Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-11-20

NC N'Ni ht'ItS VI 1JantIn3.
To dance or not to dancc-that is the
great social question Of the day. And it
is Il question chiefly because it has moral
aspect. All other considerations for or
against the light fantastic art are Of com.
parativcly little moment. Society hest
tates only at the challenge, as it right to
dance ~ Arguments are not wanting on
both sides, but with strange and Omin-
Gus inheXibility the question persists in
remaining II question. While people are
waiting for an answer, they dance with
their heels, if not with their hearts. 1t
can not be denied that, so far as the prac-
ticc of society is concerned, there is Il
growing sanction Of the art But 50 it is
with all iunctures in morals. The longer
young Hercules pauses at the dividing of
the roads, the more inclined he IS to walk
a little way with the seductive one, while
making up his mind which path to take
But if the ethics of dancing are still in
doubt, how about the aesthetics of dane
ing Does the true principle of beauty
rule here and if So how far is that fact an
argument toward the morality of dane
ing
Mr. Allen Dodworth of New York city
who probably, more than any other man
in this country is entitled to be called the
apostle of dancing, has few words-Or
rather few thoughts in many words
upon this subject in his exhaustive vol
ume on dancing, recently issued by
Messrs. Harper Brothers. Mr.. DodwOrth
believes profoundly in the morality Of
dancing but he is one of those to whom
beauty constitutes the essence of morals.
Aesthetics first. then ethics, is his creed.
\ beautiful act is a rightful act, not be.
cause it is pure, blameless, unseliish
but because it is beautiful. 1t is impos-
sibe for Mr.. DodwOrth to conceive how
any act so harmonious, so graceful, so
physically beautiful as dancing can be i'm
moral. His whole creed comes out
in the phrase he applies to the
art of dancing-"the morality Of mo-
ton" And in this superficial way
of looking at a question in morals we must
confess that Mr.. Dodworth has an exceed
ing delicacy of perception. For instance
observe the distinction which he make
between the rude and the refined dances
equivalent, according to this creed, to the
immoral and the moral aspects of the art
He says that the polka, which was picked
up from peasants and became popular by
reason Of a certain rollicking jollity, is to
be condemned because of its TO ughness
ON the other hand, the minuet and the
waltz do not lend themselves to rude con
duct. and while it cannot with justice be
said that the slower movements of music
are necessarily the medium Of the highest
Il 1,-, i,t n,
with dignity and cOmposure. From the
aesthetic fitness of his art Mr.. Dodworth
deduces its moral qualities as follows;
1t is not only As an accomplishment fol
society" purposes that dancing should b,
regarded, bllt rs an integral element in the
education of refined and cultivated mel
and women. The dancing master is NOR,
, than an instructor of dances, he is
teacher of motion and manner. The bene
tit he confers lies in the training lnciden
to the learning of dances. Courtesy, gen
tlenesS5, simplicity, ,rrepo;se, unseltishneaS
subOrdnation are all indirectly Il part .
the masters lesson.
We are not prepared to admit that thes
fine moral qualities follow mere cours
of physical training such as the dancin!
master provides. If they are attained il
this way at all it is only as Il thin sort o
moral veneer, which may be assumed il
society ana put OFF at home. Some of tn
most courteous, gentle, simple, unset
fish people in society are bugbears Il
home and knaves at heart. No cheaI
charlatan prescription exists which Cal
produce moral qualities by external ap
plcatOn.
But admitting at least that the tru
/ uriuciplp of bpuutV harmony and itucS