The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-17
REV. DIR. TALMA@.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE,S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: sThe Quick Feet.''

TEXT: "when Herod's birthday was Kept,
the daughter of Herodias danced before them
and pleased Herod. d."-Matthew XIV, 9.
It Is the anniversary Of Herods birthday.
The palace is lighted. The highways lead.
Ing thereto are all ablaze with the pomp OF
invited guests. Lords, captains, mercnant
princes, the mighty men OF the LAND, are
coming to mingle In the festivities. The
table is spread with all the luxurtes that
royal purveyors can gather. The
guest, white robed and anointed and
perfumed, come IN and SIT at
the table Music ns,aS The Tests eySse
Repartee is INDUCED. Toasts are drunk.
The brain Is befogged. The wit rolls on
into uproar and blasphemy. They are not
satisfied yet. Turn on more light. Pour
out more wine. Music. Sound all the
trumpets. Clear the floor for dance!
Bring In Salome, the beautiful and
accomplished princess. The door opens,
enchanted.
\ Stand back and make room for the brill
tant gyrationsl These men never saw such
tspoetry OF notion" Their soul whirls In
the reel end bounds with the bounding feet.
Herod forgets crown and throne ard every
thing but the destinations OF Salome. Authe
magnifcence OF his realm Is as nothing now
compared with the splendor that whirls on
Hptoe before him. His body sways
the motions or the enchantress. His
soul is thrilled with the pclsations Of the
feet and bewftched with the taking postures
and attitudes more and more amazing. Al
ter awhile he sits In enchanted silence LOOK
Ing at the flashing, leaping, bounding beau
t., and as the dance closes and the tinkling
cymbals cease to clap and the thunders
8 ~ khoko ohNN "a haDfn
to abate the enchanted monarch swears to
the princely performer, "Whatsoevcr
thou shalt ask OF me will give It thee, to
the half of my kingdom" Now, there was
In prison at that time q minister OF tho gos-
pei OF the name Of John the Baptist, and ne
had been making great deal OF trouse by
preaching some vecy plain and honest ser
mons He had denounced the sins OF the
king and brought down upon him the wrath
OF the females Of the royal household. At
The tnstigation Of her mother Salorne takes
advantage Of the extravagant promise OF the
king and says, "Bring me the head OF John
the Baptist on dinner plate"
Hark to the sound of feet outside the door
and the clatter of.swords! The execution
ers are returning from their awful errand.
Open the doorl They enter, and they pre-
sent the platter to Salome. What Is on this
platter7 A new glass OF wine to continue the
uproarious merriment7 No. Something
redder and costlier-the ghastiy, bleeding
head OF John the Baptist, the death glare
stin In the eye, the locks dabbled with the
gore, the features still distressed with the
Last agony.
This woman, who had whirled so grace
fully n the dance, bends over the awfulbu
den without shudder. She gloats overthe
blood, and with as much Indifference as
waiting maid might take tray OF empty
0lo ocrva 20 nuf NJ rho Y>00no Qffar an anf6r-
tainment Salome carries the discovered head
OF John the Baptist, while all the banqueters
shout with laughter and think It q good joke
that In so easy and quick way they have
got nd OF an earnest and outspoken minister
ofthe gospel.
You Will all admit, whatever you think OF
that style Of amusement and exercise, that
from many circles It has crowded out all In
teIngent conversation. You Will also admit
thar It has made the condition of those who
do not dance, either because they do not
know how or because they have not the
health to endure II, or because through con-
scientious scrlples'they must decline the ex-
ercise, very uncomfortable. You will also
admit, all Of you, that It has passed In many
cases from an amusement to dissipation,
and you are easily able to understand the
bewilderment of the educated Chinaman,
who, standing In the brilliant circle where
there was dancing going on four or five hours
and the guests seemed exhausted, turned to
the proprietor Of the house and said, "Why
don't you allow your servants to do this for
yous"
You are also willing to admit, whateverbe
your idea in regard to the amusement that
am speaking OF, and whatever be your idea
OF the old fashioned square dance, and of
many Of the professional romps In which
can see no evil, the round dance Is admins
%xo1Jx ~ ox,i1 md 20 ho n Nf
all respectable circles. I am by natural tenn
permanent and religious theory opposed to
the position taken by all those who are hor-
xded at piayfulness on the part Of the
young. and who think that all questions are
decided-questions Of decenoy and morals
by the position Of the feet, while, on the
other hand, I can see nothing but ruin, tenn
poral and eternal, for those who 60 into the
dissipaticns ofsocial Hfe-dissipat which
have already despoiled thousands Of young
men and young women Of all that Is noble
In character and useful In life.
Dancing Is the graceful motion Of the
body adjusted by art't the sound and
measure of musical instrument or of the
human voice. All nations have danced.
The ancients thought that Castor and
Pollux taught the art to the Lacedemo.
have adopted 1t. In ancient times they
dance, the mediatorlal dance, the bac.
chenalian dance, and queens and lords
swayed to and fro In the gardens, and the
rough backwoodsman with this exercise
awakened the echo OF the forest. There
Is something IN the sound OF lively music
to evoke the movement of the hand
and foot, whether cultured or un-
cultured. Passing down the street We
unconsciously keep step to the sound Of the
brass band, while the Christian In church
with bis foot beats time while bis soul rises
upon some great harmony. While this Is 80
In civilized lands, the red men Of the forest
have their scalp dances, their green corn
dances, their war dances. In ancient times
the exercise was so utterly and completely
depraved that the church anthematized 1t.
The old Christian fathers expressed them
selves most vehemently against It. St.
'Chrysostum says ''The feet were not given
for dancing, but to walk modestly; not to
leap impudently, like camels. Ole OF the
dogma's Of the ancient church reads:
"a dance Is the devils possession, and he
that entereth into a dance entereth into his
possession. As many PAGES as man makes
In dancing, SO many pases does he make to
hell" Elsewhere the old dogmas declared
this: "The woman that singeth In the
dance is the princess Of the devil, and those
that answer are her clerks, and the beholders
are his friends, and the music Is his bellows.
and the fddlers are the ministers OF the
devil. For. as when hogs are strayed, II the
hogsherd call one, all assemble together, so
when the devil calleth one woman to sing
in the dance. or to play on some musical in.
struments, presently all the dancers gather
together" This indiscrim1nate and uniyer.
sal denunclatIon OF the exercise came fror
the fact that It was utterly and completely
depraved.
Social dissipation is the abettor OF pride
It Is the instigator OF jealousy. It is the sac
rifciai altar of health. It Is the defler OF the
soul. It is the avenue OF lust, and 1t Is the