Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1863-08-01
SIOUX CITY, IOWA, SATURDAY. AUGUST l. sSs
DNSIHc ADvociyAD..

J DMflSa ADvooAyAD.. =.
A x.n.'su&ss; ;~stsi thus f,sa,ibir,S4S,
Ezahiueread Baptist. siaser.--I ha,v;
been young, and, an. .s6w old, apd katl
discovered great need of6ndinz Nome On.
tertaioosut for youth about me. Usucisl
10 natural expression Of pleasurs OF JOY
Of any kind, either animal Or spiritsaL-:
It il also gsusretor Of joy, in the. glow
And excitement which pleasant exercises
Of any description afford.
Nov, if asked the meaning Of the pas
ssgs-"A time to dance" I should say il
stood there, because these i . time to
dssee ~ we'll - - time to die" and u
time to weep. I should say The time to
dance IL on the evening. Of . rainy day,
when oil the family would have the blues
for want Of exercise. An hour or two
dancing after tea, would send them to their
rooms cheerful. happy, and if Christians,
grateful and dsvoot, instead Of eolsfal,
and discontented with home and homo
friends.
I should SAY - time 10 dance was any
time 10 the day, or before ten o'clock At
night, for al young women engaged 10
sewing, drawing, desiguing, or other se.
dentary employmests, that they may have
vitality enough 10 their blood to bless God
rejoice with. instead Of groaning over
doubts aud fears, begotten often by .
wretched state Of health. "a time to
dance' is when you take City or hundred
children to the woods on picnic or ex-
cursion or when shut up on board Of .
ship for weeks together or for patients of
hospital when they are convalescent; or
when . son, husband, brother or friend
comes home safe, and with honor, from
the war. When peace is established, and
the Union restored, shall be 70 time to
dance and it will be religious dancing,
according to the feelings and emotions to
the hearts Of those engaged.
Now, no one can look on such dancing
~ here described, and At the eleven CON-
mandments, including the Saviour's own
"new commandment" and make it out q
breach Of either Of them. The real and
only difficulty is the great fascination of
this amusement, which renders it SO diff.
cult of control. Yet Scotch Presbyterians
have danced for centuries Swiss Calvan.
lists dance before their own cottage doors;
French peasants dance, and sleep with
quiet conscience; and cannot We Amsri-
cans learn An equal amount Of self con.
troll in such matters?
There are one or two items worthy Of
note in the Bible view Of the question:
FIRST, the historic dancing named is not
condemned, but the idolatry or licentious-
ness connected with it. Now, that dane
ing and sin have gone hand and glove
from the beginning Of the world needs no
proof but 90 has music and sin, eating
and sin. What We want is an eye clear
enough to discover Waat and which is the
sin, and strength Of will or grace enough
to leave the one while talking to the other.
In the glorious lists of graces and yir.
tues named by tho various Apostles, IS
the fruits Of the Spirit, dancing is not
named as one Of them, therefore, l have
no faith in religious dancing but neither
is it named in any list Of the fruits Of the
earna1 mind. The just inference, then,
seems that it had in itself no moral char.
ac'sr whatever, and tha. its right or rrong
is dependent altogether upon circums,an.
ces. Note, also, that Solomon makes no
mention Of . "time to lie," or ~ time to
or "a time to bs drunk
real imoralities. The fact is, the subject
of ,chat is sin, and schaf is not, is still
greatly mysti6ed-hundreds Of men whose
eoscisoces are quite easy while those who
reap down their fields receive nauaht for
their work would be HORROR stricken TO
sss > son o. daughter skipping about tho
parlor to the music Of the piano. Hun.
dreds Of women will keep girls working
in their kitchen cooking heavy dn ,ers on
the Sabbath, who would b shocked not
70 be seen in their own seats in The church
themselves, and yet have never pointed
oss soal 70 Chriet during oil their life,
and not feel condemned.
When shAll ~ cease tithinR mint and
eummun, and attend 70 the veiehtier mat
tsss Of the lawf
Lot oil young persons take especial
nosios that ! make no plea or excuse for
balls, masked balls, expensive dressing,
and always planning about dress, late
hours, and being % fa.igusd By "recrsa-
ticn" - to require, perhaps, more than
al The next day 10 recover from it. Living
IN and for pleasure. in any form or shape
is often enough condemned both by Moses
and Christ; but learn, young friends, to
Me- The "world'' q yoar Own and Christ's
sssosat rsaisting oil iss attempts 70
overcome.