p. 15 | Note and Comment

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Apr 6, 1911

Note and Comment

Amusement Mad

Under “Notes From the Northwest” a writer in the Lutheran of February 23, signing himself G. H. T., speaks of some of the influences which the church has to contend with in the way of worldly amusement. He truly says that an epidemic is sweeping over the country. The spirit of the-times is toward indifference and pleasure-seeking. In the busy whirl of pleasure, men and women drown their sorrows, destroy their hopes, and forget that there is a God who takes account of their conduct. This writer says:—

An article in a late Lutheran stated that —— had gone “amusement mad.” That seems to be a kind of epidemic sweeping over the country. Our city seems to have caught the craze, and what the outcome will be is hard to tell. Recently the superintendent of our city schools advocated making our schoolhouses amusement halls, where they could have dancing, so as to keep the young people from public dance-halls. At the same time he recommended a certain public dance-hall in the down-town district as a proper place to go to. The place is called Dreamland, and it claims to be above the average of such places. This was, however, too much for the better class of citizens, and he has been roundly scored for his pains. It has been shown that that very place is used as a recruiting-place for white girls of slaves. The church has a hard time of it trying to counteract the influence of the extremely worldly spirit which has dared to invade the very precincts of some parts of the church itself. At a slum mission, carried on by the Congregationalists, they had a large poster stating that dancing was taught there. A Lutheran pastor, having a number of members in that locality, remonstrated, and requested the sign to be removed. When that had no effect, the pastor of the mission was informed that if the obnoxious sign was not removed, a delegation would come and see that it was taken away; it was then taken in. Query: In such a mission where is the line separating the church from the world?

The line of division between the world and very many professed Christians has been obliterated. The great church of Christ needs to sense whither she is drifting, and rally to stem the rising tide of evil.