The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-12-09
Church Entertainments.

among the many excellent contributions
to The Forum FOR December than that
in which Rev. William Baysrd Hale
discusses mcdern church entertaio-
mcnts.
The lis, he gives of shows of qnes-
tiopable and outrageous character
which have been given in the U"i'ea
States during the present year for toe
benefit Of churches and uoder the aus
plces aud direction Of pastors aud
church members indicates a reckless
ness 10 the pursuit Of such objects aoa
lamensable degradation of taste in
many communities That shows of
such character as many which Dr. Hale
mentions aud describes should be pa
trouized or even tolerated 10 any Chris
'iau community is strange that they
should be gotten up and directed by
church people is almost incredible
After referring to disgusting array
of silly performances and catchpenDy
schemes, Dr.. Hale comes to the eli.
max of these abuses as follows:
This is possibly fanny but for
monumental god!essoess made endura-
BILE by 90 saving grace Of huuor, for
sinian imbecility, for supreme and
ioimitab!e folly unmarried by the Sigh :
est suggestion either of common de-
cency or ordiuary se!f-respect, FOR
grovcliog baseness and depraved
vuigari,y-,he Trilby Party, other
wise the tcos Social, otherwise Ankle
Auction, stands at the head Of ibe
church entertainments of the year
While others are trua2ing along the
weary plains of the unimagiuative and
the ordiaary. the Methodist Episcopal
church Of Suf1ro, N Y, and St
Johns Pro,es ant Episcopal church Of
New Brenswick. n J :. with unblaacb<
ed cheek aud dauotless eye have scaled
the Alphiue heights of deathless shame.
I have received ffom all parts of the
country marked copies Of newspapers
reporting theec events; some of the
papers bearing the request, Please
give sb;s you. attention. [ am very
willing to do so. has regret the made
quacy of NV vocabulary. and I refrain
|rom auy further attempt - character
izs tie performance In the Tri'by
Social. as given BY ,be Sufferu Meth
odis, Episcopal Epworih League and
the New Brrnswick Pc Olive Branch
Scc.e'y, the young ladies Of the cburc'i
dis play 'heir-fycs. LEI Us say. AID be
pol:te-behiod cncsaia, Which is 'ifed
to a height described as taDtal;zing.
Meo in front Of the curtain view what
is displayed Of one female after another
and then lid fer the privilege of taking,
Der to supper. The char" of the
scheme is the ease with which it !euds
Itself to the worse sbao dubious /; and
| baye no doub. that the press accounts
of the scores which attended the bid
ding are. in both cases. highly colored,
though the most literal truth would Ger
tainIy be exciting enough. Tue Bostcn
Sunday Journal illustrated one Of these
events with half-pago pictcre; The
New York Herald gave it column
illustration the accompanying letter
press and the reports published 10 other
napers. describe show which, In a re.
spectacle community, under other than
ecclesiastical management, might have
dificslty with the police u
We are proud of the fact that ia the
entire list which Dr. Hale presents not
single church Of any denomination in
any southern state is mentioned This
is species Of enterprise which the peo
pie Of the south shown no disposition to
adopt and which they will uos tolerate
Church entertainments are fre-
oueut 10 our cities ard toms, but while
eome of them may not be of a very
high intelectural order, they are never
absolutely silly aud pever indecent.
Dr.. Hale has spoken words Of just
condemnation ogaicst the execrab!e
taste and lax morality of church eD ter
taDmcnts which have proved popular
and profitable in some northern and
western communities. Atlanta 10 ur-