Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-02-18
Gi YETIES IND GRA VI7TES.
ny OLIVER oLDscmooL, ESQ.


III OLlN Ish OlDSCHOOL, ESQ.
Dancing.
For centuries in the early history of the
world, dancing was regarded as an cxclu-
sivoly religious ceremony. The dancing OF
the Jews at their solemn feasIs, as required
by the Levitical law, is the most ancient on
record. The dancing of David Is often al
luded TO in the Old Testament, and some
learned commentators insist that every
psalm was accompanied by dance. We
learn by the last chapter of Judges that the
entire tribe of Benjamin had been slaugh-
tered, excepting 600 mon who had fed to
the wilderness 10 the rock Rmmon. The
elders of the congregation commanded
them TO Ego, and lie in wait in the vine
yards" aud "f the daughters of Shiloh
came out to dance in dances, then come
ye out Of the vineyards" said the elders,
land catch you every man his wife of the
daughters Of Shiloh aud go to the land Of
Benjamin" "And the children of Ben
jamin did so aud took them wives accord
ing TO the number of them that danced
whom they caught" The heather could dis
port themselves in dances in the earliest ages.
They danced before their altars and around
the statues of their gods, and they made it
a part of their religious rites and coremo.
nies. In ancient times the Greek chorus
consisted of the whole population of the
city who assembled in the market place to
offer up thanksgiving to their deities by
singing hymns and performing dances.
Moses and Miriam sang and danced when
the Israelitos passed through the Red Sea,
and David danced with all his might before
the ark aud was girded with linen ephod.
We are told that the primitive Christians
danced, although no mention Is made of il
in the New Testament. The Greeks re.
duced dancing to a system expressive Of
the different passions. The dance of the
Furies, so called, created great terror among
the spectators during its performance. The
Greek sculptors studied the attitudes of the
public dancers to enable them to initiate
the passions. Pindar says that Apollo
danced 10 the music of his own harp. Soc
rates took lessons in dancing from Aspasia.
Aristotle regarded dancing as the poetry of
motion. The Sparlans were obliged by
law to teach their childron TO dance, and
when they danced they were led by men
who sang songs and hymns as they danced.
Byron alludes to the Pyrrhc dance in his
stirring appeal TO the Greeks:
"You have the Pyrrhic dance as yet
Where is the PyTrhc phalan1 gone
OF two such Lessons why forget
The nobler and the manler one 2"
Iu India there are dancing girls called
Bayaderes, who dance aud sing on festival
occasions. They are employed in the TOM
Piles to sing the praises Of their gods on fcs-
tival days, TO celebrate their deeds and vic
tories, 10 dance before their idols, TO weave
the wresths with which their images are
adorned. They live in the temples and are
not allowed TO marry'but may choose a low
er, provided they select one from among
the higher castles. If they have children
the girls are brought up to their mothers
profession and the boys are educated for
musicians. Another and lower class OF fe-
males travel the country and dance at the
public inns. They travel in bands of
dozen or more, aud are accompanied by
musicians. There is a religious sect in
Wales called Jumpers who imagine thst
he who leaps highest must be nearest TO
Heaven. They solemnize their meetings
by Ielpiug and jumping like kansaroos.
Dancing IS an important part Of the reliS-
ious exercises of the Parsees or Fire Wor-
shippers of India, and the Shakers of this
country. For centuries, however, there
has been great diversity of opinion in re-
latiou to the propriety of dancing. Cicero
among the Romans condemned it as friv-
olous amusement, aud the Waldenses OF
Piedmont, remarkable for having been the
first community in the west of Europe who
| separated from the Romish church, and
many of the descendants OF tho Puritans in
England and this country, profess 10 be-
lieve as many PAGES as a man makes in
dancing so many leaps he makes towards
hell. Haley, 10 his life of Cowper, says
that the poet suffered his mind 10 be so
clouded by bigotry that he expressed the
belief that party whom he saw at Bright
on in England, amusing themselves by
dancing, would certainly be damned. We
have heard of a clergyman who said that
the dancing propensity in his parish was
| prevailing 10 such an extent that it had
nearly danced the Bible out of the church.
| In defiance OF the words OF the sacred
| preacher who expressly declared that there
ia "a time to Dance" there are professed
Christians who justify excluding from their
communion all who practice dancing or
teach it 10 their children, and some minis
| ters even refuse to administer the sacra-
ment to those guilty Of frequenting balls
and dancing parties. We sincerely hope
| that all bigoted ascetics will shake Off their
monkish susterities, and regard this limo.
| cent recreation with the same pleasure and
hall oil I'm
| gambols of his children. We hope the
| gloomy inmates of our religious taberna-
cles will be induced TO accept the beautiful
| senlimeul of Addison, "Cheerfulness is the
best hymn TO the Deity" and recommend
dancing as an innocent, healthful aud ele-
CANT amusement. 1t is possible it may be
abused among rude and dissolute people.
We should not forget, however, that all tie
blessings of Providence are liable to abuse,
and it would not be just TO condemn
cheerful domestic amusement because at
times it has been degraded to immoral pur-
poses. All physicians recommend dane
ing, moderately pursued, as highly condu-
Give to health, and nothing is so well cal
culated TO relieve the mind from melan-
choly aud restore good humor, as music
allied to dancing.
| =-----
The "creepihg" of railroad rails has at