The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-27


 dancing. or ''eurythmic ritual, at St Mark's-in-the-B -Bouwerie to an increasing accompaniment of public discussion. writes Dr. A S. Brown in the NeE York Herald-Tribune. A controversy within the church developed, and the climax was reached when, after Dr- Guthrie celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation with dancing before the altar, he was informed by Bishop Mll- liam T. Manning that his church would be without ministration and visitation until such time as St. Marks saw f1t to measure its conduct more nearly m accord with instructions from Synod hall. Justine other day Dr. Guthrie cancelled further dances.
 This dancing has been described re peatedly as pagan" and an expression of the pagan spirit. Whaterer may be the propriety of pagan rites with in a Christian temple or -'eurErhmic ritual in a church which has already developed an elaborate and beautiful ritual of its own, the fact remains that ''the poetry of silence" as dancing has been called. has been associated with religion throughout the ages and has been fundamental part of the 0hseTxa- ance of ancient and medieval religious impulse.
 Theatre a Dance OutEUw3h
 The history of dancing begins with the very childhood of the race and oan- tinuously intertwines itself with the religious manifestations of mankind The first formal dance was an act af religion, and from that have sprung the theatre, the pageant, the pr0cessisBal and, in a degree, the rifual used in churches today.
 Man throughout all times has been an emotional. and therefore religious. being. In early times he w0rshipged te placate bad spirits or the clements Later he simplified his worship aRd prayed for safety to one universal be ing. Thus at the beginning of history we find the Aryans entering India and carrying with them the grand cere- monies in honor of the god InAra, sr Meus, or the Sun.
 Herodotus relates fha ffhe PerSiarys at this time made no images, temples or altars, and regarded those peoples who did as ignorant fools who hRd been misguided into the belief that the gods have human forms. They w0rShiyped one great lord of the universe -'Ths Light of the World by ascending the mountains and hills and praying He the sun, moon, stars and the whole of the heavens as the prominent mamifesaR- tcns of the great world spirit
 It was at a later per1od that the SER sons, sun, moon, stars, planets, earth fire, water and the winds were appealed to for salvation. Then AFlhrvaite- Urania, Demeter, Mylitta. AIilat. AEi4ra. Maltra, Krishna, Apis, Thanit and the other gods. and goddesses were 8ezea- Oped and had their numerous serts.
 Good And Evil Spirits
 The doctrine of the transmisrnfiun of souls arose from the general custom of wOrshipping the spirits of evil. The good and friendly spirits were consia- cred harmless because they were the descendants of ancestors, while the evil spirits, who needed placating, were the spirits of enemies who had met cruel CT violent deaths and were perIsetualiy en- bittered. These ideas were also used as fundamental principles in all forms sf worship of dead ancestors by persons and nations
 In early periods of the worlds great religions eaeh individual worshippea alone. He prayed and sacrificed nsr for himself, but for the whole of his race or nation. Priests, temples md monasteries were after-growths which came when dancing and ceremoniaRs were so intensively developed that xpe- cialists and artists were needed to cafry them out. The early priests and aDelfi- cine men were all experts in dancing CT music magic or ceremonial symbolism
 The ceremOnials of the worshipperS of the Greek Adonis and the lesser gods were among the most beautiful and ar tlstic ever staged by men. They were elaborate annual events which utilizea the services of the greatest artists among the Greeks. The lyric and sp5e poets, the dancers, musicians and ora tors were called upon to render their best endeayOrs to best0w the Ereatexr magnificence and splendor upop the Adonis ceremonies. The rites of ThaFn- mug. Hermes and Attis developed in a similar manner, and the new history of King Hut of Egypt shows that his chef priest developed similar religion with elaborate rites by amalgamating nh rhe Egyptian deities into one chief caEled Alum. or Ra-HOrakhti, the EgyptSap equivalent of AdOnis
 Development Of Arts