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Show THE CHURCH REVIEW. <br><br> Young People's Department. <br> CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR NOTES. <br> EDITED BY CHAS. T. HAWKES. <br><br> Prayer Meeting Topic for Today. <br> Some applications of The Golden Rule. Luke 6:27-38. <br> This is nothing more nor less than applied Christianity. The positive side of life and not the negative. "Don't do to others as you would not have them do to you," was the nearest Confucius ever got to this divine principle. It was none other than the Lord Jesus himself who gave us this rule, so simple yet so potent a factor in bringing about the promised universal reign of peace. <br> "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" fell from the same sacred lips as well as that implied injunction in the prayer He taught us. "Forgive us our debts (in proportion) as we forgive our debtors." The topic is expressed thus for the Juniors. What are some things we shall do, if we obey the Golden Rules? The reference is the same. <br><br> About the Dance. <br> America is the land of freedom, and whatever concerns the mental, the moral, or the physical well being of her people is freely discussed and carefully considered. <br> Many and varied have been the reforms, proposed agitated and won, until she now boasts the greatest mental development, the highest standard of morality, and the best system of physical culture the world has ever seen. With each step in advance, how-has come an attendant evil, and the institution of dancing as it exists today, is, we believe a serious menace to the proper advancement of the young people of the present generation. "Dancing is in no sense a wholesome recreation for body, mind or immortal soul." The schoolmaster deplores it and the minister of the gospel regards it as an institution of the Devil. <br> Following closely after Geo. Robert Cairns scathing arraignment of "The Sins of Modern Society" comes the Golden Rule of September 20th with a masterly article on this subject by Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, D. D., of Brooklyn, N. Y. He says; <br> "An evening spent in this way is not a recreation; it is a reveling, and ministers to vanity, frivolity, jealousy, and to fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. That sort of dancing (in a public ball room) is a sin, which no Christian parent or Christian young people should indulge in anywhere or under any circumstances. <br> "A clergyman who during his early life, was a gay young man of fashion, tells us that he found the promiscuous contacts of a large dancing party to be a most dangerous stimulant of the most perilous passions. He says that young ladies would have been shocked if he had told them plainly how immodest their dresses [were] and what wanton caresses they indulged in. He now regards the promiscuous dance as a bewitching and ensnaring school of lust, and he looks back upon it with a sort of horror. His experience has been that of tens of thousands of others, who have been enticed with the sorceries of sinful fashion." <br> Concerning the question. Is dancing wrong or right, he answers: <br> "Whatever awakens sensual appetites whatever promotes extravagance in dress and frivolity in conduct, whatever weakens conscience and destroys spirituality of mind, is a sinful amusement. My young Christian friends, can you take your divine Master with you to the dancing hall? When the frolic is over, can you go home at the midnight hour, and on your knees ask the blessing of your Master upon what you have been doing? That is the right way to look upon that whole subject of the popular and promiscuous dance, yes, and upon the question of attending the average theatrical entertainment also. The average theatre in this country appeals to the sensual passions, and has no claim to Christian support. The promiscuous also appeals to the same inflammable passions and tends to stimulate them." <br> The season for balls and dancing parties has again arrived and what are we going to do about it, Endeavorers? Of course we have no dancing at our socials, but not a few of us have in the past tripped "the light fantastic toe" in the public ball room, on the lawn, at evening parties, or the lake, to the rhythmic music of the orchestra with little thought of the harm we might do to others, and even much less have we suspected, that we ourselves could possibly be at the beginning of that road which Ex-Dancing Master Faulkner characterizes as leading from "The Ball Room to Hell." (The title of his little book on dancing.) <br> Are we not too apt to think of this matter only with reference to its influence upon others? If you are a dancer, let us venture the assertion that your pastor is more concerned about your spiritual condition than your example. It is only too true that we are all human and easily led astray, therefore we should be careful not to trifle with anything that is calculated to destroy our eternal souls. Is it right to dance, if by so doing we can keep our associates from worse evils and gradually lead them to higher things; is a question which has been pondered over not a little. Dr. Cuyler says: <br> "Even with the best motives it would be doing evil that good might come. <br> "Shall our daughters cease to emulate the example of Ruth and Lydia and Dorcas and learn to enact the part of the daughter of Herodias? Surely there is not such a lack of pure, wholesome, and innocent recreations that the house hold of faith should be obliged to descend to a sensational pleasure that ancient Rome in the best days of the republic would not permit. They that sit at the Kings table ought never to stoop to feed upon husks. In too many cases the dance has wasted precious time, aroused evil passions, dissipated serious thoughts, encouraged sinful companionships, destroyed peace of mind, hurt Christian influence, and by doing all this, has grieved the Holy Spirit. You had better let the dance alone." <br> May we not stand by our convictions, give up the dance, cost what it may, and turn our abilities to account in the Endeavor society. Thus doing we can make our prayer and social meetings such that our non-believing friends will be attracted to them and through us be finally won, "For Christ and the Church." |
