Show r CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IE AND NI DANCING DI Bishop hol Berry of or the Methodist church has declared in a recent address that the people o of his denomination would have ha to take a more liberal vI view ow of or dancing and andL andor L of or car card pla playing Ho He believes that the Book of or Discipline I is a K little too severe Meven In Its prohibition In these matters He lIe knows as aM docs does everyone e else else that the ru rues ru es are arc not b absolutely obeyed In instance and that er c every good mcm- mcm I k bers ers o of the Methodist church have been known to play pIa earth and to dance Very VelY likely a person lerson Is no better for fOl playing cards or for dancing Tho The question Is Arc Aro they an any worse And if ir the they make te reasonable uso use o of tho the dance and the cards we WC do not think thc they are arc an any worse A man who doesn't oc nt dance or play cards may not easily see that there is anything to be gained by either cither engagement But Inan In Inan an age when dancing Is hs almost universal where per persons ons of the mo most t irreproachable character a dance and where persons of unquestioned morality play pia car cards s In an nn ag age where when one can hardly mingle in society without taking an occasional part putt either cither In I the dance or the card game one can well understand t na that that tho the thing Is almost almot In In- In escapable cal ble 1 Bishop Berry is a wise vise man An Anyone one elevated ele d to hl his must know what Is going on In fu the world He must and he does doe measure influences He knows known that Methodists some Methodists some of oC them not all of them them them-do do play pIa playcards playcards cards and do o dance And ho knows that so 80 far as the cards c. an and the dance is concerned those persons persona are arc no not worse Christians And he knows that If ho tries to rigidly enforce tho the rules lulos 0 of the Book Bool of ot Discipline he 2 will simply exclude from church influences man many good people e who are worth woith much to that thai organization Cards of themselves will not harm halm anyone anone The They can be he made mado the medium of ofer er ery vey great Injury to character character char char- acter lo loss s of oC time and degrading o of opportunity DancIng Dancing Dane ing may be made a stepping t stone tone to licentiousness Buit Bu Dut it need not be Card playing need n not t bo he made a means mean of ot sin Where one is weak enough to permit either cither to tc tot t destroy honor or 01 ruin life It must bo ho abandoned rhoa Th rho a weak one must be saved sand But such a weakling Is to too e rare to act as a standard ard of or measurement for the big membership of ot the Methodist t church or an any other Life lre Is none too bright at best besU It Is a serious rious thing v j t t i I. I l. l f ft d' d 1 I If It cards or 01 tho the dance danee brighten the hours hOUlB give innocent t pleasure without mal making tho tiro In indulgence ul enco cost too much the they may safely be bo Indulged So man many goo good people have havo n shown that both dancing an and card playing pinyin are arc harmless harmles that it will wilt not do o to say that Heaven Hea Is closed to anyone anono who dances lances or plays car cards Tho The bishop is right And Amt yet et ho he but adds to tho the responsibility of oC those who wIto Insist on the Indulgence |