Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-04-02
For the Juniata Sentinel.
ga TINE TO DANCE.N


COMMUNICATED ny REV. d. ". BLACKwEtDER.
A faithful and successful clergyman,
who did all in his power to influence
those under his pastoral care to absent
themselves from a ball about to take
place in the town, received the following
anonymous note from some fascinated
lover OF the giddy dance
Sir obey the voice of Scripture.
Take the following for your text and con-
slider it show in what consists the evil
of that innocent amusement of dancing
"A time to weep and time to laugh /;
time to mourn, and time to dance"
A TRUE CHRISTIAN, But NO HYrocRIrE AND
STICKLER.
The minister Immediately wrote the
following reply, and had it published in
the papers. for the general good. together
with the above note:
My DEAR SIR, OR MApAM:-Your
request that should preach from Eccl.
3: 4. cannot comply with at present,
since there are some Christian duties
more important than dancing. which a
part of my people seem disposed to ne
glect. Whenever l perceive, however,
that the duty Of dancing is too much
neglected, will not fail to raise a warn
ing voice against so dangerous omission.
In the meantime, there are certain diff
culties in the text which you recommend
to my notice. the solution of which ]
would receive with gratitude from True
Christian"
The first difficulty respects the time
for dancing; for although the text de-
clares there is time to dance, yet 'ohen
that time is, it does not determine. Now,
this point l wish to ascertain exactly
before preach upon the subject for it
would be as criminal, l conclude, to
dance at the wrong time, as to neglect to
dance at the right TIME. l have been
able to satisfy myself. in some particulars,
when it is not "a time to dance" We
shall agree, I presume, that on the Sab
bath day, or at a funeral. or during the
prevalence of a pestilence, or the rocking
of an earthquake, or the roaring Of
thunderstorm, it would be no time to
dance. If We were condemned to die,
and were waiting in prison the day of
execution, this would be no time TO dance;
and if our feet stood on a slippery place
beside precipice, we would not dare to
dance. Blu: suppose the very day to be
ascertained. is the whole day, or only
a part, to be devoted to this amusement
And if part of the day only, then
which part is '',he time to dance ?" From
the notoriously pernicious effects of late
might meetings" in all ages, both upon
morals and health, no one surely will
pretend that the evening, or the mid
night hour, when tired nature should be
restored by balmy sleep. is tie time to
dance" The midnight hour and the
morning dawn might perhaps be "the
time to dance for the sluggard, who
spends his daylight in sheep. that he may
revel all night. but cannot be "lhe time
to dance" for those who spend the day in
labor, and earn their living by honest
toll.
But allowing the time to be aacertained,
there is still an obscurity in the text.
Is it 4 command to dance, or only per-
mission ? or is it merely declaration of
the fact that men aud women, with such
hearts as they have. feel inclined to dance.
and do dance? If the text be a COM
mand, is it of universal obligation : If
so then "old men and maidens, young
men and children" must dance obedience.
If the text be a permission, does it not
imply also permission to refrain if any
are so disposed !? Or, if the text be
merely declaration that there is time
when men do dance, as there is time
when they die. then might as we'll be
requested to take the first eight verses of
the chapter, and show in what consists
the evil of those innocent practices of
hating, and making war, and killing men,
for which it, seems there is 4" a time" as
well as for dancing.
There is still another difficulty that
occars to me just now in connection with
this text. What kind of dancing does
the text demand ? For it is certainly a
matter Of no small consequence to "lrue
to dance in the Scriptural way,
as well as to dance at the Scriptural
time. Now to avoid a mistake on a
point of such importance, ! have con-
suited every passage in the Bible which
speaks of dancing, the most important Of
which permit me to submit to your in
spection "And Miriam the Prophecies,
the sister of Aaron, took timbrel in her
hand, and all the women went ont after
her, with timbrels and with dances. -
This was on account of the overthrow of
he Egyptians in the Red Sea. The
daughter of Jephthah "came out to meet
him with timbrels and with dances"
This also was on account of a victory
over the enemies of Israel. 1.-The yearly