The Hartford herald., 1875-03-17
AovERrIsIse RATES,
For the Hartford Herald.
DANCING.
The other side Of the Question.


Mr.. EDIroa: In the last issue Of the
HERALD March 81 there is a Short prac-
teal Sermon, which we wish to call
your attention to. The text is true, il Is
a lamentable truth that there are men,
and women too. who are guilty Of the sin
of pickering and strife; and look on
them as almost the chief Of sinners.
The thrust against bigotry in that dis
course is well timed and suits our lati-
tude as well as some other places we
know OF. As to the animal referred to,
we are not well enough acquainted with
it to know OF IFS claim to superiority over
other quadrupeds, but we would suppose
that if the claim exists, it is owing to the
beautiful noise which it makes in singing
rather than to the length ofhis cara.
But the next paragraph. "In dancing
per SO, there is no harm under heaven.
No where in his word does God denounee
it as sin. The war upon it is q silly and
senseless war" To this we object. 1t is
true that nowhere in the lids Of the Bible
is it written, Thou shaLt not dance" yet We
claim that modern dancing is sntagonis-
tic to the teachings Of that blessed book.
Such dancing was not known in those
times, and we think is harmful and leads
to harm. Dancing is not now most as
suredly what it was when Solomon wrote
"A time to dance. There was a time
then TO dance. David danced then with
all his might" when he brought up the
ark OF God from the house Of 0bed Edom;
it is not presumable though that be per-
formed the silly eurveting, boWing. scrap
ing and attitudizing of the modern dances.
Dancing was also performed at funerals.
If the light-footed dancers of the present
day will dance as they did then, there viii
be no harm in it. But will they DO it7
Let's see. When the Lord had brought
the lsraehtes through the Red sea. Moses
and the children OF Israel sang song un-
to the Lord saying: II will sing unto the
Lord, &c" and by the time they had sung
stanza and were ready Tor the chorus,
the spirit of the Lord came upon Miriam
and she Took timbrel in her hand; and
all the women went out after her with
timbrels. and with dances" No promis-
cuous dancing here. And so it was in all
the dapeing which now remember hay-
ing noticed in the bible, the men dancei
BY themselves and 90 did the women.
There is, certainly, one case Of dancing
mentioned in the book OF God which re-
suited in harm. ] refer 10 the dance Of
the wicked Salome. daughter Of the stil1
more wicked Herodias. 1t was Her dan
cling which caused the 5eksadingof John
the Baptist, of whom Christ saidi' There
has not risen a greater than he"
But Sensational clergymen use il as
scapegoat at which TO hurl anathemas
coined of indignation. etc." As-I am not
clergyman, I will Tot attempt TO clearthem
of The charge, if they do so it 10 very ugly
in them; am, bowever, not acquainted
with any Of that class- i think, that Is
a rule, clergymen are as pure, even as
dancers: and we should not fall out with
them for saying that sin is sin; nor think
because some other sins are blacker than
that Of dancing that therefore they should
say nothing against it These fings at
ministers, Mr.. Editor, whether editorislly
or in lectures, are, to say the least ofi in
bad taste; indeed we think they smack
considerably Of the very sin others are
charged with in this same short sermon.
But to proceed, "The men and women
who dance, nsger (the italics are Riasl
trample the Iife, the happiness, the very
soul Of their neighbors to eternal destsuc-
tion, by theifgures Of the dance and to the
cadence of merry music" There Is is
Members OF the church are the ones held
up to our view as slanderers, oSiginaters
and perpetrators Of church chickering's and
quarrels, peddlers Of. liquid poison, nur-
derers of character, etc but the dancers,
Obi the dancers are the pure minded Of
earth, they are never guilty Of such crimes.
they are the ones who, by their godly
lives. conversation, snd acts are lifting
high the banner Of the cross above the
heads of poor church members and saying
Follow me, as follow Christ" Dotheyf
have not seen it. We think in fact
that when THE fiddle squeaks and the
dancers trip their merry rounds, they do
Offend God." especially il the merry
rounds are made up of the waltz and kin
dred dances.
But am making this article too long
and will close by concurring heartily with
one sentiment found in the last paragraph
of the above mentioned sermon. "Let Us,
each and all, guard our tonges (may We
not addlour peni) from evil and damaging
speech" u. n. c.
u.vrpoao " Na.oh a q