The Washington herald., 1918-02-16

run InaCs learned 70 play Win the SAY
limit, or even penny-ante. You
couldn't hold them. So they had to
have their progressive euchre and
whist and all these things. Why,
some church members have cards on
their tables as often as food-oh, sure.
Somebody said: DO you play cards,
Bnlp'
No, sir, I haven't had a pack of
cards In my hands for 80 years. and
It was 30 years ago, one. dark and
stormy night, that I found Jesus
Christ, and I've never had q pack
OF cards in my hands from that day
till this. / have never tasted booze
since the day was converted down
to this day, although the whisky
gang say I am q drunk. If there
is any lie that human lips haven't
told about me. trot 1t out, and I'll
make that gang lie down!
Now. then, II the world was made
up of one family. guess wouldn't
need to preach this sermon, but
fortunately II is made up. OF many
families, and each family is more
or less interdependent upon the
others. It's a hardship to keep your
child on the right side of the prop
osition when they see other chill
dren doing certain things. When
they see them doing 1t, they natur-
ally want to do 1t themselves.
About Dance Halls.
I remember one time In Chicago.
where 1 lived for twenty-odd years,
Helen, who was a little girl. said
Mamma, couldn't go to dancing
school. could I?''
She said: IT should say you could
MT; who ever put that nonsense into
your head?"
Mr.. BernIque's little girl Che was
a little hook-nosed dancing master)
was down to the school today and
had on a new dress with eighteen
yards Of ribbon on It, and she was
showing US the steps, and she said
for US to ask our mammas II we
couldn't take dancing lessons from
her father. because 1t would make
US all graceful"
I'd rather have my daughter or
sister waddle through life like hip
popotamus.
Somebody said: You condemn the
square dancer" They all look alike
to me! There's many a shortcut to
the round one.
Plato tells us that dancing was
never used by the Egyptian as a
social amusement. The sexes never
mingled together-never! It was a
religious ceremony to their gods. Men
and women danced to their gods as
religious exercises-never, never, die
the sexes mingle together.
In the days of Roman luxury and
licentiousness. the dance degenerated
into a social amusement. In India
Rome, Egypt, girls danced on public
occasions. But it was always taken
for granted that they were disrepu-
table, and they were prostitutes oil
they wouldn't do II. No respectable
woman ever danced in public.
Let me show you how it's come OF
down. Cicero, who died forty-twc
years before Jesus Christ was born
said: mo one dances unless he Is
drunk or crazy" Well, IL the old
Roman should happen to walk into
this town. he'd think the whole darn
town was buggy.
A Latin inscription on a monument
which stands today says: 1T is dis
graceful to dance or for a virgin to
enter a ballroom"
I'm showing you how they looked
on it way back there even in the
beginning. You Sthink its Just a
twentieth century condemnation-see
how things were away back at the
start, at the kick-off, away back
there; oh, the stately cotiIlion, I'll
tell you that's too slow for the hot
blood OF the twentieth century,
Why. evil communication would
corrupt good manners. and these
dances were too mild; they did not
excite enough. And these panderers OF
the ballroom. they brought forth other
dances and they gave them the name
Of Bunny Hug and Kangaroo Wiggle
and Turkey Trot and Jelly Wooble
and Balling the Jack and Kitchen
Sink and Heaven knows what else
Jack Knife, my friends and Ocean
Glide. and all those things. And If
parents only knew how such dances
and others degrade-oh, you'd shun
them as you would a pesthouse!
Oh, yes-sure! So there is nothing
so isipid, absolutely, as dancing
Even the common walks of life en-
gage in it. The cut from the square
to the round isn't so long.
Church Forblds Dancing.
II should ask them to give a rea-
son why 1t is all right to dance, they
couldn't do it. Your love for these
things keeps you away from Chris,
tianity, keeps you away from Jesus
Christ. Anything that keeps you
away from Jesus Christ is harmful
whether it's something that 1 name
or not Anything that will keep God
out of your heart. It may be your
love for money or pride, don't know
what 1t may be, but 1t doesn't make
any difference So far as that is con-
cerned, so long as 1t keeps God out
Of your heart it is harmful. But there
are more avenues for a young boy
ever before, and II you will listen to
me, think I can help you.
The church Of God forbids dancing.
The greatest and the most spiritual
churches forbid 1t, and are against
byterian. Congregational. The Meth
odist church was raised up by God
for the very purpose of counteracting
dancing.
Dancing seems to be a hugging
match set to music. is about the only
way can figure 1t out. and when
Ii Hung Chang, the great China
man. came to this country and was
in New York, they took him around
to let him see a dance. He looked
at 1t and he said to one of his friends:
why don't they sit down and hug?'
That's a good one! He couldn't sec
any use in all that just for a hug.
That seemed to be all he could figure
out of 1t, my friends.
Now, it's a crusade for all-not
simply some of you old rheumatics
that couldn't dance II you wanted to.
Many a preacher is seeking new
fields to conquer. Why? Because his