Show DANCING AND RELIGION the action of the methodist episcopal conference co ference ferenee in n bozeman discountenancing dancing parties brings up the question as to whether e th che the Q position of many of the churches especially in a country like this forbidding their members to participate in such festivities is well taken although a religious lous animal to the average extent we do donot not consider tats from the st ind point of a professor of religion but from the merely practical blind point of a citizen elid do not therefore here deny that attendance on dancing parties interferes materi ally with the spiritual success of christianity that is for those who teach it and know the fact sto determine we might alledo allege that the austerities austeri ties and severe discipline with which many of the denominations have encompassed their religion keeps many a well disposed soul outside the chur churche chestand sand compels many a person inside to live a life of daily hypocrisy and the professors would find our declaration as difficult to meet as we find theirs inthis spiritual success spoken of essential to actual christian life and does docs not health and prosperity interfere with it as radically as dancing it itis is in sickness and distress that this spiritual success is most often made manifest yet health and prosperity are not declared against it does seem seeni to us that church discipline is too stringent when it prohibits moderate indulgence in rational and sinless pleasures and especially so when it designates and pronounces against about the only general social enjoyment that is within th the possibilities of people in these frontier communities in more densely settled countries where music oratory and like rational entertainments give humanity an opportunity to meet in numbers occasionally the situation is different from here except in attendance at church and wo we might as well veil say it at once where too frequently the pulpit utterances te rances have not much spiritual success in them very many of our people from a years beginning to its end can cau be represent present atno atho other public assemblages but funerals ardd arid dances even in the half dozen larger towns the case is not kovch better while in three fourths of the little communities there is not preaching three times a year how many public concerts or lectures or creditable exhibitions or where people would card laid to go or be gratified in going will elther cither helena or virginia or bozeman or missoula or L lodge ha dge a average per year and the t e people of the hundred c communities 0 rum unities do soh sot meet other occasionally during tho winter at social gatherings where and the dance enliven they must live like hermits six months in the year Is there any harm barm in the mere fact of dancing there is some scriptural proof to the contrary we believe but arguing out that we think not it may be indulged in to excess se so may anything that is good hlo klo no worse associations need be be formed than else eise elsewhere where in society for it is an indisputable fact that the very het bet people we vve have in montana excepting the ministers attend public as well as select dances I 1 1 he love iove of music belongs to the better batter part of human nature there is not more than one good man or woman in a hundred but keeps time with his or her heart its cadences and if it it happen their neet feet took up the measure and moved through set and figures to its inspiration mn 0 the devil necessarily get possession 0 rs of them it ia is hardly a logical logical or sensible inference people e and young people especially must have some recreations the social dance is the only place where many men in this mountain country meet women and young ladies and it is in default of the better influences of such associations that they oftentimes seek worse and yield wholly to the temptations of strong drink and cards while something some tild ug may ma busaid be said adversely ly and trul truly of g the tho 0 excesses of dancing yand and aud 0 of its distracting tr attention from study in the schools wo we are sincere in believing however heretical may he the belief that in this thia country as the ca conditions exist here social dances dancea to a reasonable limit are not only onis void of evil but an actual means of grace they inspire fraternity tern teru eternity ity brighten the hours of life occasion and keep alive pleasant acquaintances cultivate good manners and graceful bearing 10 and render participants happy iso 0 o while admitting the province f the clergy to pronounce against dancing if they will and acknowledging dg their spiritual authority over their flocks we do believe that it were better for all if churches and pastors would reconsider the edict against dancing and permit the consciences of their members to dk determine ermine ermino whether or not it is sinful that they shall participate in buch such assemblages we are even half inclined to believe tha that titis it ia oni the rigorous and arbitrary dis des cipan of the church the righteousness aud and benefits bine fits of which they do nat elearly see that prevents many a minister from following the guileless lessan and dearnest earnest of his heart to at least look udon lipon sad and be the tile happier tor having witnessed the social dancer darcee of 1114 hi people and birlem are arc participants who would not dive give them we welcome leorne if any olour of our ministerial friends who disfavor dancing think they can show good cause for putting it among dhe the forbidden pleasures of life we will accord them reasonable space to answel answer oui ou heresy new northwest north worth west vest |