The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-12-13


arraisnment of the dance and was lis
tened to with intense interest, HIS text
was taken from the Proverbs; "A pru-
dent man forseeth the evil ana hGeth
himself, but the simple pass on and are
punished"
In his Introductory remarks DR., sooy
referred to his discourse on the theatre
the previous Sunday evening, and he
stated that some people had said that he
wasn't acquainted sufficiently with the
facts. He said in reply that he had seen
only two theatrical performances In his
life, and those were during his yerdant
youth, He had no experimental ac-
qulintance with the dance either, but
his arguments against 1t and the theatre
were in line with those who had taken
up their pens against these sinful pleas
ures, The same Is true OF writer's and
speakers on the questions OF temperance
or capital punishment. 1t wasn't neces-
sary for a man 10 get drunk, or to have
experienced delirum tremens before he
was capable to speak on the temperance
question; nor should n man be prevented
from discussing capital punishment Just
because he hadn't been hanged,
He had made a careful study Of all
phases Of the dance, and concluded that
1t was tree, whose only fruit Is the APP
pie of Sodom. He came to this conclu-
sion without desire TO hurt anybody's
feelings, and didn't express It from the
standpoint OF any denomination or pull
pit, hut from the relations of n mans
real morals ar standing, Like the thea
tire, the dance Is traceable to Bac-
chanallan revels, and the theatre, dance
and wine cup have come down through
the years as the enemies of religion. 1t
was argued by the devo.ees that the
dance was spoken of in the Bible, but the
speaker showed that the dance spoken
of there was In the nature of a process
slonal Of rejoicing, and that the men
danced In one company and the women
in another while the present dance
feasts on the fact that the dancers have
partners of the opposite sex. The
masquerade ball and pleasure dance clio
tied condemnation six hundred years
before the Christian era, and 1t was
finally forbidden by the Roman senate.
The tendency of the modern pleasure
dance, particularly the waltz, Is deblslnG
and corrupting. The waltz came across
the sea from gay and wicked Paris,
From that city are turned out hundreds
of dancing professors, aud the shameful
ballet and other theatre dances. THE
rotten wretches In the pit" said DR.,
Sooy, thrill with ecstacy at the shame
full dancers on the stage. But you say,
Paris is too far off. Go to Long Branch
or any other popular seaside resort Go
to any OF our larger cities, and see the
nude dances In connection with the sl-
looms. They are IN progress every fall
and winter, and frcquented by the young
men fond of dancing. They are debas-
ing TO the human heart, and no young
man would ever think Of taking his sis
ter to those palaces Of Gin. for destruction
Is sure. But coming closer, and without
dealing with the extremes Of French GUS
toms or dancing palaces, the pleasure
dance so common among US, hurts,
physically and morally
II have known young women OF dell
cate frames so infatuated with dancing
that they met their deaths leaving the
overheated halls for the chill morning
air. Whether death follows speedily or
not, the dance Is n breeder of premature
decay. The girl dances all night sleeps
the best part Of the day: eats at unseem-
~ hours; bye and bye she begins to look
haggard, and artificial beautiiiers are
called into rcQusiHon. Defenders OF the
dance say the dance IS necdful for CXer-
else, and the graceful training Of the
form. There Is nothing in such an argu-
ment. No girl need lack for training
when there are gymnasiums, cll!Sthenics
and Delsartean exercises. SO much for
the physical phase Of the dance. OF
course there are some mothers who say
they don't allow their daughters to dance
to extremes. but only an ideal dance.
Well | don't know anything about the
ideal dance"
The remainder Of Dr. Sooy's discourse
related to the immoral phase He argued
against the practice Of parents in send
Ing their children to dancing schools,
and said that parlor dancing would end
In the public dance: for dancing craved
publicity The girl proficient In 1t don't
want to hide her light under n bushel,
The private dancing party Is only re-
hearsnl for the public BAH, AS tipping
leads to drunkenness, dancing leads TO
extremes.
There are unhappy associates and ten
denolos Of the dance. AS You 60 down
In ignorance and vice, the dance in
creas1s: as you 20 up into virtue, educa-
ton ana culture, the dance decreases
The noyel-rcddlng and wlns-drnkng
dance. but the true student never dances,
and" eaid the speaker the city OF
Wheeling aslonishc8 me in the lack OF
Intellectual culture To my aml2emcnt
It Ia sadly lacking In society that cult.
Yates the mind No history, no reading,
no Chatluquan clubs! Some have start
ed, but they were short-lIvci, We trled
to organize thom, and were told they
would fail. and they failed.
but / found progressive cuchre par.