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Pahiatua Herald, Volume II, Issue 217, 19 October 1894, Page 2

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[( orrewpondenre i* inritsd Ufn/n aH jrttbjf, ctx, hut ire do not hold our*elces res/Minxihle for the o/iinion* of our cor rexfutwlniU. ] DANCING. TO THE KOITOk. —lf the scathing denunciatory aerl 'on against dancing delivered by the 1 hv. Mr Griffin last Sunday be a criterion (' that divene s pulpit oratory it is small vonder that people would rather (as lie s ivs) attend a dance than a place of \. >rship. Ra&e and evil must be the mind of any man, elergvinan or otherv ise, who would dare to impugn the morality of married folk (or ningl* either) s rnpljr because thev are guilty of being j resenl at a ball! This reverend gentle--1 lan’s knowledge of matters social must he very limited when he has invariably f vund “ dancing associated with drink.” I’ obably at the time he was tiainking of Dillingsgate or some other choice locality —that is if one might be guided bv his re--1 * i tod and classical remark anent “touching with a long pole.” Doubtless uaany zea 1 us Christians (not bigots; often enjoy l i e recreation of dauciug, but then they 1 *chew Pharisaism aud leave themselves i i the hands of Him who commanded. ‘ Judge not that ve be not judged. ’ i rusting that Mr Griffin may sometimes remember this little verse, and at the * me time not forget the true Britisher's motto, “ lloni toil qu i maly jtente." —l am, ete., Mazurka.

(To the Editor; Sir, Your report of tue Rev. Mr Griffin * last Sunday eveniug’e discourse must surely be a misleading one, otherwise it is difficult to imagine any person responsible fov the spiritual training of a congregation giving utterance to sueh hopelessly weak logic, such downngn; fallacies as appear in the sermon in quns t:on. To allege that the modern danes .estroys modesty and purity is to assert ihat Mr Griffin and his disciples have the monopoly ef the qualities essential to true womanhood. True, ther« may be men and woman in whose minds contact with one of the opposite sex arouses improper feelings, but such people can lay tile claim to either modesty or puniy to begin with, aud should certainly refrain not only from dancing but from every other occasion for the mingling of the sexes. Neither Mr Griffin nor anyone else can say with cert amty what nmotions nre parsing in the minds of any given person, but I emphatically believe (and my opinion, based on practical experience, * entitled to at least as much weight as ’ha; of Mr Griffin, who presumably disrussee the matter from a purely theoretical flaiidpomt) that the engendering of any immodest or impropt r feeling as the result of dancing s a matter of th* rarest occurrence. The assertion that dancing is nearly always r«s*ociuted with unnk is literally true, but none the less nweleading on tiiai aecouu:. Would it euipnse Mr Griffin to learn t rial, in nine cams out of en. the drink consume! at daitee consists exclusive! y of Wa, offee and umonade ? As to the stateuen: that .vi vet desert their husbands ans husbands their Wive* for the pleasures of the ballronm, anybody desirous of Mcertaimng the truth for Ja.mself has only to look iu at random at any dance to decover tha; it i» qa::e tbie for eiiser husband or wiftf te he present withoi; the other. I feel tempted to couiuvui upon other •tartling statements contnind in the s*r uion in qu«»tion. but have ii ready trespassed too far upon your «pace. As a rule I do not csre to discuss puipit utter ances in the columns of r. a»wspaper. but when statements nre publisied rsdectinj •*r. the modesty of our wives and sister' 't is high time to interfere, and to point out that simply because mr female relatives enjor dancing they iro not neces * inly le»s modest or less jure than. sat. Mr Griffin's. I challenge that gentleman to prove that ther* is any creater degree of immorality or immodesty amongst the vouaries o dancing than amongst its oppo nents, aid conclude with t ie hope tha; lie may st-bci for his future discourses subjects up.n which he ts better qualified to speik than he has proved himself to be 11 this instance.— 1 am. etc., Dei Swivellkk.

TO THE HIITOR.

Sir.—So our v/orthr friend, the Rev Mr Griffin. lii«e a waknaed to the evils of dancing, as he crdig it I wender if iu his young days he e ver s w a dance on the village green oh a brijht sunny day. when the May pole v as sanding and all lh« nd* and lasses etioved tliemselvee to t heir hearts’ conteit ? \N us there any harm in that ? Sous* of us, sir. forget w« were ever you ng. I say then let the young folks eujov t)*raselves wits music and dancing. I tliak he said damcirg 1 was now very to what it was in • ( iUlm| of the pieturea I lave seen in tlie art galleries oh tli e Comnent are true. He i also apeak* of maried women going. 1 should like to know who is more suitable on* i,« uk her daughter than the mother? It ii all ery well to blauie the ball-room for the.uin of many girie; but sonic of us knew k ttcr. 1 could mention many case* of gir* coming to grief who have never boeit iiside a ball-room. \sa rule all lb o**e vho attend dances are taught how io bdiave themsolvi - before uomg the**#. n conclusion let me * etc., Maris. (1> the Editor.) Sir. -Could the utterances of ** An anxious mother” but be relied upon. 1 teed Msurod >lv has much cause to be perturbed, but I .*1 compelled to differ with her every ime, save ih the eoncludui * i portion of her letter, where she speaks of the •• sole drsroying character of the modern dance* These arc piecisely mv sentiments, f.r i know no more rapai ■ niodo of tlesiisyiug “soles” khun a dance. Hut iven hero there is virtue. I'is gov>d for trade.—-1 am etc.. I.KATHKH.