Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-10-01

the ballet were waiting, poised on their skates,
the moment to et7,a'e,' la glaze, sans lnisser de
trace. respectfully asked one Of the Westpha-
lians to put me in communication with the per-
| son named Norm.
'Morin." she replied; ''he is not among the
| skaters Look, he is on the stage; that is he
playing the Bishop; you see that Bishop that is
| being pulled about and hustled. Wait, he will
| come out in few seconds" -
One of the Anabaptists in chief interviewed
| and declared that those mobiles and priests who
could pay a ransom ought to be spared. So
MOrin's life was saved, and l had the honor of
being presented to him by the little Westpha-
| liam. 81
He looked altogether venerable with his long
gray beard and his fine violet robe embroidered
with large pastoral cross. While he was put
ting In order his costume, which those fanatical
Anabaptists had sadly pulled about, asked him
If he would consent to give some lessons to two
young girls dN meiLeur monde
The pious Bishop accepted with enthusiasm
His price was ten francs an hour.
Meanwhile the little skaters had gone on the
stage, and were sliding about in an extravagant
fashion. The wings had suddenly become calm
| and silent, and 80 mOnseigneur and myself fell
into little familiar conversation.
eyes, sir" said the Bishop 81 give dancing
the nobility and among the aristocracy Of
finance. must not complain, and yet it must
be allowed that formerly things went on better.
much better. Dancing is disappearing, sr-dis-
| appearing"
eyes, just as 1 have the honor of telling you.
The women still learn to dances but the young,
men, not at all. Baccara, hOrse-racing and the
minor theaters take up all their time. And the
government is not little to blame"
'Recently M. Jules Ferry revised the Univer-
sity programs of study. He made certain
things obligatory; modern languages for in
stance. do not blame him; the study Of mod
ern languages presents great advantages; but
dancing, sir, nothing has been done for dancing
and dancing is what ought to have been Obliga-
tory before anything else. There ought to be
professor of dancing in every school, q training
school for dancing masters, diplomas, competi-
tive examinations. People ought to compose in
dancing as they compose in Greek and Latin.
Dancing, tOO is language, and language
that every well-educated man ought to know
how to speak. Well! do you know how matters
stand to-day? Why, in diplomacy, posts are
given to men who cannot go through the figures
Of quadrille, and who are incapable Of waltz
ing for two minutes together. They feel that
their education is Incomplete. The other day
young man came to see me, man of great
merit, it appears, except as regards dancing. He
had just been appointed attache to an important
embassy. And he had never danced in his life
never, sir, never! One can hardly believe it,
and yet it Is so. The poor fellow did not even
know what quadrille is. And that is the kind
of attacne that NJ. Rarthelemy Saint Hilaire
cuse me-"
''Certainly! certainly"
He took off his gray beard. He then looked
much less venerable He continued:
what can be done; but the task will not be easy.
One can hardly begin to learn dancing at eight
and-twenty.' However, took the awkwardness
out OF him as much as l could. / only had a
fortnight to do it in. begged him to put off his
departure, to obtain delay for three or four
mOnfha 7 MIGHT have az ~
then. But he would not stay. He went away
without knowing anything. I often think of
him. He is going to be our representative in a
foreign country; he will represent us very badly;
he will not do honor to his country
'Remark, pray you, that he may be called
upon to figure in some gala quadrille. to Dance
for instance, with an archduchess. Well, he will
make pretty mess of it with his archduchess!
All this Is painful. | am republican,
sir, republican of long standing and it is cruel
tothink that the republic is represented by dip
lomatists who don't know the difference between
polka and a waltz What do people say at the
foreign courts? why, what are these savages
that France sends us?' There, that is what they
was not brilliant under the empire-Oh, no!
Those gentlemen put their foot into it often
dance"
And my excellent Bishop seeing that was
listening to him with much interest, continued
his brilliant improvisation:
dancing, sir, is not only pleasure and an
amusement, it is q great social interest. For
instance, the question of marriage is closely con-
nected with that of dancing. At present mar
statistics. Well, am convinced that if mar
riages are less frequent it is because dancing is
less frequent than it used to be. Considering,
first OF all, that to know how to dance well, very
fortune real position in society. One of INV
pupils, sir, recently made an admirable mar.
rage. He was very ordinary fellow who had
tried everything and succeeded in nothing, but
he was first-class waltZer and he carried or a
dowry Of two millions simply by the strength of
his wrist"
1.-TWO millions!'
eyes, two millions, and two millions unin-
numbered; an orphan; neither father nor mother;
all that one could dream. He took hold of that
young person; she was very fat, Well, she felt
herself like feather in his hands. She thought
OfnOthing but waltZing with him. She was mad
about him. He introduced her to new sensa-
tiOns-and what do women desire above every
thing else? To feel new sensations. Finally,
she refused marquises, counts and millionaires;
she would not have any but him. She had him,
and ne had not penny, and his name was Du-
rand. All! you must not repeat his name;
ought not to have told it to YOU
"DO not bealarmed"
"After all, it does not matter If you do repeat
It, Durand 1s such common name. There is an
interest Of state in marriages of inclination be-
tween rich girl and poor man or q rich man
and poor girl. It makes money move and pre-
vents it from remaining in the same place; it
c0nduces to the circulation of capital. Well,
formerly three-fOurths II the marriages of in
clnation were brought about by dancing. Now
adays the young people have brief interviews in
salons, In museums, at the Opera Comique. They
chat; that is all very well, but chatting is not
observation-disclosures is something; but it is not
everything. turn in q waltz furnishes much
M ,HaOrmatlon tnat conversation does not give
Nowadays the dressmakers are desperately
clever They efface this and render prominent
s saa they straighten STOPPING figures; they
will manufacture hips shoulders, everything
one no longer knows what to trust-science has
but the hand Of the practised dancer neyerI 4
waiter OF any tact will know how to arrive at
"Oh! OIL"
"And yet remain perfectly correct sir. and
perfectly reserved. I myself, for instance
owe my happiness to waltzin9. At that time
f MMs Morn was not yet Nine. Norm. was
Reared to me thin-and TT confess candidly
tnat IL did not enter into my ideas to mary 4
=