Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-10-28

ought to borrow belt and skirt from their
lady partners.
There is no disputing about tastes, accord
ing to the ancient maxim, and thus we ac-
count for the extreme favor in which dane
ing has been held in our modern fashionable
world. As to the moral bearing Of it, his
tory shows that it has ever fourished most
in two opposite stages of society,-in the
barbarous state, as among all savage tribes,
and in corrupt, degenerate civilization, as
during the decline of the Roman Empire
1t is, however, not the only rule of barbar-
ism on the one hand, and of degeneracy. on
the other, which has been adopted as the
favorite of our most refined aristocratic cir
cles. The theatre can boast the same au-
thority and duelling also,-two far worse
things than dancing, though upheld by the
same sort of taste which rejoices in the
| dance.
But as touching the classic beauty of mans
dancing, we are very willing to abide by the
decision of the old Greeks and Romans
Most assuredly, these masters Of the fine arts,
who have filled the world with monuments
of classic taste, were competent judges OF
everything that could be deemed essential
to grace and accomplishment in man or wo-
man. But with it was performance assign
ed to women and children, or to hired pro-
fessional characters, trained for the purpose.
They went to see the dances just as they
went to see the circus, or stage-plays; but
they never thought of dancing themselves;
at least such as had any selfrespect or claim
to gentility. Who ever heard of Roman
ladies, or wives and daughters of Grecian he
roes, dancing with men? Who ever read of
Alexander the Great, or Julius Cesar, or
Pompcy, or Demosthenes, dancing like
young girl? Think of Roman Senator
dancing in public or private for his own or
anybody samusement! Think Of these world.
conquerors, whose aspirations from boyhcod
were all of glory, exhibiting themselves in
that capacity to which the young gentlemen
of our day aspire, e,-the capacity Of an ex-
quisite dancer,-the brilliant achievement
of ballroom renown! 1t was Oh y as Ro-
man virtue began to decay. under the cor
rupt sway of the emperors, and effeminate
luxury to eat all manly heroism from the
hearts aad habits of the people, that dancing
won its way into the higher circles. In the
days of Cicero, the sentiment of the genteel,
fashionable world was that which he express
ed: "No man dances unless he is mad or
drunk" If dancing was thus thought un-
manly, when the performers had the long,
flowing, Grecian and Roman dress to redeem
it from contempt, how much more undigni-
fed is it now, vnen the prim, starchy, tight
fitting attire of the gentleman dancer, in
stead of concealing, only exposes the mus
cular machinery by which the performance
is carried on We do not wonder, Gf the
anecdote be authentic,) that such man
as Daniel Webster, when accosted in the
saloons in Washington by one of the spright-
ly young gentlemen who think the world
would not revolve if the dance should cease,
and imploringly asked if he did not dance,
should have replied: "No, cir; | never
believed that 1 had the capacity to learn"
We cannot guarantee that Mr.. Webster said
it, for it is only newspaper report. We
are. very sure, however, that he ought to have
said it, for it is in perfect keeping alike with
the good taste and greatness of such man
that he should never discover that he had
any capacity to dance.
Viewed in all its pleas, we can see no de-
fence of our modern, promiscuous dancing,
from the charge of being an irrational, un-
scriptura!, and injurious custom and until
the world gets back to religious solo dance,
or the exclusively female dance, of the Bible,
we shall remain in the opposition to all dan
cling and we would, in fact, be glad to see
the whole ceremony extirpated from civilized
society as an unmeaning and useless waste
of time,-the offspring Of a barbarous, and
the idol of degenerate age.