The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-08-21
THE WORLDS SUNDAY SERMON

lnRs OF Gods word ;out marriage
anu the home and the havoc
wrought by divorce.
lie 10 resolved. that We urge the
churches to keep their member
SNIP trcc from those who are un.
scripturally divorced and that
Baptist preachers refuse to ioin In
marriage any unscripturdlly di-
Norcod person
Be 1t resolved. that We urge
Baptist people everywhere to use
their influence to bring about
remedial legislation ON thia sub
Jcot 10 stop this constantly incrcas-
ing blight upon our country
BE 10 resolved. that We COM
mend the Autl-Divorce League OF
America. Of which the Rev. T.
ID. Cameron - president. to favor
able consideration ~ our people
and hope that 1t may be power
iully elective In lta work
The 1920 edition of tho Discipline
of the Methodist Episcopal church,
paragraph 6S, follows. $50 divorce.
except for adultery. shall bc regard
ed by tho church as lawful. and no
minister shall solcmuizc marriage In
any case where there Is a divorced
wife or husband living. but this rule
snail not be applied 20 the innocent
party TO a divorce for the cause OF
adultery, nor ~ divorced parties
seeking 10 be- reunited In marriage"
Paragraph 26i ays: Tho violation
Of the advice concerning divorce, In
paragraph 6s OF the Discipline. shall
Dee considered an act of maladmini-
stration."
Many other churches have spoken
Just AZ cmphaticdlly against the
divorce evil Now II may bo that
too much could he said on this sub
joCt but II is certain that as yet too
much has not been said or done.
And now for certain reasons
which shall follow, let us consider
The dance as ono of the disintegrat-
Ing forces which is eating at the
very heart of Christian education
and Christian civilization.
The Dance II Dctrimcnt.
Fir"t let us call attention to tho
iact that at no time has any of the
friends or the dance az an institu-
tion claimed for It that 1t In any way
contributed to spirituality while on
the other hand those who oppose
the dance claim that 1t Is "A positive
dCtriment to the spiritual life.
Again under sucn subtle and dis
Eulsing names "a exercise" "ex-
preston" intellectual stimulus.
and school of manners" ctc.. a con-
stant effort is being made to intro
duCe dancing into the public schools
as "A part OF the curriculum. when
this effort was first made, Bishop
Matt s, Hughes Of the Methodist
church wrote tract showing how
improper, even how vicious. was any
such program. He approached the
subject from standpoint OF entire
sympathy with the JOY OF life, with
every wholesome endeayor to de-
vclop the sense OF beauty, and tho
art of expression and pleasure, bu,
he also went with deadly accuracy
into the psychology of the dance and
its tendencies. even when promoted d
under the deceptive apologies men
toned above. In his treatment OF
the dance he found that instead OF II
being a form of healthful recreation
IL is in fact a form OF dissipation.
As TO being an intellectual stimulus
that disguise only afforded Bishop
Hughes well known power of satire
n vivid opportunity. He said; There
seems to be no particular affinity
between the modern dance and the
culture that finds it's highest pleas
objects Of rational interest and ele-
CANT taste. The plain fact is tina,
the dance produces a form of emo
tional excitement by the stimulation
OF the senses, and II is apparently
utilized as "A social makeshift in alb
sence OF Intellectual resources"
Again, the dance has been defend
ed on the ground OF it being a school
of good manners-helping one to APP
pear more graceful, etc, but when
you defend 1t on this ground II opens
up the question of good taste; for
there Is an unwritton law abroad as
to personal conduct, the violation OF
which is punishable by social ostra
cism. One of .he Items in this code
of unwritten law is the sacredness
of wuman's person. on this Bishop
Hughes declares that the modern
dance alone claims license TO break
down the sanctities by which civili-
zation protects the person OF its
womanhood. II Is taken for grant
cd, though for what reason does not
appear, that the issuance OF engraved
Invitations and the hiring OF an or
Chostra bcstOws the right to profane
the guarded shrine with bodily con-
facts such as are tolerated nowhere
else in respectable society. The lih-
critics Of the ballroom in this respect
would call for arrest by the park po-
llceman II attempted in a public
place In broad daylight, What Is
there about the dance that can
transform acts, which under other
circumstances would be the grussest
insults and the most degrading fam