The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-04-07

casts itself after the soul, in N ecstacy Of
rhythmic motion. upon the undulstions Of
sweet sound.
II 10 thus that the dance expresses ell the
moods Of music. II 10 to music what gestic-
ulation 10 TO orstory.
Dancing 10 older than history. We trace
it back through the religious and social life
Of oil nations. to the fabIed birth Of Grecian
music, when the huge ea-monsters, rocks
scd trees, danced to the magic Of the Orpbic
Tyre. 10 its earliest known forms dancing
was . mere movement in procession. the
clash Of the rude music timed by fierce
gesticulstions. Before ORPHEUs, the Egyp-
tians thus danced 10 Isis. Thus MILAN
danced with her Ministries, and DAVID
danced before the Lord, as we have seen, to
the disgust Of NIcHAL--and Mr.. NELL.
The coarse ffenzies Of the Phrygan dance
were fashioned by the fine soued Greeks into
an art, which 10 its various forms covered
the whole range Of musical expression. Every
god who had anything, had his dance as we'll
as hymn. The pean to Apollo in the print
tive Attic worship had its choral dance. The
jocund harvest hymn of the early Cereaiia
had its festsl dance, and 10 the later
Bacchic orgies, the frantic worshippers OF
the wine god. flung art, and sometimes life,
away, in the wild chorus Of the dithyrsmb.
The Romans took the Attic dance with
Attic song. Al modern nations have their
dances characteristic as their songs. The
passionate tarantula Of the Italians, the
solemn boiero OF Spain, the German waltz,
the Bohemian rsdo,rd, the Scotch reel, the
French oo!t,ilon and quartelte, are all as
distinctly national As their languages or their
poetry.
Thus we find the coexstence OF the dance
with music, among all nations in oil ages, as
its counterpart and complement; springiug
from the same principle which inspires vocal
measures, or the movements OF the hand
across the harp--s reflex vibration Of the
same chord, touched by the same sensation.
Now to show that there is anything i'm
proper in dancing, it must FIRST be shown
that the music is improper, Of which it is
merely the metrical pulsation, or, what is the
same thing, that the sensation it inspires is
improper
The moral quality resides in the motive.
The sensation produced by music is the mo
tive impulse Of the dance. But this is al
mitted 10 be innocent, il it be not rhythmic,
if il DO not reduced to the trochaics and
iambcs Of waltz or polka. Is il the me.
tire which is wicked, II is proper theu to
hop, but very improper to keep time in
hopping,
Bat it is said the religious dancing Of the
Hebrews, such ss DAVID danced before the
ark, was very different from the light arts
tic dance of modern times. But, assuredly
if Dancing was proper mode Of manifest
ing religious emotions. il ought to be good
enough to express gay and cheerful sentl-
menis. Or do cheerful feelings require q
more "diguili,d vehicle than solemn ones
Ia fact, the modern dance is, in every re-
spect, more "d'gni6ed because it is more
graceful and more temperate than the dance
OF DAVID or JErrHAH's daughter. The
ancient dance was Il coarse, incont'nent ges
ticulstioa the exquisite modulatons of the
modern dance are tempered by its mutual
courtesies.
1t is mistake to suppose that religious
dancing was confined 10 the Hebrews or
Pagans. The early fathers OF the Chris
tan Church were not as squeamish as some
modern ciergymen. With them dancing
was rite Of Christian worship. Accord.
ing TO ScarIaER, the early Bishops were
called presules," because they led ~ the
dance al heu solemn festivals and this
practice continued tillIthe twelfth century,
, when, as the church lost its original simpli-
, city and purity, dancing ceased TO accom-
, pany its devotious Will Mr.. NsILL ex-
plain the coincidercc' We will not press
( the point, tor, notwithstanding dancing still
continues as religious exercise among the
, SHAKERS, and occasionally bursts out at
, camp meetings, it may be that religious
. emotions, rooted upon lofty conception oil
God. properly seek range Of ssnsGoas IN
, depreciation in forms of music beyond the
> dance that the highest forms OF sacred ma
z sc are not adapted to dancing.
$ |, would take An elephant TO dance TO the
, csdenscs OF the organs nalesiic pea yet
: few men can refrain from beating time even
, in church. and We have seen whole congre-
! gstoas dung iuto an incip'ent galopsde by
I xhirl of lvelv music from the chair