The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-02-26
Marion Harland on Ball
Room Influences.
SOME OLD-TIMEs PREJUDICEs
An Interesting Talk to Terpsf-
choroan Devotees.
Written for THE SUNDAY HERALD.
copyrighted, 1881

but rather of middle-age, good people
in and out OF the pulpit preached against
dancing as sin per Sc.
When committed by church.mem-
bers, it called for the descending arm Of
discipline in strokes as heavy as if the
otfense were against section of the
Decalogue. Sermons, tracts, and ora
homiies dealt with the amusement as
with an agency subversive of morality
and decency. Envy, wrath, malice
and all uncharitableness" got tn Q go-by
when once the criminal recreation was
| named or defended. I have said that
communicates In Christian churches
were disciplined if they so much as
walked through a set to. fill out qua
dri.le or cotillion. Sometimes they were
indicted before minor ecclesiastical
courts for allowing informal carpet
dances in their houses, and at least one
Presbyterian elder of note was cited for
suffering his children to dance. Prov
ing contumacious to the reprimand ad-
ministered for the offense, he was
deposed from his Office and denied the
right to communicate" until he gave
token of repentance.
We are far enough from this middle
age to get the full outline, proportions
and perspective OF what is no longer q
disputed subject. Those of us who
shared in the prejudices instilled by
church and churchmen. can testify to
the sincerity that made that prejudice
principle. We ourselves were firmly
and conscientiously opposed to dane
ing" discriminate and indisCriminate !;
set our faces with pietistic fiintiness
against dancing schools; saw i'll the
waxed floors of the ballroom slippery
decline Avernusward.
CHANGING one Sunday morn ng, thirty
five years ago, to walk behind two
ladies of color" resplendent in the
clothes. overheard this dialogue:
"Brer' RYland" Qong the faithful
white pastor of the First African
Church IN Richmond, Va.), war
might s'vere pom da-a ancin' "Chrish-
tyuns. g mawnin'. M yit We do read
n de Bible s how de a-a-rgils n heacen
does da-a-nce befo' de Lawd?"
"Dat's true, Sis Nelly! But de
a-a-ngils dom cross dey feet Dat make
the diff runce tween holy n onright-
eous da-a-ncin'. Crossin' de feet q
whar de sin come inl"
At our calm distance from the dead.
and gone issue, We can see NO more
valid reason for condemning the
measured beat OF heel and toe to merry
music in good, company and in good
stroke of soldiers feet in marking
hours, than for prohibiting the rhy thmio
time on parade. The difference as ex-
pounded by dignitied divines and
sanity women resolves itself into
something so analogous to cur colored
sisters distinction, as to reduce the
whole argument to an absurditv. The
wickedness OF dancing is no longer in
sisted upon by any who are not fanatics
or fools. The expediency of the amuse-
ment in certain aspects, doubted by
fair minded and Thoughtful people of
former generation, is still in some
minds an unsettled question.
The healthf lness Of the practice
comes naturally into prominence in a
series of articles on girls. and matters
pertaining to them. The devotees of
terpsichore consider this point tri-
umphantly disposed of when the ball
room is compared with the gymna
sium-sO manifestly are the advan-
tages of the two modes of exercise with
the first-named. The reaching, lifting
and swingi required in the latter
often overtax boys and men, and are
by able physicians as the
origin of many serious disorders from
which women are lifelong sufferers.
The action required by the liveliest
waltz is gentler, and has the further
of being so far volun-
tary that one can abridge 1t without
transgression of rules.
That girls and boys do overs,rain
themselves more or less III ambitious
gynlpastlc and cslisthentic exercises, is
a serious fact. If they brought to
these, bodies equipped as for the ball
room, permanent injury, If not death,
would be the almost certain result. If,
instead of the binding corsage, yolumin-
GUS skirts and tight shoes she wears 10
the gay throng Of evening, the girl
would devise costume for such occa-
sions that should leave lungs and heart
as free to act as does the plant Jersey
suit hanging on her nail in the gymna
SUM wardrobe, she might vaunt the
superiority of the exercise she loves
above that performed by rule and
measure for mere physical develop
ment.
What enemv of a race, dependent for
stamina and stability upon the health
of it's women, invented and ordained
our "evening-dresses?n 1 sketch one
of mine, setting off, not enveloping,
that number of inane-looking damOsels
pressed fiat on fashion-pl of recent
date. The material of our "love of q
gown" is white satin, overlaid with
tulIe. The long pointed bodice-what
there is of lifts like a kid glove; a
wreath of roses fast on the left shoulder,
droops low below the bust until it finds
safe Judgment on the protuberant right
hip. Folds of tulle meeting the gar
land. in "surplice" style far below the
breast-bone, are confined on the right
shoulder by bow Of ribbon. Sleeves
there are none, unless obsolete articles
are indicated by the said bow on one
shoulder, and the flowers on the other.
The V-shaped exposure of the chest is
corroborated at the back by pyramidsl
(inverted) vacancy between the shoul-
der-blades, which has the spinal column
as visible centre. Long gloves strain,
in paroxysmal modesty, to reach the
ribbon knot and roses. and fail by fous
inches of tender flesh. It is winter, and
undervest of merino or sanitary flannel
was stripped from shoulders. chest,