Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-06
"The Indifferent Things"
ssA Congregational Pastor'' Replies t.
 Some of His Critics.


 Candid Observer" in discussing this sub ject, says: "Those who are deeply spiritual. whose hearts, ag1ow with Christ's love, are ever ready to lead inquiring penitents to the Saviour, do not engage in dAncing, nor do they have an inclination for it.'' Now this assertion is too broad and states, to my per sonaI knowledge, an untruth. Some of the class he describes do not dance, others do The action of individuals in this respect de- bends largely upon the education received and the prevailing sentiment of the commu- nity in which they reside. The obstructive fact,' therefore, counts for nothing, as all such ''facts., must when they are merely gem eralizations I commend to- s'Candid Obser- ver," and to all who cherish his view, the following words, which I find in an editorial of that very conservative religious weekly, the CongregGti07aaZist, of Boston: sfWe can well remember when-we had been carefully the topmost height of human wickedness to learn to dance or to go to ball when we wondered why the lightning did not strike theatres; and when we should as soon have dared to hold in our hands puff adder as playing ng-card-thank the Lord, we don't know the name of one of the greasy things from another, even to this day; and when we should quite as soon have expected to find a Kohinoor diamond in the ash-barrel as 8 real Christian who played any of these sim pie games or went to the opera. But as our eyes looked out more widely over the world we saw that rockets soar according to the .Io s- s.l. fired; saw that others, who had been educa- ted differently, danced with as good a con science as we walked listened to the music of Moses in Egypt or even to that of Nor ma, and went away to self-denying work for Christ which rebuked our unwillinguess. And so it came to us at last that that separa- ton which the text (.Be ye separately to which we have referred, and the spirit of Christianity, alike enforce upon the faithful disciples of our Lord, in reality applies itself rather to inward motives than to outward acts, so that the same outward act may have moral qualities as radically different Rs light and darkness, sin and holiness, according to the spirit infused into it by the life that vi- talizes it. t'To him that esteemeth any thing to be unelean it is unclean" ssCandid Observer says also "Whatever will help cultivate and develop this new life is to the Christian individually proper. Whatever will hinder it's growth, deadening the spiritu- al and increasing the worldly, is wrong" Precisely true. But how about things which have no bearing directly or indirectly upon the life except in the very remotest way as they may affect the physical or mental health Take some simple amusement or recreation sueh as skating or riding. How can you ascribe 8 moral quality essentially to them, and applying the above test-determine Christian We must not forpet tbere are "things indifferent" And I think we must admit that dancing and card-p playing as prac- ticed by some may be justly classed among these things and so prove neither help nor a hindrance to holy life. As to whether "Paul, or Peter, or John, would sanction such amusements," I have no doubt they would where such amrsements afforded inno-