West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-08-06
May We Dance!

Is a question very frequently
propounded in the pleasure loving
times upon which we have fallen.
And very many of our young peo-
pie, without waiting for an answer,
but taking it for granted that they
might-seeing that religion never
was designed to make our pleas
ures less-have allowed themselves
to be drawn into the whirlpool of
fashionable dissipation, greatly to
the damage of their own souls and
the cause Of Christianity. For our
selves. we do not believe in that
moody and morose, that grim and
grizzly kind of righteousness that
renounces and denounces every
thing enjoyable as being essential
ly sinful, and sinful just because it
is enjoyable. We do not believe
that our Heavenly Father begrudg-
es US glimpses of sunshine, snatch
es Of song-"moonlight, music, love
and flowers"
He who hath given us all things
richly, all things richly to enjoy,
is never better pleased than when
he sees his creatures enjoying to
the full the blessings he has pro-
vided. And among these are
things physical and social and in
tellectual, as we'll as things espec-
tally and distinctively religious.
Religion is not Grabbed and narrow
and unnatural 1t recognizes the
legitimacy of all our instructive
cravings for enjoyment, and makes
benefcent provision for their full
supply. Christ came that we might
have life, and that we might have
it more acknowledgement less of it,
but more. And Christian people
real downright, outright, thor
ough-going Christian people-have
always found that godliness was
profitable unto all things, having
the promise of the life that now is,
as well as of that which is to come.
And yet when this is said, it is not
meant that a Christian may give
loose rein to every lower propensi-
ty, and may partake without stint
and without scruple of every de-
scription of worldly enjoyment.
There are such things as the
pleasures of sin-things enjoyable
indeed for little while, but essen
TALLY sinful and bitter in the end.
And these are pleasures which a
Christian may not dare to touch.
There are other things which,
whatever might be thought of
their original character, have been
carried to such lengths, and been
so abused, and are SO surrounded
by demoralizing associations and
suggestions, that no Christian can
indulge in them without personal
contamination and serious compro-
mise of Christian character.
What is technically known as
the "Game of Cards." in itself, may
be as innocent as the "Game of
Authors" or that other very in
teresting and profitable game that
is called "Logomachy;;" but such
is the fascination of the game Of
cards, SO frequently has 1t been
prostituted to gambling purposes,
and so many men have been lured
by it to utter financial and moral
ruin, that it would seem to behoove
all Christian people to set their
faces like flint against it.
10 the patronage of the theatre
the same principles apply, We can
conceive of the theatre as being SO
conducted that it would be not on
ly a means of innocent entertain
ment, but school of morals, His
tory is said to be PHILOSOPHY
teaching by example," and if, in
stead of reading history embalmed
In books, we could have the scenes