p. 9 | Lovers of Pleasure

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 1, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 30.

Lovers of Pleasure

THE last days are characterized as having a class of religionists who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. See 2 Tim. 3: 1-5. Note the eighteen different sins there mentioned as characterizing this class. And yet it is said of them that they have a "form of godliness." As a fulfilment of this, we note the following from a despatch dated St. Louis, June 3:

Methodist ministers were severely arraigned for lacking grit and nerve to apply discipline as to worldly amusements, and were charged with having permitted a Salome dance to be put on at a recent entertainment at Soldan high school. The one who made the charge was Wm. O. Andrews, a layman, president of the Andrews Agency and of the William O. Andrews Grain Company. Some one corrected the "Salome" to "Ruth St. Dennis;" and Mr. Andrews replied: "Anyhow, the dance was so bad that the modest girls had to hang their heads in shame while it was going on. This is just to show you the limit to which we have fallen. And yet you permit this to go on in our public schools."

Mr. Andrews denounced the "folk" dance taught in the schools, and said: "All this business is taught our children whether we want it or not. One of the deaconesses told me they were even teaching these 'folk' dances at the Methodist training school, and I understand they are being taught at one of the Christian associations here. They call it physical culture, but all the steps are there. I could go any night and throw a rock into a vaudeville house and hit the scalps of not less than half a dozen Methodist stewards, and I know that if you want to speak to a certain pastor here after eight o'clock you will have to ring him up at the moving-picture show. Methodists used to stand pat against these things. Is it possible, gentlemen, that so many of your people disregard the rules, that you are afraid to make public utterance against them?"

At the same meeting a minister, Rev. A. H. Gadby, declared that the "amusement dope is just as great a narcotic as morphin, and such things as these ought to arouse the devotion and earnestness of every true child of God." In almost the words of another, the Christian in these days should draw zeal from others' apathy, courage from others' coldness, and loyalty from others' treason.

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