Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-10-06
THE DANCE OF DEATH
DR.. TALMAGE FINDS A WARMING IN
THE DAUGHTER or HERoDiAs-

DIR. TALMAGE FINDS A WARNING IN
THE DAUGHTER or HERoDlAs.
Dancing Might Not De Sinful In Some
Cases, hut In All Ages IL Has Iieen As
soeIated with the Lower Forms of Dis
sipation.
BROOKLYN, Sept 3o.--Rov. DR.. Tai
mage, who is still absent ON his round
the world tour, has selected as the sub
ject of today's sermon through the
press 'tThe Quick Feet. " the text chosen
being Matthew xiv. @. when Herod's
birthday was kept. the daughter of He
rodias danced before thom and Cd
Herod. "
II is the anniversary Of Herod's birth
day. The palace is lighted. The high
Mays 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 Injuries that royal purvey
ors can gather. The guest, white robed
and anointed and pcrfumed. come in and
sit at the table Musicl 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 out more wine. Mu-
sic Sound all tho trumpets. Clear the
floor for dancel Bring i'll Salome, the
beautiful and accomplished princess
The door opens, and in bounds the dan
Ger. The lords are enchanted.
Stand back and make room for the
brilliant gyrationsl These men never
saw such poetry of motion. Their
soul whirls in 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 splendor that whirls
on tiptoe 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 more
amazing. After awhile ho sits in ell
ohanted silence looking at the flashing,
ieaping, bounding beauty, and as the
dance closes and the tinkling eymhals
cease to clap and the thunders of APP
plause that shook the palace begin to
abate the enchanted monarch swears to
the prineely performer. Whatsoever
thou shalt ask of me will giveit thee, to
the half of my kingdom. Now, therowas
in prison at that time minister of the
gospel of the name 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 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 tho head Of John
the Baptist on dinner plate
The Head of John.
Hank to tho sound of feet outside the
door and the clatter of swords The ex-
ecutioners are returning from their aw-
full errand. Open the doorl They enter,
and they present tho platter to Salome.
What is on this platter? A new glass
of wine TO continue the uproarious mer-
riment? 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 SO
gracefully i'll the dance, bends over the
awful burden without a shudder. She
gloats over the blood, and with as much
Indifference as a 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 it 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
ton 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 in many cases from an amuse-
ment to dissipation, and You are east
| " able TO understand the bewildermcnt
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
cd to the proprietor Of the house and
said, why don't you allow your SER
wants 10 do this for your
The AbominabIe Round Dance.
You are also willing to admit, what
ever DO your idea in regard TO the
amusement / am speaking Of, and what
ever be your idea Of tho old fashioned
square dance, and Of many Of the pro
cessional romps in which | can see no
evil, the round dance is administrative
OF evil and ought to be driven ont 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 the
part of the young and who think that
all questions are neutrality-suspicious. of
,lecency and morals-by the position of
the feet, while, on the other hand, l
can see nothing but ruin, temporal and
eternal, for those who 60 into the dissi.
pations of social Neutrality-suspicious.
which have already despoiled thousands
of young men and young women Of all
that is noble in character and useful in
! 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
Poliux taught the art to the Lacedamo-
]