The Irish standard., 1905-04-15
REPLIES TO BIG0T
New Richmond Minister Attacks
Morality of French People
And 10 Completely Routed by
Attorney S. N. Hawkins.

mond, Wis, on recent occasion de
livered sermon in which he unscru
pulously attacked the morality of the
French people. The reverend gentle
man reused the ire of the Hon. S. N
Hawkins, who is known to be one ol
the finest historians in that section o1
the state and lover of justice anG
fair play. Mr.. Hawkins comes to the
defense of France In the following
vigorous and convincing article pub
lished in the New Richmond News.
Editor News: I see that Mr.. Col
man has come back to the charge only
to render himself the more ridiculous
thereby. Seeing, as no doubt he must
have seen, the falsity of his position
he now endeavors to veneer it over by
show of mellow words which only
makes his confusion doubly confound
ed. l tried to let him down as easily
as possible in my interview, but find
ing that he seeks and courts further
criticism, will now be more specific
and analytic. And it might be we'll to
have it understood at the outset that
there must not be any departure from
the point at issue, and that is in regard
to the accusation made against the
morality of the French people. Ger
tain accusations were made by him
which regarded as entirely uncalled
for and historically and statistically
untrue, and now he seeks to gloss II
over by rambling from the subject and
giving us dissertation on other ir
relevant matters, and so am remind
ed of what MIR. Webster said when he
began his famous reply to Mr. Hayne
Webster called for the reading of the
resolution. And so, acting upon that
principle, and lest anyone might think
| was taking advantage of the rever.
end gentleman's statement, l will
quote his words upon the question at
issue. Here is what he said:
L VI l,OOO CcLl Ill 1LulOpC LlC U1uCG
was not heard of. In France in 1851
at the court of Louis XIV, in the most
brilliant, profligate and licentious
court on earth, the modern society
dance was born In France today
where the virtuous woman is the ex
ception. In France where one-third
of the children are illegitimate. The
French teach us to Dance"
Let us pause moment and analyze
that statement, item by item. First
paragraph: he said: For thousand
years in Europe the dance was not
heard Of" Thanks for the admission
This one thousand years is precisely
the time that clerical reformers are
wont to call the Dark Ages"-ages OF
ignorance, vice, superstition-"ages'
when the church was a 'hot bed of
iniquity" they say. And yet, here
we have a pseudo-apologist calling in.
directly those ages blessed, rendering
unwilling and unwilling testimony to
the benign influence of the church
which largely shaped the lives and
destinies of peoples during the mid.
die ages" 1t may then be proper to
ask wherefore the Reformation-so
called-if it's advent and progress car.
ried in it's train the introduction and
development of dancing? Either of
two things exist: The above state.
ment is true or it is false. If true,
then Rev. Colman's place is in that
church which preserved the morals of
Europe for thousand years, and If
false he has no one to blame but him.
self, and that the lattern horn of the
dilemma is the one upon which he has
strung himself can be easily ascer.
tanned by consulting any of the relia.
bic encyclopedias, or other statistical
works of reference.
Second, he said: I'm France in 1851
at the court OF Louis XIV, the most
brilliant, profigate and licentious court
on earth, the modern society dance
was born" What dance? We are at
a loss to know just what species OF
dance came into existence at that
precise date. The reverend gentleman
did not state, except as above-"the
modern society dance was born
Does he mean the minuet? That dance
is said to have been introduced from
Spain, way back in the days of Cath
arine de Medici. Does he refer to the
waltz? That one was introduced BY
Napoleon's triumphant soldiers from
Germany. Is it the galop or galopade:
If so, we answer that it had its origir
in Hungary, made its first appearance
at Vienna about the year 1922, anc
was not introduced into France unit
1929. Is it Polka or Pulka (Polish OF
Bohemian)? That dance was intro
duced by Raab, Bohemian dancing
master, at the Odeon theater in Paris
in 1910, and SO l might go on dowr
through the list ad infinitum. (See
New American Cyclopedla, title: Dane
ing.) Perhaps our friend will say
that it is the modern ballet to which
he refers. Well, let us see. The Brit
tanica says that the Modern Bale
seems to have been first produced OF
a considerable scale in 1850 at Lorton;
before the Duke of Milan. It soon be
came a common amusement on grea
occasions at the European courts"