The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-10-11
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
CHE BROOKLYN DNINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Quick Feet"

1t Is the anniversary of Herod's birthday.
Tho palace is lighted The highways lead
ing thereto are all ablaze with the pomp OF
invited guests. Lords, captains, merchant
princes, the mighty men OF the land, are
coming TO rningle in the festivities. Inc
table Is spread with all the Injuries that
royal puryeyors can gather. Inc
guest, white robed and anointed and
perfumed. come in and sit al
the table. Musicl The jests evoke
roars OF laughter. Riddles arepropounded.
Repartee is INDUCED. Toasts are drunk.
The brain Is beiogSed. The wit rolls on
into uproar and blasphemy. They are not
satisfied yet. Turn on moro 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,
and in bounds the dancer. The lords are
enchanted.
/. Stand back and make room for the brill
liant gyrations These men never saw such
.'poetry 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. Ailthe
magniflcence of his realm is as nothing now
compared with the splendor that whlrls on
tptoe before him. His body sways
IRON side TO side, corresponding with
the motions OF the enchantress. HIS
soul is thrilled with the pulsations OF the
feet and hewitched with the taking pastures
and attitudes more and more amazing. Al
ter awhile he sits in enchanted silence look
ing at the flashing leaping, bounding beau
ty, and as the dance closes and the tinkllnG
cymbals cease to clap and the thunders
of applause that shook the palace begin
10 abate the enchanted monarch swears to
the princely performer, Whatsoever
thou shalt ask of me will give it thee, to
the half of my kingdom" Now, there was
in prison at that time a minister of tho Cos
pei of the name of John the Baptist, and he
had been making great deal OF trouble by
preaching somo very 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 instigation of her mother Salome takes
advantage OF the extravagant promise OF the
king and says, "Bring me the head OF John
the Baptist on a dinner plate"
Hars to the sound Of feet outside the door
and the clatter Of swords The execution
ers are returning from their awful errand.
Open the door! They enter, and they pre-
sent the platter to Salome What is on this
platter? A new glass OF wine to continue the
uproarious merriment? No. Something
redder and costlier-the CHASTITY. bleeding
head of John the Baptist, the death glare
still in the eye, the locks dabbled with the
gore. the features still distressed with the
last agony.
This woman, who had whirled 50 grace
fully in the dance, bends over the awful bur-
den without Il shudder. She gloats over the
blooi, and with rs much Indifference as
waiting maid might take a tray Of empty
glassware out OF the room after an enter
tanment Salome carries the discovered head
of John the Baptist, while all the banqueters
shout with laughter and think it good joke
that in so easy and quick a way they have
got rid of an earnest and outspoken minister
of the 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
teligent conversation. You will also admit
that 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 it, or because through con-
scientious scruples they must decline the ex-
ercise, very uncomfortable. You will also
admit, all OF you, that 1t has passed IN many
cases from an amusement to a 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
you?"
You are also willing to admit, whatever be
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
trative of evil and ought to be driven out of
all respectable circles. am by natural tenn
peramont and religious theory opposed to
the position taken by all those who are hor-
rifled at playfulness on the part Of the
young. and who think that all questions are
declded-questions Of decency and morals
by the position of the feet, while. on the
other hand, l can see nothing but ruin, tenn
poral and eternal, for those who go into the
designations ofsocial life-dissipations 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 to 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 Lacednmo-
mans. But whoever started 1t all clmes
have adopted it. In ancient times the3
had the festal dance, the military
dance, the mediatorial dance, the bac-
chan1lian 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 I'M
cultured. Passing down the street we
unconsciously keep step to the sound of tine
brass band, while tho 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 forest
nave their scalp dances, their green corn
dances, their war dances. In ancient times
the exercise was so utterly and completely
deprayed that the church mathematical it.
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." One OF the
doSma's of the ancient church reads
- dance is the devils possession, and he
that entereth into dance entereth into his
possession. AS many PAGES as u man makes
IN dancing, so many passes dos he make to
hell. Elsewhere the old Gogmas declare |
this: "The woman that snceth in the
dance is the princess of the devil. and those
that answer are her clerks. and the bsholders
ara his friends, and the music il his bellows,
and the fidlers are the ministers o! the
devil. For. rs when hogs are strayed, if the
hogsnerd call ons. all assem- lle toy .ther. so
when the devil calleth one woman 10 sine
in the canoe. or 10 play on some musica, in.
struments, presently all the dancers . her