The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-22
The Second Of the Series Of Sermons
on the Social Amuse-
ment.
The Ease and Grace Acquired from
the Dance Not Gen-
uine.
The Dance Is Burlesque, = Fraud. an Ex-
cresence Upon the Social
Life.


in part: s
In our indictment of the dance last Sab
bath evening we preferred two charges
against it. We charge it with endangering
health and wantonly wasting our resources.
Whether we made good our charges or not
we leave each one to decide for himself and
will at once proceed with our case by bring
ing forward additional charges. We charge
it with being inimical to the social life of
man.
lam quite sure you are not at once pre-
pared for this allegation. BY common con-
sent tine dance is termed social amuse-
ment, and we have not stopped long enough
to probe it and ascertain if it we're social OF
not. If an aggregation of human beings
can be called social then the dance is . So
cial amusement. So is the crowd ON the
street, laughing at the antics of the mon
key or the grimaces of the buffoon. Socia-
bility consists in the contact of soul with
soul, the exchange Of thought and feeling
and experience. We use words 80 reckless
~ that we often prostitute them to low, mean
uses-uses which they never should have.
II you can call q mass Of gyrating. gibber-
ing, sweltering humanity social enter
tainment, then you have it surely in the
dance. But We deny that this is the term
and claim such application an abuse.
What opportunity does the dance afford for
people to come to better understanding
justly condemnatory spirit: 1--WE dance SO
much it is impossible to get acquainted
with one another That lady was getting
her eyes open to the hollowness OF the
dance from a social standpoint. No time
is afforded for the friendly interchange of
Eor he oS~-, - n
social OF literary topic; only the. dropping
now and again Of such bon mot as "how
stupid of me; isn't he awkward? doesn't
she put on the agoniesy" So far as calling
the brain and heart into requisition is con-
scerned, the dancer could leave both at
ton batting. When that young
woman returns from the dance
with thought that has helped her to
more exalted concept of her species, q more
profound view of the dignity and RESPONSE
bility of lfe-when that young man re-
turns from the dance with a deeper respect
for womanhood. an intensified desire to
keep himself pure and to bless society, then
the dance will have justified its claim to
being social amendment. But the dance
of to day socially considered is burlesque,
fraud, an excresence upon the social life.
Again the manifest tendency of the dance
is to create caste. So far is it from helping
to bind men in holier bonds it tends toward
social isolation. You know that the tend
ency of the dancer is to arrogate to himself
those who have conscienscious scruples
against this form Of amusement with .
feeling akin to contempt as unsociable,
cranky, ill-bred. They don't belong to
our social circle. says the dancer, in tones
of supercilious snobbishness concerning
they must be an inferior creation. Many
mother rather than have her children sin
gled out from the crowd, rather than suffer
social ostracism by the dancing fraternity,
has consented to their going to the dance
questions asked in many western town
concerning new arrivals is ''Do they dance?
Do they play whist?'' have known little
misses scarcely in their teens gravely in
forming the new arrivals that all the best
deavor to convey the impression that if
they would be included among the best
people they must dance. And thus caste is
fostered, each year sotidifJing this caste
until many feeling the iron of this
system a.. I piercing da4 their hearts, long
break their letters and be free. God has
made Of one blood all nations of men to
dwell upon all the face of the earth, and
whatever tends to toward social isolation,
whatever fosters that pride which puts a
division between members of society il a
bane. That bralnless, heartless, arrogancy
which says to part of the community, no
matter its qualities of mind and heart, 1
am superior to you is an outrage upon the
human family and dishonor to God.
But hear one say, there is one excel
lence about the dance which you must not
overlook and that is the grace and elegance.
1T imparts to the gait. the politeness ac-
CURED by the practice, I can tell dancer
BY his walk and exquisite manners" /
think 1t would be a calamity, says Madame
Lofty, TO have my daughters grow up
without the services Of the dancing master.
Well. now, did it ever OCCUR to Won
that It your children would be SO greatly
benefited by a few afternoons with the
dancing master. how much greater would
be the benefit derived from years Of home
framing IN genuine courtesy and respect
from conceding that the services of the
dancing master gre beneficial that claim
they are pernicious. The ease and GRACE Of
manner put on by the dancing master are
not th ,e. ou a Of the life. They are no
odorless paper flower is like the varieeated
rose Of your garden. These manners are
studied, cold. artificial-put on for effect
and just, as easily laid aside. Manners.
says the poet, "are the frnit
mind ni 10ya Let nature thu min aad \. noble
with great thoughts, let the heart be the re-
pository of holy feelings and good manners
will be developed as naturally as the tree
bursts into leaf and blossom. What aham
is the politeness of many of the deyotees of
the Eight fantastic.' That younp man
who is the soul of graceful, elegant man
ners in the ballroom. is q devil to his |
Washer-woman and boarding house keeper. |
he RACES like a cyclone when his mother
advises him, and curses his father to his
race. That young woman, whose manners
are due to the dancingmaster's art, who il |
30 anable IN society, whose smile is SO win
some. whose words are 80 mellifluous.
wnose gestures are 90 poetic is a TORPEDO at
home. Thus it is we have 90 much Chat Il
not real in our social life, % much sham
and deceit. Hence the great nun
per OF unhappy marriages., ending
IN divorce or lifelong niserv'
Fond mother neglect the heart of vonr
chiid, neglect to inculcate the principles of
truth and purity, but attend to the exter-
nal; teach your children to have two sets Of
manners; one for the rich. and one for the
poor; one for the ball room and another for
you and her father. Let the dressn,aker
NJ up her body and the coiffeur put ON her
nalr, and the dentist give her teeth. and the
druggist add complexion, and the danc;no
master put on manners, and then send ha1
out into fashionable life to marry a oiass-
eyed, empty-headed dude: and il Abe r. not
nappy and you are not serene it 10 mot he
mother. sos
There is surely a more excellent -
wnas pleasure to turn away from th;s
emptiness to show young people Who de-
veiop good manners from the study n ocrd
Doors and prayer. Such manners are the