Democratic messenger., 1894-10-06
THE DANCE OF DEATH
Or. TaLmAGE FINDS A WARNING IN
The DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS.

DR.. ThlMAGE FINDS A WARNING nv
The DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS.
Dancing Might Not Be Sinful In Some
Cases, but In All Ages 1t Has Becn As
sociated with the Lower Forms of Dis
sipation.
BROOKLYN, Sept. 30.-Rcv. DIR. Tai
mage. who is still absent on his round
the world tour. has selected rs the sub
ject of today's sermon through the
press THE Quick Feet. " the text chosen
being Matthew xiv, q, when Hcrod's
birthday was kept, the daughter of He
rodias danced before them and pleased
Horod y
1t is the anniversary of Herod's birth
day. The palace is lighted The high
ways leading thereto are all ablaze with
the pomp of invited guests. Lords, cap
tains, merchant princes, the mighty
men of the land, are coming to mingle
in the festivities. The table is spread
with all the luxurics that royal purvey
ors can gather. The guest. white robed
and anointcd and perfumed. come i'll and
sit at the table. Music! The jests evoke
roars of laughter. Riddles are propound
ed. 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 ont more wine. Mu-
sic. Sound all the trumpetS. Clear the
floor for a dance! Bring i'll Salome, the
beautiful and accomplished princess.
Tie door opens, and i'll bounds the dan
Ger. The lords are enchanted
Stand back and make room for the
brilliant gyrations! These men never
saw such poetry of motion" Their
soul whirls i'll the reel and bounds with
the bounding feet. Herod forgets crown
and throne and everything but the fas
cinations of Salome. All the magnifi-
cence of his realm is as nothing now
compared with the splcndor that whirls
OH tiptoc 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 bcwitched with the taking
postures and attitudes more and more
amazing. After awhile he sits in ell
chanted silence looking nc the flashing.
leaping, bounding beauty, and rs the
dance closes and the tinklinG cymbals
cease to clap and the thundcrs of ap-
plausc that shook the palace begin to
abate the enchanted monarch swears to
the princely performer. Whatsoever
thou shalt ask of me will give il thee, TO
the half of my kingdom. Now, thcrewas
i'll prison ut that time - minister of the
gospel of the name of John the Baptist,
and he had been making II 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 the females of
the royal household AT the instigation
of her mother Salomc takes advantage
of the extravagant promise of the king
and says, Bring me the head of John
the Baptist on a dinner plate.
The Head of John.
Hark to the sound of feet outside the
door and the clattcr of swords, The eX
ecutioners are returning from their aw-
full 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 mer-
rimcnt? No. Something redder and
costlier-the ghastly, bleeding head of
John the Baptist. the death glare still
i'll the eye. the locks dabblcd with the
gore, the features still distressed with
the last agony.
This rt-l.n l,a1 xt-l,lrln1
gracefully in the dance, bends over the
awful burden without n shudder. She
gloats over the blood, and with rs much
Indifference rs waiting maid might
take 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 it q 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 converse
tion. 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
conscientious scruples they must decline
the exercise very uncomfortable. You
will also admit, all of you, that it has
passed i'll many cases from an amuse-
ment to u dissipation, and you are east
" able to understand the bewilderment
of the educated Chinaman. who. stand
ing in the brilliant circle where there
was dancing going OH 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 Abominable Round Dance.
You are also willing to admit, what
ever be your idea i'll regard To the
amusement am speaking of, and what
ever he your idea of the old fashioned
square dance, and of many of the pro-
cessional romps i'll which | can see no
evil, the round dance is administrative
of evil and ought TO be driven ont of
all respectable circles. i am by natural
temperament and religious theory op
posed to the position taken by all those
who are Mortified at playfulness OH the
part of the young and who think that
all questions are neutrality-suspicious. of
decency and morals--by the position of
the. feet, while. on the other hand.
can see nothing but ruin. temporal and
eternal, for those who 10 into the disSi.
pations of social life-dissipations
which have already dcspoiled thousands
of young men and young women of all
that is noble in character and useful i'll
life
| The Old Time Dance.
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 Lacedrmo-