The Yale expositor., 1894-10-05

young, and who think that all ques-
tions are decided-questions of de-
cency and morals-by the position of
the feet while an the other hand, can
see nothing but ruin. temporal and
eternal, for those who go into the dis
sipations of social life, designations
which have already despoiled thou
sands of young men and women CT all
that is noble in character and useful
in life.
Dancining is the graceful motion of
the body adjusted by art to the sound
and measures of musical instrument
or of the human voice All nations
have danced. The ancients thought
that Castor and Pollux taught the art
to the Lacedemonians But whoever
started it. all climes have adopted it.
In ancient times they had the
festal dance, the military dance, the
mediatorial dance, the bacchanalinn
dance, and queens and lords swaved
to and fro in the gardens, and the
rough backwoodsman with this exer-
else 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 uncultured. Passing down the
| street we unconsciously keep step to
the sound of the brass band while
the Christian in church with his foot
beats time while his soul rises upon
some great harmony. While this is so
in civilized lands, the red men of the
| fnract havn 4hat,. 1,at -.
green corn dances, their war dances
In ancient times the exercise was so
utterly and completely depraved that
the church mathematical it. The old
Christian fathers expressed themselves
most vehemently againse ii. St Chrv-
sostom says: "The feet were not
| given for dancing, but TO walk mod
estly, not to leap impudently like
camels." One of the dogmas of the
ancient church reads: A dance is the
DEVILS possession, and he that enter
eth into a dance entereth into his pos
session. AS many PAGES as a man
makes in dancing, so many PAGES does
he make to hell. r Elsewhere the old
dogmas declared this: THE woman
that singeth in the dance is the prin-
cess of the devil, and those that an
swer are her clerks. and the beholders
are his friends, and the music is his
bellows, and the fiddlers are the min
listers 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
instruments. presently all the dancers
gather together " This indiscriminate
and universal denunciation OF the ex-
ercise came from the fact that it was
utterly and completely depraved.
But we are not to discuss the customs
of the olden times, but customs now.
We are not TO take the evidence of the
ancient fathers, but our own con-
science, enlightened by the word OF
God, is TO be the standard. Oh bring
no harsh criticism upon the Young.
would not drive out from their soul
the hilarities of life. do not believe
that the inhabitants Of ancient Wales,
when they stepped to the sound of the
rustic harp went down to ruin.
believe God intended the young peo'
pie to laugh and romp and play. IdC
not believe God would have put ex
uberance in the soul and exuberance
in the body If he had not intended
they should in some wise exercise il
and demonstrate it. If mother join
hands with her children and cross the
floor to the sound of music, ] see nc
harm. II group of friends
cross and re-cross the room tc
the sound of piano well played.
! see no harm. If a company. al
of whom are known to host and hostess
as reputable. cross and recrosS the
room to the sound of musical instru
ment. / see no harm. tried for z
long while to see harm in it. could
not see any harm in it. never shal
see any harm in that. Our men neef
to be kept young. young for many
years longer than they are kept young
Never since my boyhood days have
had more sympathy with the innocent
hilarities of life than I have now
What though we have felt heavy
burdens! What though we have haC
to endure hard knocks! Is that any
| IcdSOH WHY We bIOulu bldnO IN Lnt
way of those who. unstung of life,
misfortunes, are full of exhilarat tior
and glee? God bless the young! They
will have TO wait many n longyear be
fore they hear me say ANYTHING tha'
would depress their ardor or clip theil
wings or make them believe that life /,
hard and cold and repulsive. 1t il
not tell them, Judging from my
own experience. that they will bC
treated great deal better than they
deserve. We have no right to grudge
the innocent hilarities to the young
AS we go on in years let us remem
Der that we had our gleeful times: lc
us be able to say, 1--WE had our goot
times let others have their gooc
times" Let MS willingly resign oul
place to those who are comi-- after
us / will cheerfully give thcm every.
thing-my house, my books, my posi-
tion in society my heritage. After
twenty, forty, fifty years we have
been drinking out of the cup of thi,