The Irish standard., 1913-09-13
So Called Rag" and Animal Dan
ces Opposed to Christian
Morally.
Pastor Declares No Sane Man or
Virtuous Woman Will Deny
Their Effect Upon Decency.
Strong Public Denunciation of Inn
moral Dancing Directed to
Young Men and Women.

s1stency IN MANKIND. AND human ma
ture is the same today.
We are careful to wash our face,
and sometimes to rub the powder on,
while we neglect these dark moral
spots that, through individual weak
ness or by subsection to circumstances
We allow to stain our lives. To avoid
sickness, to shun what might Danish
comfort or check prosperity, we are
careful.
In this we are rational, we are just
right.
But are we rational when we permit
IN evil to live and thrive amongst us?
Are we just right when We harbor
an enemy in our midst, when we allow
the 1lend to carry on his nefarious
work.
Tho thief is at the door. The fair
name Of our city is at stake. The
morals Of our good young folk are in
danger. The reputation of our parents
ID under the llmelight.
The beastly rag" is lowering with
widespread wings DER the sanctuary
Of our homes.
Shall we allow this moral vulture to
descend and carry away our young?
No; surely it cannot be
We are too fond of our city, too
fond of our homes, too fond of our
children.
Every good man In the community
and every womanly woman utters the
cry, 1.-THE rag must be abolished"
For the rag" Is an evil, and we
stand for nothing but what is good.
Since Eve ate the apple her chill
dren follow her example. They give
an excuse for everything they do, be
it right or be it wrong. But there
can be no excuse for the rag" 1t
is vulgar, low, immoral parasite.
It is doomed to destroy. It will blight
the happiness Of It's victims and will
degrade society. If it continues, then
the days of chivalry are gone. For 1t
will drag woman back to slavery. II
will rob her of self-respect and of the
esteem Of man, whose glory 1t is to
protect her. 1t will steal from her
every charm. By honest men she will
be disregarded-by her evil partner
despised.
Evil, like fire, spreads fast, and the
rag" is no exception. 1t has grown
rapidly.
Even; on our public thoroughfares
the ugly monster has appeared. On a
night, not hundred years ago, and a
night when every true American was
called upon to rejoice, 1t has driven
decent men and women home in dis
gust.
It has branded our dance halls,
hitherto respected, with a mark of
suspicion. It thus ieprives the man,
who respects himself, and the woman
whose honor is her life," of going
to places where it exists, without a
danger to their reputation.
Full time that this evil should be
checked.
Let it be known far and wide, to
the eternal credit of this city, whose
interests we bear at heart, that we
firmly stand united, one and all, for
what is good and true; that we shall
no longer tolerate the intolerable;
that we are resolved to slaughter the
rag"
That tho rag" is deadly opposed
to Christian morality, no sane man, no
virtuous woman. can deny. Against
the divine law it is grievous sin.
On the true instincts of human nature
1t plays havoc. To the elevation OF
society it is merciless menace; to
It's participants deadly poison.
To boast Of our civilization whilst
We tolerate this unalloyed evil. is a
cruel mockery. It is to glory in our
shame. Again, let it be said that
dancing in itself is innocent Our
war cry is not against dancing, bur
against immoral dancing.
For everything that is immoral
means death to the individual, death
to the public good. The rag" is the
abuse. 1t Il the degradation Of the
dance. 1t was abused, it was de
graded by the pagans.
Did they not by licentious dancing
pay tribute to their wicked deities:
It Is a painful task; it is sad re-
( Election on the w-etched state of so
ciety If, after 1000 years Of Christian
fly, we may turn to the pagan masters
/ for instruction. And we can do sc
n with profit. We can learn how the
y pagans regarded the immoral dance
We can see in the pagan mirror the
prototype Of the rag" We car
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