Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-07-01
For the Yorkville Enquirer.
DANCE,

Mr. Editor I'm your paper of the Oath June,
vol. 4, I find an article headed "The Dancing
Party; :" signed by Comus. He seems to have
been perfectly carried away with the dancing on
the occasion of which he writes and his fondness
for dancing as an amusement, makes him say
"'Tis better to laugh than be signing when we
think how ffe's moments are flying" And he
says of this company, they "were resolved to en-
joy themselves to the utmost" Well be it So
This saying is good, when all is right within
pleasure is due to man, when he has oil his duties
done. So much for this particular dance.
But Comus does not stop here; be says, "With
all Difference I would ask, why it is, that we can-
not often have such pleasant parties in Yorkville?
Is there such q deeply rooted prejudice against
dancing In every shape and form" &c. "We
think it high time, that the l~iberality and intelli-
gence Of persons in our community, should disa-
buse their minds of those puritanical prejudices,"
ON this subject.
I answer. One reason why these pheasant
parties" cannot be "ofcner" enjoyed here is this.
Our daughters, on these occasions when present,
are passed out from the supervision Of the par.
ent's care and transferred soften" to the guidance
and protection of ONE on whom we cannot entire
ly rely-to strangers. 2. Another good reason
is, our SONS ore then and there freed from the
restraints Of the parents eye, and all influence Of
parental care; and the sentiment Of the particular
party becomes the rule Of right action pro. tezn.,
instead thereof. 8. Another good reason is this.
Some Of US are not quite so sure as Comus is, that
our objections to dancing parties is only a "pre-
iudice,"-"a puritanical prejudice" And even
though it be better to do bad, than worse, or worst,
as his argument seems to run yet, we think it
better to do good than to do either of the rest
And since we know unqualified dancing Is sin,
'the liberality and intelligence" Of our commune
ty cannot license sin; but is good reason why we
disallow Of dancing when unqualified OF all. Nor
have we all agreed on a standard Of time &C., for
the "moderate indulgence" of a dance, as an "a
m~usement." Comus seems to think that from
candle. lighting to some and two o'clock is not ex-
cessive for dispersion. We perhaps would differ
with him in this opinion.
Comus pleads for dancing as a ''pleasant amuse-
ment' in some 'tshape and form" without defining
his position in any given case, as to the character
of the dance for which he pleads. All measured
steps, having regard to time, and some convulsive
motions are a dance ; and dances admits Of every
conceivable difference to each other, from the
march to martial music, to a religious phrensy, and
passing thence into the Bachannalian dance, with
or without the most lascivious songs, by dey or
night.
We have no standard by which to measure the
character of VIVA. will be in any future dance the
one ipsensibly may, and often does pass in
to another 'form and shape )" the bad becoming
worse, or worst. The sentiment in different grad
atoms of societies of men, from those Of highest
moral tone, to the most debased; from highest in
tellicence, to lowest ignorance; from the most
polished and refined in mind and manners, to the
most rude and ~impolite. These all do form stand
ards of their own; good, bad, right, and wrong,
moral, immoral, all have relation only here to the
sentiment of each. Each dance therefore becomes
an experiment., the character Of which only can be
settled BY any standard set up by man after it is
done. One particular dance may be so conducted,
as to commend itself to the most sensitive of men ;
another and the next may be offensive to some
one or more; whilst some others do commend it
too: whilst another stands condemned as immoral,
or obscene ipso taeto in one society; yet, applau-
ded as good, and an agreeable amusement" In
| society Of another stamp.