The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-09-26
DAVID HIGGINS.
TIE nAaIY IxTELIlGENCER ..
Official Press Of King County.
Wednesday, Sept'r 20. 1877.
"THE DANCE DEATH"

The above Is the It'll. Of book writ
ten by William HERNIA Ru.oi-o", 1t
San Francisco. and Inrp,rt- IL BE- cor
rect description of tn1 ''giidy waltz a.
danced in the lea4ing sofia circles II
that city. Without stopping 10 qu~--
tioa the NOR ,liiy of round dance as
they arc called, "" cert iniy nnri b.
allowed our profit agaiu-t -uca iau-
guage a. thai III witch tue nJnk !,
couc!ied. When Cuaft- Alger oD
Swinburhe i,si~l ma "L..u. Ncu-fl-.
the entire literary world of Ehiop- heid
up their hanoi M r.ined iI,gus: 1 ,'i-
bestial scn.uality WHICH cropped out
from every line THIS production Of
RuiufsoD's Is irtinItely wor-e AID sa2-
ge~ts the aatAogs i..ail.atity with
hannts OK vice where immoraiiy docs
not end with the waltz
Yet the author. in ii single work has
attained more fame (perhaps notofieiy
IL the better word in one day than
many men Of god literary at'ltJ could
have acquired in a Lifetime Of diiigept
study in the library or patient toll i'll
the editorial room. OF no man in
America can it mere truthfuliy be
said that he "awoke TO find himself IA
NOUS" Yet it is sort Of fauie that
few people Of solid intellect would COW
ct. for the invocation Of smutty adjcc-
.ives to the aid of stupid essay. only
increases its stupidity. If careless moth
ers allow their daughters to visit, with
out al escort, such notorious places OF
assignation as the many picnic gar
dcns" and recreation parks which
surround San Francisco, and there suf-
fer them to dance with any stranger
who comes along, such book may have
mission in those cases; but it should
always be placed in the hands of the
mother, instead of the daughter
The sale Of this book, which WAS first
issued about the first of July. has al
ready exceeded thirty five thousand
copies. The eighth edition is now in
press ut San Francisco, aid we learn
that measures are being taken to spoil
its sale and suppress its publication.
The grand jury of Salinas county has
taken bod OF the matter and indicted
local book seller for selling an obscene
publication. specifying this book. That
is sheer nonsense and will turn out n
bigger farce than Sargcnt's Placerville
libel suit against the Chronicle. If the
neral people of California want to sup
press such publications. why don't they
apply the ax to the root Of the tree, in
stead Of its boughsy Why don't they
90 into San Francisco and indict the
highly respectable and aesthetic Bssqui
for printing them, instead of persecut-
ing poor country booksellers who are
struggling for an ex,stencey
1t cannot be denied that this book
tells many wholesome truths; at the
Same time, it utters so many ribald
ideas that it is manifestly unfit to be
placed in the hands of any young per-
son. We arc loath to accept it as
true picture of Pacific coast society. We
cannot believe every girl Messallna, or
NH Aspasia; nor are We so deficient in
u good opinion Of our fellow man, as to
believe every well dressed aud well ed
ucated man carnal libertine. The
author is one we'll versed in polished
rhetoric. but he is equally au fat in tue
stereotyped phrases of the bagnio. II
his errand has been to heal an aching
sore in tho flank Of society, we cannot
congratulate him on the success of his
mission. He has probably realized
about 81. 600 from the sale of his book,
and that is all that can he said of him.
He may write other books and better
ones "in the sweet bye and bye books
that will be less offensive 10 men who
believe that good women are the rule
and bad women the exception. Let us
hope so.