St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-06
A REPLY TO MRS. S0RRELL.
Mrs. Johanna, Of Swede Hollow, Takes
Issue With Her.
THE BENEFITS OF DANCING.
A Word Put In for the Father in Laws
and Mother-in-
Laws.

To the Editor of the Globe.
Mrs. j. 7. Sorrell, Summit avenue,
excites my sympathy upon the subject
of dancing. 1t must be very distressing
to her to see her neighbours children
skip gracefully about with erect backs
and their toes turned out, While her own
brood flap their pigeon-toes beneath
round shoulders. and miss large part
of the pleasures OF childhood by not
going to dancing school. One can easily
judge by the ease of mans or wOman'S
movements, the amount of physical
training they have subjected themselves
TO, and some of us may be pardOned for
considering dancing school the best
gymnasium for our growing children.
Macdonald says ''the way to make in
different things bad is for good people
not to do them,' consequently it would
not be wise for great many good peo-
pie to discourage ordinary and harmless
amusements. But the morality of this
question would be needlessly discussed
were we to enter Into hair-splltting
theology, for we could only reduce it
to the scientific principles adopted
by Southern darkies, who draw
the line upon crossing their feet.
They can dance as much as they like
but they must not cross their feet in
the giddy whirl, else they are given
over to Satan for ever and are forbidden
to sing in church afterwards as a
method of direst punishment. We can
not doubt Mrs. SorrelS sincerity upon
any subject after her defense of
mothers-in-law week or so ago, but
with true faithfulness to truth and
justice she only protected our mothers
from the calumny of a prejudiced mas
culine population. She forebOre to
mention that rhinocerous-hided type OF
mother. This relation can rarely be
cord in sleeps clothing, who is always
martyred and neglected when her son
does not kiss her goodbye every time
she sees you follow him to the front
door; who tells him to hurry up and
go to the Office, he is wasting time play
ing with the baby; who interferes with
your mild management of said baby,
and caps the climax Of her argu-
ments by asking if you do not con-
slider your husband well raised,
she raised him. In short, your
husbands mother can knock the ro-
nance out of lite higher than kite.
Romance that has smouldered and
slumbered. then frightened and burned
through long and happy engagement,
and upon marriage has blazed into
flames of sunshine. She can bring her
cast iron views, her years of experience.
her Self-righteous theories. her mOtherly
corrections, all to bear upon the bril-
liancy of your happiness, and blow it
up in less time than Calling gun, and
leave you only splinters of discord,
and sharp edges of happier recollec-
lions, to frame your idol in for the bal
ance of your life, for, of course, she will
outlive you, for a mOther-in-law was
never known to die any moEe than "a
mule or Methodist preacher" whose
dual longevity has long since been es-
tabIished. AS to ones fatherin-law, if
his wife is at all proper sort of woman,
it makes but little difference who, what,
OF where he is. He has long since been
taught his place, in remote corner
from the fire. His voice is never heard
in the house, for, being philosophical,
he knows when to keep silent. Alto
gether it is rather difficult to coincide
with some of Mrs. Sorrell's charitable
opinions, but [ hope she will not con-
slider it any disrespect from
Mrs. JOHANNA, Swede Hollow.
st. Paul, Jan. 2.