Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-02
Southside Sunday School Teachers
Severely Scored for Holding
a Public Dance.
THEIR PASTOR WAS PRESENT,
And He Insists it is No Ones Business if
His People Desire to Engage
in Such Amusement.
OTHER MINISTER'S CONDEMN 1T.
One Says the Young Ladies Ought to be Ashamed Of
Themselves.

the society column of yesterdays Southslde
edition of THE DISPATCH:
The Sunday school teachers OF Pastor
Lorch's church held a reception at ST. Clair
Hall on Tuesday evening which was as sue
cessful as it was unique in its character.
Like the skirt dance at Boundbrook, n.
j., this Sunday school teachers re-
fined entertainment seems to have
created a regular furore in church
circles on the Southsidc. To be a
little NOR: definite abou. the reception"
accordins to the members of the congrega-
ton who were there, it was attended by the
best people in the congregation, that of a
German Evangelical Church, and the affair
was sanctioned by the dignifed presence of
the pastor himself.
The reception was not made necessary by
the church being in financial straits, as. it is
said the congregation is out of debt, but the
young people in the Sunday school simply
thought it would be good thing to cult.
vate a more sociaDle feeling among the
workers and members of the school, and so
the reception was arranged for.
THE DANCE A PUBLIC ONE.
The affIir was not confined to the men,
bers of the church, either. Each member
was allowed five invitations to give to whom
they wished, thus making the dance pub
lie affair. The Gaub Orchestra furnished
the sweet music to which the protectors of
morals Joined, with q large number of their
friends, in tripping the regulation old light
fantastic until long after midnight Soft
drinks were placed on sale, and were made
special feature of the affair.
There was no end to the amount of talk
on the Southside, yesterday, when the South
side edition of The DISPATCH was read.
The church people of all denominations
united in the assertion that the positions
occupied by the Sunday school teachers, who
are responsible, in measure, for the moral
conduct of those under their care, was not
one from which would emanate the example
that should be set by them. Criticisms were
made freely by church members and others.
Rev. p. Brandt, pastor of the Eighteenth
Street Lutheran Churct, was seen by Dis
PATCH reporter. He said he did not care
to say anything that would antagonize his
German friends in the other congregation,
bu. he very emphaticallv remarked that
"the business of Sunday school teacher is
to try to emulate the example of Christ, and
when they attend to their duties in their
school they have no time for dancing"
SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED.
Rev. j. G. Cameron, rector Of St. Marks
Episcopal Church, was also seen. He was
of the same opinion as Mr.. Brandt. 81
don't wish to hurt the feelings of anyone,
aud 1 am not criticising this particular
dance" said he, "but such an affair would
not be tolerated in our church. A private
dance is considered within the bounds of
lawful amusements. but public ball is dis
carded as being productive of evil results,
and especially when given under the auspices
of those who are expected to be living ex-
amples of morality and Christianity.
Rev. F. r. Farrand, pastor of the South
side Presbyterian Church, was the most
severe of all, although he had not been
| aware that the dance was given under the
management of the Sunday school teachers.
He said: 81 have no desire to criticise the
doings of another church as
denomination. But, in general, the
work of Sabbath-school teacher
is second only to that of a minister. A
minister would soon lose his influence, not
only in his own church, but in his COM
munity as WELL were he even to advocate
dancing of any kind as a pastime for his
church.
"The history of dancing is the history of
| the lowest associations, and has gone hand
in hand with that which is vile, as any
reader of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome
we'll knows. Its modern associations are
scarcely less reprehensible. Hence the
church has rightly forbidden even its least
influential members from induI ging in it,
and any particular church that will
allow those of its members to dance
who fill the important and respon-
sible position of Sabbath school
teacher cannot hope to be a factor in aid OF
the worlds evangelzation. To sum up,
those teachers who engaged in public
dance ought to be heartily ashamed of them
| selves"
THE VIEW OF THE PASTOR
AS was stated, Rev. Mr.. Lorch himself
was present at the dance, as was also one of
his daughters, who is teacher in
| to see what the pastor would say
in justification of the reception.
He refused to say much. except that if Ger
man people wanted to dance it was not the
business of the English. 81 can see no harm
in the entertainment" he added. 'It is
simply matter of opinion, which my peo-
pie will settle with their own consciences,
without the aid of tAe outside public.
would rather not say any more about it.
You can see nv daughter"
The reporter, OH leaving the house, spoke
to the daughter, but before he got an ex-
preston from her the pastor appeared at the
head of the stairs and cried out to the young
girl: ''Es ist besser NIGHTS zu sagen," and
she didn't say word.
Two or three members Of the congregation
were seen and they upheld the action of
their people in relation to the dance. One
of the young ladies of the Sunday School
said: 81 guess if our people want to dance
it's nobody's business Another men,
Der, who is prominent Carson
street business man, said: "The dance
was all right There were many of the
most prominent people of the Southside
present, and ii it had not been approved by
our pastor, he would not allow them to hold
another, and they are getting ready now for
q second reception of the same Kind"