The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-10-05
THE DANCE OF DEATH
OR. TALMAGE FINDS A WARMING IN
THE DAUGHTER OF HERoDlAS.
Dancing Might Not be Sinful In Some
Cases. but In All Ages 1t Has Been As.
sociated With the Lower Forms of Dis
sipntion,

ISOLATED with the Lower Forms of Dis
| slpation.
BROOKLYN, Sept 80,-Rev, DR.. Tai
mage, who is still absent ON his round
the world tour, has selected MS the sub
ject of today's sermon through the
press "The Quick Feet, p" the text chosen
being Matthew xiv, 6, "When Herod's
birthday was kept, the daughter of He
rodias danced before them and pleased
Herod"
1t is the anniversary of Herod's birth
day, The palace is lighted, The high.
ways loading thereto are all ablaze with
tho pomp Of invited guests. Lords, cap
tains, merchant princes, the mighty
men Of the land, are coming to minglo
in tho festivities, The table is spread
with all the Injuries that royal purvey-
ors can gather, The guest, white robed
and anointed and perfumed, come in and
sit at the table Music! The jests evoke
roars of laughter. Riddles are PROFOUND
ed. Repartee is INDUCED. Toasts arc
drunk. The brain is befogged, The wit
rolls on into uproar and blasphemy.
They are not satisfied yet. Turn ON
more light. Pour ont more wine. Mu,
sic Sound all the trumpets. Clear the
floor for dance Bring in Salome, tho
beautiful and accomplished princess.
The door opens, and in bounds the dan
Ger. The lords are enchanted.
Stand back and make room for tho
brilliant gyrationsl These men never
saw such poetry of notion Their
soul whirls in the reel and bounds with
the bounding feet. Herod forgets crown
and throne and everything but the fas
ciuations of Salome. All the maguifi-
cence of his realm Is as nothing now
compared with the splendor that whirls
on tiptoo before him. His body sways
from side to side, corresponding with
the motions of the enchantress. His
soul is thrilled with the pulsations of
the feet and bewitched with the taking
postures and attitudes more and moro
amazing. After awhile he sits in en-.
ohanted silence looking at the flashing,
leaping, bounding beauty, and as tho
dance closes and the tinkling cymbals
cea7e to clap and the thuaders of ap
plause that shook the palace begin to
abate the enchanted monarch swears to
the princely performer. ''Whatsoever
thou shalt ask Of me will give it thee to
the half of my lipgdom. Now, therewas
in prison ht thit time minister of the
gospel of the nalno Of John the Baptist,
and he had been making great deal Of
trouble by preaching some very plain
and honest sermons. He had denounced
the sins of the king and brought down
upon him the wrath Of tho females Of
the royal household. AT the instigation
Of her mother Salome takes advantage
af the extravagant promise of the king
and says, Bring me the head Of John
the Baptist on a dinner plate. y
Tho Head of John.
Hark to tho sound of feet outside tho
door and the olatter of swords! The ex-
ecutioners are returning from their aw-
ful. errand, Open the door! They enter,
and they present the platter to Salome.
What is on this platter? A new glass
of wine to continue the uproarious merA
riment? No Something redder and
costlier--tho CHASTITY, bleeding head of
John the Baptist. the death glare still
in tho eye, the locks dslssled with the
FORE, tho features still distressed with
the last agony.
This woman, who had whirled so
gracefully in the dance bends over the
awful burden without shudder. She
gloats over the blood, and with as much
Indifference as waiting maid might
take a tray OF empty glassware out of
the room after an entertainment Salome
carries the discovered head of John the
Baptist, while all the banqueters shout
with laughter and think 1t good joke
that i'll SO easy and quick way they
have got rid of an earnest and outspo-
ken minister of the gospel
You will all admit, whatever you
think of that style of amusement and
exercise, that from many cicrles it has
crowded out all intelligent conversa-
tion You will also admit that it has
made the condition Of those who do
hot dance either because they do not
know how or because they have not tho
health to endure it or because through
conscientious scruples they must decline
the exercise very uncomfortable. You
will also admit, all of you, that it has
passed in many cases from an amuse-
ment to dissipation, and you are east
ly able to understand the bewilderment
of the educated Chinaman, who, stand
ing in the brilliant circle where there
was dancing going on four or five hours
and the guests seemed exhausted, turn
ed to the proprietor of the house and
said, why don't you allow your SER
wants to do this for you?"
The Accountable Round Dance.
You are also willing to admit, what
ever be your idea in regard to the
amusement am speaking Of and what
ever be. your idea of the old fashioned
luare dance, and of many of the pro-
iessional romps in which l can see no
evil, the round dance is administrative
Of evil and ought to be driven out Of
all respectable circles. am by natural
temperament and religious theory OPP
posed to the position taken by all those
who are Mortified at playfulness on tho
part of the young and who think that
all questions are neutrality-suspicious. OF
decency anu morals-by the position Of
the feet, while, on the other hand, I
can see nothing but ruin, temporal and
eternal, for those who go into the dissi.
pations of social neutrality-suspicious.
which have already despoiled thousands
of yonng men and young women Of all
that is noble in character and useful IL
life
The Old Time Dance.
Dancing Is the graceful motion Of the
body adjusted by art to the sound and
treasure Of musical instrument or of the
human voice. All nations have danced.
The ancients thought that Castor and
Polux taught the art to the Laced2mo-