National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-08-13
THE VULGAR CAN-cAN.
SOMETHING ABOUTvARIETY SHOWS
WHAT THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY ARE
HOW DEcEEcY IS NIGHTLY OUTRAGED
UNHEEDRD VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW.


tOrs-In the WinesBeom.
Among the places Of interest to the casual WIS.,
itor in any large city the auditorium Of variety
theatre is one Of the most interesting. As pre-
lminary, ticket Of admission to the theatre Ia
purchased and an hour spent In witnessing the
performance. The charm Of such places Is the
perfect freedom and abandon Of all who visit
them. The distinction in price is 90 small that
on q common level the patrons are forced to meet,
and there the merchant or professional man
Iostles against and exchanges words with the
men whose questionable calling would prevent
any token of recognition In the outside world.
Away of in q small spot, devoted to their uses,
and always well allied, are the small boys white
and black, whose democratic tastes and feelings
always permit them to fraternize, and who, from
the security Of their perch with an instinct always
right, render their fsvors Of
BoIsTERoUs APPLAUSE
tothe deserving ones, and who are only prohibited
by the rattan Of the special policeman from vent
ing their disapproving Kisses on mediocrity,
which more or less hlls the variety boards. or
the performance, 1t may be said that as o rule
those in this city are excellent of their kind On
the bills may be found the names Of the delnea-
tors ofnegro character; the finest serio-comic vo-
calists, both male and female; characters artists
OF known excellence, and premier danseuses Of
hand-bills, fabulous salaries. In addition to
these are the minor members OF the company, Of
both genders, who are used where they will do
the most good, and are made serviceable in any
capacity without the slightest regard for their
fitness for
THE TASKS ASSIGNED THEM.
With the performers of their respective COM
panies the managers Of the variety theatres can,
without doubt, furnish a most entertaining and
amusing evenings performance-one which can
be enjoyed innocentIy by the amusement loving
portion Of the community, and one which is emil
nently fitted to afford relaxation to the male por-
tion of the community after the labors of the day,
for the variety theatres were instituted with o
view Of supplying place where man can drop
in half an hour, smoke his cigar, drink glass Of
beer, see as much Of o performance as he chooses
and then go home. This was the original design
OF the theatres, but they are not 80 conducted.
WHOSE FAULT.
Whether the fault lies with the management or
the public is a question needless to discuss but
the fact is that, diverted as they are from their
original purpose, these theatres are to-day among
the most demorali5ing elements Of society. In
stead of the old-time negro melodies and quaint
jokes on the part Of the end men; instead Of the
popular pathetic ballads on the part Of the
"Queen Of Song" instead OF the graceful dances
of the premieTs and the farce with local hits
another order has been substituted. The negroes
are loud and vulgar, the songs filled with slang,
the graceful measures Of the dance are sacrificed
for the lewd, lascivious and indecent contortious
Of the Can-Can, and the old.tms farces lost sight
Of altogether.
LOOKING ON.
Dropping into either Of the places at the time
named for the Can-Can, we ind the houses
packed with Q mixed and excited audience, who,
catching the fever Of the coming performance,
are disposed to be as vulgar as they can. spirit
of excitement and unessiness is manifest from
the small boy in the rear to the bald-headed man
on the front seat. They move strangely about in
their Seats looking Iistlessly at whatever may be
going on, and wondering why that does not cease
and the Usn-Can come on. Said q gentleman,
sitting near the front seat, the other night: "Oh,
c--n this trash, why don't they put on the dance
earlier and not keep us in this agony Of suspense
and when moment later the 10 him tiresome piece
was concluded, he suddenly Strengthened up,
stretched his neck In halfa-dozen ways to see in
which he could get the best view, and then, with
eyes starting from the sockets, with mouths
agape, he watched the minutest movements Of the
disgusting show.
THE CAN-cAN.
The dance is performed BY four couples, one
halfmales females in male attire, and the other
half females In losg dresses. They 60 through o
figure or two quietly, the females simply raising
their skirts high enough to disclose the tops Of
their neatly. fitting boots and q glimpse Of their
white stockings. Then the music gets livelier
and keeping time to its wicked strain the dancers
get IYelier too, and the skirts are raised high
enough to show the fancy garter, which is met
with yell OF applause from the audience Then
the music gets livelier and obedient to the hoarse
shouts Of the excited crowd, the dancers seem to
outyie each other in an immodest posturing
Skirts are thrown high overhead, the entire per.
son TO the waist exposed the most lascivious posi-
lions chosen, and in this manner, amid the yells
Of the parquet and the catcals Of the gallery de-
cency is outraged night after night, and the Can
Dan is performed in this city. In their defense,
managers may say that the performers are clad
in tights and that the display of their person is
no greater than in the ordinary costume of
dancer. This may Do technically true, but 1t is
actually untrue. When in the
ORDINARY DANCING
costume, and while engaged In the beautiful
motions Of a dance, the looker.on sees and appre-
ciates only the poetry of motion as exemplihed by
the dancer. There is no effort on her part to ap-
peal to the passions or to psnder to the base In
stincts Of an excited audience by an indecent ex-
posuIe Of person. She appears in q costume which
intelligent and refined audiences have recognized
as essential to proper Interpretation of the poe
try of motion, costume which, from the satin
slipper to the headdress is in perfect keeping with
conventional stage rule.
But the Can-Can dancer is different As SEM
blance OF street wear she dons dress and skirt.
Over her fesh-colored tights are stockings reach
ing to the knees and secured by fancy garters
Instead Of slippers to complete the illusion, boots
are worn, and when In the exciting portion of the
dance the dress is raised by her partner in the
most vulgar manner, instead of the gauze skirts
which conceal the person of the ordinary dancer,
closely fitting linen garment, revealing the con-
tour Of the person, is shamelessly exposed, and
In this manner the dance concludes.
OUTRAGEOUS AND VULGAR.
To say that 1t is outrageous and demoralIzing
is to but family express the extent Of the vulgar
exhibition which has now continued for weeks In
this city under the eyes, If not the protection of
the police, and that too, in the face of law ex-
pressly prohibiting such exhibitions, and which
was at one time enforced. If the officers of the
force, and there are but few Of them who have not
witnessed 1t, do not consider It their duty to
port this plain Infringement Of the law, perhaps
Major Richards had better "loQk It over" and
then say whether, In his opinion, the permitting
of such exhibitions Is In accordance with the
written law, Of which he is the executive officer,
and the moral law, for which he, in common with
all good citizens, Is supposed to have due re.
gard.
This much for the Can-Can as It is seen from
in front of the stage. Another chapter will be
devoted to explaining some Of Its ugly results In
the enticing of men to q nearer acquaintance 10
the wineroom, an adjunct Of such places, and
their subsequent action; for, strange as It may
seem, the hesh-colored tights Of q variety per.
former have been the means Of drawing many
men Of this city from their families, and leading
them into circles and among companions at once
dangerous and degrading.
An Unheard-of President.
A Michigan paper tells the following good
story: A Front street oon.keeper Is . great
historical scholar and will argue for hours on Is.