The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-05-04
Dancing,

Here is what purely secular paper
the New York Journal of Education
says about dancing:
"A great deal can be said about dane
ing; for instance, the Chief Of Police
of New York City says that three
fourths of the abandoned girls in thi:
city were ruined by dancing. Young
ladies allow gentlemen privileges in
dancing, which, taken under any 9TH
er circumstances, would be considered
as improper. 1t requires neither brains
nor good morals to be a good dancer
AS the love of the one increases the
love Of the other decreases. How
many of the best men aud women are
skillful dancers? In ancient times the
sexes danced separately. Alcohol is
spirit Of the dance. Take itaway, and
let the sex dance separately, and dane
ing would go out of fashion very soon.
Parlor dancing is dangerous. Tip
pling leads to drunkenness, and par
lor dancing lead to ungodly balls.
Tipping and parlor dancing sow to
the wind and both reap the whirlwind.
Put dancing in the crucible, apply the
acids, weigh it, and the verdict of rea'
son, morality, and religion is, "Weigh-
ed in the balance and found want
ing"
Ii the above Indictment be true from
the standpoint of the secular press
and surely none will doubt it-how
must it appear under the light of our
holy religion as reflected from the
word of God? A crucitied Lord and a
dancing disciple! How incongruous
and revolving the unchaste association!
Did the Chief of Police make a truth
full report when he said "that three
fourths of the abandoned girls of this
CITY New York. were ruined by dane
ingw This statement is made by the
Chief of Police without any reference
to religion or Church rules, but as a
matter of information gathered along
the line of his official duties and pub
lIshed, not by the religious, but by the
secular press. Let the reader pause,
ard look this awful revelation in the
face! Weigh it, measure it, analyze
it, and see it he can find the animus
of the modern dance in it. Is it not
enough to send the blush Of shame to
The virtuous cheek and excite to revolt
the refined sensibilities Of female chas-
tity against vice which carries in its
train wreck, ruin and devastation to
thousands, both in time and eterni-
ty!
Shall I, in this connection, mourn
fully confess that the Christian
Church, in all it's branches, is cursed
with this communicating, lecherous
vice! Yes. The truth must be told,
however humilitating it may be.
Methodist pastors are sometimes called
to answer the grave inquiry: Is there
any harm in dancing! Read this re-
port of the Chief Of Police of New
York City; read over your vows to
God and the Church of which you are
all unworthy member, and blush that
you ever exposed your ignorance by
such a question. The writer has been
a pastor for many years and gives this
testimony, that he never has
known a dancer in the Methodist
Church who Was of any value to the
Church, but just the reversal burden
10 it. Let them reform or get out at
once. This will relieve the pastor
and the Church of an embarrassing
friction and throw off a mask of pro-
fession of religion, and leave the rebel
lious one stripped of any covering of a
Church relation. This will be better
for the Church and better for the un-
reformed dancer. An unreformed sim
ner in the Church is worse than an
unchanged sinner outside of the
Church.
Hypocrisy is terrible form of sin.
1t is misleading, deceptive and dam
gerous. 1t gravitales downward into a
slate of insensibility, from which it is
to be feared some do not awake until
they are startled by. the thunders OF
doom.
1t is terrible thing to be in the
Church when ones life is q living lie
living in sin and making no effort to
reform. This is not only true of dan
GERS, but of all sinners who take refuge
in the Church and live in open viola
tior of the laws of righteousness. TO
live and die sinner in the Church
presents an awful picture. From such
4 fate, good Lord, deliver US.
r. S. Finley, in Texas Advo'
cate.
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