The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-10-21
FARMvILLE, VA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 81, 1904.

death that you see and heart' Alas.
alas mol For. while one crowd is pass
ing through the Railways and ascend
Ing the stair of the immoral theaiers.
and another crowd is staggering slowly
on with flushed cheeks. hurrying to-
ward the bar behind which liquor IS
sold. which I'm the end will prove as
fatal as the poisonous hemlock quaiied
by a Greek philosopher, ] see still an
other multitude of death seekers.
These pass me not in rags or with slow
and leaden stems. They are dressed
for the bathrooms and the low dance
halls. They move in regular step. not
with the tramp. tramp tramp Of many
soldiers. but with the sliding and
graceful step of the waltz, the two
step. the polka and dances which we
should not and will not mention.
"Are all dances badf" asks some
young girl lis every one dance Of
death? Are all our young people en-
emies Of Christ and bad who ever
visit dance halls| This is a question
which is often honestly and anNlously
put to me by my young people. Well,
my young friend. You have asked me
a blunt question. and ! wiz answer
YOU i'm Just the same way. FIRST, ] Will
say. and emphatically say. that do
not believe all young people who go
TO our dance halls are intentionally
bad. believe. yes. | know. some oi
them 60 there without one impure
thought. They 90 for the pleasure OF
meeting other young people ANA oi
passing an evening in each other S
company. In the next place ] VIII en-
phatically state that ! believe one of
the most pcrniciOus. one of the most
awful causes of spiritual death 10 our
cities today is the dance ball. Ana I'D
support of my second statement | VIII
say that i'm all the United States you
cannot find one minister or layman
noted for spiritual cor evangclistic pow
or who is not an enemy of the dance
hall. through and through. ont and out
They all without an exception. believe
that the dance hall is the dcpleter of
spritual life: consequently they are
and always will be- ont aud out
through and through. enemies OF TINS
destroyer this insidious foe of spir-
itual life.
As | spoke in reference TO regular
theater gocrs. / now speak in rrIer-
ence TO the regular dance hail deyotee
You never saw in all your life per
son who was conspicuous for her love
for the dance hall who was at the
same time conspicuous for her devo-
tion TO the service of Jesus. The TWO
loves do not exist in the same heart
They are altogether mcougruous. In
the spring of 1904 attended one Of
the meetings of the amusement com
mittee" of the Methodist general con
ference. in that committee were %
few who were trying To uphold the
dance. one man. leading lay mem
her. rose and said. "A prominent pas
tor i'm the east told me that the very
best and truest and most consecrated
members Of his church were those
who were attendants Of the theater
and the dance hall" What was the
rcplv 10 that speaker? An argument
4 testimony? 40. All the audience
did. both in gallery and ON main ho'r'
was TO raise a big guiaw of ridicule.
The statement of that lazy member
was absurd on the face of IT, Every
one knew that what he said was com
trary 10 the testimony of experience.
You never i'm your life saw deep spir-
ltual conservation for Christ and love
for the dance hail exist together In the
same human heart. The modern dance
is n foe to all spiritual development
and barrier to progress in The Chris
tian life
"Why is it thatthe Catholic church,
which is so liberal upon many matters
Is so strict against dancingE was the
question put 10y Protestant minister
TO n Catholic priest some time ago
Because" was the answer, "n the
confessional we priests are able to
trace the source Of almost every SIN
We have found out 10y the admission OF
ruined men and women that most of
the lmmoralitcs OF a great city or a
country town can be traced directly
TO the dance hall" The dance hall is
the beginning. not the end. Of the down.
ward path. Some good people-aye'
many good and respectable people
dance. But Il is the place where many
good people are spiritually destroyed
or spiritually depleted. 1t is the place
where we have the spiritual 'slaush'
ter OF the innOcents.' Therefore To-
night as n Christian waichman 1t Is
nv duty to warn you Of the danger of
entering IT, Some there are who es-
cane as by fire. but to all the ordeal
is fierce and perilous. II is the place
in which the enemy Of souls finds his
most numerous victims and exercises
his most insidious power. You who
pray. Lead us not into temptation
hut deliver us ilNli Nfiif ' 't'tN
entering the dance hall. Beau Brum
mel was the uncrowned king Of the
English dance hail. lie was the Ward
McAlllster Of his day. But that is all
the history most people know about
Beau Brummel. will tell you his
end Beau Brummel died in the insane
ASYLUM OF lie Bon Sauveur. Many
Young men and women who once wor,
royal crown in a dance hall have at
last like Beau Brummel. had TO take
of that crown and pass not only the
end Of their earthly but all Of theil
eternal days in a spiritual Le Bon
sauveur. in a spiritual madhouse
But standing in the watch tower to
night | see more than the cleaning
lights Of the evil resorts Turing the
victims TO their fascinating but fata
haunts. / see dark shadows in Tho
streets where no lights are. see these
dark shadows following the burglar
and the "hold mp" man and the mur
derer with his pistol and knife. ! see
the dark and tightly closed houses
/ from which no ray Of light is coming