The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-03-31
A DIVINE ON DANCING.
Remarkable Sermon OF q Preacher
In the Dominion.
Correspondence Chicago Times.

In the Dominion.
Correspondence Chicago Times.
TORONTO, March 23.-The people OF
the Province of Ontario are willing to
bet their boots that they can produce a
more fearful and wonderful man of God
than Brother Tslmage, of Brooklyn, in
the person of Rev. William McDonagh,
Presbyterian minister of the Furnishing
town of Paris, on the Great Western
Railway. Brother McDonagh has for
some yesrs been regarded as the champ
ion blazes exhorter of the Dominion.
The other day he preached sermon
on dancing. The heads of the Synod
sent stenographer to the chnrch, aud
the report of the sermon has been filed
away as the foundation of an indictment
against Brother McDonagh, which will
be- brought before the High Presbyterian
Tribunal that meets in Toronto in June
next. The text was the twelfth verse of
the fifth chapter Of Isaiah: "And the
harp and the viol, the tabret, and pipe,
and wine are in their tessts, but they re-
gard not the work of the Lord, neither
consider the operation OF his hands" l
send you copy OF those portions OF the
manuscript report on which the vener-
able chiefs of the church in this city are
preparing charges of "indecent and
shameful conduct" on the part OF tho
preacher. The church, it may be well to
state, was filed to sutiocaLion by an i'm
mense congregation. including two or
three hundred ladies:
The history of dancing is full of all
that is beastly, envious, murderous and
lustful. 1t has been stated that the terri
bic moral debasement of dancing in the
United States has been the primary
cause of nine-tenths of all the divorces
in the country. Lock at France, a
country that is encouraging and licensing
the social evil. Why, every man and
woman in France can fiddle and dance,
and many a dancing scalawag of q
dancing chimney-sweep leaves France,
for Frances good, and goes to New York
or Chicago, where he announces himself
as a teacher of dancing or music, obtains
a position in family of young ladies,
and is soon engaged in the work OF clear
ing out those young girls OF every shred
of virtue they may possess, going from
family to family, polishing Oft the girls
as he goes. The French scoundrel has
been accustomed TO see women dancing
in their birthday attire at home, and he
soon has his pupils in this country taught
to do the same. l have no doubt this
sort of thing is done in this town. Great
commotion among the females In the
congregation, and cries of "Shame"
"ShameW and general Sinking and tit
tering.1 WHAT'S dancing2 What is the
inner life of dancing? Is it amusement?
No. Is it pleasure2 No. Is ii health
full exerclse3 No. Everybody knows
that the inner life of dancing Is con-
seriousness of sex--a feeling more easily
understood than described. More com
motion, and repeated cries OF "Shame! J
Who dares to deny that? Read Ro-
mans, twelfth chapter, first verse, and
Galatians, fifth chapter, seventeenth 10
twenty frst verses. You doubt my
word, some of you professed Christians,
vino permit balls in your houses, and let
YOUR wives and daughters be- fingered,
clawed and beslavored over by Iustiul and
grinning libertines. Uproar. l tell
you, if you would make the parties at
your houses popular, you must shorten
the dresses above and below the women.
TGreat excitement, and cries OF, "Put
him out" Don't talk to mo about dane
ing. once looked through a door at a
dance, and l saw the woman acting like
beasts
"And gazed, amazed and curious; "
| They reeled, they set, they crossed they
Loupin and flinging on cammock.
wonder it didua hern their stomach.
Where do you libertine ard )ustful
Christians get your dances from? l will
tell you: They are sent from hell to
| France. and thence to Canada via New
York and Chicago. A voice, "No, we
import direct from headquarters, and
save the middlemen; we're grangers, We
are" Laughter, cheers, and great COM
motion ! believe you; | verify be-
lieve this town is small hell, and thi:
Dominion hell nearly four million
square miles in area. The Turk who
after looking at modern waltz, asked
.And what followed2' had Level
head. [Great uproar. I'll show you
Whist dancing is. l looked through win
dow at dance in this town, the other eve
ning-do you want mo to give names
and saw young loot of fellow
approach young lady, and III! show
YOU what followed. Here Rev
Mr., McDonagh tripped across the pull
pit platform, and, bowling politely to ar
imaginary young lady, snid in soft tones
any dear Miss NJ, can | have the
pleasure of a dance with your" [Ther
the reverend gentlemen tripped back
as if bearing a lady or
his arm. This exhibition crea'
ted great laughter And now
watch shat Young couple. The youns
woman begins to perspire, her eyes fash
she grows excited; the young man ii
also excited; be takes hold OF the young
lsdy's hand his touch thrills her through
and through, and Oft they go into tn
dance, he ready to pounce on her virtue
the first chance that offers. A voice
lyon know how it is yourself" Cheer