The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-06-27
DIR. CHAPPEIL DELIVERS FORECFIL SERMON
DENOUNCLNG TENDENCY FOR JAZZ RELIGION

Dr. Ashley Chappell, pastor OF
Broadway Methodist church delivered
forceful message at last nights serv-
ices, denouncing the trend of the times
for Jazz in art, music and religion.
He sail:
This word Jazz does not occur
in Websters International dictionary.
Woris are born to suit the feeling and
actions Of people. Boycott was born
in ireland when she first began to
/ struggle against the English. Camou-
flage was born during the late war.
Jazz grew out of a similar situation
because our human nature reached a
new state OF DEVELOPMENT That is,
we became iazzy in our ideals. Or
in other words such a gid3y silly con-
dition came over society, different
from any it had ever had before, SO
We mad to make the word Jazz to fiji
our condition. Jazz is rag time dis
cordant sounds. While the word is
new, the spirit is not altogether new.
This rag time spirit has been laying
its hand upon the wcrld in various
ways.
Literature AFFECTED
In recent years literature has gone
through a great transformation. There
was a time a few years ago when
people read Shakespeare, George Elliot,
Thackery, Dickens, Balzac, Carlyle,
Emerson, Addison, Johnson, Moses,
Homer and great writers of the cen
tures Now we are reading Jazz liter
ature, jazz magazines, and yellow ja1,
newspapers. Cheap yellow novels by
the thousands are falling from the
press Our young folks reai this
Jazz stuff which poisons their hearts
and saturates their ideals with dead
" malady. Their one great theme is
sensation and that stolen waters are
sweet and that bread eaten in secre,
is Angel food. This jazz or rag time
/ literature not only destroys idealism
and good taste for reading but fur,
nishes absolutely no material for polite
conversation in social life. II IS most
/ u the scum Of modern society
Politics is suffering in the same
way From the splendid and noble
statesmen Of the past we are in dan,
/ ger of becoming ward.heelers, boses
and demagogs. IL is not a question
SO much Of men as it is Of politics.
Music Suffered Most
Music has suffered possibly tho
worst prostitution OF any OF the
modern arts. Rag time ana jazz
music are in such vogue that real
artist may have no fair show at all
Today there are oceans and oceans OF
it, worlds and worlds Of it. There
used to be songs not religious, such as
Silver Threads Among the Gold" ano
When You And l Were Young, Mag.
gle" which as l have said are not
religious but carry deep and holy
sentiments Today it is: Johnny
Get Your Hair Cut" "Goo-Gco Eyes
and "Everybodys Doing It." You
can hear it as you go down the
streets from the picture shows ant
theaters. You can hear it in oul
parlors from the piano and from the
talking machines. Rag time music or
the half shell for everybody. i
serves two purposes as l heard {
young lady say quite recently. FRS
it inclines the young folks towart
love making al once, and second makes
enough fuss to keep one from beinl
heard while at II. The dicticnar!
says that jazz music is dscordan
sounds that is it is nothing but bar
barous lingling. Often have I sat il
my room right here on Broadway anC
heard this same discordant jazz foa
out for ten blocks from the Conyen
ton Hall till long after miinight, unit
the spirit Of jazz gets in our feet anC
in our hearts and in our heads and il
our souls and in every atmospher,
around US.
Jazz" In Art
II Is also in art. The rage fo
jazz art is rampant. There was a tim,
when the artist was a dreamer and hi
pictures amounted TO a great book
He put character in both form ant
face until one was lifted as he gazet
upon 1t. Now our bill boards and cal
endars have been made attractive b,
gorgeously painted women dressed IL
flimsy oriental robes, which robes ar,
about the texture Of a good sneeze
Modern art has become Jazzy.
But there is something which 4
later even than this that We are il
danger OF. and II is breaking out to
Gay in many places. There seems I
be rag time or Jazz religion.
The Jazz Religion
Jesus, referring TO one OF the grea
churches Of the past, says; I hav
some what against thee. Thou has
grown cold IN thy first love l d.
rot mean TO sound any note Of pessi
mism but OF warning. The easy wa,
3 in which the great majority of ou
church members treat the VOWS o
the church is stunning beyond al
description The way lots OF goo
folks act toward rhe church in wit,
= holding themselves from place 4
its membership IS withering In the ex
treule. The world seems to want
ja2z religion-one that will let then
have oil the fun and do all the mean
ness they please and put as few N
Strictons on them as possible an
then slip rhem at last into HEAVIER