Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1936-07-18
Wake Forest Faculty Giues
Approval To Campus Dances
Stand OF Administration De Tended in Face of Biblical
Recorder Attacks We've from Standpoint of
Lesser of Two Evil In Its Handling

Wake Forest, July 18--Action tax
en- by the Wake Forest College board
of trustees last month to allow sup
ervised dances on the campus for a
trial period of twelve months, in lieu
of subrosa dances which have been
'bootlegged" here and in many other
areas for a demade or more, has re-
suited in a continuous editorial at
tack by The Biblical Recorder, or
gan of the Baptist State Convention"
with the demand that the trustees
defend or recall the action"
This publication, purporting to rep
resent the 100000 Baptists in North
Carolina, warns the trustees in the
Is issue to "be sure the Baptists of
North Carolina, and we sincerely be-
lieve the God in Heaven, will hold
you accountable go"
The action on dancing was taken
directly by the board of trustees upon
a petition from students who repre-
sented 81 per cent of the student body
and, although the Wake Forest fac
ulty has never voted on the matter.
it is generally conceded that all so
of them, with the exception of DR.. G.
w. Paschal who has an editorial
connection with the Biblical Record
er, believe that the trustees acted
wisely.
AT any rate four of the oldest mem
bers of the faculty. whose aggregate
tenure at the college amounts to
more than $50 years of teaching, have
put in writing their attitude in the
matter.
Both professors of religion at the
college, Drs. w. r. Cullom and ]. w.
Lynch. who have taught perhaps the
majority of Baptist pastors in North
Carolina ARE among those who fav-
or the action; as are DR.. Needham Y
Gulley, 81-year-old dean emeritus of
the law school, and DR.. j. H. Cor
ren, who during 40 years of teaching
at the college has been supply pastor
in many pulpits in the State.
DR.. Gulley says, in part: Men and
women have been seeking association
one with the other a long time. 1t
seems that Adam did not have such
association when he was first placed
in the garden of Eden, and it takes
very little of the record to narrate
what he did till he met Eve. She
may have gotten him into a lot of
trouble, but we are all bound to ad-
NIT that his progress was no longer
stationary.
Heretofore dances have been held
in neighboring towns or elsewhere
with no supervision or control The
dangers of traffic also complicated
the situation The majority of the
trustees thought it better to control
the situation than to ignore it,
think they acted wisely"
DR.. W. r. Cullom believes that "un-
til homes, churches and schools shall
bring themselves to deal more ade-
quately with the problem of begetting
and fostering a deeper. richer and
stronger spiritual life in our people,
we will not be in position to treat
questions and issues, such as the
dance, that simply touch the surface.
"The specific question of dancing is
only one of a thousand such questions
which are confronting us in all sorts
of ways. With respect to the parti-
cular problem at hand, the trustees
were not confronted with the ques-
ton of dancing or not dancing. It
was rather the question of dancing
in all sorts of places and in all sorts
Of crowds or dancing in our own
BY III Tic IIliuSL Ol SUCH p0O-
pie as would be acceptable to the
mothers and fathers of those engag-
ing in the dance. Under these cir
cumstances, I am inclined to think
that the trustees did the best thing"
DIR. Lynch agrees with his colleague
in the department of religion that
There is only one issue: namely,
whether it is better for our boys to
dance here under faculty supervision
or in Raleigh or elsewhere with no
sort of supervision.
I'VE are confronted with a condi-
ton, and there is no reason in deny
ing that it exists or that it need not
exist, because the same condition OBJ
tains everywhere.
"As the father Of two daughters, i
would infinitely prefer their dancing
here in the presence of loved ones
and friends and members Of the fac