The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-03-31

the damsel, ask OF me whatsoever Chou
wilt and l will give it thee.
It is not my purpose to look after the
history of the dance, the masquerade
ball and party tonight, only as it may
incidentally come before US for wheth
er they had their origin in the days o.
Darius or Herod. or in Babylon, Rome
or Jerusalem, certain it is that somehow
or other these imported evils are in Can
ton and are we'll patronized here and
throughout the country by both the
world and the Church, by Presidents
statesmen and peasants, by sinners and
christians. What shocking announce
ment! But it is true, and this is one oi
those unpleasant truths that must be
told. My purpose is to speak of the ex'
istence of these evils among us and
about US, their character and influence,
and lift a voice of warning and denun'
citation against them.
For some time I have felt that it was
my duty to call the attention of the pub
lie to these evils and denounCe them, for
I believe, and will be able SHOW to night,
chat the influence and tendency of every
one Of this triplet is hurtful and pernic
ious, damning and ruinous to both soul
and hody ; and "evil continually"
First-The social dance and ball are
wrong because they overtax the physical
energies, hasten disease and frequently
terminate in premature death. The en-
ioyment and the exhiliration of the 80
cisl dance often protraCt it to late and
unnatural hour of the highland al.
nost all dancing for amusement is done
in the night--leading thus to the viola
5atior of the laws of nature, which are
She laws of God, and that, too against
Che protest of nature and the ball room
with it's heated and fetid atmosphere
its tobacco smoke and beer fumes, is full
Of rheumatics, neuralgias, dyspepsias
consumptions, fevers and that subtle
and fatal heart disease. The man or
woman who frequently stays awake af-
ter ten o'clock at night, is committing a
slow but certain suicide, and is more
rapidly Fastening to the grave. tits but
a step from the ball room to the grave
yard. Could we gather together into
one column the names Of those who
contracted a fatal disease in the ball.
room and went home only to die
or the names of those who have dropped
dead on the floor of the dancing hall OF
parlor, while mingling in the gay and
social dance, it would astound the world
and cause your blood TO run cold. And
vet some have such a mania for the
dance that it seems, if necessary to SO.
cure whirl, they would dance between
the Jaws of death and on the brink oi
hell. On the tenth day of February,
$780, in Wauseon, Ohio, a young man
dropped dead on the floor while engaged
in the dance. History, past and present,
is full of such facts. Who can stand it
TO dance all night and work all day?
Dancing is recommended for exercise,
The highest and best medical authority
denouuce it as an obnoxious practice.
There is, besides this plenty of exercise
not of doubtful character and far re-
moved from unnatural times and unholy
associations. The painting and excessive
tanning and gasping for breath, would
indicate that it is too severe for health
ful and profitable exercise. A question
snay suffice. Who dances for exercise :?
With much assurance and poetry we are
frequently referred to the healthful
dancing of European peasantry as Illus
trative of its beneficial effects upon bod.
ilv health aud grace. Yet certain areas
of Europe and European society are not
the best sources from which to import
customs and amusemento for American
youth and the Christian home. We
have too much of Ger ain kinds of the
old world on this side of the sea now. l
am aware that dancing is recommended
and often used with good effect as cure
for mono maniaC5 and lnnatic5. But in
this case it is employed as diversion,
Eather than exercise.
Second-It is an unholy and unproit
able use of time and money. If it IS not
profitable for bodily exercise, what is it
good for2 You say ito produce grace.
fulness." Are dancers only and all
granefulP Pity the world. Must one
sacrifice heath, time, money and char.
acter to be graceful? 1t wastes money
in procuring attire for the dance and in
a dancing master, who, except
swearing, is the most useless commodity
in the market 1t wastes time-the stuff
of which life is made. Some say it is
'seri Ous thing to die. So it is But it ls
more serious to live. We will be com.
PEELED to give an account for our use Of
time. There is too much to do and too
little time to perform it, to waste it in
the giddy and foolish dance If all
valued time as did DR., franklin, none
would attend the dance, ball or masquer.
ade party. l venture the assertion and
wait for opposite testimony, that enc
who rightly values his time will never
spend it ct the social dance, public hall
or masquerade party. Those who set
little value upon time and have but little
and frequently nothing else to do, make
up the number who attend and keep
alive thes things.
1t is sinful waste of time, even when
employed at a good thing, when we
could be employed better. When the
"Gem Puzzle" was all the talk with 80
many and an incredible number were
engaged for hours and days, often in
rightly arranging the figures, brother
OF another Church, presented it to me
for solution. l thanked him and said,
"I would much rather read Shakespeare
a half hour" Show M a man or a wo.
man who dies lover aud patron of
these things, and will point you TO a
life that has been a fearful failure-to
one who was curse TO himself and a
charge to society. l am persuaded none
will be able to point me to an exception
l. A l.,