The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1897-09-09

weeks ago we pablished a communication
from lady who thought We had sinned suf-
heien,ly to deserve roasting. and this week
We received tie following vigorous bu. mis-
directed article for publication:
Crsrrn, o. T.. Aug. 81, 90.
EniroR IlERsLp:-I was erievcd to find in
a recent number Of the IlERAlp an article
upholding and encouraging dancing. i'm
agine Satan smiled and rubbed his hands
article would have upon the young people Of
Beaver who hal recently deserted his cause
and enlisted ia the cause Of Christ.
was grieved first because Of the influence
the article might have ever some, and Sec
ond because Of the misrepresentation in re-
gard TO the ministers statement that "Alen
will drink when they attend a dance" IL
any minister made any such statement he
ought to quit preaching. The claim made
by those who oppose dances is that drinking
med will go the dance, and it is generally
controlled by that class, SO that the Chris
tiaus who aueni voluntarily lower them.
selves to tba, class.
True, drinking men sometimes come to
church, but only as spectators, not as fellow
christians. and even they laugh to scorn the
professions Of the church member with
whom they associate at dances.
The editor, however, doesn't believe 1t is
right to dance. or else he hasn't the "stam-
ina to defend what he believes, for be snly
pleads the old chestnut, "No harm" Come
out Of the brush, please, and il you believe
dancing is right, say so like man and pro-
duce your argument, and we will be pleased
to reply to it.
Yours respectfully.
c. C. BENTLEY.
Neither tha lady referred to nor Mr..
Bentley had q proper conception OF the
article they speak of, judging from their
communications Our intention was
not to influence church members 10 do
what they thought was wrong, but sim
ply TO protest that the roasts admins
tered by some ministers and church
members to those who see no harm in
dancing were somewhat severe and uu-
called for. We believe the balls held in
the cities, where wine is drank by WON.
| EN- as well as men, to be wrong; we be-
lieve the free for all'' dances, where
drunken men and lewd women take
part, are smoug the most demoralizing
resorts in the land; but we do not be-
, lieye that the social balls. such as are
occasionally held in our little village.
conducted and patronized by the best
element of society, and where any im.
propriety is frowned down as quickly as
it would be at reception, are wrong or
impart any harmful influence.
We will pass over, without comment.
Rev. Bsntley's intimation that the writer
has not sufficient manhood to express
his convictions. AS for writing an
article defending dancing, for Mr.. Rent
lev TO reply TO. we do not care to do H..
for the reason, as we stated before. that
we would rather not see dancing carried
en- where harm is made OF it, However,
we will publish any article Of reasonable
length he may send in, but IL he con-
sders il his duty TO roast us for the
stand we took. he must confine himself
to pointing out the wrongs which have
been wrought by the dances held in the
town of Beaver within the past four
years, the young men aud women who
have been ruiHed morally by them, and
he can also investigate and md out IL
those who conduct the dances here be-
long TO the drinking elerent; for ii was
solely to the dances held in Beaver and
vicinity that the offending article re-
ferred. We do not propose to enter an
endless argument on the question of how
great a sin dancing in general is
Mr., Bentley's Imagination leads him
to believe that the devil chuckled when
he read the article in the HERALD.
Maybe Mr.. Bentley's imagination was al
fault, and the chuckle was caused by
the opportunity which the devil thought
he saw TO get in his
work, when, after getting 9
little flock together, Mr.. Bentley pulled
cut and left them before he got then
fully started on the right track. We dom
know that that was the cause of hi!
msjesty's bilarity. but it may have been
We are convinced. anyway. that it was
not the article in the HERALD that caused
the devil to rub his hands in glee, a:
that individual is not subscriber.
= Simmered down, il is mere matter
OF opinion just 10 what extent the mihol
evils affect ones moral and religious
, character. and even ministers disagree,
as to whether dancing is sin or no,
/ 1t is safe 10 say that anyone who hai
been ruined by attending social bal
would have fallen anyway. the victim o.
temptations which all must encounter
, While we do not pretend TO be autherit,
on such subjects it seems to us that thu
l;na hat-aan avii and M evil ia nrettX