The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-15
Rev. Mr.. Rollins Delivers His First
Lecture On the Dance OF
the Day.
Reasons Which Should Prejudice
an Honest Mind Against This
Form of Amusement.
,.1s r,s,r;,ea +, Civilized Life by Many
= Persons of Culture ana
t- Refinement.

,o.,a ,raisnce at st Pauls church, last |
ara,,;no Among other things he said: | /
nrorose in this. and the following DIS
courses. to discuss one form OF amusement |
which has come down to us from barDaroaa
.ces. which is practised at present as tho
c,;ef Measure OF the barbarian and SEMI |
y, ,hariau of our own land as the sun dance.
thu war dance Of our aboriglnes attest and
uh;cb ia ens,rined in civilized life by many
,,.rsons of culture refinement and respecti- |
bility. do not assali this torn OF amnse-
,,ept because / consider 1t the worst form
extant. but because IL IS III my Judgment,
wrong. and all the more dangerous because
it is in high favor among not rev or the
hest people in every community. But
hone to be able tc show that despite the
halo thrown about it by the moral elements !
uho n-sctise it and the church members
whn accord it their sanction by admitting
Il into their homes it is none the less an
evil and that its Inherent badness cannon
he covered M by the palladium which these
devotees throw around 1t. but before enter
ing upon THIS discussion proper
ISant ia saw that it is not very compll-
mantarv to the intelligence of people
whose absorbing question is: HOW shall we
arnuse ourselves: amusement, according
to competent authorizes, ID that Wnich al.
yerts the mind from the earnest work OF
life bv an appeal to the senses. Nhen tne
business of lie becomes amusement then
tho life ia sham, piece OF chaff, the foam
on the wave, the piece OF worthless orii'-
wood on the ocean OF NE. :, ~,
That we need recreation all will readily
concede, but amusement Is not Always rec
reatiye. Recreation is recreation, max
inr anew: an exercise which relnvlgorates
which rarVpS the worn ont
arm. which restores power to the tired
brain. ia recreItive and benson TO our
An exhausted traveller may have his atten-
ton drawn away temporarily, by some
passing scene so that De forgets ms acnlng
limbs his b!ste'ed feet n's a. n lux nav ant a;t
thirst--that is amusement. VI ne may sit
down to a generous repast, perhaps, by
willing hands; he may lay his tatlgued
form upon repose courtinE couch ana
sleep away his fatigue--that is recreatlon.
But the difference is worldwide. -.
If YOU have been observant i'll ire you
must have noticed that the persona VINO
clamor most loudly for amusement are
those who need it least. They are those
Who are gorged and stated with pleasure
the persons who never get down to the reaa
work of lfie--who have little to 90 that
demands the expenditure of brain ana
heart, and 80 languidly sigh, like certain
eastern princess, for some new form OF
sensual pleasure, and offer prize for
an amusement that relieves their ennul ana
assists them on toward the end OF their
poor, useless lives. These suited, Jaded,
mortals need nothing rs little as amuse-
ment. What they need most of all Is the
bracing tonic OF correct view OF llfe-a
real earnest endeavor to cultivate noble
character. to do some act that will last, to
make the little corner in which they ll7e
more luminous because they live. to wipe
away tear Of sorrow, to relieve some
crushed heart of its burden. That is the
true idea of life.
In discussing this topic it will scarcely
be necessary for me to say that dancing IN
itself is not an evil. No one questions this.
But it is not of dancing in itself that we
have to do it is OF dancing as existing, IN
certain forms and under certain prescribed
conditions that we have to do. Neither will
what have to say be confined to balls or
public dances, for as yet i'll the best circles
there is strong aversion to these promis-
cuous assemblies unless it be the charity
ball when giving to the poor must be made
delightful by the dance or our inaugural
balls when 1t is still the tarbarous custom
to besmear the robes of our social purity in
the whirl of the promiscuous dance. When
therefore l speak of the dance speak of it
as 1t exists among us today and as 1t 10
practiced by many respectable citizens-by
many protested followers of Christ.
We impeach the dance of to-day in the
name of physical health.
am sure you will agree with me when
say that any form of amusement that weak
ems the physical organs. that threatens the
very foundation of cur constitution should
be, 1t for no other reason. dlScountenanced
and abandoned. Health is too important q
thing to be sacrificed at the altar OF the
dance. Look at the pallid. emaciated forms
that we see around us. Look at their des-
perate efforts to regain their lost health
Ask them what they are willing to pay. fol
their lost vigor and many of them will to!
you that they are willing to part with ever,
dollar they have in the world and so out in
to life penniless, only give them back thei
health. We demand. therefore. that a
least an amusement does not emasculat
i 1t does not recreate. NOW let us look
the conditions under which the dance
practiced in our modern society. Indoor
in an overheated room, frequently upo
carpets that retain the dust and give 1t O
when the feet begin their vigorous trippin
in garments that repress respiration an
kept up for an lmmoderately long period {
time. 1t begins usually about 10 o'cloc
and continues until two or three i'll tt
morning, intermitted or concluded by
supper of great pretenslons, which meal
unnecessary and indigestihle element
then out in the damp atmosphere for HON
Who does not9ee that all this is inimical
heath? The languor, the nausea, the ach
of the following day and days are nature
protest againt this outrage perpetrat
against her.
Despite our advance in knowledge of 81
itary law, despite our more comfortal
homes, our fewer hours of hard toll disc,
is fearfully on the increase. We are 81
ping our vitality by our foolish and p'
nicious practices. and one of these prRcti'
which is swelling the ranks of invalidi
is the dance. Think of delicate fema
pushing their frames into garments
small for q respectable infant. gyrating
hours in the arms of fellow whose bret
is a. foul as the sluggish pit, eating at
a-quiver and blood heated to an und
temperature. go out into the cold of mig
No wonder that we have SO many fema
today whose chief worth in life it is
consult patent remedies. Physicians of a
responsibility will tell you thatIdirectly a
indirectly the dance is responsible for VI
many OF the ailments that affiict our CT
temporaries. Many have gone down to Z
mature graves slain by this practice So
will readily concede all that we have char,
against this amusement and vet ask
good faith cannot it be SO revolutioni
- to free it from all Objectionable featu
and leave it In the field as ono method
relieving the tcdium of llfe?'
We are told by honestly thinking
mistaken people if the church members q
orally and literary men would but civ
conntennnce. all the evil features connec
with It might be speedily eliminated. I
was said of the theatre. The experin
vas tried in New York CITY but the Thea
has gone on. ever descending to lower
yesentations. What spectacle for ,
and angels to see the pastors of our c
the ntatelV deAcOns and their Sedate w