Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-05-16
THE DA DENOUNCED.
Elder FL. b. D nj 1elivers An In
teresting) rse on the
Mo7tea ession.
THE DA

cred his promised discourse on the
question of "The Public Dance. J"
The discourse proper was preceded
by short extemporaneous talk, in
which were set forth the pastors
reasons for delivering Il sermon on
the dance question at this time.
Elder Davis said:
LAS already announced, | have
chosen the subject of "The Pub
lie Dance" for my discourse this
evening l have not taken the
subject of public amusements, for
it is too long and too comprehen-
sive to be properly treated in my
short address. Let me assure you
in the beginning that my discourse
is not prompted by desire to cur
tail the enjoyment of young or old.
It is not my disposition to Illustrate
the happiness Of any class or con-
dltion; neither do | pose as one
who would enter the sacred pre-
clnct of the family and dictate
methods of family culture or as
sumo family responsibilities. 1t is
not my province, nor that Of any
other man, to say how children
shall be guided within the family
fold; but it is my privilege, as well
as that of any other public teacher,
to object to the alIurlng of other
peoples children, against their
own desire, against parental wishes,
into ways to which the parents are
conscientiously opposed. Nor is it
my province to enter into a detail
ed curriculum by which men and
women shall be guided, or severely
criticised or moved upon.
Il do not allow any individual to
step in and prescribe and say what
shall be The conduct Of that great
family consecrated by the blood OF
Jesus Christ and given into the
keeping of those invested with Di-
vine authority. | now ask you.
young and old, to give me your
closest attention. Just take your
pencil and paper and remember the
leading points of the statements |
will make. Be careful to report
those statements correctly, that
there may be no misrepresentation
through press or upon the street.
Public utterances are public prop
erty, yet there are rules that govern
their use by the public and when
they are outstepped, comment is
the result. For example: the great
political issues of the day are the
property of the entire country; but
the question is, have | a right to
take up either or any curriculum
a right to make it part of my ut
terances? We have the questions
of prohibition and temperance. The
temperance field is a legitimate one
in which the ministry may work;
but the subject of prohibition has
crystalized into political party
movement as distinctive III its fea-
lures as the Democratic and Re
publican parties and l have 10 right
to drag 1t into the pulpit. | have
a right to hurl darts against intem-
perance, and advocate temperance
with all the strength of logic, the
beauty of pathos and the sublimlty
of poetry. Men have their fields
and their work is assigned them,
and they must take the consequent
ces when they step out"
The speaker read the resolutions
adopted by the church on the 9TH
and published in the LEDGER on
Monday afternoon, the 9th.
"These words give ne uncertain
sound" continued Elder Davis, as
he concluded the reading: "It is
but simple language, easy to be I'M
derstood. They are an expression
of the will and purpose of the Off
GERS Of the church, chosen by your
selves to guard over and watch your
interests. Therefore the express
sion reaches only to the member
ship and has not intruded upon
anyone outside Of the Church of
Christ" =
Elder Davis at this point read an
editorial taken from the Mexico
htelIjgencer of the 9TH instant, en-
titled, "The Church and Social
Amusement" Touching on the
question of church regulation of
social amusement, the article says:
"Mach better might the business
methods of the members be sub
jected to the caprice of those in
church authority"
"Mind you, my hearers" con-
tinued the speaker, ''the action Of
the officers of this church in pass
ing the preamble and resolution |
Just read to you, was merely a
whim, caprice They were not
the result of sober thought and a
desire to do good, but emanated
from capricious, whimsical minds.
But there is an honorable rule of
discussion of the sense that an op-
ponent must not be held response
bic for his utterances unless he
publicly avews them. This will
not be q personal attack. The log
ical consequences of the article |
Just read to you would be to defeat
the honest purposes Of the officers
of this church and throw to the
ground the resolution and pream-
bic read in this church and adopted
last Sunday. | mean to make an
attack upon the Objectionable fea-
lures of social amusement, and |
have chosen for my subject,
" THE CHURCH AND THE PUBLIC
For his discourse, Elder Davis
chose the following text from the
twenty-first chapter of Job:
"Wherefore do the wicked live,
become old, yea, are mighty in
power? The houses are safe from
fear, neither is the rod Of God
upon them. They send forth their
little ones like a flock, and their
children dance. They take the