Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1906-02-01
Dancing Discussed.


erbout church members a-dancing
and card-playing, and so on?"
"'Well, as far as can make out,
church rules don't make no differ
ences to such things. IF / had
nothing else to do, and ef my reli-
gion offered nothing better to inter-
est me, l might want to go in for
myself; but l hain't had time or
hankering after them lately. Still,
l dunno as would prohibit things
that Pm not sure are wrong, or
encourage them as I'm not sure
are right. It'd be better to try to
crowd them all out, and teach
every body to love their Lord
enough to practice little self-denial
over doubtful things"
"But l cant see the wrong Of
them! And that's one thing I've
got against the ideas OF the church;
they're allus saying, Give up and
deny ourself.' The wife's got a
box up to the house labled Self.
denial Offering and she's allus
fretting for fear she'd do something
that would hurt someone else. Now
you say your religion is one of
happiness. How can it be, when
you're allus having to give up
some things and to 60 without
others?"
eyes, 'Siah," added old man
Martin, "it seems to me narrer
idea of religion to be trying to
make everyone give up all their
fun, so as to be as miserable and
unhappy as the church folks"
"Funny, isn't it, too" said 'Siah,
chow the more these ideas spread,
the more unhappy the world gets
to be?"
81 don't know about thet," said
Hank, "but l can't see the sense
of this ere restricting yourself all
the time. Why not enjoy your
self, and let everyone else have a
good time, too?
.sBecause what is one mans
pleasure may be another's pain.
This old world was not made so
that we can go sliding down the
hill of lust and sense together with
out colliding and having smashups.
A world of men and women with
out self denial would pretty soon
be hell Of DEVILS"
"Pretty strong language for a
deaconW suggested George, the
store. keeper.
mot half so strong as the situa-
ton would be if there was no self
denial in this world. Suppose you
always did just what you felt like
doing?"
oval, I'd go fishing tomorrow,
and stay till fall"
"Anyway you wouldn't tie your
self up in the store all day. But
you've the wife and youngsters to
think of, and so you deny your
self.'
"Still, lisa pleasure to do things
for them"
$50 it is to give up anything for
anyone. That's where happiness
comes in-when selfishness goes
out. A selfish man can't be happy
and the man who never gives up
) anything never gets any good out
Of anything"
"But yere getting away from
what we was argying erbout, 'Siah.
t I say it's selfishness of you'uns to
e be allus a-saying. Don't do this
J and that"
cit surely would be if Christian
q self.denial meant making people
' give up to our notions. But it
:. don't. 1t means that the Chris
. tian gives up his own way and his
n wishes for the sake Of the others.
4 1t is the Christian who does the
giving up. l reckon there's been a
good deal of mistake on that pint,
9 and we've often made the mistake
Q of trying to legislate religion into
i others, instead Of jist living our
o selves, and prohibiting what We
8 think to be wrong, instead Of ex
Q hibiting what we know to be right.
i "But why bother your head a
bout giving up anything"
j. "You wont bother your heat
g if your heart is right. Did it both
n er you any to give up your bach
Il elor ways when you got married O
% to give up your fishing and hunt
le ing to make a living for the family
,e Does it hurt you any to give vi
target shooting on the street here
And it wouldn't bother any Of u
much to give up good man.
~ things if we only stopped to thinl
20 of their results on other folk.
- tell you this Christian love an
I sacrifice is the only thing that hold
:. y. this world together. What'd thi
:, town be like without it?'-Henr
- F. Cope, in Sunday School Times.
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