The Tiffin tribune. [volume] (Tiffin, Ohio) 1848-1859, 1856-12-19
DANCING.

We have always been an advocate o
dancing, and from our present view o
its propriety and morality, sways expect
lto be. We have never yet been a wit
ness OF any evils resulting from its prao-
! tice.. We know that many estimable
4 people are as strong advocates Of bis
healthful engagement as We are, and on
the other hand we know that many con
denim il far more strenuously than we
'geommsud. Mfs, Harriet X. Hunt thus
! speaks Vt her experience in dancing;
mrFor myself. can testify no, only to ts health
j ful, but 70 is recuperative power The forteth
I nay the htieth year Of my age, found me enjoy.
ing this llfe-ohe0rng exercise. II should bo enc
Of tho best and earliest amusements Of children
aud should be taken by parents that Il is un-
| defstood hs an amusement. DANCING
is as hoalthful, beautiful, graceful recreation, aud
Is not responsible for the abuses Injury has thrown
around it. The vugadsm an excitemenus Of
the ballroom have no more 10 do with The simple
enjoyment Of tho dance, than the rich wines and
4 admPtuohs bePquets Of the gourumnd, b whom
they induce disease, have 10 do with the temper
ate repasta that satisfy The natural wants Of the
body .s1'i iH ssrnl g|f '...3 t.
|. Our old friend Harris, Of the Cleveland
| Herald, whose head is well frosted over
| with gray hairs, and who will Gance
] every set from the time the music com
mences, until it ceases, thus comments
| upon the suggestions of Mrs. Hunt -
There is q great deal of good, practical,
home e7made sense in the above. The
most foolish blunder made by the Amer
icah people, in particular those who give
tue religious tone to society, is their do
termined opposition TO dancing BY all
means Introduce dancing as household
amusement whenever enough can be
gathered to form set, Just as you
would introduce game Of blind man s
buff When that graceful accomplish
ment shall become doBestieI.ed, when it
shall have hearthstene. encouragement
instead Of being turned out as an exotic, ,
when the father shall take up the fiddle
and the bow the mother strike the quit
ar or piano, and set theirneighbor's chill
dren to dancing. then will that health
full and improving exercise prove a moral
agent. So long, however, as dancing is
pointed at by many respectable parents
as a dangerous amusement, as exercising
the heels only, without benefit to the
head, the children Of those parents will,
either from taste, or for the purpose OF
forming their own estimate OF the char
acter Of the amusement, seek it in the
ball rooms, and prac.ice it at au unrea-
sonable hour. We must learn TO distin-
guish between proper use and the abus,
Of a thing, and,although some may, with
all possible care and caution on the par,
Of parents, commit excesses in dancing
IT affords no reason why, as matter Of
kexercise and amusement, it should be con
demned, Let your children have home
dancing, and they will the less seek bal
room dancing. The more Of dancing a.
aprivate party, the less there is of glut
tony, drinking and gossip
I'VE hope our young friends Of Kanton
who have just succeeded in organizing
. social dancing party for the winter
will be entirely successful in the inaugura
tion of new era In K.-- Kenton Repub
Above is given the defense Of thi
popularamusementby its sblestadvoeates
and the assumptions upon which they
have to ground their apology is, 10 US
sufficient evidence ofthe weakness Of thei
cause. To say that party whose aPpe
tites are sharpened with the exercise anC
excitement of a spirited dance. viii ca
Hess and drink less than one which has re
sorted to more moderate amusements, i
simply ridiculous, .an. .el
gi Ask yourself a question or two. zoo
Is there one social dancer in one hun
dred who does not attend balls? ...-l
Il Is there one 10 one thousand who are
! taught dancing at home by their parents
who do not become inveteEate ball-goers'
| We need NOT refer to the fact at.ested
4 BY many q sleepy eye, aching head apC
a. diseased system, that the appetite whet
, tediby afgood dance'a is almost invaria
bly, satidted with the richest viands ant
I beverages. Dr.. HARRIET X. HUET con
ID dsmns the, ballroom, but advocates dan
! cling. Let her answer truely the ques
j tiOnS above propounded, and then justify
the encouragement Of dancing by parent
II she can.
At balls they dance from eight O'clocl
to three or four, seven or eight hours
+ without missing sstI'-eAt sumptu
J GUS supper Of cake. coffee. meats, anC
/ wines, At one o'clock at night, and in
(. fIiCt shock on the system from wRici
by the ineEolable laws Of nature, they
can never fully recover in TnE or ETERk
( ITT,
"a scratch upon the saPlings bark
will warp the giant oak forever"
sach is the fascinating influence o
dancing, that like drinking it is Away
carried to excess, or at least in 50 grea
a majority Of cases. az to rOnder mOdera
tiop the exception, and excess the genera
go Frt.t. T.. T.. - Ill I-.o,..- tL.t =