DRINKING AT DANCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23224, 23 June 1937, Page 7

DRINKING AT DANCES

TO THE EDITOII

Sir—All serious-minded men and women have good cause to be concerned about the drinking that goes on at dances to-day. Those so-called men who give girls drink at dances are not worthy of the name. Some years ago a gentleman advertised for a new coachman. Several men answered his advertisement. The first man who applied for the job was asked how near he could drive to the edge of a precipice. He replied, "To within a foot The second man was more cautious and so said that he would keep six feet from it; the third man was more cautious still. But the last one was the most cautious of all because he affirmed that he would keep as far away from the edge as possible. Needless to say this man got the job. Let girls beware! "Discretion is the better part of valour." There are times when absence of body is better than presence of mind. We are told in God s Book of Morals, the Bible, to "abstain from all appearance of evil," And this is what we also read: "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." . , . , , In oik> of Dr A. T. Pierson s books he has a chapter entitled "The Ethics of the Dance." Here is one paragraph from it: "The origin and history o, the dance, as a social amusement, can be traced back to heathen festivals ol the most indecent and revolting type In Athens were 50.000 priestesses of Venus who in her worship danced somewhat as ballet girls do at the lowest Parisian theatre's making it a part of their relieion to sacrifice modesty and chastitv: and such dancinc derived frnm nn«n was that of the infamous, dnufhler of Herod'-as who in this manner, pleased the wicked Herod This is the ancient dfinre cfripned of all disguises." People who pride themsr-'lvcs on being modem have merely changed into ancient pagans. Christ said: ire ihe nure in for thev shall rec God."—l am. etc.. Maran-atha.