Milford chronicle., 1904-09-16

: on with flushed cheeks, hurrying tc
] ward the bar behind which liquor /
+ sold, which in the end will prove a
: fatal as the poisonous hemlOck quaffei
I by a Greek philosopher, l see still an
t other multitude of death seekers
These pass me not in rags or with SLOW
and leaden steps. They are dressed
for the bathrooms and the low dance
halls. They move IN regular step, moi
with the tramp, tramp, tramp Of many
1 soldiers, but with the sliding and
graceful step Of the waltz the two
step, the polka and dances which we
should not and wiN not mention.
Are All Dances Bad9
"Are all dances badY asks some
young girl. SIS every one a 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 anxiously
put to me by my young people. WeA,
my young friend, you have asked me
a blunt question, and l win answer
| you in just the same way. First, will
say, and emphatically say, that l do
not believe all young people who so
to our dance halls are Intentionally
bad. l believe, yes, l know, some Of
them &c there without one impure
thought. They so for the pleasure Of
meeting other young people and Of
passing an evening IN each others
company. In the next place l will en-
phatieally state that l believe one Of
the most perniciOus, one of the most
awful causes of spiritual death in our
cities today is the dance hall. And in
support of my second statement will |
say that in all the United States you |
cannot find one minister or layman /
noted for spiritual or eFangelistic pow
er who is not an enemy Of the dance |
hall, through and through, out and out.
They all, without an exception, believe
that the dance hall is the depleter Of
spiritual life; consequently they are,
and always will be, out and out
and through, enemies Of this
destroyer, this iRsidiOus foe OF spir-
itHal life.
As 1 spoke in reference to regular
theater gOers, now speak in refer
ence to the regular dance hall devotee.
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-
ion to the service of Jesus. The two
owes do not exist in the same heart.
they are altogether incongruous. In
he spring of 1904 / attended one OF
he meetings Of the amusement conf
nittee" of the Methodist general con
erence. In that committee were a :
ew who were trying to uphold the
ance. One man, leading lay mem
er, rose and said, "A prominent pas ;
or in the east told me that the very !
est and truest and most censecrated
lembers of his church were those
Tho were attendants Of the theater !,
nd the dance hall" What was the :
aply to that speaker? An argument? n
testimony? No. All the audience :,
Id. both in gallery and on main floor, Il
as to raise q big gu8aw Of ridicule 9,
he statement of that lay member l
as absurd on the face OF it. Every >,
le knew that what he said was con =,
airy to the testimony of experience. q,
on never in your life saw deep spir- sl
lal conservation for Christ and love "
r the dance hall exist together in the NJ
me human heart. The modern dance h,
a foe to all spiritual development n
ID barrier to progress In the Chris 81
IN life. ot
On the Downward Path. he
Why is it that the Catholic church, hs
lich is so liberal upon many matters, DC
so strict against dancing?" was the to
estiOn put by a Protestant minister ba
a Catholic priest some time ago. st,
ecause," was the answer, 'ln the ''A
lfessional we priests are able to err
ce the source of almost every sin. su
: have found out by the admission Of OF
ned men and women that most Of thl
; immOralities of a great city or a Of
lntry town can be traced directly /
the dance hall" The dance hall is my
beginning, not the end, Of the down aft
rd path. Some good people-aye, bel
ny good and respectable people dal
ice. But 1t is the place where many dee
ID people are spiritually destroyed flo,
spiritually depleted. 1t is the place acr
ere we have the spiritual "slaugh- doc
of the innocents." Therefore to- ed
ht as a Christian watchman it is the
duty to warn you OF the danger Of my
ering it. Some there are who es- the
e as by fire. but to all the ordeal and
lerce and perilOus. 1t is the place We
which the enemy Of souls finds his stol
It numerous victims and exercises edg
most insidious power You who ing
?, Lead US not into temptation. Yes
deliver us from evil" beware of shiT
ring the dance hall. Beau Brum- ing
was the uncrOwned king Of the the
Esh dance hall. He was the Ward ped
Allister Of his day. But that is all to /
history most people know about sail
u Brummel. I will tell you his had
Beau Brummel died In the insane So ,
um Of lie Bon Sauveur. Many the
lg men and women who once wore ity,
val crown in a dance hall have at will
like Beau BrBmmel, had to take NOR