DEA. T. She received me as usual, kindly and courteously, and appeared perfectly friendly to me. I will also state that she said this whole movement against dancing had been got up by a few meddling individuals. D. C. WESTON. Did Mrs. W, express any regret that she had injured your feelings?

DEA. T. She said she was very sorry to have injured them.

JUDGE W. Why did you not state that before?

DEA. T. I could'nt undertake to tell the church all that passed, but only what I considered the substance of the conversation.

JUDGE W. It is a little singular, to say the least of it, that you should state whatever you supposed would make against the accused, and suppress what would make in her favor.

D. C. WESTON. When Mrs. W. said she would be ground to powder before she would be controlled by the report of the church, was it from stubbornness, or because she thought the church had no right to control her?

DEA. T. It struck me as exhibiting stubbornness.

D. C. W. Was it from a spirit of resistance to what she admitted to be a just demand, or did she deny the right of the church to interfere?

DEA, T. She did put it upon the ground that the church had no right to interfere.

D. C. W. Did she, or did she not, say that she would not, for the world, intentionally injure the feelings of any one?

DEA. T. I do not recollect exactly, but I believe she did say so.

D. C. WESTON. Well sir, if she expressed herself sorry that, acting according to her views of propriety, should have injured your feelings; and if she told you that she would not, for the world, intentionally injure the feelings of any one, how did your conscience allow you to make written complaint to the church that she had shown an "utter disregard" of their feelings?

DEA. T. I considered those expressions entirely neutralized by her saying that she would be ground to powder before she would be dictated to by the church.

D. C. W. When you first called upon her, did she not say, "now let us talk fairly and openly, and express our opinions freely, so that we may perfectly understand each other. It is of no use to talk and not be able to get at each other's meaning"?

DEA. T. She did say something of the kind.

D. C. W. You have complained to the church that, after the acceptance of the Report, she invited a party of young people to come to her house and engage in dancing. Did she not tell you, sir, that they were not invited for the purpose of dancing?

DEA. T. I dont recollect whether she did or not.

JUDGE W. That is very strange, when you called upon her for the very purpose of finding out about this dancing "party."

D. C. W. You have stated to the church that it was a "party." Did you not know that it was a society of young girls which met for the purpose of sewing in the afternoon, and playing in the evening?

DEA. T. I did. She also said that the society was invited previous to the acceptance of the Report.

D. C. W. Did Mrs. W. say that she acted from a sense of duty?

DEA. T. She did; and that she must always be guided by her own sense of duty and propriety.

D. C. W. What rule of the church did Mrs. W. violate, by allowing these children to dance?

DEA. T. It was in opposition to the Report.

JUDGE W. Put your finger, if you can, upon the passage which prohibits it.

DEA. T. I have said it was in opposition to the Report. I can make myself no plainer. The Report is as plain as the Decalogue.

JUDGE W. I perceive that nothing definite can be elicited from you. In the Report, which is about as definite as you are, it is said that parents should restrain

their children from dancing as "usually practised." What does this expression mean?

DEA. T. It applies to dancing parties.
JUDGE W. What is a dancing party?

DEA. T.

dancing. JUDGE W.

Any collection of people where there is

Thank you,

sir.

D. C. W. Do you consider any parent who allows his children to dance, as acting in opposition to the expressed will of the church?

DEA. T. 1 do.

D. C. W. At the time the Report was accepted, was it not distinctly stated that no compulsory power was to be used towards parents, beyond the moral power of the expressed opinion of the church? And did not D. Williams say he should resist any resolution, or action, which would render a parent amenable to the church for allowing his children to dance?

Here Mr. Dole who, apparently, considered Dea. T. unequal to the management of this part of the case, came forward and interrupted the examination. I took notes, said he, at the time the report was accepted, and can state what was said exactly. Dancing as "usually practised" was explained to mean public balls, assemblies, and miscellaneous social parties, where old and young, professors and non professors, met together. It does not apply to the family circle.*

JUDGE W. Will you stick to that?

C. DOLE. I will try to.

JUDGE W. Was the dancing in this instance at my house, prohibited by the church, by the acceptance of that "Report"?

C. DOLE. It was not prohibited. The church only expressed their opinion against it.

JUDGE W. Thank you, sir. I can get something

* Mr. Dole means, by the "family circle," the father and mother with their own children. If a single individual, belonging to another family, joins this "circle," it ceases to be a "family circle," and becomes a "miscellaneous" party.

definite from you, though it was impossible to do so from your colleague.

C. DOLE. I will further state that D. Williams did remark that he should resist anything compulsory upon parents; that christian parents could not be supposed capable of indulging their children in what they supposed hurtful: and it was understood that parents were not to be compelled. But I apprehend you misunderstood the Doctor.* Allow me to put a question to him.

Did you not, Dr. Tappan, mean to charge Mrs. W. with disregarding the opinion of the church merely, and not with violating an express prohibition?

DEA. T. Certainly, certainly. I merely meant to say that she had acted contrary to our opinions.

JUDGE W. If Mrs. W. violated no rule of the church, what business had you, sir, to go to my house, in my absence, and make these charges against her.

DEA. T. I consider such a question improper.

JUDGE W. Let me tell you, sir, that if Mrs. W. had violated no rule of the church, nothing against her can be made out, from anything which took place at a visit which you had no right to make. But let me ask you, if a person is amenable to the church for acting contrary to their expressed opinion, in what does the expression of an opinion differ from an express law?

DEA. T. I consider that I have the right to present a complaint, as well in the one case, as in the other. Adjourned to the following evening.

* Dea. T. is a physician, and is usually called doctor.

CHAPTER VI.

"Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Ps. xxxv, 4.

"There is a wicked man that hangeth down his head sadly; but inwardly he is full of deceit." Ecclesiasticus xviii, 7.

"Casting down his countenance, and making as if he heard not; where he is not known, he will do thee a mischief before thou be aware." Ecclesiasticus xix, 27.

"Will you, great sir, that glory blot
In cold blood, which you gained in hot?
Will you employ your conqu'ring sword,
TO BREAK A FIDDLE AND YOUR WORD?"

Hudibras.

Thursday evening, May 7th.

Cross examination of Dea. Tappan resumed.

D. C. WESTON. At what hour in the evening did you call upon the accused on your first visit?

DEA. T. I think at about seven.

D. C. W. Did she tell you that she had heard of your calling during the day; that she conjectured the object of your visit; and that she was so worn out and exhausted with the subject, that she had thought of writing you a note, requesting you to stay away?

DEA. T. I dont recollect that she said any thing about writing me a note.

D. C. W. Did she tell you she was unwell, that her health had been seriously affected by being so followed up upon this subject;* that it had rendered her nervous, and deprived her of necessary sleep?

DEA. T. She did say something to that amount.

* The pastor had, soon after the acceptance of the Report, visited her, and remonstrated, at length, upon the impropriety of allowing children to dance. Since the filing of the complaint, however, he has never called upon

her.