The Washington times., 1920-10-25
RECTOR FlAYS
'SAVACE'DRESS
Woman's Clothes, Dancing and
Gambling Attacked by DR..
Abbott at Baltimore.

BALTIMORE, Oct. 25.-Practices
of society were flayed as forms OF
''loose morality by the Rev. DR..
II. p. Almon Abbott, rector Of Grace
and st. Peters Protestant Episcopal
Church, in sermon yesterday,
which was a vigorous attack on
modern dancing, women's dress and
card-playing for money.
RECTOR WIDELY KNOWN.
DIR. Abbott, who was dean OF
Trinity Cathedral at Cleveland before
coming TO Baltimore, Is widely
known Protestant Episcopal clergy
man, and he spoke yesterday TO one
of the most fashionable congrega-
lions in the city and one which
crowded his church to it's doors.
He said he hated to seem sensa-
tieaaI. hut that he believed the day
had come when ono must seem Senss-
tiesaI In order TO reach the truth.
"The time has come when our young
people must be weaned from a loose
morality" he said, "from dances
which are little more than orgies OF
, sense, from card playing. which. in
principle at least, is not far divorced
from the revelries of the professional
gambler from sexual relationships
which, Influenced by war abandon
ment, are fraught with peril unspeak-
able to the integrity and everlasting
prosperity Of the state"
ATTACKS STYLE IN GOWNS.
D "Take the matter of Dress" he said.
''The women OF this generation are
farther removed from the Garden Of
Eden than were their grandmOthers,
but they approximate more closely
the comparative nudity of the original
Eve.
"The day dress, even as the evening
dress Of the average debutante in the
United States at the present time, is
an apology for suitable apparel and
Is calculated to infiame unlawful de-
sire of every decent member Of the
opposite sex, who finds 1t hard enough
to be pure at the best of times. when
visual temptation is reduced to the
minimum.
REPLICA OF SAVAGE DANCES.
..Take modern dancing. The dances
which are popular In 1920 are the ex-
act replica Of the dances which
Livingstone witnessed In central
Africa more than nifty years ago, with
this dinerence-evcn the savage
would not permit his woman to
dance check to cheek with another
I man.
"The multiplication Of popular
pleasures In working sad havoc. There
are few upon whom we can look with
pride and say, These will be brave
1t In time that these flippant youths
and maidens-these children Of q
generation whose leading character
istic seems to be . false mOdesty, Il
do not count'-were Impressed by
the splendid herolsm and noble self
sacrifice and the beautiful, churchIy
devotion Of their fathers and mothers.
at is time, high time, that they
were REALIZED to the honored graves Of
the standard-bearers who have fallen
in the fight and to the reality OF tho
battle still hotly contested and still
unwon, which Is being waged be-
tween the forces of right and wrong.
"DEGRADATION,-H HE SAYS.
Take card playing for money.
Money is the return for honest work.
Money is a sacred thing. 1t repre-
sents bloody sweat and the legitimate
return for value received
"Ethically, card-plnying for money
IL morally rotten and a degradation
of legal tender.
But, think of the manners Of tho
practice. 1 ask you to my house.
You accept the invitation I am host
For the time being my house is your
house. We are friends, lovers one
of the other. What more natural
than that we should play a game Of
cards-matchng wit against wit in
friendly rivalry. But, the moment
the question of money is introduced
what a sordidization of my hospi-
tally. At the end of the visit you
may owe me IS or even $40. Out
comes your purse and out goes my
hand. You may not miss the money,
and I may not notice the addition to
my resources, but where Is the
courtesy of my entertainment. and
the unalloyed affection of my provi-
sion of happiness on your behalf.