Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-06-27
Washington St~AA~vA.
FRIDAY, OLYMPIA, JUNE q, 1879.
Are Round Dances Objectionable!

participated in one o! the series OF
social dances, at Tacoma Hall, per-
haps so.ne of your readers would
like to know the first impressions of
a stranger at such place. impri-
mis-, we were surprised to see so
many lovely and handsomely-dressed
young ladies here. In fact, so far
as somewhat extended range OF
observation goes. we can unh-ei'a-
tingly assert that Olympia excel> any
other town on tue coast in the Enn-
Der Of its " winsome lasses. 4 .e
men were we'll dressed, court, tvs
and gentlemanly. We saw none of
the rude, boisterDus fun and hilar
ity, 50 often seen at parties on this
coast. Dancing always has been,
and we suppose always will be, a
very popular amusement. The in
spring music, the beaming eye, the
flushed conference, the thrilling
touch, and the graceful movements
of the lovely being at your side,
seems to us, would animate the
craven image OF D.ogenes and make
it move to graceful measures.
Dancing is II fascinating amuse-
ment, in spite of all that the preach
ers say against it. Whatever its
moral tendency may be, if "it is
naughty, is is nice They have
way of Waiting these last few years,
very different from the way We learned
it. To use a wrestler's expressions,
we learned it L" side hold, or "col
lar and elbow" but now it is " back
holds" and the tall gentleman very
unfairly takes the "under hold"
He clasps her around the body, un-
der the arm pits; she hugs him around
the neck, lays her dimple chin upon
his shoulder, which raises her upon
her toes in very ungainly posture,
and the bodies come in contact in a
very conjugal manner, and she sub
mits to an embrace in pubic, which
should only be allowed to a husband
in the domestic circle, with no pry-
ing eyes to look upon them. We
have seen young man introduced
to young lady-she never saw him
before-they bow; he says few
words; she bows again; then she
"chins' him; he draws her yielding
form to his bosom, and they go Gid
ing and circling around the room,
keeping time to the voluptuous
music. When they began, her eyes
were bright and sparkling, but after
they have whirled about the room
few times, her eyes have become
dull and glared, and there is an ex-
preston of passion in her movements
and on her features that should be
seen by no one, except him whose
name is on her marriage certificate.
We have heard young men say " Do
you see that lady over there? Well,
I have just been introduced to her;
she has promised to waltz with me
next time. Look at her expression
now, and then notice it after she has
waltzed with me five minutes ?" We
have heard men laugh and boast in
this manner often. They say the
ladies prefer to waltz in this way.
Can this be true? This is not the
German method of Waiting, nor the
way they waltz in the older States,
but it has been adopted from houses
of amusement that true women never
visit. If mothers care to know how
their sons and daughters spend their
time in the ball room, let them clasp
their husbands around the neck, rest
their chins or cheeks upon their
shoulders, and let their husbands
hold theem close to their bosoms,
and keep this position for ten or fif-
teen minutes, then they can form
some opinion of the allurements of
modern dip" or "glide," and it's
effects upon susceptible youth, pro-
vided that none but honorable men
dance; but many men who are not
good go to parties, in which case
we leave the result to the magma
ton.
1t may be that the preachers are
not far wong when they say that
dancing has an evil tendency.
STRANGER.