Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-06
IS WALKING WICKEDa
WE ALL KNOW OF ITS WTcHERy,
BUT WHAT OF ITS INFLUENCES?


L. There Any Harm In Our Girls F1uttcr-
ing About Inside n Glad Mans Arms?-
Tho Cynic Says There Is, but the Girl
Says No--Looking On at the Dance.
Ask the next sweetest young girl you meet
what happiness seems best to her, and I be-
lieve she win say it is Waiting.
She finds strange pleasure in this fair mod
ern dance, let us presume. 1t fills her veins
with dreamy fowings Of unsung poetry,
opens up vast vistas of gorgeous beauties,
crowds her senses with fowery fragrances,
and does it all TO delightful tune.
This is why the girl loves waltzing.
"Yes," says the gentleman at the other end
Of the bar, as he lifts the crescent of lemon
peel out of his cocktail, land that is why
love whisky. 1t gets there"
There is bound to be cynicism Of this sort
applied to the elegant exercise Of waltzing 30
long as the girls go round. While they con-
tfnue 10 cling with unconcealed rapture to
the pure, uncrumpled breasts OF their stall
wart partners some one is going to sit of
against the wall and assert that the whole
business Is either nonsensical, undignifled or
immoral
well, II ltf
You must understand that dancing has
probably been INDUCED in ever since the
world began Among ancient nations it
formed an essential of religious worship. 1t
can be made stately, sogrowful, weird,
dreamy, devilish
Therefore refrain from setting the seal OF
condemnation upon the far extending art OF
dancing.
Iaf nc l<.,ar, down, m tha vr,ultz,
THE WALTZ ANALYzED.
When a man and girl stand up before
zach other for a waltz the sensations of each
cannot naturally be fairly defined by the
calm, critical spectator. To fully appreciate
the entire anticipations of the girl or the
complete conjectures of the man it might be
necessary to go back year or so in the lives
Of both partners
Suppose this pretty young woman had be-
come engaged to the hated rival of this hand
some young man while the latter was away
In Coloradoi Suppose the young man knew
It to be a case OF parental tyranny and that
the girl was fluttering like frightened dove
at this moment.
They waltz
There Is no need Of going round the room
with them You miss them, and you will
stake your life they are out in the conserva-
tory.
Now, you will readily admit, am sure,
that the waltz exerts an emotional and senti-
mental influence upon its participants. And
In an instance such as the above a good and
proper influence, perhaps
We will inmagine ow two fine and healthy
young people of differing sexes about to
waltz together, immediately after their first
meeting. She is about 10 years Of age, tall,
slender, delicately curved, tinted with the
dainty hues Of virginia. purity, golden haired
and altogether exquisite to look upon. He is
agood formed, strong and clean built young
fellow, with big, knowing eyes and jolly
mustache.
She rises from her place beside her mother
and yields herself up TO her strange but re-
assuring partner. The young man dexter
ously wreathes his right arm around her
small, soft waist
At this juncture the cynic puts In his decla-
ration that under the. decent rule of things
the young fellow in question couldn't get his
arm about the girls waist inside Of six
months. And he could only do 1t then by
proving to her that he had a good mind as
we'll as good arm. The waltz has purified
an insult into conventionality.
THE wITcHERY OF IT ALL
But to return to the young people, who are
now floating away over pink clouds like SER
apis. In the young mans left hand rests the
right hand of the girl There Is really no
part Of the latters satiny softness touched by
fingers of the man, for at this epoch Of social
regulations they are both wearing gloves
But there Is the little thing, just as pretty as
o flower petal, and crushed, If you like, as
easily.
The girl slips slightly and utters a faint
little cry. Her partner takes tighter hold Of
her hand laughs with her, and the waltz
reels on, the ffrmer grasp of hands not being
relaxed.
"Ah, hai'' growls the cynic HE couldn't
press her hand like that in less than ten weeks
II 1t were not for this vulgarizing waltz"
To the maiden in her dance again! Her
fair, young head reaches up to such point
On the young man as to bring the last fluffy
siceins of her golden hair just opposite his
lips. There is a perfume in those cleaning
coils-not an artificial perfume, but the rich,
honest fragrance of cleanness and beauty
The young man inhalcs gratefully this re-
fined odor of hair
Why puts in the cynic, ''he wouldn't get
near enough TO find that smell In three
months II society didn't give him the priv
ilege to steal it in the cheap way he Is doing"
IL IOu uuNt NdilZc1 you VIII kuOW. 4eC
us suppose you are a girl; that your right
cheek comes about four inches from the shirt
collar of your partner. Your neck, all lovely
with luminous sheen like moonlight, Is ex-
actly under his gaze If you are not as agile
rs q fawn your knees are bound to bump
against his ct irregular intervals. Should
the room he crowded, as IL usually Is, you
and he are constantly coming into collision
with your gracious but massive companion
dancers. The effect is clustering, even If not
wholly disastrous
Let US return to the golden headed example
we took to commence with There she sails
Like glad, mad fairy, supported by the will
ing arms Of her silent partner. A sensuous
melody signs from the arbor of ferns and
palms, the air grows heavier with light and
fragrance, there is q rushing torrent of happy
people flying by Like revolving rainbows, the
door heaves like a rose strewn ocean and all
is glory, melody and Joy.
HERE Is THE CLIMAX
Bang The two excited people we have
been watching have danced into a sort of
vortex of walters. They have suddenly
been crushed hard against each other. The
young mans lips have been driven square
into the girls hair. He has clutched her
madly for support Just as she has clutched
him, and as the crowd whirls away and
leaves them standing there free from danger,
the are dazed, palpitating, tnfamed.
well, that settles itl'' cries the cynic.
This is where / leave. II they intend to
carry this thing any further than they have
already, / want to be where I Gun buy Q
morning paper to read about the scandal
Let's 60 out and blushv'
But the dancers are away again, and all
seems sweet and just. What an INTERVENING
Of flying peoplel What an array of arm en-
circled waistsi What noiselass, solid con-
cnsionsl And never ending smile Is
wreathed In rapturous radiance from one