Music And The Masonic Ritual—No. Ii.

amorous smiles , wanton compliments , unchaste kisses , * scurrilous songs and sonnets , effeminate music , lust provoking attire , ridiculous love pranks ; all ivhich savour only of sensuality , of raging fleshly lusts . Therefore it is wholly to be abandoned of all good Christians . ' Dancing serves no necessary use , no profitable , laudable , or pious end at all : it issues onlfrom the inbred pravityvanitylvantonnessineontinency

y , , , pride , profaneness , or madness of men ' s depraved natures . Therefore it must needs be unLwful unto Christians . The way to heaven is too steep , too narrow , for men to dance in and keep revel rout ; no way is large , or smooth enough for capering roisters , for jumping , skipping , dancing dames , but that broad , beaten , pleasant road that leads to hell . The gate of heaven is too narrow for whole roundswhole troops of

, dancers to march in together ; men never ivent , as yet , by multitudes , much less by morris dancing troops , to heaven . " In juxtaposition to the foregoing , letus see Avhat the holy scriptures say of the song and dance . Exodus , xv ., v . 20 , " And Miriam the prophetess , the sister of Aaron , took a timbrel in her hand , and all the Avomen went out after her with timbrels and with dances . " In

chap , xxxii ., v . 19 , we read of Moses coming near to the camp , " that he saiv the calf , and the dancing , and his anger waxed hot . " In Judges , xi ., v . 34 , recounting the triumph of Jephtha , Ave have these words , " His daughter came out to meet him wifch timbrels and

witli dances . " In Judges , xxi ., v . 21 , the Benjamites are advised to seize wives of those who attended the yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh . "And behold if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances , then they are to come out from the vineyards and catch every man his wife ; " and in the 23 rd verse it is recorded , that the children of Benjamin ' ' took them Avives , according to their number , of them

that danced . " In 1 Samuel , xviii , v . 6 , " when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine , the women came out of all the cities of Israel , singing and dancing , to meet king Saul , with tabrets , with joy , and with instruments of music . " In the same book , chap , xxi ., v . 11 , we have the folknving , "Is not this David the king of the laud \ Did . they not sing to one another of him in . dances

, singing , < fcc . 1 " Again , in chap , xxx ., v . 16 , we find that "they ivere spread abroad upon all the earth , eating and drinking , and dancing , because of all the great spoil they had taken , " & e . In 2 Samuel , chap , vi ., v . 14 , are these words , "And David danced before the Lord with all his might . " And in the same chapter , v . 16 , "And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David , Michal , Saul's daughter ,

looked through a AvindoAV , and saiv king David leaping and dancing before the Lord ; and she despised hini in her heart . " In the book of Job , chap , xxi ., v 11 and 12 , we find , Job speaking of the prosperity ofthe wicked , and , among- other examples , he says , "They send forth their little ones like a flock , and their children dance . They take the timbrel and harp , and rejoice at the sound of the organ . " In Psalm