The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-11
RALL-ROOM DISSIPATION.

TsPECIAL REPORT FOR THE EVENING TELEGR APH, I
Last evening the Second Dutch Reformed
Church was crammed as usual; the aisles were
filed, the pews were crowded, the vestibule
thoroughly occupied, and even the steps of the
pulpit appropriated, by the people assembled to
: hear sermon on "ball-room dissipation" one
OF series conducted by the pastor (Rev. T. De
Witt Talmage. Congregational singing is q
specially Of this church, inasmuch as all sing,
with grand effect under the leadership of the
quartette chOir--the two Misses Frenfied and
Nessrs. Moore and Bealy. After the usual in
troductory services, the pastor delivered the
following sermon, which is here given in full,
drawn from the text:-
"The daughter Of HerodtdS ddnoedbGore he,n'
Matthew xiv, 6.
1t is the anniversary of Herod's birthday.
The palace is lighted; the highways leading
thereto are ablaze with the pomp Of invited
guests. Lords captains, merchant princes, and
the mightiest men OF the realm are on the way
10 mingle IN the festivities. The tables are filled
with all the luxuries that the royal purveyors
can gatheT-spiced wines, fruits, and rare meats.
The guests, white robed anointed, and per
fumed take their places. The jests evoke roars
of laughter; the riddles are propOunded; Tepdr-
tee is induged; the toasts are drunk; the brain
beiogged wit drowned, uproar and olasphemy
begin. Turn on more light Give US more
wine Sound the trumpet! Clear the floor tor
dancel Bring in Salome, the graceful and
accomplished princess
The doors are opened, and in bounds the
dancer stand back, and give plenty of room
for the gyratons The lords are enchanted.
They never saw such poetry of motion. Their
souls whirl with the bounding feet. Herod
forgets everything but the destinations OF
Saome. The magnifcence of all his realm Is
nothing with that which now whlrls before him
on f'tip-toen His heart is in transports with
Salome: her arms now tossed in air, and now
placed akimbo. He sways IN every motion of
his enchantress. He thrills with the quick
pusations OF the feet, and sits bewitched with
the taking of attitudes that he never saw before,
IN q moment exchanged for others just as anna
zing. He sits in silence before the whirling,
. bounding, leapmg, flashing wonder, and when
the dance stops, and the trumpets pause, and
the long, loud plaudits that shook the palace
with their thunders had aDated, the entranced
monarch sware unto the princely performer
Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me / will give it
thee, unto the half OF my kingdom."
Now there was IN prison minister by the
name of John the Baptist, who had made much
trouble by preaching politics. He had de-
nounced the sln OF the king, and brought down
upon himself the wrath OF the females in that
royal family. At the instigatiOn of her mother,
Salome takes advantage of the kings eXtraya-
CANT promise, and demands the head OF Jonn
the Baptist on dinner-plate. There is toe
sound of heavy feet and the clatter of swords
outside the palace. Swing back the door; the
eXecutiOners are returning from their awful
errand. They hand the platter. What is on
the platter "a new tankard of wine to rekindle
the mrth OF the lords? No! tits redder than the
wine, and costlier. 1t is the chastity, bleeding
head of John the Baptist; its locks dappled
with gore; Its eyes set in the death-stare; the
distortion of the last sgony is in the features.
Behold the work, the influence, and the end
of the infamous dancer !
l come tonight to answer question which
every minister of Christ Is called to meet, and
which can no longer avoid without lack OF
1rankuess. have no sympathy with either
party OF extremists in the Church upon this
subject ] am by natural temperament and
theory utterly
tion of those who are mortified at every
demonstration of mirth and playtulness in
social life, and who seem to think that the sal
walton of the soul and the honor of the Church
depend upon the style in which people carry
their feet. On the other hand, can see
nothing but ruin morally and eternaly, in the
dissipations of the ballroom, which have
already despOiled thousands of young men and
women of all their dignity of character useful
ness in life, or hope for eternity. Dancing
has been styled the graceful movement of the
of instruments, or of verse. The nations have
danced The ancients thought that Castor and
Pollux had first taught the practice to the Lace
dRmOnians. But whatever be lis origin, all
climes have adopted it. In other days there
were festal dances, funeral dances, military
dances, domestic dances, mediatorial dances,
Bacchanalian dances. Queens and lords have
swayed to aud fro in their gardens, and the
rough man of the backwoods in this way
reused up the echoes OF the forests
There seems to be something in pleasing and
coherent sounds to invoke the movement Of the
hand and foot, whether cultured or uncultured.
Men in the street unconsclously keep step
to the music OF the passing band; and Christians
in church hnd themselves beating time with
their feet while their souls are uplifted with
some great harmony. While in brilliant circles
in plays conducted by some great artist, the
richly apparelled guests balance in the very
beWilderment of splendor: the red men of Oregon
are celebrating their scalp dances, green corr
dances, and war Dances
1t is no abstract question, then, when you ask
me, SIS it right 10 dance {" The ancient Fathers
aroused by the indecent dances OF those days
gave emphatic voice against any participation
III the dance. Saint Chrysostom says "That we
are not to go OF dancing, but to walk modestly
not to leap impudently, like camels." In the
documents OF the ancient Church we read:-"A
dance is the devils possession, and he that en-
tereth into the dance entereth into his posses
sion. The devil is the guide Of the middle an(
the end of the dance, AS many faces as a mar
maketh in dancing so many faces doth hC
make IN hell" Elsewhere these old documents
declare:-"The woman that siunetlt in thC
dance is the princess Of the devil and those
that answer are his clerks, and the players are
his parlshloners, and the music are the bells
and the hddlers the ministers of the devil II
is when hogs are strayed, il the II pgsherd cal
one, all come together; so the devil Calleth ont
woman to sing IN the dance, or play on some
instrument, and presently all the dancers
gather together"
This indiscriminate denunciation crew out O
the utter dissouteness Of these ancient plays
So great at one time was the offense to al
decency that the Roman Senate decreed tb
expulsion OF all dancers and dancng-master
rom Rome. But we are not to discuss tn
customs of that day. We are to talk of tn
customs now. We cannot let the Father
decide this question for us. Our reason, en-
lightened by the Bible, shall be the standard
1 am not ready to eXcOmmunicate all those VIII