An Arrow Against Profane and Promiscuous Dancing Drawn out of the Quiver of the Scriptures

When a dancing master arrived in Boston in 1685 and offered lessons and classes for both sexes during times normally reserved for church meetings, the Puritan ministers went to court to suppress the practice. Increase Mather (1639-1723) took the leading part, writing and publishing this tract, which compiles arguments and precedents for the prohibition of “Gynecandrical Dancing, [i.e.] Mixt or Promiscuous Dancing, viz. of Men and Women … together.” These justifications were certainly shared with the court, which found the dancing master guilty, fined him £100, and allowed him to skip town. Mather’s tract on dancing is an overwhelming compendium of sources and authorities: from the Bible, classical authors, Christian Church Fathers, medieval philosophers, and Reformed theologians both Continental and English. None of them, it appears, approved of mixed dancing—because it leads to adultery and worse. The vilest sins and the direst disasters lie only a short step from the dance floor. The Arrow is remarkable for two things (at least): for how much allusion and citation are packed into its brief 30 pages, and for how quickly it escalates the issue into life-or-death scenarios, all vividly painted to emphasize the mortal danger of men and women dancing together

Does Unemployment Significantly Impact on Economic Growth in Nigeria?

This study examines the impact of unemployment on the economic growth of Nigeria from 1985 to 2010 The Ordinary Least Squares OLS and Augmented Dickey-Fuller methods are used to estimate the model of one dependent variable Real GDP growth rate and two explanatory variables inflation and unemployment It was found that unemployment does not have a significant impact on the economic growth of Nigeria Inflation however was found to significantly impact on the economic growth of Nigeria Recommendations are also made to help accelerate the rate of growt

Does Unemployment Significantly Impact on the Economic Growth of Nigeria?

This study examines the impact of unemployment on the economic growth of Nigeria from 1985 to 2010. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Augmented Dickey-Fuller methods are used to estimate the model of one dependent variable (Real GDP growth rate) and two explanatory variables (inflation and unemployment). It was found that unemployment does not have a significant impact on the economic growth of Nigeria. Inflation, however, was found to significantly impact on the economic growth of Nigeria. Recommendations are also made to help accelerate the rate of growth

Determinants of the Rate of Unemployment in Nigeria

This study examines the determinants of the rate of unemployment in Nigeria from 1980 to 2016. The model of this study is made up of one dependent variable (Unemployment rate) and five explanatory variables (Government Expenditure, Inflation Rate, First Lag of Unemployment, Population and Real Gross Domestic Product). The study employed the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method to estimate the model after using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller to test for unit root. The result shows that Government Expenditure, Inflation Rate and Population are statistically significant in explaining changes in unemployment in Nigeria for the period under review. However, first lag of unemployment and Real Gross Domestic Product are found not to be statistically significant in explaining unemployment in Nigeria. The study recommends allocating higher amount of money to capital expenditure in the budget, and monitoring awarded projects to see that they are completed. The study also recommends that technologies which require human labour to operate be introduced

Impact of Monetary Policy on Inflation Control in Nigeria

Inflation is a major problem facing Nigeria as a country today. This has led to reduction in the standard of living of Nigerians. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), however, has made efforts to fight it using different policy measures, of which monetary policy is one of them. Thus this paper focuses on the use of monetary policy to check inflation in Nigeria. The study is based on time series data from 1970 to 2010. Employing the method of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) to estimate the model results, the study found that bank rate, deposit with the central bank, liquidity ratio, and broad money supply are statistically significant in explaining changes in inflation. However, exchange rate was found not to account for significant changes in inflation in Nigeria. The study recommended the need to check the excess reserves of commercial banks, which will help keep money supply at a low level

Impact of Monetary Policy on Inflation Control in Nigeria

Inflation is a major problem facing Nigeria as a country today. This has led to reduction in the standard of living of Nigerians. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), however, has made efforts to fight it using different policy measures, of which monetary policy is one of them. Thus this paper focuses on the use of monetary policy to check inflation in Nigeria. The study is based on time series data from 1970 to 2010. Employing the method of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) to estimate the model results, the study found that bank rate, deposit with the central bank, liquidity ratio, and broad money supply are statistically significant in explaining changes in inflation. However, exchange rate was found not to account for significant changes in inflation in Nigeria. The study recommended the need to check the excess reserves of commercial banks, which will help keep money supply at a low level

The Life and Death of That Reverend Man of God, Richard Mather, Teacher of the Church in Dorchester in New-England. A facsimile Reprint with an introduction ...

We most often turn to American Puritan prose to glean historicalor biographical data. If we seek a biography that spans the evolution of American Puritanism from its nadir in England through its zenith in the New England of the 1630\u27s to 1650\u27s, and to the beginning of its decline as symbolized by the Half-Way Covenant in 1662, we may turn to Increase Mather\u27s biography of his father, The Life and Death of That Reverend Man of God, Mr. Richard Mather. It includes the background for the elder Mather\u27s decision to emigrate to New England (events leading to his suspension from his ministry for nonconformity), his arguments for leaving England (to go from ministerial bondage to freedom), and his account of the voyage to Boston (including the episode of a storm at sea in which his ship was saved by God\u27s intervention). Increase also reflects on his father\u27s parish in Dorchester (in which his plain style of preaching was precisely the style demanded by his congregation), and limns a vivid portrait of the old man on his death bed attempting to convince him, Increase, that the Half-Way Covenant would be in the best interest of Puritanism. To be sure, the biography deals almost entirely with the elder Mather\u27s involvement in his religion and it may be read as a historical document, but it is neither ponderous nor boring and it possesses, as Kenneth Murdock says, a simple dignity that comes close to art (Increase Mather: The Foremost American Puritan). The author\u27s use of anecdote (Gillebrand\u27 s questioning of Richard Mather\u27s name); of direct discourse (the dying Puritan\u27s statement concerning the younger generation); and of excerpts from his father\u27s diary and will all help the biography escape the ennui-producing sameness that characterizes other Puritan biographies (see Kenneth B. Murdock Literature and Theology in Colonial New England). The tone of this biography, while eulogistic, is one of compassion, understanding, or sympathy--the result of a son\u27s sincere appreciation of his father\u27s life and heritage--and it is this that accounts for the ease with which it may be read today. The author\u27s attitude leaves no room for the overt didacticism and pedantry and the overabundant use of religious allusions that are prevalent in many Puritan tracts, not the least ponderous of which are the biographical sketches in Cotton Mather\u27s Magnalia Christi Americana (1702). Increase Mather is peaceful and serene throughout, an unusual pose among Puritan writers whose works were influenced by the rebellious nature of their omnipresent religion. This biography shares with other Puritan biographies the trait of providing an impulse-~through its description of a visible saint --for errant sinners to come to God, but it differs from most of them since its purpose is neither to defend the religion against its antagonists nor to castigate the heathens. Instead, it is a tender--but not sentimental--eulogy of a man who embodied the whole of American Puritanism. The Life and Death of· . Richard Mather has been published in its entirety only twice since its first appearance in 1670 (Collections of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society, 1850, 1874). A new edition of this biography--Increase Mather\u27s first work published in New England and the first biography published in America--is now offered in facsimile, that the charm as well as the content of the original may be shared. (Also reproduced here is the first woodcut print produced in America, John Foster\u27s Richard Mather, c. 1670.) This biography of Richard Mather does not constitute great literature, but there can be little doubt that it is, as Perry Miller says, the finest of the New England biographies (The American Puritans: Their Prose and Poetry)

Does Unemployment Significantly Impact on the Economic Growth of Nigeria?

This study examines the impact of unemployment on the economic growth of Nigeria from 1985 to 2010. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Augmented Dickey-Fuller methods are used to estimate the model of one dependent variable (Real GDP growth rate) and two explanatory variables (inflation and unemployment). It was found that unemployment does not have a significant impact on the economic growth of Nigeria. Inflation, however, was found to significantly impact on the economic growth of Nigeria. Recommendations are also made to help accelerate the rate of growth

Determinants of the Rate of Unemployment in Nigeria

This study examines the determinants of the rate of unemployment in Nigeria from 1980 to 2016. The model of this study is made up of one dependent variable (Unemployment rate) and five explanatory variables (Government Expenditure, Inflation Rate, First Lag of Unemployment, Population and Real Gross Domestic Product). The study employed the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method to estimate the model after using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller to test for unit root. The result shows that Government Expenditure, Inflation Rate and Population are statistically significant in explaining changes in unemployment in Nigeria for the period under review. However, first lag of unemployment and Real Gross Domestic Product are found not to be statistically significant in explaining unemployment in Nigeria. The study recommends allocating higher amount of money to capital expenditure in the budget, and monitoring awarded projects to see that they are completed. The study also recommends that technologies which require human labour to operate be introduced