The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-10

bath for man to use but not abuse.
 Men can't be made religious by law and no one has ever advocated such a plan. 1 am sure no minister in this assembly would think of send ing out policemen to bring men to church.
 Sabbath desecration is advocated on behalf of laboring men. but the American Federation of Labor has gone on record as favoring a Sabbath of rest and worship.
 American civilization rests on three foundations, the ho1ie, the open Bible and the Christian Sabbath. There is no Sunday in Egypt, there is no Sunday in Mexico, or France These nations have disregarded the law of Exodus, and the world knows the moral conditions of these coun- tries.
 q oppose the dance first on psycho- logical grounds. There is no im- pression without expression.' Since the dance does not develop spirituaIi- ty. nor enhance mental development, all of it's principles, motives and re- suits are entirely in the physical realm. theatrical play may stir the emotional nature, while the dance can stir only the physical Indeed, ! all life is a response to stimuli. Then what reaction would anyone expect from the stimuli applied in the public dance hall?
 No youth has a right to any body of knowledge which does not minis ter to his highest nature. and we sub init that the knowledge won at a pub lie dance hall Is not such as will con tribute to virtuous and commenda- ble career.
 ''The dance is great waste of time, besides being practice which vitiates taste for cultural matters. The dance Is economically dear Intellectually nil, and religiously deteriorating.
 Dancing is but a rythmic response to music. We have no objections to the rhythmic response-but to sex promiscuity. So far as the speaker is concerned. he believes that when man and woman under the bright lights and to the sway of sensuous music. whirl over the waxed floor, cheek to cheek, closely embraced in each others arms, this Is not con- ducive to the best preparations for prayer meeting. I would not oppose dancing if a bunch of men went down and had a dance with a big sign on the door, No women admitited.' nor If crowd of women danced together and no menewere allowed to be pres ent"
 Blame Dance Halls
 Dr. Henry stated that out of 15 girls at the juvenile court last Saturday. everyone of them told him they had often attended dances at the public halls here. He stated that an inves- tigation made in the city of Chicago showed that in 1000 cases of fallen women, 90 per cent of them said Chey were constant attendants at the pub lie dance. The dance was the cause of their downfall, he declared. and every time a girl fell it meant the undoing of a boy.
 In concluding, pr. Henry said; Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth and my right hand forget her cunning before l should indorse any movement which would condemn to everlasting disgrace any mans daughter. any young mans sister. The labor element feel as 1 do."
 Dr. Barnwell was introduced by Mrs. Angus Taylor, the president of the club, as "The Fighting Parson."
 "lt is easy to pick out the terrible examples which at one time or an other have visited the public dance halls," he said. When 1 was a young man and had not decided just what I would make my lifes work, l met man at a dance who influenced me to study for the ministry.
 Sunday amusements is broader than dancing at East Lake. Sunday legislation must be considered not as bearing on the character of any par ticular day, but on the happiness of community and the welfare of Gods children.
 "The Mosaic code of Sunday observ- ance, in brief was to the effect that human welfare was naught where the sanctity of the Sabbath was con cerned. In other words, if a man works on the Sabbath, kill him.
 That system of laws was called Gods law by the Pharisess, but it was the grossest islander against God, for He never made such a law. They were laws that the priestly faction and sect of the Pharisees had foisted on Israel; laws that the religious ex- tremists of their day had invented for their own aggrandisement. The sys- tenn, as it deserved to end, in utter failure.
 There are eight separate in- stances given us in the New Testa- ment where Christ was accused of violating the Sabbath ordinance, said In every instance the issue was the same, namely, the sanctity of the day versus the welfare of man.
 With the Majority
 -'Now we come to consider our mod ern Sunday problems, for in fact if rot in theory, Sunday is the Sabbath's logical successor. How shall Sun day be observed? My idea of Sunday observance and that which I advo- cate for my cOngre gation is to rise at 6 o'clock attend services at 7:S0 o'clock and II o'clock and again in the afternoon and then ride to Bes- semer in the evening and conduct services there.
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