Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-09-15

| uot DtIleNc al young peOplo WHO HO
to our dance halls are Intentionally
bad. i believe. yes, l know, some Of
them go there without one impure
thought. They go for the pleasure of
meeting other young people and Of
| passing an evening in each others
company. In the next place will en-
phatically state that l believe one of
the most pernlcious, one Of the most
awful causes Of spiritual death In our
cities today is the dance hall. And In
support Of my second statement I will
say that In all the United States you
cannot find one minister or hyman
noted for spiritual or evangelistic 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 L. the depleter Of
spiritual life; consequently they are,
aud always will be, out and out.
through and through, enemies Of this
destroyer, this insidious foe Of spir-
itual life.
! AS | spoke in reference TO regular
theater goerA I now speak in refer
ence to the regular dance hall devotce.
| 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-
ton to the service of Jesus. The two
! loves do not exist in the same heart.
They are altogether homogeneous. In
the spring Of 1904 I attended one of
| hn irO oft IN n
mittee" Of the Methodist general CON
| ference. In that committee were q
| few who were trying TO uphold the
dance. one man, leading lay mem
Der, rose aud said, "A prominent pas
tor in the east told me that the very
best and truest und most consecrated
members Of his church were those
| who were attendants OF the theater
and the dance hail., What was the
reply to that speaker? An argument
| 4 testimony? No. All the audience
did, both in gallery and on main floor,
was to raise big guffaw of ridicule.
The statement OF that lay member
was absurd on the face Of 1t. Every
one knew that what he said was con-
trary to the testimony of experience,
You never in your life saw deep spir-
itual consecra ton for Christ and love
| for the dance hall exist together in the
same human heart. The modern dance
! is n foe to all spiritual development
and a barrier 10 progress In the Chris
tan life.
On tho Downward Path.
L.. y Xt,at no rnt tAl{ al, 3,
which Is so liberal upon many matters.
| Is so strict against dancing" was the
| question put by Il Protestant minister
10 a Catholic priest some time ago.
Because was the answer, I'm the
confessional we priests are able to
trace the source of almost every sin.
We have found out by the admission OF
ruined men and women that most Of
the in1moralIties Of great city or n
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 it Is the place where many
good people are spiritually destroyed
or spiritually depleted. 1t is the place
where we have the spiritual "slaugh-
| ter Of the innocents." Therefore to
night as Christian Waterman 1t IS
my duty to warn you Of the danger OF
| entering 1t. Some there are who es-
cape as by fire. but to all the ordeal
is fierce and perilous. 1t is the place
in which the enemy Of souls finds his
his most insidious power. You who
pray, Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver US from evil" beware of
entering tho dance hall. Beau Brum-
mel was the uncrowned king of the
English dance hall. He was the Ward
McAllster Of his day. But that is all
the history most people know about
Beau Brumme!. will tell you his
end. Beau Brummel died in the insane
asylum OF lie Bon fauyeur Many
young men and women who once wore
royal crown in a dance hal! have at
last, like Beau Brummel, had to take
Off that crown and pass not only the
end Of their earthly but all of their
eternal days in spiritual lie Bon
Sauveur, In q spiritual madhouse.
What OF the Night
But standing in the watch tower to-
night ! see more than the cleaning
lights of the evil resorts luring the
victims to their fascinating but fatal
haunts. | see dark shadows in the
streets where no .ights are. | see these
dark shadows following the burglar
and the hold up man and the muir
derer with bis pistol and knife see
the dark and tightly closed houses
from which no ray OF light is coming
These houses look deserted, but they
are not deserted. They are outposts CT
perditlon. silent, but haunted with out
casts and gamblers and cOuspirators
who are 6agrant.y breaking the laws
Of the land see the low dives of a
great city reeking with human vermIn.
l see also where the counterfeitcrs are
silently doing their work In the still
ness Of the night Night is a symbol
OF social calamity, sin and death. So
We ind that most Of the lowest out
casts OF society try to conceal their
evil actions In the darkness of the
night 1t Is the time when the dev
otees of sin hold their high carnival
1t Is when the death dealers are
able to deliver their hardest blows with
the least chance of detection. But with
God the night Is not only the emblem
of "a ia01ifv, 81 ia lsn tha har,inpar M