, 1877-12-30
ROUND DANCING.


CHICAGO, Dcc 229,-lt is only ,sl1cn questions
Of great social importance come up for discus
| sion that l venture to impose my simplt
! thoughts on the poor. prosecuted public | mn
young man, fond OF society, and so far favor.
cd By fortune to have the entrce to what the
| worid is pleased to call good society.
Naturally enough dance, for Who that goes
| into society nowadays does nots 1 cannot say
/ that am passionatcly fond Ut it, anu I fre-
Quently have ielt that promenade through
some ot the side rooms, or pleasant "tc.c-:,-
tctc" III some quiet corner, would be much
more to my tastc, and certainly far more bcne-
fetal to nv tired body, than five or ten minutes
jostltn@ about in crowded room. with the sur
rounding atmosphere at temperature almost
up to boiling point. In my early DAYS danced
innocently, and simply for the pleasure o1
dancing, md enjoyed it, but why am unable
to tell. This was before I ever knew Of that
wrong something in the dance, so much talked
OF. or WITS conscious that the young man-for il,
those DAYS the boys sometimes danced together
Or young lady aud were making hends u OF
ourselves, 1 pray God that, If in this great
creation there is such 4 thug as ''fcud,'' it
NAV never have worse thought or unholier
impulse than We, in our innocence, had during
i"'9S !A4pP3 AA3o VI wy duQ HoOu- we
danced, presume, as we played together, be-
cause having assembled for that purpose. and
having learned to know and like one another
it was sufficient that We were together and hap
py.. without inQufring into the cause.
Who that is pure in mind and thought Seeks
out base motive us the incentive to the pur-
suit Of every pleasure in life! Who that has
seen the brllliantly-lightc1 mansion and tlas
caugnt the strains Of rich mllstc. mingled with
the hum OF merry voices and the shuttle of busy
y n 1H$f ot+f ..t.A
WHO that has known rcpose on til. Ect,-
tic swell ol the moonlit-occan; who
when he feels the quick tllrol, Of his
heart, at the touch Of his lovcd-onc's hand,
to his car,-would be so low, SO basc, SO de- |
graded, as to say. that the great happiness |
which filled his whole soul was the outsrowth |
o. o. 4 , a,plysical passons But, alas! there came
o9s se saS Tspsf1s an = i, in y .h ~ lemon Non called
Wfong2 Why do you hold this fair creature |
thus in your embraced Why these strauge
motions meaningless, yet full OF rncani,,gI'' |
ana /, ~ nv Innocence, answered, II know not
Then this creature OF wickeducss, this med
dlcr, this maker Of mischief, told me That that
never before knew, made me think that whIcf,
! never before had thought, and blamed mc
then for knowing and thinking it: iupurtcd If,
inc the knowledge Of the cxistcnce at hat
feeling which otherwise might hardly hay,.
bcen conscious OF possessing, and then rnarni-
ffe0 it before the world thousand times.
from that day on was a changed man. /
of '4 licnd.' | dreaded to ask onv
ot'e to dance with 11e, fearing might orodrd
n l her that fearful expression, thost, wicked
bnee o peat 59 tG!aphSsy St so:s dsssrocd in The
aud so was obliged to, und each time that i
stood up with q young Indy thought uf What
The demon Mischief had told me. md wonfcrcd
u ner 'noushts IN any way rcscnb!ed mine:
" wondered, TOO. Why my thoughts would wander
oh 70 subjects other than the one it had sue-
.cs;ed; wondered why lid not feel as it I'M, |
'aA 1 would. anh II this poor creature. t,is |
ahse at my sue, could descend tosuc low enjoy
menus, anu when left her, looked AWAY, fear
'alencss, that livid tcndistncss,'. which was
Old would bc there. and, with nycrtefl ercs +
vent out into the dim hall, that might r3,1Icct
II thought. "o''so
Then. again, would stand and watch ot7,orc
s they whirlcd away in the may Walt oy.,,n.
\ ng tnclr iaecs with the kcencst interest. To :
nu It could traces OF those dreaded cxnrcs,
ros' r he ",,e u .hey were never there, and, not lind
W ahch III Others, doubted whether they wrrc :
! my farc Growing boldcr, yent,,rcu at lust :
u looS into the face Of her with whom was s
:.',ens' when 10! na11cht was there but nuri,y
1'u S"est nnconse'o!sness Then wrnt away.
nrs'1fS III my heart this demon Mischief. au,l n
nc sec1,lson Of my own cl,at,ber vff,rc,i IN
:l''ks 10 my Maker that had been freed from
ils narrow -nindct]ncss, this blind Drciudirc =
no no tnauc sacred vow that Iwoull u,,rk tha !
atlll, reeking WEED from my heart. and n,n,,t y
lSFeii' purcr. boiler thoughts. F" - -
b1t the SEED had taken deep root and wonfa !,
ot oe thus easily pucked out, and from tim. !
t.ne the same old monster would sow NV -
:eus OF mischief, aud with fresh drauchts ri :,
ater put new lie into the old and droof,inp :,
ants, SO tint they would start afresh. snrra,i -
rln tnelf branches. and strike their jr,;}i,,r ~
ots deeper down into my already oyerhurtlnn. b.
|. nauscascd soul. Are VIC not told that ncr- ~
serancc rcaps IT'S reward! And have We not ri
aFd from our GRIZZLIES up the old song, III at =;
81 81; you aon'ti succeed, try. try AGAIN.. Re- tt
these, they gave me courage, and n,
rengthcned me in 1ay resolutions, aud IiooEca ~
rwaFd to the not distant time when. eonncfe ~
lstcr Of mvself, could lift up nv voice and q,
OUT victory victory! victory! Such time bas ir
me, ard wha: is still greater cause for reioin@ Y
In 1t comes the conviction that am but nnn ~
M overwhelming majority of round dancers | r.
70 stand witnesses to the possibility Of such | =,
mango; majority who unite their voices ~. ! ~
.her IN one grand chorus of protrstat;nn ~,
nnst such vile ca1umny and low inyectiyes rs r., m
heaped upon US. - ~ ~
am thinking, in this connection, OF a story f.'