CHURCH AND DANCING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3769, 11 July 1907, Page 3

CHURCH AND DANCING.

■ ♦ A Condemnatory Motion. Lost at the Anglican Synod. The Anglican Synod was asked the other day to follow somewhat on the lines of the Methodist Church in the direction of condemning dancing. Unlike the latter denomination, however, the suggestion was received with scanty sympathy. The Rev. A. E. Worsley moved, “ That this Synod deprecates the association of dancing with an}' method adopted for raising funds for the work of the church throughout the diocese.” He was reluctant to • move this, but felt the necessity laid upon him. He had a somewhat severe battle to fight in his own district (Eevin) because of that which he sought his motion to check. Dancing, in his opinion, could not be in the highest interests of the church, or of the work the church had in hand. He could not but feel that if they were going to invite clergy to come out here from Home and take missions in this diocese and tell them that thejr had dancing associated with the church, those invited might say it was very little use for them to come. By associating dancing and other measures with them, he felt they were hanging a millstone round the neck of their church work. In his own case, the association had taken a good deal of heart and hope out of him in his work.

In seconding tlie motion, the Rev. H, J. Deane said that dancing might be quite innocent, or the reverse. What he wanted to know was, were they —the clergy—quite convinced in their minds that there was no possibility of their brothers or sisters being led into temptation through this form of amusement ? Most of the people he had met in his district (Wanganui), though thej'' might not realise their privileges as members of the church, and though they might be indifferent to all matters affecting the church, nevertheless had a very high and lofty ideal of what the church ought to be. They, as clergy, should be very careful not to shatter that ideal by upholding what was questionable. “ Raising money for church purposes,” he said, “ hy means of dances, is not only not expedient, but in the highest degree objectionable.” The Rev. C. C. Harper thought it was a veiy great pity that such motions as these should be brought down, because he was perfectly convinced that dancing was not harmful. (Hear, hear.) Mr Worsley’s experience in England must have been very narrow to induce him to have referred in the terms he ha x done to clergy invited to come out here. His (Mr Harper’s) experience was that an immense amount of good was done b\ r the clergy in associating themselves with, and controlling dancing. It was not right to say that those who did so associate themselves had not got the church’s interests at heart. Pie moved that Synod pass on to the next order of the day. This was seconded and carried by a large on the voices.