Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-12-15
NEW YORK LETTER.
DANCING AMONG SOCIETY PEOPLE
OF GOTHAM-hOW TAUGHT.
Tho waltz and Its Chnngcs-society 1cn
Who Create" New Danccs-What
Fire Departments Need, sc.
Correspondence of tho Richmond pl1patch.l
Nrw YORK. December II. 1859.

| Correspondence OF TIM Richmond Di3patchl
Nrw YORK. December II, 1852
Next in honor 20 the man who writes tho
| songs of nation - he who toache9 us
men and maidens 10 dance. Such ~ lcast
seems to be the dictum of fashionable So
cicty in New York. where the composer VI
O now waltz or the inventor Of now dance
is at once set up on a pinnacle Of fame and
| worship and courted for an hour. IL is
one Of the highest ambitions OF o So
cictv leader TO invent q new measure 10
add 70 the craces Of the divine waltz"
or the stately quadriilc. And so they
haye conc on ever since the davs OF old
lean Cherrand. New Yorks Grst dancing
master, adding 10 the novelties of the ball
room: vet Allen DodwOrth, who has
taucht the Four Hundred and thor chill
dron dancing and department, declares
that the waltz Of the six motions practiced
to-day is the same that he taught nifty
| years ago.
When I first began teaching" said he
Yesterday. there was no waltz-no round
dance of any kind. taught the couilon,
now called the quadrille. The pupils IN
/ those davs danced to the music OF the NlO-
lin the piano had not been invented.
rHK Waltz IMFoRTED.
"Whcn the waltz was imported 1t az once
| became the fashionable dance, and has so
remained ever since. Il was nearly the
same step or motion as the present waltz,
/ only that the music was Little slower. AT
/ first there were very f"w dancers. ire
/ Church Numbered against it, and mOr2listS
wrote essays condemning It, but the Ger
mans began giving balls; the Americans FOL
! lowed, and thus the waltz was popularlzcd
! The composers began writing the most
| beautiful music for Il, and this. with the
grace and art of movement, has made II
/ the most favored dance Of cultured So
| cictv.
AS q rule. society is conservative and
cares not so much for variety OF dances
/ rs for finish and grace. and not so nuch
| for the dance as for the dancer. In their
motions, cultured people endeayor 10 eN-
press their refinement. Everything Is IN
! the manner Of moving. People may con-
! denim the waltz when they see some people
| dance it, but admire 1t when they see II
/ danced by people of grace. Toincmcnt, ana
/ culture. 4 Walter springs two hundred
/ and forty two times each minute, and each
motion must be made III aceriainWay.
TAGGING Tpprr GENERATIONS.
81 have taught three generatiOns Of New
! York society to dance. and frequently m
my salon are seen the mother and grand
mother OF the litllc child that ! am teach
/ ing / receive children p tire age of three
/ snd half years and teach them generally
until they crow up and are married; and
| the children OF Vice President Morton,
Secretary Whitney. the Astors, Wander
/ bits. GOelets. Rhiuciandcrs. ROO -velts,
ScheifelIns, Sloams. and F.shs."
Speaking of the passion for inventing
new dances. Mr.. W. Alexander McGreeor
said La Reye,' the latest dance, has
| been claimed by several people, cut 1t IS
really the creation of liT. Luis VI. Onatl-
via. The most fashionable young man in
New York society just now. and Nr y.
/ Berry Walls recognized successor as The
cauta;n OF the isnncsse dorf. 10 IS cOmhl-
nation of the maZoUrka,. Esmernlda
polka, and waltz. This IS how the new
| dances are created. or OWNED. lou get
new pair of trou- ers with stripes down the
side. that is a new fashion, but the pat
tern i the same.
D3SCE INVENTORS.
ain society young men who invent these
| dances are regarded as greater than the
! astronomer Who discovers comet, or the
! chef who inyonts a new dish for the rovu
tables. And then. these fashionable young
! men are ambitious 20 90 sonnet hing that
no one else has done. For instance the
| York Il composed partly ot polka ana
mazourka and the esmeTalda pOlka-tnIoo
/ in one Mr.. Harry Piulnmcr. "a New York
| socIcty man. went over 70 Boston and
danced this combination figure, and Gle
/ Bost0nians chr.stened It Tho 1orh.' IN
! h,s honor. Mr.. Plummer and his sister.
| Miss Plummor. practiced the steps together
| for weeks ahead.
No: the ladies are not embItious II
! creating new dances. though they assist the
gentlemen in the practice Of the dances
/ and III suggestions. They care not Wholn-
vents the dances Of society 80 long as they
/ dance them. Now there's another new lad.
| The Hunt Dance 1t was given over on
/ Staten Island last week. II ls nothing but
! the old-fashi0ucd QuAdriil., and differs
| oulv in the dress Of the dancers. The gem
/ tlemen wear red jackets red coats, and
riding trousers. II Is named from the
| dress. At the close of the hunting season
| III England q ball is glven, and the hunting
/ costume is worn.
TIRE CRAZE sPREADING.
"The craze for new dances has spread so
! that it has reached the country towns.
/ daucug-teachcr came ln from pittsburgh
/ the other dlv and introduced himself 20
me. lie had some now dauces-the Kip
/ plc' the 'IclepLonc,' etc. They We're m
| vented by society people Of the Smoky
/ Citv' ! implored him to take his dances
/ back and not try % spring them on us
/ here.
When socicty-man. in moment of
inspiration, inventi q new dance me- comes
to Us and uubosoms himself. II the move
ment he really new and not ungraceim 1t
/ j. tdN1Ht 70 inc tINnS 10 NAltu TIC iuFt-i-
tor aud his friends belong.
But the dancing Of to-day-new and
old ahke-is becoming too athletic. cr-
merry the steps Of the waltz Were short anu
! the music slow. and consequently II was
/ more graceful aud easy IN movement. NOW
| the stops are lone and OF course the move
ment is more rapid N order that the step
may he made in the given time; and
| dancing seems TO he drifting more toward
amatter OF strength than grace and agility
LAEoE CONTRADICTIONS.
in the large cities OF the United States
serious conAagations have been mos, fire.
quent and destructive visitor. This Lii
turaliy follows from the fact that OURS 90
/ comparatively Dewly-settiei country, AID
that in the marvellous speed with VIII j
towns have sprung into existence, "a = 10y
magic, and then increased IN extent nd
population. building material, which
here is GmOngthe cheapest. most available,
and most intlamnaDlo -nanelr, W0Od-h1s
Of necessity entered very largely into their
development.
The stories of Chicago, Boston, Calves
ton. Seattle, Lynn, and other American
cities well serve 10 emphasize the correct
| ness of these statements. Those charged
with the protection Of life and property
from fire in New York are fully awake to
! the situation which they face and while,
| vigilance and pTomptncs5 VIII continue TO
avert an uncomfortable confaeraton they
still realize that under an unfortunate
combination OF circumstances such Ca
/ lamity is by no means impossible.
An OUNCE oFFBEyESTIoN.
The old adage tells Us that "en ounce
OF prevention IS better than a pound Of
cure" and certainly there cen be no
stronger proof of the thorough efficiency
Of a fire department than when il furnishes
| daily evidence that il il capable OF reacn-
/ ING and extinguishing fires III thor incipi-
/ ency; for the worst fire, like al other
/ things. must have had small beginning,
and if caught at the opportune time few
/ gallons Of water will be followed by a re-
suit which perhaps some minutes later
whole sguadrons Of men and apparatus
! VIII be unable TO attain. The most effect
| i've agency for the prevention or extin-
| punishment Of serious CONGREGATIONS Is a
/ thoroughly efficient ire department with
an ample supply OF water ready at hand.
FOR RGASIZATIoS.
| A to organization, while much is IN
! clude1 under this term nothing Is moro