Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-02-16

DANCING AND CARD PLAYING.
Rev. Billy Sunday Pays His Respects
to Social Evils.
Rev. Billy Sunday preached a SER
mon on "Amusements" three times
in Philadelphia last Thursday, which
was heard by more than $4,000 peo-
Pile. The Philadelphia Ledger sum-
married the sermon in part as fol-
lows:
He poured his verbal hot-shot into
"the charity ball" crying that it was
IAN insult to Almighty God" and a
libel Of Jesus Christ" to dance for
charity, to dance "at any such high
toned affairs where you have to look
under the table to see II woman
has anything on" His congregation
gasped, laughed, and several women
got up and walked out Of the taber-
nacle as the evangelist initiated a
woman combing her hair, struggling
into a ballroom gown and making
ready to go to charity ball."
He shouted that the ballroom and
the dance were "the moral grave
yard of the world" He cried it was
high time men and women went forth
today fighting for the virtue Of the
girlhood of the country" Three-quar-
ters Of the women stumbling into the
light Of the red light were stumbling
there by the dance. The white SLAYER
hung at the dance halls door. He
scorned, he sneered at the women
high in society who asked:
Am I my sisters keeper" And
mo-" shouted Sunday, you are her
murderess. You contribute to her
moral delinquencies, you champion
the things by which she falls! You
women are like wolves. A girl stubs
her moral toe and you rend her to
shreds!" There was applause. par
ticularly in the afternoon when, 1t
seemed, eight out Of every ten persons
in the tabernacle were women.
Tn basis of the dance was pas
sion." If, said the evangelist, he could
have his way, make men dance only
with men, women with women, he
would kill the dance in two weeks.
People who said ut was exercise"
could get that exercise dancing with
those of thei rown sex just as we'll
as with the opposite.
Men and women demanded some
thing ito make their blood do hurd-
les'' and from the "brothel" they
dragged the "Cubanola Glide" and
the Mobile Buck" the rotten an
cestors" of the "Turkey-trot," Bun
ny-hug," Kangaroo Wiggle," Kitchen
Sink" and others, not forgetting
modern waltz steps. But it was the
Tango" that drew his unadulterated
wrath. 1T was the "most rotten,
sinking, licentious thing that ever
wriggled out of the pit Of hell" Sew
eral society women sitting in a front
seat, applauded that thrust. He did
not spare the Fox Trot"
From a gasp, he had his congre-
cation laughing as they'd scorn an
invitation to dance the quadrille; he
stood in the centre of his platform
and led an old-time country dance,
himself the fiddler announcing the
various steps. The next instant he
was crying that a priest told friend
of his that, through the confession
al, 1t had become known that 19 out
Of 90 cases the downfall of women
were attributal to the dance hall.
"Oh!" shouted Sunday, 'shun the
dance as you would the pesthouse or
the bubonic plague. 1t is the rot
tenest institution on Gods almighty
dirt. And say, l think the lowest
down rascal on Gods dirt is a dane
ing Methodist.
II have more respect for the saloon
keeper than for any sissy dancing
teacher. Why, I'd rather be a
chambermaid in livery stable than
a caller at a dance!"
The big congregation rocked with
laughter and applause at that sally.
They didn't have long to wait until
Sunday scored again with: ITS
enough for me to know that a girl
hits the cigarettes and hits the booze.
High life, did you say? It's all off
with you, sissy. Your life's low
enough to mel"
To "sow cards." he exclaimed, was
ito reap gamblers" and he trained
his guns upon the card-roOms Of
fashionable homes, upon the homes
of church members of any and all
denominations who allowed a card
in their places. The "select game"
at home was the root of "the gamb-
ling hell" and led directly to knives
and pistol shots in the dark places of
the city. II don't care" he exclaim-
ed, whether you play for dinky lit
tie cream pitcher or $50 in gold!
You're a black-legged gambler just
the same. If you hold up man and
rob him of cents, the principles
the same as though you got $1,000!
Oh, the police would get good haul
if they backed up to your houses and
confiscated your lay-outs!"
There was sSO,O00,OOO daily chang
ing hands over gambling tables in
this country. That, too, was Ameri-
cas- shame along with the country's
record for divorce, murder and alco-
holic consumption. Women who
played auction bridge were as short
on Paul as they were long on Hoyle."
IF you keep Bible in your
house." he cried, his face tense and
the veins in his temples throbbing,
throw the cards in the garbage can!
Or, if the cards mean so much, throw
the Bible in the garbage can instead"