Evening journal., 1913-09-29
FROM
PULPIT SCARES
MODERN DANCE
tcontInued from Firat Pagel

~fNAf " NhANH VIC nttNO bttl speaking -
altogether too broad subject to 5e
handled within the limits of half
hour discourse.
I'VE shall, therefore, restrict our re-
marks to but two of the manifestations
of the worldly spirit now under debate
and censure,. namely ll the so-called
animal dances of the period and (2j
the immodesty, sometimes indecencyg of
dress Characteristic of many of the wo-
men of today, and of many of whom bet
ter things are justly expected.
And, first, in speaking of the dances
OF the day we pass by those in which
the canons of good taste and propriety
are not violated Rather do we speak
solely of the dances known as animal
dances, animal by name and animal by
nature; animal in that those who partici-
pate in them are supposed TO initiate in
their movements the actions of the ami
mails Of the farm yard, the pasture, and
the Jungle; animal i'm that they cater to
animal passions o. (which every man,
every woman, is possessed, given of
God Tor noble purposes, but which never
theless, are to be held in leash in check.
lest they assume an unwarranted and
dangerous mastery.
The animal dances to which / refer
are dances like unto the Tango. Apache
Turkey Irot,' the Tiger, the Spider.
the various Dips the Grizzly Bear
Hug the sunny Hug, and the like.
now in vogue not alone in the dance
halls Of great cities and in houses of
ill-repute, but also in the circles of good
society in the homes of the wealthy, in
the parlors of those who claim to be
leaders Of social life, in places of public
resort by the seashore or among the
mountains; dances for which Just now
there Is popular craze, and which in the
opinion of many are not only vicious in
character, demoralizing in their influence
and fraught with peril TO the bodies and
souls of many who participate in them.
but which also in their ultimate re-
suits augment the frightful stream of
vice and crime now sweeping through
the nation, hurrying hundreds of thou
sands OF our youth to ruin and prema-
ture death.
"All of these dances | have seen
and with respect to them ! speak If
not from personal participation, at
least with the authority of knowledge
gained by observation. In my opinion
they are evil, only evil and that con-
unually. In this opinion, I am glad
TO say, ! by no means stand alone.
When in many fashionable circles
they are denounced. tabooed, or for
hidden; when from many schools,
colleges and universities they are ex-
cluded as immoral; when many of our
newspapers are outspoken against
them; when great churches array
themselves against them: when even
In reputable places of public resort
they are not allowed; when police
men stand around to shut out at least
the worst and most suggestive of the
number, we we'll may believe that in
these dances we are face to face with
evils which for the sake of hundreds
Of thousands of the youth of the land
for the sake of purity in thought and
manners, for the sake of good taste
ought not to be tolerated, at least
IN the circles of good and honorable
men and women. If these animal
dances belong rightfully anywhere
they belong to the denizen of tha
terrible lower world whose trade il
to minister to human appetites pas
sions; not to the upper world OF
right-thinking men and women.
MY appeal to every man, every
Woman, here is to unite in effort L
eliminate from society the evil OF
which We speak, or drive it where il
naturally belongs.
"The immodest dress INDUCED il
by many of the women CT the day il
as sure a sign of moral deterioration
as the matter we have mentioned
When one considers that a mar
who on hot day appears in public
places in shirt-waist is regarded as
violating the conventions of goot
taste, in polite society, at least-st
much so that if a gentleman he feels
that.he must apologize for so appear
ing-what must be thought of womer
who appear upon our streets, anC
elsewhere, in garments so fimsy. S,
diaphonous, so devolette. that ever
men of the world, the very men whom
possibly they hope to attract, pass
them with Indignation, or to smile o
lily concealed contempt?
when a crowd of five hundred men
soon augmented to thousands. gathere,
on "A bathing beach of so cosmopolitan ,
place as Atlantic City, leered. hissed an,
pelted with sand young married wo
man appearing on the beach in one o
the daring costumes of the period. 81
daring that she might as well have omit
ted the pretense of having on any COS
tune at all, compelling the summoninl
of the police for her protection. and fin
ally an automobile in which to hurr,
her away; wnen many of the priests o
great church like the Roman Catholi
to venerable Cardinal Gibbons includ
ed-denounce from their affairs tn
styles now in vogue; when they orde
from their churches, refusing to then
participation in the sacred ordinance
OF the church; when laymen and minis
tiers of other bodies as openly denounc
them; when many society women them
selves say that the thing had gone al
together too Ear; when our newspaper
teen with caricatures and ridieule, is
not clear that in the immodest dres
OF the women of the 'riod, in the 'dia
phonus gowns, the slit skirts, and kin
dred matters men see grave dangers I
the moral health of the nationg
Like animal dances, these cos
tunes belong, if they belong any
where, to that lower world in whic
to a great extent they had thei
origin; they do not belong to. no
should they be tolerated in gooC
honorable society.
All these things. the dances an
the styles OF. dress, come to us fror
the debauched and sensual Orient. O
from the lower worlds-the hall
worlds of Paris and Vienna. to b
slavishly copied by the men an
women Of Christian England and tn
Ts44f fDd NrN-