The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-11-06
Rail Room Manners.

Great changes have taken place III inc
last decade, and nowhere Is 1t more
noticeable than in the ballroom. Balls
room etiquette has undergone complete
revolution No young lady now when
asked To dance says, "1ou make me look
eXcruciatlngly happy as formerly OF
"yuu do me proud These expressions
are scarcely ever heard now; instead, She
says. simply and naturally, "Iou bet
your boots I'll waltz with you, Great
Scott! Pm so sorry, but I'm engaged to
that old duiltr, Simms, Or THAT young
fool jerks, AS the case may be.
On the other hand, no gentleman APPS
proaches a lady US if he was shying up to
Il balky mule, SAYING: angelic being.
may have the extreme felicity of gliding
through this waltz with your or: "Do
not, hey of you, render mcinconsolabie
or plunge me into the depths of despair
by refusing me this dance" lie now
waves all high flown, hyperDolical terms,
and says in an easy, off hand negligent
manner, and eyeing her condcscendingly,
as If he was taking an inventory of her
charms: "IIullo. Miss Flopp, shall we
skip ont among the danccrs2" or, lang>
udlv: Nv hat do you say to prance
around the room? Feel equal to the cx
crtion, eli.
A man owe so, although he may ais
WAYS have been an inveterate waltzer and
may still I've pretty fair partner, is never
thcless apt to be a little stiff liz the joints.
Such man should choose the youngest
and nimblest lady in the room for part>
ner.
The ball room is essentially the place
for dancing man, whose intellect has
dropped into his heels, to shine.
Formerly a lady who was led out by a
man who proved to know as much about
dancing AS Hotteuto. does about run
ming II steam engine, was expected to take
all the onls of the failure upon herself
for fear of wounding his amour proprc.
and say I'm n wretched dancer, and it
you'll excuse me, | think I'd better sit
down. Now, j she is so unfortunate as
to have part4er man whom she
finds, alter a few turns around the room,
is doing most of his dancing on her feet,
ignoring the floor altogether she stops
instantly, eXclaiming in loud tone, rs
she makes for her Chaperone What
are you trying to do-vault over the
orchestra or climb fire cscape?" This
instantly reverts all attention to him and
prevents him from victimizing any other
young lady.
Young ladies' who object to having one
arm held out and worked up and down
like n pump handle by their partner dur>
ing the waltz, stop short, in the middle of
the floor and begin singing 1.-THE Old
Oaken Bucket suggestively. Men who
have left callow youth far behind them
and are whirling round with bread and
butter loneliness fresh from the school
room, try to come down to the level of
their partners instead of dazing political
economy and ethical culture as formerly,
resurrcct their college learning and ad-
dress them something in this style: Have
you the new umbrella of your old cousin S
grandfather" Ta which they, as Il rule
respond: mo sir, have the old umbrella
of my new aunt
Good can you tell me what monarch
lost his slippers in Mount Elna? or what
did Mercury steal from Apollof"
All this is not only harmless but in.
structive, and indeed it is the only style
of conversation which is entirely good
form in q bali room, between Il man who
is ON the shaky side of time and young
girl.
Young men of twenty or so, fire sh from
Yale or Harvard, are apt to confound
their partners, and it must be confessed
dazzle them at the same time, by askin g
them ii they do not thing it surprising
that astronomers have not made greater
progress, seeing that the children of re-
mote ages were familiar with it, whether
she does not thing Juvenal surpassed
Notairc in the keenness of his satires
She may reply that she likes juvenile bet
ter than adult satire. OLIN OPHlR