MR. BOOTH AND DANCING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18381, 23 April 1923, Page 5

MR. BOOTH AND DANCING.

Sir,—On behalf of myself " and . other members of my profession, I must enter .'.'; i an emphatic protest against Mr. Booth's ;; ] statement that ) "every . teacher of dancing v f in the : city was merely lending himself, or Z<l herself to the devil's wiles." Coming from the ; lips of a self-styled evangelist, ; a so- . called God-fearing man, this.is a,some-* what insinuating and .insulting aspersion / against the teachers •; of modern dancing i l and ... the : hundreds !; of ; pupils : who 7 have passed: through their hands.:.l Does he in- ■ ; : fer "r. that ; our studios ■ are :hot-beds of. sin ,-?,', and vice ? v I do not know of ~ any local teacher who offers instruction in any form."'"'; of immoral dancing. i; As a/matter of fact, .'• "-'**' it is entirely the opposite. :\: They .direct <:.' every attentioni-i; in maintaining Mclean.';■'.'.■'■ graceful, * and healthy • dancing. ;: Perhaps y ■ Mr. Booth ; ;'wiH,:Fin his Christian J charity, announce that I personally have caused \ ••'•*. and am responsible for the spiritual downfall of, every pupil who has received tui- V;.' tion at my hands. I beg to slate thai, while there are good and bad everywhere. f the majority of men i and v women • requenting our cabarets and dance halls are. -' '•.'. I ' know, 'on as high \ a spiritual:; plane > as j ;: the average person could wish 'to be, and\.?; with -..their genial smiles and personality, together with the refined atmosphere of ' the modern ballroom, they createjCompariy '?..v." which Mr. Booth would, if he ventured within such precincts, thoroughly - enjoy. Fox-thot." /

:. ; Sir, Slay I be permitted to reply to "Mr. Herbert Booth's '.. address at the Pitt Street Methodist. Church ,; last "Monday evening, >, and published in the Herald on tie 17th, "Sports : that ".re modern dancing, tobacco" habit, .drinking,; ■ stage, arid pictures, : : etc. '■ It is certainly '■ surprising that the son of such a great father should take so severe ;an attitude toward modern life and its enjoyments. He seems; to forget that the straggle for good over evil ui human existence is upwards, : not downwards, and also the very fight mankind hfflslto wage; to obtain this result is a character-building process. Remove all evil and there would be little to fight for, and i victory (if any) ;is hollow. Remove all temptation and ,' virtue •is a ; mockery. Life is meant by tutors to be r a struggle, and the harder that struggle, " within reason, the higher will ; mankind lift itself in the long run. • The struggle ' of modern life ; is severe, and ; humanity requires . relaxation. Dancing, tobacco," the stage, and drink: in; moderation writ and soothe the human brain, , and it has craved for these relaxations even from the dawn of history. Dancing and music ; have brought ail the best out;?; in man- ; kind, and brought together" the fathers • and mothers of the best brains and beneifactors of the human raca as nature inI tended the sexes should be brought > to-. I getber. Even the deadly"■ cobra forgets to strike its ; venom ; into M'esh > when ' I charmed by the music of the Indian snakef catcher. Tobacco in moderation has ; given peace of mind to millions,: in in- ' dustry, art, and war, and - has /helped, and is helping, to solve some >of ; the greatest questions in modern civilisation, and every race ha.a benefited by. its soothing effects on brain and body. ;" Drink has caused, and will cause, 'much misery when taken in excess: in moderation it has given pleasure to millions of workers, thinkers, and scientists for thousands of years. ; Neither can any . nation trace its decadence to drink alone, for. peculiarly, the greatest progress has; taken; ; place when the drink bills of those nations were; largest. Inferior and adulterated liquors, placed on the market by unscrupulous and money-grabbing 1 brewers -and r :,publicans, have caused most of the misery attributed to alcohol. The stage has pTobably eiven greater pleasure to thousands ;of millions than anything else, : and the moral tone of nine-tenths of the plays 'produced within the British Empire 1 ? above reproach-: There -is no . limit '-*> the uplift- ;: ing qualities >of the stage.: The pictures screened -. in New Zealand are under strict censorship,; and nine-tenths ,; ''■; show': good,: and right triumphant and evil getting its just ; reward..;; The , public by ; their ; . appreciation, shown do T not want any other sort; of •'■ picture..'■■.'".' Many a worried c\ housewife f breaks. the monotony of her drab exist- , ence by , ■ attending .-them, ' and : starts j her ; -. week of endless toil feeling ; lighter-hearted ! : with the thought in her mind that :'S the j; world is not such a bad- old place after ' all. J The human ; race has i; worked hard % for ; its : pleasures, and J justly j 1 earned •;. them. ; f. Let them \ have them and enjoy :- ; them moderately and r decently, ami they will. benefit morally, physically, and mental^ db Ho 2zs ;■■ '

' - DIEECT ACTION IN TRADING.