A SCOTCH MINISTER ON DANCING.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2866, 23 April 1878, Page 2

A SCOTCH MINISTER ON DANCING.

It a Free Gardeners' meeting, held in the Waverly Hall recently, the Her. Alexander Webster, of St. David's, Edinburgh, was present and delivered an address. He said he was one of those who had a great respect for the intelligent, honest working,, man. He made it a principle to lift his hat to the servant as well as the mistress, especially if she was young and good looking, (Laughter.) tie hoped there was nothing heretical in the remark. (Renewed laughter.) It was not that he had less respect for women advanced in years; but it must be confessed that the element of youth, especially in women, was very attractive. When one saw a fine woman who was about the age of forty, one could hardly help wishing he could do as when he went 3 to the bank with a £40 not*—change the. article into two twenties., (Great laughter.) They had met that l- evening -for social recreation, and this was highly commendable. * Dancing, which was to form part of the evening's entertainment, ■ was right and good, provided always it - was kept within proper bounds... (Applause.) He was not one of those who considered dancing a damning sin, and it was all nonsense to say that people oust of necessity be going to the devil if they indulged in that pasrtmc (Applause!) He had danced himself at Her Majesty's •:• gathering at Deeside, but he was now too. heavy for that exercise—(laughter)—and, besides, members of Presbytery were expected never to lift their feet too high or too quickly, but to move through the world with becoming gravity and solemnity. (Laughter.) He was not sura but it would be a useful thing for members of Presbytery to indulge in what waa termed the light fantastic toe. (Load laughter.) Some of them who had large stipends, and consequently heavy corporations, might not be able to exhibit all the beauties of motion—(laughter)—but it might be a much better exercise for them than snarling at each other as they sometimes did in Presbytery meetings. It might alse be able to make them preach more humanly, and develop in ministers that brotherly love which they preached about so much, but which all, both priest and people, found so difficult to practise. (Applause.) Let them imagine their respected friends George Gilfillan and Dr Peddie, or their more modest friends Mr Macaulay and Professor Robertson Smith, or Fergus Ferguson and his antagonists all dancing to the strain of some Presbytery flute or fiddle. (Great laughter.) He thought that the perspiration pcoduoedr by such recreation would purge some of them of their bad humor, and' make them of a more tolerant state . of mind. (Laughter.) As one remedy:' for our Scottish bigotry he would suggest , more innocent recreation both for the; clergy and the people. \ (Hear, hea*) Let them remember that what they had the ministers must have also. He wou^ set the Presbyteries to dance oooasionanyT . (Laughter.) He did not mean in a literal sense exactly, but he would set them to • dance .either literally or metaphorically, and their difference, would very soon b* danced out of them. ' ; : , > ; - ••" ""