The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-27

and women Of mind and character and
the f1ippant creatures who have no
conception whatever Of q moral ooll-
CATION, or who are too weak to with
stand little giddy temptation. Refer
ence is not had to those who dance
and see no harm in it, and break no
resolutions for its indulgence. 1t is a
matter Of conscience and church regu-
lation in principle, as it is question
of taste and inclination in operation.
Whether it be considered wise or fool
ish to bow and bend and skip and hop
and turn and twist like lunatic mon
keys in baboon asylum, depends
largely upon the influences that sur
rounded ones infancy and youth.
But right or wrong, wise or foolish
to dance, we do like to see young men
and women stand to their colors and
show consistency, and it affords infin-
ite pleasure and qualification to write
of it. If we had more such specimens
Of manhood and womanhood, such eX-
amples of stability, the scoffers could
not so successfully use their weapons
Of sarcasm and ridicule. They get in
their work because of the weakness
which allows noble resolves to be
famed away by the first stiff breeze
like chsf before the wind. And it is
because Of this, and because of the
rarity and the exception of such strik-
ing instances, that the pleasant incl
dent above mentioned is recorded. 1t
is double pleasure TO write Of these
things, because of the uncertainty of
the times and the unrest and turmoil,
and to turn from the strife and confu-
sion of tongues to tell of the good acts
of our fellow-beings rather than ex-
pose their evil deeds with lying and
malice.
But the dance will continue TIE
world over. 1t stops for nothing. 1t
didn't stop on account of the crashing
in of building in a Western State
year ago and the dashing of the
dancers to eternity. 1t didn't stop on
account of the dancer who lost her
balance week or so ago a. an Eastern
watering place and drowned. It did
not stop on account of the hundreds OF
deaths daily in Europe from the late
plague and pestilence OF Asiatic chol-
era, not even there. 1t didn't stop on
account of the earthquake terror OF
Greece, the famine of Russia, the Vel
low River calamity of China, or the
JohnstoWn horror nearer bone. II
will not stop on account of the cy-
clones and floods of our own land. II
will never stop in time. It will stop
suddenly at the end, in that day when
the business man will rush hurriedly
from his counter into the street, when
the mechanic will dash his tools to the
ground, when the miser will frantical.
ly drop his boarded gold, when the ly-
ing tongue will be paralyzed, when the
proud and lace-covered lady will EN-
brace the poor and lowly woman
Then shall dancing cease and dancers
hurl themselves from the windows
of the trembling building. For there
will be dancing at the time, just as
there was unconcern at BelshaZzar's
feast aud mirth to the last hour oi
Sodom and Gomorrah.
Then "on with the dance!" What
matters it that there are skeletons in
nearly every closet? What matters il
that there are men in this town surely
dying from drink who might be saved
By concentrated effort? What matters
it that friends who dance to-day are
buried Tomorrow. and the ballroom
gown so often changes to the shroud:
What to US are the raging pestilences
of the globe, the hunger of the unem-
ployed, the starvation of the widows
and orphans of the world, the dark
ness of heathenisnl, the bed-ridden sick
and suffering of the universe?
Yes. Ion with the dance, let joy be
unconfned,' and let you waltz swiftly
and glide all unconsciously into the
unknown hereafter. There are no co.
tillions in glory-there may be Ger
mans in perditiOn. NEEDLE.