ess for the same
object, must we-go to prayers ami have
the benediction. But there, our fire is
going out. Shall we put in some wood
for His glory, or for our own good, and
then go and get supper to advance His
kin .dom, and eat it to his praise? To
our mind dancing is as proper as any of
these things, and We could as we'll ask His
blessing in a dance az we could at dinner :;
but it sounds awkwardly to bring His
name into everything, and is calculated to
destroy our reverence for his attributes -
Lectures are not opened with prayer and
closed with the benediction People do
no not have a, prayer and bcnediction
when visiting gallery of painting; and
it is not always best to spend your time
saying prayers and bencdictions when en-
gagged in works Of benevolence. As these
arc the amuscments which Mr.. Nelson
recommends, consistency requires that he
should urge The observance Of those forms,
the lack Of which, stamp dancing Of the