The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1869-01-10
rHEGATECITY.


1
| Whenever or wherever il vas that the
idea Of the snfulness of dancing arose ~
| New England know mott IL certain tact
| that at Old Town, at this time, the presence
| of the minister and his lady vas not held to
be in the aIghtest degree incompauDIs With
this Amuseuenk We appeal y 0s mrnofy
OF many Of oar reader Il thsy 8 see'r pa.
renta could not recall . time 10 New England
when. il III u large loxos. dancing assem-.
h,;es I'D 8, Is stasedly keld, q which the
minis mini er and bis lady, though never uniting
II The dance, always gave IN approving ~
tendance. and where oil the decorous, res
nectable old church members always brought
their children, and stayed themselves to
watch 90 amusement in which they no longer
actively pariook. No one looked on with =
more placid and patfonizing smile, as one
after another began joining the exercises.
which, commencing first with the children
and young people, crept gradually upward
among the elders Uncle Bill would insist
on leading out Aunt Louise, and the bright
color rising 10 her thin cheeks brought back
a anttering image Of what might have been
beauty in some fresh eariy day. Asto I'm
Gle Eliakim, he jumped, and frisked, and
gyrated among the single sisters and maiden
aunts whirling them into the dance a. if he
had been the little black gentleman himself.
With that true spirit Of Christian charity
which marked all bis sc.iops, he invariably
chose out the homeIiest and most neglected
for partners; and thus worthy Aunt keziah,
dear old soul was for a time made quite
prominent By his alterations
OF course, the dances II those days were
Of strictly moral nature. Tho sesy thought
OF one Of the round dances Of modern times
would have sent Lady Lathrop behind her
big fan in helpless confusion, and exploded
my grandmother like . fuli-charged arsenal
OF indignation. Al it vas, she stood With her
broad, pleased face, radiant with satisfaction,
- the wave Of joyousness crept higher and
higher around her, till the elders, who stood
keeping time with their headsand feet, began
TO tell each other how they had danced with
theirsweethearts in good old days gone BY.
And the elder women began TO blush and
bride, and to boast Of steps that they could
take in their youth, till the music finally sub
dued them, and into the dance they went.
"Well, weil!' quofh my grandmother,
they're At it so hearty, don't SO Why l
shouldn't try it myself" and into the vir--
ginia reel she went, amid screams Of 6nGh-
ter from oil the younger members Of the
But | assure you my grand~
mother was not woman 70 be laughed at,
for whatever she once set on foot she 'sput
through" with sturdy energy betting .
daughter Of the Puritans. why shouldn't
| dance ~ she said, when she arrived, red
and respondent, at the bottom Of the get.
Didn't Mr.. Dependency, and Miss Haoha-
fraid, and Mr.. Resdy>to-half, oil dance to-
eether, in the Pilgrims Progress r. And
the minister, in his ample, flowing wig, and
my lady, in her stiff brocade, gave 70 my
Grandmother Golemn twinkle of spproba
lion. As nine o'clock struck, the whole
scene dissolved and melted; for what we'll
village would think of carrying fes
.ivities beyond that hour7 And 30 ended
our Thanksgiving ut Old Town.