Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-08-11
Is There Harm in Dancing ?

ho' > @Ao many III Gnlb COuHGry,
both men and women, who maintain
that dancing is an innocent and i'm,
proving recreation. They insist that
the church is wrong in opposing it
Now this scribe never saw a com.
pany of persons dancing in all his
life; and yet ne has been living here
where dancing has been going on all
these years. The effects of dancing
he has seen, and he sees it now more
and more as time goes by. Judging
from the effects, dancing is one Of
tho most seductive, dangerous and
dolusive p,stimes to which our. peo.
pie are given. do not mean now
that it is dangerous to life and limb
but to piety and purity.
have yet to see single man OF
woman, in the church or ont of it,
who regularly attended the dance
and at the same time maintained q
character for piety. Whatever else
may or may not be true, dancing and
religion do not 60 we'll together
The love of the dance and the love
of God are mover found in the same
heart. L have known hundreds OF
persons who have tried to mix dane
ing and religion, but they have al
ways made miserable failure of it,
They will not mix.
My observation is that as the years
60 by there il a growing tendency to
increase forms of voluptuousness in
the dance. Young people begin with
that which is least Objectionable, and
they 90 on, step by step, following
the fashion, until modesty is shamcd
and virtue exposed. If they do what
the young people all tell me they dc
| cannot understand how truly
modest young woman can submit to
the liberties taken with her person in
the more fashionable forms of the
dance. Young ladies' may submit to
these things and retain maidenly
purity in their hearts; but one thing
| know just as well as | know my
name-these liberties permitted, il
not courted by women, stir an awful
ugly devil in the hearts of men
However much ayoung man may
enjoy taking these liberties at the
time, one thing is certain--the per-
sonal purity of the woman who per-
mits them is lowered in his estima-
ton from ten to one hundred degrees
after the hour of excitement is past
10 deny this is to give the lie to the
plain facts of human nature, tc
the natural instincts of men. The
woman yields to the embrace of hel
partner in the dance sacrifices with
him her character for purity just in
proportion as she yields ardently, o,
cringingly, Or reluctantly. Now
mark that, will you2 Jot it down
in your memory. 1t is putting things
plainly but truthfully. Mon vii
take-even clever mon and gentle.
men-about all the liberties women
permit never less, rarely moro. II
is the nature of men to do this, un.
less nature has been regenerated by
the Holy Ghost and it's natural out.
goings arc restrained by grace.
Women, particularly very young
women, may not know these things
but it is about time they were find.
ing them out. Their mothers ought
to tell them plainly, pointedly and
prayerfully. Some girls find out the
truth after it is too lato. Utter ruin
has coalod their fate for this life
When tho dixie Of womanly modcsty
is broken once down, the road tc
ruin is q short one. After all has
been said, there arc some women SC
given up to fashion and folly that
they will sacrifice upon this altar
their modesty, their purity and tlleil
souls. Present folly and present
exposure may give present pleasure
but they will entail years of sorrow,
sin and shame. If tho women say
nay, not a single liberty will be taken
with them anywhere, in any way
damaging to them or to mon. In
this they hold the balance of power
1t is shame, 80 I have heard, to
speak of the things done in the moro
modern and fashionable forms of tho
danco.-Rev. r. G. Porter, in Odd
Hours.
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Mr.. A. G. Wolfe, of Dundee, Mo-, who
travels for Mansur and Tibbotts, Implo
ment Co., OF st. Louis, gives travelling