tian breast that there was nothing to be seen upon the stage that could lead or encourage him to devotion; but on the other hand, that the noise and fury of the playhouse, and the representations there, produced a state of excitement that disturbed the internal man. Whereas the spirit of a Christian ought to be calm, and quiet, and composed, to fit it for the duties of religion."

They believed also, that "such promiscuous assemblages of men and women were unfavourable to virtue, for that the sparks of the passions were there blown into flames."

Tertullian, from whom some of the above opinions are taken, gives an invitation to those who were fond of public spectacles in nearly the following terms:

"Are you fond," says he, " of the scenic doctrine, or of theatrical sights and compositions? We have plenty of books for you to read. We can give you works in prose and in verse. We can give you apophthegms and hymns. We cannot, to be sure, give you fictitious plots or fables, but we can give you truths. We cannot give you strophes

or the winding dances of the chorus, but can give you simplicities, or plain and straight-forward paths. Are you fond of seeing contests for victory? You shall see these also, and such as are not trivial, but important. You may see, in our Christian example, chastity overcoming immodesty. You may see faithfulness giving a deathwound to perfidy. You may see mercy getting the better of cruelty. You may see modesty and delicacy of sentiment overcoming impurity and impudence. These are the contests in which it becomes us Christians to be concerned, and where we ought to endeavour to receive the prize."

CHAP

CHAPTER V.

SECTION I.

Dancing-Dancing forbidden-Greeks and Romans differed on this subject-Motive on which the Greeks encouraged dancing Motive on which the moderns encourage it-Way in which the Quakers view it-Arguments which they use against it.

As the Quakers have thought it right to prohibit music and stage entertainments to the Society, so they have thought it proper to prohibit dancing; none of their children being allowed any instruction in the latter

art.

It is remarkable that two of the most civilized nations, as well as two of the wisest men of antiquity, should have differed in their opinions with respect to dancing. The Greeks considered it as a wise and an honourable employment; and most of the nations, therefore, under that appellation in

serted

serted it into their system of education. The name of dancer was so honourable as to be given to some of their gods. Statues are recorded to have been erected to good dancers. Socrates is said to have admired dancing so much, as to have learnt it in his old age, Dancing, on the other hand, was but little regarded at Rome. It was not admitted even within the pale of accomplishments. It was considered at best but as a sorry and trivial employment. Cicero says, "Nemo ferè saltat sobrius, nisi fortè insanit, neque in solitudine, neque in convivio honesto.""No man dances, in private, or at any respectable entertainment, except he be drunk or mad."

We collect, at least, from the above statement, that people of old, who were celebrated for their wisdom, came to very different conclusions with respect to the propriety of the encouragement of this art.

Those nations among the antients which encouraged dancing, did it upon the principle that it led to an agility of body, and a quickness of motion, that would be useful in military evolutions and exploits. Hence

"swift of foot" was considered to be an epithet as honourable as any that could be given to a warrior.

The moderns, on the other hand, encourage dancing, or at least defend it, upon rather different principles. They consider it as producing a handsome carriage of the body, as leading to a graceful and harmonious use of the limbs, and as begetting an erectness of position not more favourable to the look of a person than to his health.

That dancing produces dispositions of this sort cannot be denied, though certainly not to the extent which many have imagined. Painters, who study nature the most, and are the best judges of the appearance of the human frame, are of opinion that modern dancing does not produce natural figures, or at least such as they would choose for their respective compositions. The military exercise has quite as great a share as dancing, in the production of these dispositions. And there are certainly men who were never taught either the military exercise or dancing, whose deportment is harmonious and graceful.

The Quakers think it unnecessary to

teach