The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-12-08
MAYCHRISTIANS DANCE?
The Rev. Mr.. Grant Takes
a Nasty and Narrow
View Of the Question.

The South Bergen Reformed Church
was crowded to the doors last evening
with congregation which had come TO-
gether to hear the Rev. William d. Grant
preach upon the subject, MAY Chris
tian dancer" Mr.. Grant took for his text
these passages Of scripture which he put
In the form of question and anwer:--
Lord what wilt thou have me to dor" and
If any man is willing to do His will he
shall know" Mr. Grant SAID in part
Paul asked this question at the begin
ming OF his Chistian life. while many do
not ask IL at all. Now you have been
asking me; you may have been asking
the church and doubtless you have been
asking society what wilt thou have me to
do You have been making your appeal
to the wrong parties. You should ask
what wilt thou have me to do, Lord.
with respect TO dancing You have been
appealing to the human, now for little
ask the divine teacher Himself. / hope
may assume you all believe am seeking
your good and not attempting to crafty
any personal whim Of my own, or because
l can't (Y, won't or don't want to dance,
or because am Christian minister and
dare not dance. and therefore selfishly
am going to do all in my power to prevent
others from doing so. IL you hold any
such view In respect to me, please dis :
abuse your mind
THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH DANCED.
Il assume that even though our fathers
and mothers In the church danced, you
are not willing to make the past the
measure OF the present or the future.
assume you are not willing to be dictated
TO by fashionable and frivolous society,
which lacks both conscience and heart.
And which would instantly ostracise you
as soon as yon had transgressed the least
OF one of its commandments.
II assume, in short, that you are more
anxious to learn the rules that should
govern the children of the Kingdom from
the Book of God than your rules OF good
society" from your book of etiquette. My
young friend, you lose nothing in the es-
tfmat1on OF those whose opinions are
worth having by being a little sober
minded and grayely gay. / have no de-
sire to deprive the young of their enjoy
ment or to upset society and turn life in
to funeral procession, but to protect
your well being. We do not regard
sackcloth as means Of grace. We be-
normal appetites.
81 am glad there is no such command
ment in the Bible as Thou shalt not
dance. Were there such the Bible
would be a much smaller book tnan il is.
Yet all the ethical and spiritual teachings
say You had better not.'"
ANCIENT AND MODERN DANCING.
Some, Mr.. Grant said, defended dane
ing because the Bible sanctioned it in
olden times, and he showed that the
ancients danced in the day time instead
OF at night. in the open air instead of in
heated and unhealthy ball rooms; that
the sexes did not dance together as now,
and that IL was an act of worship, not OF
sensual amusement
If the voice of all the spiritually mind
ed men and women of the church, cori-'
tinued Mr.. Grant; SAY you had better
not think we ought to heed them.
IF dancing Is harmful In Lent why is it
not harmful when Lent is over. If hurt
ful for one person at one time in one place
why Is 1t not harmful in all places and at
all times. Some OF you who may not
think it unchristian for yourselves or
your children 10 dance would be Mortified
il you found me in the dancing school
or in some parlor waltzlng with some
pretty miss who had forgotten to cover
up her arms and hide her bust. Pray,
why should you find fault with mef II
dancing is good for the members it ought
to be good for the minister.
THE MAN WHO DANCES FOOL.
"Cirene.says there Is not moment with
out some duty. If duty calls you into the
ballroom. the Lord will defend you there
This is the will of God then, that whether
ye eat or drink, or dance, or whatsoever
ye do, do all to the glory of God.' This
covers all time, all places aud all persons.
IL was Thackeray who said. Where a
man confesses himself fond of dancing
set him down as a fool.'
Daniel Webster when asked why he did
not dance said:-I have not brains
enough Had the apostles held socia-
Bile for two or three days in the upper
room at Jerusalem and dance for two
or three days more Pentecost would not
have come yet, aud the church would
have died at its birth.
Sex gives the only foundation for con-
troversy in this matter, and though you
may not see or feel the harm, it does not
follow that it is not harmful"
Mr. Grant then dwelt upon the evils
which he said arose from the proximity of
the Saves in dancinV