The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-06


Gahclng This tad is oddly illustrative of
Uhe Well-knOwn tendency of human kind
TO desire TO be something other than one
Is. The East Side pafades the Bowery
aug Avenue A in styles that ape the
OrllIlant displays of Fifth avenue, and So
Clety with big S, goes out of its way to
learn the skirt dance, the double shuttle
and the homely clog The recent Lenten
season brought out many new exponent
OF these forms of amusement, the
cancers giving their performances, of
course, in the
sEMI-PRIyATE SHOWS
IN parlors and hotels for the benefit of
one or another fashionable charity. And
now that Lent is well in the past for an
other year, the dancing will not have
such ample opportunity for display for
time, but the fad is still to the fore, and
viii continue to be the leading feature at
recherche entertainments. There is al
ways profit to somebody in the freaks
tnat society takes. IN this case a few
clever variety performers have reaped
very considerable sums by teaching their
Speclalties, for along with electric dane
ing in fashionable circles have come other
features Of the variety show Nota few
charity performances have been nothing
more or less than variety shows, and the
SWEETEST OF swell young people of both
sexes have taken part in them. One of
the most successful of the little corps of
theatrical people, who have made money
teaching, tells me that the society pupil
Is not especially proficient in dancing.
There are, of course,' he said, lex
ceptions. The ability to dance is a native
gift, and, In my Judgment. it is found Of
tener among the uneducated classes than
In families of wealth and position.
Among the latter the pupil usually finds
with astonishment that there is really
much to learn in getting up a dance that
would pass on variety stage, and not a
lew give up after few lessons. Most of
them put weeks and weeks of study and
practice into accomplishing what a Bow
cry urchin masters by untutored imita-
ton of what he sees sron the 10-cent gal
lery. There is some promising material
however, in Fifth avenue, and after
few seasons more fashion may develop
some dancers of genuine merit and inter
est just as it now and then sends out
clever actress. The trouble with them is
that they associate dancing with pas
time, having always regarded it in that
light, and enter upon the study of it for
fun, not realizing that it is an art that re-
qulres talent and patience for mastery"
III IS encouraging to learn that Fifth
avenue may hope to do something in
dancing worthy of the Bowery. The
teacher quote was wholly sincere in his
critical analysis and in earnest in esti-
mating his business as an art He is a
handsome fellow and very dignihed. His
very conceit doubtless saves him from
getting into awkward scrapes,. for il is
not altogether infrequent that the daugh-
ter of wealth pursues her studies in
speciality dancing by reason of being
charmed, not to say infatuated with the
teacher. There is a good instance in
point with this same master of the lively
art. He has been teaching young lady
all winter, sometimes at her house.
oftener at his own parlors. She mani
tested no especial proficiency, no desire
to appear at any of the charity perform
ances but it was evident that she wanted
to please her teacher and that she more
than enjoyed his company. He saw the
situation clearly enough, but he sensibly
maintained an impassive demeanor and
quietly raked in the shekels. The father
of the young woman at last "tumbled" to
the situation
1T WAS A SHOCK.
To him, but he is gifted with great sa-
gacity, and he determined not to put his
foot in it by making fuss or taking any
course that would lead to the possibility
of scandal. He went to the dancing mas
ter, and explaining that his daughter was
in danger of in1uring her health by too
>
on some pretext the master decline to
give further instruction.
You will lose no money by it," con-
cluded the father.
The master assented to the proposition
without argument and a good price was
fixed in consideration of which the les
sons and all communications were to
cease. But the master suggested that
perhaps it would be better if the young
lady should voluntarily stop the lessons.
The father was dubious. 1t would be bet
ter, but he was afraid that her enthusi-
asm for the art was too great, which
meant, of course, that her infatuation for
the teacher was complete. The dancing
master assured the troubled father
that he could fix it so that the
young lady would voluntarily discontinue
the lessons, and it was settled that he
should try to accomplish this. 1t was
very easy. AT the next lesson the hand
some teacher explained that he would
have to leave town for week, but that
instruction to special pupils would be con-
tinued by his wife. This was the first in
timation the pupil had received that there
was a wife in the case. She kept her
composure perfectly, but the next day
the dancing master received a note from
her inclosing a check for the balance of
the term for lessons, and a regretful an
nouncement that, owing to her health,
she would be unable longer to study. And
so her heart is healing, presumably, and
the dancers pocket is the more plethoric
by double payment for instruction that
he is not giving. Which shows that it is
sometimes advantageous to be born hand
some.
Lower Broadway was more than usu-
ally alive with hurrying humanity; the
roadway was a maze of slowly moving
vehicles on the wide sidewalks men and
women
JOSTLED EACH OTHER,
And even messenger boys were on the
run. Just near the corner of Cortlandt
street an oasis formed temporarily, as is
often the case in moving crowds; space
perhops twenty feet across appeared sud
denly in which the way was absolutely
clear. 1t lasted but a second. but during
that interval little youngster, certainly
less than years old toddled from some
where into the open. and was proceeding
along unconcernedly when the crowd
closed in A half dozen different men, in
their haste, might have run the baby
down, when well-knit young man of
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