Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1898-03-23
Is 1t Wrong to Attend The Dancing
School,

~ - levy "a N''''
We know of superintendent of a
Sunday school who has his boy take
lessons in dancing. 1t is well known
that multitudes in the churches think
the same course to be wise one But
how many of these Christian parents
have any knowledge of the dance as it
exists to-day? If they knew but one
tenth of the evil that takes place in,
and results from, the dance-halls and
even private parlor dances, we feel
sure that they would at once ia Ike
their children from so great danger.
What can be the object OF this Sun
day-school superintendent, but that
his boy may lea n to do as the world
does, to mingle more gracefully in its
society. to spend his evenings in that
which they think is the queen OF
worldly amusements. If this be his
object, how can he be reconciled with
the admonitions "Be not conformed
to this world' (Tim, xii. p; If any
man love the world the love of the
father is not in him" q. John ii 15);
ga friend of the world is the enemy OF
God" Games iv. ~.
The Bible clearly indicates that
there is to be dividing line between
the world and the disciple of Christ.
On which side is the dance :?
Are the low cut dresses, bare arms
arms and tightly clinging gowns be-
fitting the modesty of one protesting
to be clothed in Christ's robe of right
eousness? Can the giddy music, the
overheated room, the early morning
hour, and the embrace of the opposite
sex tend to purity of thought? Is the
position assumed in waltz tolerated
in any other place? In word, is it
not all tending to temptation, if not
actual sin, and how can a christian
pray LEAD me not into temptation
and them allow his children to go into
the most captivating temptation ever
invented?
Great as is the evil, there seems to
be almost no voice to speak out and
warn against its bold effrontry. The
dancing school is not only tolerated,
but it is supported by large portion
of the church, while in many cases
Christian people open their parlors for
private dances. / know of an acad-
amy for young ladies, members Of
whose Board of Directors are among
the foremost Congregational ministers
of Massachusetts, that allows the girls
to have weekly dances among them
selves. Though they come from Chris
tian homes, and may have been taught
by watchful parents, to look upon
dancing as sin of worldliness, yet in
this seminary, which is in one of the
very best, they have every encourage.
ment and means to learn to dance
This season there was only one stu.
dent who had the courage to refuse
Another student declined to dance for
some time, knowing that her mother
then in heaven, had been opposed to
it, but finally she yielded to the solici.
tations of the other girls.
In answer to the question so COM
monty asked, "What harm can there
be in parlor and boarding school dan.
cing?" we give the words of Mr.. A. T
Faulkner, EXCHANGING master, ex-cham.
pion dancer, and ex-president of Dan
cling Masters Association of the Paci-
fic coast: "1n these places" he says
care taught the rudiments of an edu.
cation which may make them grad.
yates of the saloon or the brothel.
81 do not say that it always does
but do say that it often does.
81 only wish that certain parents
who think they are restricting their
children to 'parlor dancing at home
only, could have been with me on the
night of May 30th 1892, and have
seen as l did, their girls, some OF them
but twelve or fourteen years OF age
dancing in public saloon, where SC
much beer had been split on the floor
that the women had to hold their
dresses up to keep them from getting
soiled and wet as they danced.
"This is usually the result Of teach.
ing the child to dance, and then to
restrict it to home dancing. If they
once become fascinated with it they
must, and will, by some means fair
or foul, have more of it than their
homes afford.
"The safe side is the best side. Keep
them from taking the first step to
ruin and they will never take the last. 3"
1t is a sad commentary on the dan
cling school that dancing masters find
it necessary to close their schools for
a season, lest the young ladies who
have been ruined bring the school in
disgrace, as is shown by Mr.. Faulkner
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