Washington telegraph., 1862-02-19

~ Inv '""o"'cS 10 'oo DaO IL Is
spicy, aud will commend itself by its pep
per to manJ awkward men and women
who can't dance. 1t is worth readipy
just to hear how the fellow goes on! In
truth it is oil humbug and spleen. A
varied acquaintance with city society. sat.
isles US that dancing is never inj jarious to
virtue or modesty. Even the walizes,
polkas, and Ground dances" as they are
called, are mere graceful accomplishments,
never attended with the evil ASSOCIATE, us
usually attributed to them BY a>c.,cs 1t
is easy enough to rail. But We would not
choose to see our people race Of Grad
grinds. The graceful accomplishments
i:fc, have their value also. "A thing of
beauty is a joy forever and the sunlight
of life should not be shut off the picture.
Let those dance who eau, a1d take their
innocent joy therein. The cares of life
supervene soon enough, aud the belle Ct
the ball room, niue tunes cut of ten, sub.
sides into the sober matron, who washes
her children's faces for Sunday School in
after lite, and with heroic sclf,sacriiice,
raises up soldiers for or artries, states-
nen for our ceuucils, aud fair daughters
to "go and do likewise" We suspect the
: editor has the gout, or is not good look
ing:
4 LAY SERMON on DANCING Not
only are dancing ADD junketing in bad
taste at sch time as the present, but they
are nhumanly disrespecttul and foolish
If father OF mother lay in mortal peril
In an upper chamber, would it not be bru-
tai in his children to tie .'cntting thp
. pigeon wlng" below stairs? Hundreds
and hundreds Of fathers and bro,hers are
langu;siing IN the hospitals of this very
, ciy, aud thousands upon thousands OF
fathers, sons, husbands and lovers are ex-
posing their lives in the field, to save US
irom subjugatiou: and here we are, pro
tectcd by the living wall of their daunt
less breasts, kicking up our heels and
Tipping on the light fantastic toe in the
Z most joyous manner. This is not the
way to show decent respect a merely
{ umaa sy'rpathy for our suffering defen-
ders. This Is not the temper which will
or ought to save people from conquest.
Far be ii from Us to arouse needless
fears or to repress innocert am1semcnt>
, Properly guarded, dancing is delightful
/ pastiinc infinitely better than the dry
and dreary re-unions where only couver-
sation, half scandal aud whole nouscnse
is all, we'd But, if We must dance, lei
US coBiiue ourselves to the o,d fashioned
decent and re~p,cta le dances cotil
ion and the like. Heaven save us FROM
the ..round dances" as they are called =
, the loathsume products of prurlen;
French taste. We regret extremely tc
hear that these .'round dances" are be.
coming II the rage at fashionable partie.
aud at the big hops at the great hotels
l Words cannot express our detestation and
i adherence of these dances They ought
! not to be tolerated in the Cunfederacy
: The girl who dances them ought to tax,
Hamiet's advice to Ophelia -'.get thee I,
nunnery." They will do we'll enough
: for the ramping female animals of Yam
: keelaud, but they ought to be secuted by
: every pure .miuded and refued Southern
: lady
t We know that the advocates of thcst
< sha ameless dances will throw Ia our teeth
the old adage, evil to him who evi
thinketh." A suspected Cyprian III
do the same thing These dances are ut
: tery disgusting. They are a disgrace tt
respectable society. They seem stuiiously
devised to prompt the worst suggestion,
aud SENSATIONS. To say that the wray
Cling, worming, whirling, squirming, bob
bing up and down motions uf these dance.
a.e gross y Indecent, is to say the least OF
them. No good man can look a, them for
the first time, without being shocked nc
good woman without feeling her cheek
tingle with the scarlet flush of terrible
shame. Only when the frequent repetition
of them mas dulled the natural sensibil,
ties, can they be viewed with anytniny
but disgust
There is very simple tc.t by which
the round dances and all other anluse me n Is
OF young people may be tested in regard
to their decency. Are they proper and
permissible in private? What father
would like to catch his daughter dancing
the Polka in the arms of Young man
: when by themselves in parIur? What
father who had never before witnessed the
hitny spectacle would not kick the youn.
man out of doors, and send the y"un.
WOMAN to an asylum? Dancing the Polka
10 public does not make it less intrinsi-
cally indecent. We are mortified and in
dig ant TO think that these abominab bic
exhibitions are becoming popular in Rich
inund.
We are getting corrupt too fast. Wha,
with ch u'ing, extortiug, drinking, and
dancing the round dances, We are leaping
ioto the foul depths of Washington degra-
dation at single bound 1t we must be-
: come rotten, let Us rot a little less rapid
Let Us tattoo aud kick out of respectable
circles immodest and impure dances, aud
them that dance them. If not, il we pre-.
fer to rush into the fashionable depravity
Of the European aud Yankee capitals, le,
US by al means do it with an impetuosity
aud abso ute lceuse that will in some sor,
redeem our depravity. Let US have f" the