The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-02-07

bat they exert no influence in favor O
religion. The worldly rather enjoy see
ing church members in the ballroom
they are led to think more favorably G
themselves and OF their hope of Hoave
when they see the church members re
semblo them so closely. Bat when til
wicked man is called to die, he does no
want prayer offered at his bed side b,
any OF those who indulge III the gidd,
dance, but men aud women of undoubt
ed piety to pray for him. Even wicket
men at heart have no confidence in thu
religion of those who indulge i'll sucl
say, little girls dance in their plays, are
they not innocent? If SO, why condemn
it iii persons of larger gI0wth? Against
such an exercise, performed by little
ones alone, | have bot a word to say; but
the modern dance means more than this.
Bishop Vincent says,"lt is not the rattle
one hears in the neighborhood of rat
tle-snake, that he objects to, child
might play with it without harm. The
dance is the rattle, but the danger is in
the fang and in the poison" Now in
the dance there must be at some point "a
peril or such man as Bishop Coxe, OF
the Protestant Episcopal Church, would
not say to the clergy o! his diocese, "The
gross, debasing waltz would not be toll
Grated another year, if Christian mothers
III our communion would only set their
faces against it, and would remove our
daughters from is contanliu Lting Iufla-
eu2e, and our sons from tn contempt
Of WON tnhood and womdnly, by modesty
which it begets. Alas that women pro
Tossing To follow Christ aud godiness
sh0ul not rally for the honor of their
Sex. aud drive the shameless dance from
society," Ii there is no danger why
should such large minded man as
Horace BUSHNELL speak of certain forms
of the dance ''as contrived possibilities
of license which belong to high society
only when it runs low." A protestant
minister o! large influence has said, "thaJ
the round dance of fashionable socety
can not be participated in, in the heat
and glare of the ball room, with the ac-
ceSsories of music and motion, with the
close ply contact, and the hot
breath on each others cheek, without ill.,
toAlcatlrg the brain aid setting the pas
slons OF the particip itorS on fire. II is a
phy siological impossihility decay it, " hO
Will. Any honest phJ sician W ill tell GU
the same" Ii this be true, it is lot sur
prisiug thai Gail Hamilton should pro-
claim with such vehemence against the
dance, and say the tuiug in It's very ma
ture Is unclean; the very poise ol the
parties suggests iEpurity." A wise man
has sand, ''lt is no accident that the
dance is what it is it mingles the sexes
Ill such closeuess of contact, as outside Of
the dance is tolerated low here in respect
able society" Perhaps you say, "ter.
rble > then, if sinners ei,tice thee, coli
sent thou not. ListeL not to the voice of
the charmer, though lie should speak
ever So sweetIy.
~. Card playing. the young AS the,
go out in the world are often enticed to
the indulgence OF this pleasure a pack
oil cards Is presented them ana they are
told, 1T is not wicked III itself, it is an
Old game; some ministers approve OF it
aud see no harm il a game of cards
played III a parlor," but if sinners eu.
tlce thee in this direction, consent thou
not. Cards are the gamblers tools they
are "a familiar diversion oi the aIu.less
and the idle. They have bad name
among honest people. Ii, as some say,
they were introduced III Europe by a
ply siclan who adopted them as means
OF diversion for royal patient, whose
intellect was shattered, then " naturally
lnier that no amount OF Intelligence or
strength of intellect is needed to qualify
the player. OIo thing Is ceItaip, there
Is no utility Ia the game, it invigoraIes
neither body nor mind 1t ADDS nothing
to the store oi Intelligence aud those who
are Ignorant OF tne game lose nothing by
their lack OF this kind OF knowledge To
some minds, the game IS dangerous, they
become iacinated by IL ami as "a result
are led into doubtful associations, evil
habits and ruin itself. Take, for ex-
A mnlp tlat tlS bIAita f,la Of
playing known as progressive euchre.
What Is that but gambling? What uIffer-
ence is there i'll principle, between the
lOr!e!ts OF the one aud tile prizes O! tie
other? The fact is, says distinguish
ed man, ''the path to the inuermost hell
Of gambling, is through the clover bloom
OF fashionable card playing" TIE vic.
tins in the gambling den, learned to
play in the parloIs o! fashion, where no
stakes were Set up, and where he play.
els were bent Oh nothing but fun, OF to
pass the time away, or to be i'll style.
Then if sinners eutice thee consent thou
not. y few words, more especially to
INC LhSuo eio Vi Otlt own CT ulCl. IOfu-
lar amusements, and by this term mean
those of doubtful tendency, have always
been condemned by the Discipline of our
church. The general rules do not name
daLcin2, the theatre, card playing; had
they done this, 1t might have been il
ierred that every folly not specified in
the lis, was allowable. They aauounce
= broad pciGeiple that condemns all such
diversions that can rot DO taken in the
one be III doubt as 30 the meaning of this
rule? Then look at the history of the
church. Which OF the founders OF Meth
odism, favored dancing? Dad John Yves.
ley, OF Fletcher, or Clark Which one
favored the theatre or the card-t table
Did Iedding, or FisKe, or O!iu? No, there
comcs from their honored graves to-day,
a solemn protest az linst them. Indeed,
each member OF th9 Methodist Episcopal
Church is bound by IN Jst solemn pledge
to abstain froGi all amusemeuts of a
doubtful or misleading tendency. Then
if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Safety only is found in adherins to the
advice of the text.
The Water Works.
As heretofore ann ounced, au adjourned
meeting OF the Board of Town Commits