The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-12-22
ARREsrED pEvELoPEMENT.

DEN LIZ
The lambkius sport, the children romp
and play, the youths and maidens dance.
Just so; and, we like to see it. 1t is not
to be sure, a pleasing turn In affairs
when the lambkins go TO butting one
another's heads in wrath; nor, when the
little folks change from games to dealing
blows and calling names. We feel then
like asking each Of them which n OF
the Madison newspapers they thus aim
TO represent. Nor is it for one moment
to be conceded that evil passions have
any necessary connection with the last
OF the above named amusemerts. We re-
gard that in fact as a refined development
of the first. Ii is the romp reduced to or
der. the frolic set to music; the poetry or
motion, and the school for graceful &C
ton. Now, order, music, poetry, n
grace are things to be admired, q
cultivated. In youth ard middle age
we need them for recreation. And recre-
alton, at every stage of life, is just as le-
gitimate. and even necessary, Q part oft
as work and prayer. Everything in It's
proper place and proportion, and health
full progress toward the fullness of man
hood is the result. But the holdenish
pranks Of half grown boys and girls are
poor places in which to stop growing.
The gathering, for example, OF men and
women in q circle, and then, in turn,
meawling like very tom-cats to make
each other laugh, is not edifying. This,
and al such forms OF entertainment,
are instances OF arrested Development.
They are horse-play In small type. They
stand for a freedom from restraint in
movements and behavior which amounts
to license. They do not contribute to
gracefulness in any particular. Besides,
il we engage in them at all, We must do
SO by letting ourselves down; and, to let
ones self down is never elevatlng.
Dancing, on the contrary, Is an accom-
plishment. 1t mean the studied re-
straint of motion within prescribed linn
it's. 1t stands for self control according
totixed rules, based upon scientific princi-
pies. 1t requires careful training in
several very important steps; steps
whose lawful direction is toward culture
and refinement. The savage can jump
and squirm in time to music, perfectly;
but true dancing is the result OF ednca-
ton. This education, In many OF us,
has been neglected. In fact, by some,
tabooed; at the very time when nature
and common sense most demanded its
encouragement. Consequently We have
become narrow. and awkward, and pru.
dish, and a little inclined to the Il am
better than thou" OF the Pharisee. ALI
OF these are indications of one thing
arrested development. We have been
frightened out of a good, very good, part
OF our natural growth. 1t a said
there was a lion in the way; and, OF
course, We stopped. We were brought
up to nave a great respect for lions. We
think the world belongs to them, es-
pecially the good things of life. Ii We
now aud then indulge ourselves in such
things, we do it t~lmorously, by the favor,
as it were, of His Lordship, the lion; or
sIyly. as though we were stealing forbid
den fault, and we're in constant dread of
his claws. IL we owned a garden full OF
innocent delights, and a lion should
walk INTO 1t, We would Immediately
abandon our possessions to the king OF
beasts. Therefore, when We peep into
the ball room and see the spirit of evil
mingling with the daLcers, we cry,
Stop the music! When, had we been
more wisely trained, we should say, Put
the devil out!
To be consistent, We should pursue
the same policy elsewhere. We should
never teach our child to contend with
hornets IL one lit upon him in his
play, We should not slap the hornet, but
scold the child; or, put him under lock
and key where hornets could not get al
him, O he, as we fondly imagine, al
them. However, we are writing this ar.
ticle, partly, to state our conviction that
it is better in every case both to crush
the hornet and preserve the freedom d
the child. We cannot but think that il
we had been better trained in contend
ing successfully against hornets in oui
childhood, We should have been better
able TO resist temptation in our youth
and would not now, in mature years, b,
found as often abandoning the who'll
field to the devil.
AS for whether people dance or not
We do NOT care a fig. What we complain
OF is arrested development. What w
admire il gracefulness. We plead TO
courtesy, politeness, good manners
in short, wholesome self control. Nc
tied up control, held together by string
as pram and bard ,as . square brick i
wrapping paper; but manly ~self-contro
aet TO the music OF brotherly love nm