The news & observer., 1905-10-22
DANCING IN RELIGIOUS NAME.
BY r.. ii. WHITAKER.

then being held, in ne1ghborlug
county, a lady, who had been in at
tendance and witnessed the strange
things which took place, asked me
what 1 thought of it all. L told her
L had no right to say that men and
women. who claimed to be happy,
were not; neither had l the right to
criticise methods, which seemed to
be making other people live better
lives, although / might not endorse
them. Every tree is to be judged by
ITS fruits and men and methods should
be judged accordingly. Methods
count but little if men are sincere and
honest and worship God according to
the dictates of consciences that have
been Illuminated by the Holy Spirit.
But" she asked what do you
think about holy dances?"
Never having seen holy danre,
| can't express an opinion" l remark
''Well, you just ought to go 20 the
meeting and look at one.
do they really dance?" [ asked.
Dance! l should say they did. They
Jump up, as high as they can-the
men do-and fetch a keen holler, and
then run around as if they were
after a rabbit, and one after another
will say. 'I've got it. I've got it!'
Then they join hands and swing
around in circle, keeping time with
the singing. All of a sudden, the cir
Gle will break into couples-a man
and a woman becoming partners, and
the dance begins in good earnest They
forward and back change partners,
swing corners all, then hands around
again-the men jumping about knee
high, and saying, "halleluJah! While
the women, leaning on the arms of
their partners, sway this way and that
way, shuttle their feet, and every time
inn nc
it. they squeal, and try to jump up
too
"You must be telling a story"
jokingly said to the lady. "They don't
do anything like you say they do?''
IF you don't believe me. go to the
meeting tonight and see and hear for
yourself. | haven't told 1T half ana
you'll see when you get there.
I'll take your word for it" | re-
piled, land your story brings to mind
story told me many years ago
''Was it about the holy dance =:
she enquired. if So let me hear it.
/ told her the story and now I'll
tell the reader what Dr.. Dame, a ven
cradle clergyman of the Episcopal
church, said he witnessed in Danville.
Va, in 1868, or about that date.
He said: "We were eating dinner on
sunday: and looking over a hill, from
my dining room window. we saw d
great c1ONu Ol ucSIOcS, anu '-ONtiu
plainly hear singing and, also, Sucn
expressions as: "Come out, old Satan. !.
YOU'RE bound for to come!-you
needn't kick and bite and foam at
de mouf for for you're bound for to
come!''-and we noticed said the DOC
tor that a great crowd forming a GU
Gle. with hands joined. were dancing
around. wagging their Z heads and
swaying their bodies I asked the ser
want girl who was waiting on the table
what it all meant. She said, 'Dey S
dancing de holy dance to drive dc
evil spirits outn poor sinner.
"As soon as l finished my dinner.
said the Doctor ''a gentleman who
dined with me. and /. went over en-
the hill to see what the servant meant
by the holy dance. | have never seen
anything like what we witnessed. \
hundred or more negroes, men ana
women. with hands clasped, were
dancing around a tree, to which was
Iashed q powerful looking negro man
who. as they told me, was poSsesse Il
of devils The bound negro was jerk
ing. kicking and cursing, gnashlng ms
teeth. biting the tree and foaming at
the mouth. as if mad, indeed. Wltn
tune that sounded weird ana
mournful they chanted: Come out
old Satan!-you knows you'se bound
to come,-Marser Jesus got you now.
He'll fotch you out for shore!-O
I see his head is drapping!-De devils s
getting weaker, Shout, chillun, shout
'Soon after the maniac ceased kick
ing and biting al the tree, ana gradu-
ally he became quiet when great
shout went up: Bless de LaWd, an
other soul is free!'
.J observed" said the Doctor that
while the dance was going on, around
that one, another stout fellow, out III
the throng. was making a strange
noise. and was acting very much like
one who was about to have conVui-
sions He was getting ready, L was
informed, to have the evil spirits drlV-
on ont of him. Sure enough, so soon as
the other was loosed and set free. he
was caught by three or four stout fell
lows and bound to the tree, but not
without struggle that was the most
desperate. And then the holy dance
began around him. For awhile i
thought the fellow would XIII nlmseiI' ;
but We stood there long enough to see
him quiet down.
C,ommenting upon the scene, the old
Doctor said : ''Thank God the gospel
is able to overcome all evil. and by It's
effulgence. to shine away the grossesl
superstition!
The lady to whom I told the story
said she supposed all holy dances were
about alike. I have never seen a
arc the only ones l ever heard Of
The children of Israel danced
around the golden calf, but that was
not exactly holy dance, although,
the idea strikes me- it was somewhat
after the fashion of the So-called holy
dances of this day. j don't complain
Of holy dances. If people can't praise
the Lord with their tongues. but can
with their feet / say let them dance
His praise; but, let them be careful
about changing partners, crossing over
and swinging corners. I don't think
the old Bible dancers had any part
ners: therefore. their dances were not
so popular. When David danced before
the ark he not only did not have a
partner, but his own wife stood off
and made game Of him.
It's the partner business that pop
ularizes dances. of all kinds I suspect.
No. I've never seen a holy dance.
and [ haven't enough of curiosity to
go to dancing meeting to witness
one.
And now they have invented cot
ton picker. few years ago, it was