New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-26
Law Should Stop
General Dancing,
Sunday Declares
Proper for Husband and
Wife and Children Un-
der IL, He Says

f Legislation prohibiting dancing by
children after their twelfth birthday
until they marry and permitting it then
oaly If the dancers are husband and
wife was proposed by Billy Sunday
during his sermon on modern amuse-
ments last night. A law which tould
permit governmental repression Of
gambling "in the private preserves We
/ call our homes" as we'll as in public
was another reform suggested by the
rcvivalist.
+ Such measures were declared to be
necessary to the social life of the
country because Of "the fact that 3d.
O0c fallen women in America out of
n total Of 100000 fell as result Of
( the dance" and the truth that nine
tcnths Of the gamblers learned to play
cards in their homes"
/ Sixteen thousand men and women
heard Sunday advocate these measures
and numerous others calculated TO
/ check the "evil tendencies" of the
stage. modern dress, society recrea-
| tons and pastimes during a vitriolic
attack on "amusementS as they are
generally INDUCED in and understood
/ i'm New York" His criticisms and con-
formations Of "rottcn shows. card par
4 ties, public dance halls and weakened
churchfolk who permit and encourage
these things" we're punctuated by fer
vent "amcns" from all sections Of the
/ Tabernacle.
Criticism Of Theatre Mild
/ Last night he said in regard TO the
theatre:
] ~ do not condemn the theatre as an
{ institution. do condemn the saloon as
an institutions; it has not the right
b TO exist only condemn on the stage
what decent stage folk condemn. The
so-called advanced school of drama
seems to have put a premium on lnde-
( cent theatricals and scoffed at merit.
It's the spectacular that attracts now.
/ Take Off the leg shows and many the
aires would 20 into bankruptcy There
are stage people as fine as you can find
anywhere. jefferson, MacCready,
Denman Thompson, Billie Burke, Maude
Adams they're as good as they come
anywhere. Tom Kesne was a dandy. He
tried to get me for an understudy-
said I'd make a crahckerjack of an
actor.
"The managers say they can't put on
A decent show--it won't pay. When
the press says a show is filthy and lewd
it's the best 'sd' they can get. So II isn't
up to the managers-it's up to YOU"
Leaving the shortcomings OF the
stage and the danger it holds for
"stagestruck" girls. Sunday launched
into an attack on "home amusements.'
81 believe amusements should be rec
reative and not destructive physically,
morally and mentally" he said. 81 like
baseball, golf, bowling, lawn tennis
though that's too sissified to suit me.
| like checkers and chess.
whats the difference. you ask, be-
tween checkers or chess and cards
About as much as between heaven and
I hell. Nine-tenths of the gamblers of
/ the cOuntry-ruined men--were taught
/ to play in their homes as children The
Z Christian homes of the country are the
/ kindergarten Of the gambling bells.
"Boys flip pennies and the cops get
/ them. but the police must keep out OF
the private preserves we call our homes.
/ believe cards and the dance are
greater obstacle to right living than
/ the saloon. Twenty-Five years ago no
decent woman would be seen drinking
/ or smoking. But now you can't go into
a hotel or cafe without seeing them. A
b seemingly estimable woman will tear
and struggle through an afternoon so
she can carry home a dinky cream
/ pitcher from the social"
Quotes Cicero to Prove Case
Authority was lent 10 the condemna-
ton of the dance by the following quo
tation. attributed By Sunday TO Cicero:
"No one dances unless they are drunk
or crazy"
"lf one of those old thinkers should
come to New York" said the evangel-
isl. "he would think the whole town
WIS bughouse.
"The stately cotilon is too slow for
the twentieth century. so we had the
Cubanola glide, the Mobile buck, etc.
hese were not hot enough to satisfy
the lecherous tastes of the dance
crazed mob, so they invented more eX-
citing ones still-the bunny hug. the
kangaroo. the jelly wabble, the kit
chen sink and the putty snuggle."
As he enumerated the various dances
Sunday kept the Tabernacle in laugh
ter by super-realistic demonstrations Of
the different varieties, concluding with
an imitation and description Of an old
fashioned square dance" which Sun
day pronounced almost as vicious as
the modern type.
Sunday announced that a wealthy
New York woman had offered him a
salary Of $4,000 a year if he would
start new church" in New York City.
Nothing doing" Sunday said he had
replied. 81 wouldn't start new de-
nomination for a million dollars. Ny
ioh Is 70 fix m the old ones"