The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-15
Even Social Events Already Planned Come Within Its Ruling, According to Elk planation Made by Pas tors in New York City.


 New York, June 15-At every mass in the Roman Catholic churches throughout the city Sunday mention was made concerning the ban that has been placed on dancing in this country and Canada by Pope Benedict XV
 The ban on dancing was officially brought to the attention of the pastors when the following letter was sent out by Mgr. John J. Dunn, chancellor of the archdiocese, with instructions from Cardinal Farley that the con tents be told to the congregations:
 Rev. and Dear Father: His
 Eninence the Cardinal Archbish-
 op directs me to notify you that.
 pursuant to a decree of the Sa-
 cred Congregation of the Consis-
 tory, dated March 31, he hereby
 forbids under severe penalty all
 dancing at church entertainments,
 whether arranged for already or
 planned for the future. Later
 |his Enninence will send a circular
 on the subject to the reverend
 pastors.
 Letter From Cardinal Awaited.
 Although it was expected that a let ter on the subject from Cardinal Far ley would be read in the churches, it could not be learned definitely wheth- CT or not such a, letter had been issued by the Cardinal.
 No other decree issued from Rome has caused so much discussion. In view of the fact that the ban becomes effective immediately many of the par ishes which depend upon an annual ball to help defray parochia1 expenses will have to find a substitute for dane ing.
 The decree that has stirred such wide interest was published in the current issue of the Acta Apostolic Sedis, the official publication of the Vatican. It runs thus:
 tIn the last century in the United States the custom sprung up of gath ering Catholic families to balls whict used to be protracted to 9. late, houl at night by entertainments and other forms of amusement. The reason ana cause given for this was that Catho- lies might get to know each other l and become more intimately united | in the bonds of love and charity. They | who were used to preside over the gatherings were generally the heads O. some piouS work, not rarely the rec | tors or the parish priests of churches | 'But the ordinaries of the places, al l though they entertained no doubt O. | the upright purpose of those who pro | noted these dances, still, looking a the periIs and losses caused by tn, s duty to forbid them; and therefor ] in canon 29O of the Third P1enar! Council of Baltimore they laid dowl l as follows: We order also that priest | will take care to remove entirely tha abuse in which entertainments ant balls are held for the . purpose O promoting pious pFojects.'
 l. Order Fell Into Oblivion.
 "But, as often happens in human 1 things. what was very wisely and just | ly ordered in the beginning graduall i commenced to fall into oblivion. an the use of balls again fourished an l even spread into the neigh boring Do | minion of Canada.
 1 Knowing these things the mos | eminent fathers of the Sacred Consis l torial Congregation having cOnsulte' 1 several ordinaries of these places, am having subjected the. matter to dee, study concluded that the decision lai | down by the III. Council of Baltfnor 1 must be obeyed, and with the appro l bation of Our Most Holy Father Rene dict XIV, Pope, they decreed that al priests, secular and regular, and oth | CT clerks are absolutely forbidden t l promote or foster the said balls, eve l though if in aid of and in support c pious works, or any other pious end 1 moreover, all clerks are forbidden t be present at these balls if the happen to be promoted by lay men.
 This decree the sovereign ponti ordered to become part of pubH law and to religiously be observed b
 all, everything to the contrary not
 withstanding.
 Cardinal O'Connell of Boston an
 Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore hay been just as prompt as Cardinal F'a1 !, ley in issuing orders to their respeC tive clergy that the Pope's ban o dancing must be enforced. The Amer
 can Archbish ops too have formal
 notified pastors of the decree. ArcI
 bishop Mundelein of Shicago, recent
 of the Brooklyn diocese, was one
 the first western prelates to enforc the new order. The edict is expecte to curtail the annual church revenu ! by hundreds of thousands of .doIla1 in Chicago alone.