The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-01-24
.rohihitine all dancing.


Nav | give a statement from Mr..
Alva Hovey, a leading educator OF
the Acountry. He says, The modern
dance consists substantially OF sys-
TEN OF means. contrived with more
than human ingenuity to incite in
stincts of sex to action, however sub
tie and disguised for the moment
l charge that passion, passion and
nothing else, is the true basis OF the
popularity of the dance.
/ have given you facts and testlmo-
mics. Come now and let us reason to-
gether about this matter from the NOR
al viewpoint Have you ever noticed
that people always dance with the OPP
.posite SEX When have you heard OF
Ia stag dance, or a group OF young
women holding a dance? 1t is the ex-
ception to the rule if you do. Why
lis that? | think the reason is plain
to any candid thinker.
Under the Spell of Jazz.
Note again that the modern dance
is always held at a late hour. 1t is
night The youth of the land, in most
cases, and many OF the more adven-
furious in the moral realm, those who
of all people in the world are most
subject to temptation OF the part1cu-
lar sort to which they are subjected,
are gathered in a spirit of worldliness
and light frivolity. In many cases, and
in most cases, there is not the intiu-
ence OF parents and home. Chaperones
on such occasions are usually people
who are strict, observers of the law OF
liberty. The jazz music is filling the
ar-that music which the masters say
never stirs to valour and marital Cour-
age, or to contentment and serenity,
but rather discrepancies all regular
laws and orders and stimulates to ex-
IRENE deeds and to a breaking away
from all conventionalities. Under such
pressing conditions as these and under
the spell of the jazz the woman and
man embrace to dance. Then add to
this the fact, which all must know, that
so many girls of today take long auto
rides to the dances unchaperoned and
return at the small hours OF the night.
Then, in the dances, though most OF
them of our own town are without
doubt honest fellows, there are men
who attend the private and public
dances, who undoubtedly deliberately
plan to see how far in the direction OF
improperly they may be able to lead
a girl. And so goes the modern dance,
leading with powerful swing to the
carnality which the apostle Paul de-
clared to be death
Friends. | would not criticise.
would not keep back the youth from
pleasures which are not dangerous for
them if not positively hurtful to them.
M
them. | would love them back from
the peril to which they are being sub
jected. / would call on my brethren
and sisters to pray for them.
The fourth and last reason Tor OPP
posing the dance is that it is hurttul
to the spiritual life OF the participant,
the church and denomination OF which
such one is a member.
Endangers Spiritual Life.
All spiritual leaders OF all churches
and denominations which have any
right to claim to be spiritual are for
ever and always opposed to the mod
ern dance in any form. If necessary
l could quote from leaders OF all lead
ing faiths today to prove this point.
Il know there are some churches which
do not declare against the dance, but
the leaders in the spiritual life OF them
both among the laity and the clergy
have soul conviction that this IS a
grave evil. And indeed all Baptist
LEADERS in spiritual life are opposed to
dance in any form. Most all OF our
Baptist churches have decided i'll their
respective decorums that this is an evil
which the church shall not tolerate.
n . /
decorum, declaring that the members
of the Dawson Baptist church shall
not participate in this particular form
.of amusement. Think OF 1t-our tore
fathers, yea, the spiritual leaders
among our fathers, when dancing was
a tame affair as compared with the
modern dance, sought to throw pro-
lection around the membership to
keep them back from evil and also to
protect the church from worldllness
by passing this motion. And today
the great majority of our church has
a conscience on the dance problem
which is offended when members
among us indulge therein. And no
church member of a Baptist church.
whether such local church has an ar
ticle in their covenant declaring against
dancing or not, can engage in this
evil without offending a part OF their
brothers and sisters in Christ. Now
as you bear this in mind, remember
those words of Jesus as recorded in
Matthew 1876 which read: Whose
ever shall offend one of these little
ones which believe in me it were bet
ter for him that milestone were
hanged about his neck and that he
were drowned in the midst OF the sea"
1t is terrible thing for people to