Balls and Dancing Parties Condemned: by The Scriptures, Holy Fathers, Councils, and the Most Renowned Theologians of the Church

Many know that the saintly Cure of Ars condemned dancing and banished it from the parish of Ars. He was simply following the advice of the Fathers of the Church, who likewise condemn dancing as a great evil. Let us look into this book: “"It is by her dancing," exclaims St. John Chrysostom," that the daughter of Herodias captivated the heart of Herod, who had the folly to promise, as a reward for it, to give her whatever she should ask; and she had the cruelty to demand from him the head of St. John the Baptist. It is the devil," he continues, "who made her dance so gracefully, and who made Herod fall into his snares; for he is always present where there is a dance; it is in such amusements that he is most pleased, and where he has the greatest ease in destroying souls. If dancing at the present day does not cause the death of St. John the Baptist, as that of the daughter of Herodias did, it causes a death far more sorrowful to the members of Jesus Christ. ..."” This is a translation of the 1842 work Traite sur la Danse of Abbe Hulot. This would be at the same time the holy Cure of Ars was condemning dancing. And what can we say of dancing and music today? Both have gotten far worse in the intervening century and a half. In the Preface we read: “Bishop Lefevre, the zealous and learned bishop of Detroit, in his Pastoral, (Oct., 1850,) addresses thus the clergy and laity, in relation to an abuse prevailing in his, as well as in several other cities, where excursions, &C., are availed of to raise money for good and charitable objects: "To our age is reserved the honor of adding to the dictionary of our language the word 'charity ball,' and of teaching that what dishonors God, blaspheme our religion, and places a stumbling block to a multitude of souls, who find ill it both spiritual and temporal ruin, can be right, and even praiseworthy, on account of that relief which it may afford to the poor, &c.; in other words, that the end justifies the means, however criminal they may be in themselves, or in the circumstances attending them. You are well persuaded, and we loudly proclaim it, that you must give alms according to the precepts of our Lord; but remember well that this God, infinitely wise, cannot be indifferent to the manner in which you acquit yourself of this work of charity, in order that it may answer to His design, and be meritorious to you.” Father Hulot proves that dancing has been constantly condemned by the Catholic Church from the Sacred Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, the Councils of the Church. Let us return to our book: “The Catechism of the Council of Trent says, that bad books and bad songs are condemned no less than dunces, as they equally lead to impurity.” And consider the impurity during and after dances in all ages? In fact one dance was promoted as being the most impure pleasure a couple can have with their clothing on, which is certainly a mortal sin. Let us close with this last Apocalyptic consideration: “St. Anthony, Archbishop of Florence, says, that those who deliver themselves up to this fatal diversion travel on the road to hell, and will arrive there unexpectedly at some future day, where the road ends. " We read in the Apocalypse," says this holy archbishop, "that, the angel having sounded the fifth trumpet, the depth of the abyss opened; there rose from the bottom a smoke like that of a furnace; there went forth from this smoke locusts, which spread themselves over the whole world, and which received. the power of tormenting like the scorpions of the earth. ... These locusts are dancers; and the pit whence they come is the bottom of hell; for the love of dancing is inspired by the devil, whose residence is hell.”